Hi,
I read something about the 113th Cavalery Groups, who was one of the unids that liberated the south of the province I live in (not where I live dough).
It made me wondering, how sutch a Cavalery Group was compossed.
I know they were made up of squadrons but, what would their table of organisation have looked liked? What vehicles did they use? What other weapons? And how would they opperate in general?
Thanks for any info!
Cheers,
Joppe
Other than the HQ there was no set TO/TE. I dont have a TO/TE for the HQ at hand here, tho the requirement for mobility and long range communications suggests halftracks, high powered radios, and more communications technicians and officers than usual for regiment or brigade size unit.
Aside from the two or three armored cav squadrons it was common to attach artillery, tank, tank destroyer, engineer, antiaircraft, or infantry battalions and companys to the Cav Grp for a few days or weeks.
Despite the potiential for glamor and headlines you very seldom see anything written about the armored cavalry. About the only such unit most folk can identify is the 114th AC Grp that was nearly destroyed in the first days of the Ardennes battle.
Untill late 1943 the Armored Cavalry was organized into regiments with a standardized TO/TE. Like the artillery regiments these were disolved into the more flexible group to aid in task organization.
Other than the HQ there was no set TO/TE for the Group as a whole. I dont have a TO/TE for the HQ at hand here, tho the requirement for mobility and long range communications suggests halftracks, high powered radios, and more communications technicians and officers than usual for regiment or brigade size unit.
Staunton gives the TO/TE of a independant squadron of 1944 as:
Officers…38
Warrant officers…3
Enlisted…702
Arm Car M8…40
75mm Howizter GMC…6
Light tank…17
Halftrack M3…26
Halftrack ambulance…4
Heavy MG…25
Medium MG…54
81mm Mortar…3
60mm mortar…27
SMG…202
Carbine…434
Rifle…90
pistol…3
AT rocket launcer…31
Truck 2.5 ton…18
Jeep…87
service vehicals…6
This was about 20% smaller than the armored cavalry squadron of the Armored divsion which had 52 armored cars, 32 halftracks (combat), & 110 jeeps.
Aside from the two or three armored cav squadrons it was common to attach artillery, tank, tank destroyer, engineer, antiaircraft, or infantry battalions and companys to the Cav Grp for a few days or weeks.
Despite the potiential for glamor and headlines you very seldom see anything written about the armored cavalry. About the only such unit most folk can identify is the 114th AC Grp that was nearly destroyed in the first days of the Ardennes battle.
Untill late 1943 the Armored Cavalry was organized into regiments with a standardized TO/TE. Like the artillery regiments these were disolved into the more flexible group to aid in task organization.
Thank you very much! This was just the info I wanted to know! So they used M-3’s, M-8’s, M-8 75mm GMC’s and M-5A1’s. That’s nice to know.
About the 114th Cavalery Group, check this site out! Bin there twice, but want to go again, as you can take a ride in an M-3 halftrack or a Tjechian copy of the Sd.Kfz.251/1.
http://www.museum-poteau44.be/
The attatchment of other unids would explain the sole 3’’ gun seen in the ambush photo’s.
Cheers,
Joppe
Does anyone happen to know what type of ARV was used by the 113th cavalry group? If I have to believe the above site, they used some M-32’s. If so, did they use them on the M-4 basis, or on the M-4 A-1 basis, or did they use the M-31?
Cheers,
Joppe
Sorry to be so long in reply. A quick search reveled nothing about the use of the basis for the M32. Probablly the answer is in some specialty book for the vehical, but I could not guess where to find this.
I found out that the M-32 was based on the M-4, the M-32B1 on the M-4A1, and the M-32B2 on the M-4A2. The M-31 was based on the M-3 medium tank. The latter were also known as T-2’s.
Older unids recieved the M-31 (2nd armoured division, 3th armoured division), while later unids got versions of the M-32 (12th armoured division).
Some M-32’s might have been used by the 113th cavalery group, but only photo’s can realy prove that I guess…
Cheers,
Joppe