Re: Armored Cavalry Regiments
Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2022 6:47 pm
Regarding the guidons, I think the only the lettered troops carry cavalry guidons, which only concerns the tank company in regimental squadrons, at least in the black boot army. At times, at it may have been up to the regimental, squadron, or troop commander, the tank company may have carried the armor or the cavalry guidon. Being a lettered company, it most likely should have been a cavalry guidon. The howitzer battery was not a letter unit and referred to as "How Battery," carried an artillery guidon. In my time, other elements were not big enough to carry guidons, although they may have used one to represent a parent unit on parade.
Only regimental units used consecutive letters throughout squadrons - 2nd, 3rd, and 11th ACRs, because there was an active regimental headquarters in command. Divisional units did not do this, so both 3-12 and 4-12 squadrons had three troops, labeled A, B, and C. Those units not actually falling under an active regimental headquarters were indicated by the hyphen in their title. Regimental units were indicated by a slash - 1/11th ACR. During WWII, the two heavy armored division, 2nd and 3rd, started with 2 armored regiments under regimental headquarters and their companies were lettered sequentially throughout the regiment, 1st Battalion with A through D (3 medium tank companiesand 1 light tank company), 2nd battalion having E through H, and 3rd battalion I, K, L, and M, J not being used to avoid confusion with J in hand-written orders. The Army has not been kind to the continuity of unit designations and following your unit history requires some Houdini-like contortions to get from point A to point present. If your unit is a regimental cavalry squadron, your task is relatively simple, but almost every other combat arms unit requires a map.
I have an Armor/Cavalry Lineage two-volume set, but a third volume would be required to follow what the Army has done since the post-Desert Storm drawdown and those responsible ought to be required to tour Army posts and recite the changes without latrine breaks weekly before Congress.
I HAVE seen a cavalry guidon with "HOW" on it, as well as an artillery guidon with "HOW" on it, so there have been exceptions to this. I have not served in a cavalry unit and those who have may have seen circumstances which differed from what I outlined above. Mike Roble could likely offer better insights here, but he has left the building and the hobby.
You likely have a lot of latitude.
Only regimental units used consecutive letters throughout squadrons - 2nd, 3rd, and 11th ACRs, because there was an active regimental headquarters in command. Divisional units did not do this, so both 3-12 and 4-12 squadrons had three troops, labeled A, B, and C. Those units not actually falling under an active regimental headquarters were indicated by the hyphen in their title. Regimental units were indicated by a slash - 1/11th ACR. During WWII, the two heavy armored division, 2nd and 3rd, started with 2 armored regiments under regimental headquarters and their companies were lettered sequentially throughout the regiment, 1st Battalion with A through D (3 medium tank companiesand 1 light tank company), 2nd battalion having E through H, and 3rd battalion I, K, L, and M, J not being used to avoid confusion with J in hand-written orders. The Army has not been kind to the continuity of unit designations and following your unit history requires some Houdini-like contortions to get from point A to point present. If your unit is a regimental cavalry squadron, your task is relatively simple, but almost every other combat arms unit requires a map.
I have an Armor/Cavalry Lineage two-volume set, but a third volume would be required to follow what the Army has done since the post-Desert Storm drawdown and those responsible ought to be required to tour Army posts and recite the changes without latrine breaks weekly before Congress.
I HAVE seen a cavalry guidon with "HOW" on it, as well as an artillery guidon with "HOW" on it, so there have been exceptions to this. I have not served in a cavalry unit and those who have may have seen circumstances which differed from what I outlined above. Mike Roble could likely offer better insights here, but he has left the building and the hobby.
You likely have a lot of latitude.