The 6th Cavalry Brigade was a tactical formation of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

which served in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

before being disbanded following the end of the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

Formation

On 15 August 1927 the 6th Cavalry Brigade was constituted as part of the unorganised and newly formed 3rd Cavalry Division. Until 1932 the brigade didn't maintain a headquarters and was assigned to the

Seventh Corps Area The Seventh Corps Area was a Corps area, effectively a military district, of the United States Army active from 1920 to 1941. It initially was responsible for army forces in Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri (but not Jefferson Barracks), North Dakota, S ...

.Clay, p. 599. The brigade was organised as follows after formation: * 6th Cavalry Brigade ** Headquarters and Headquarters Troop — ''HQ Troop disbanded by 1932'' ** 3rd Cavalry Regiment **

6th Cavalry Regiment The 6th Cavalry ("Fighting Sixth'") is a regiment of the United States Army that began as a regiment of cavalry in the American Civil War. It currently is organized into aviation squadrons that are assigned to several different combat aviation ...

** 6th Machine Gun Squadron — ''disbanded in 1928'' From 1928 to 1931 the brigade was redesignated as 'Regular Army Inactive' and maintained training through an affiliation with the

14th Cavalry Regiment The 14th Cavalry Regiment is a cavalry regiment of the United States Army. It has two squadrons that provide reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition for Stryker brigade combat teams. Constituted in 1901, it has served in conflicts ...

, and conducted training at Fort Des Moines,

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

. On 1 May 1932 the brigade was withdrawn from the Seventh Corps Area and subsequently allocated to the

Third Corps Area Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (dis ...

. During the brigade's time as part of the Third Corps Area, the regiment was deemed 'inactive'. By July 1933 the brigade was organised with personnel from the

Organized Reserves The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a Military reserve force, reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed ...

. On 1 June 1936 the brigade was withdrawn from the Third Corps Area and allotted back to the Seventh Corps Area. By December 1939 the brigade was organised in

Des Moines Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

, Iowa. However, the brigade was disbanded on 10 October 1940. By the time the brigade was disbanded, it was organised as follows: * 6th Cavalry Brigade ** Headquarters and Headquarters Troop (Organized Reserves), in Des Moines, Iowa ** 3d Cavalry Regiment, at

Fort Myer Fort Myer is the previous name used for a U.S. Army Military base, post next to Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, and across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. Founded during the American Civil War as Fort Cass and ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, at Fort Oglethorpe,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

World War II

On 21 April 1942, the 6th Tank Group was constituted in the

Army of the United States The Army of the United States was one of the four major service components of the United States Army. Today, the Army consists of the Regular Army, the Army National Guard of the United States, the Army National Guard while in the service of the ...

, continuing the lineage of the old 3rd Cavalry Brigade. On 23 April, the group was activated at

Camp Bowie Camp Bowie is a Texas Military Department training center located in west-central Texas on the southern outskirts of Brownwood. History Camp Bowie, named in honor of the Texas patriot James Bowie, was a military training facility during World W ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. On 1 February 1944 the group was redesignated as the 6th Armored Group. The group went on to fight during the

Battle of Normandy Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful liberation of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the N ...

, and the subsequent North West Europe Campaign, including the

Crossing of the Rhine The crossing of the Rhine River by a mixed group of barbarians which included Vandals, Alans and Suebi is traditionally considered to have occurred on the last day of the year 406 (December 31, 406). The crossing transgressed one of the Roman E ...

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive or Unternehmen Die Wacht am Rhein, Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western ...

, and Advance into Western Germany. On 22 October 1945 the group was inactivated at

Camp Myles Standish Camp Myles Standish was a U.S. Army camp located in Taunton, Massachusetts, during World War II. It was the main staging area for the Boston Port of Embarkation, with about a million U.S. and Allied soldiers passing through the camp on their ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, and disbanded 2 July 1952.

Air Cavalry

On 21 February 1975 the 6th Cavalry Brigade was reconstituted at

Fort Hood Fort Cavazos is a United States Army post located near Killeen, Texas. The post is currently named after Gen. Richard E. Cavazos, a native Texan and the US Army’s first Hispanic four-star general. The post is located halfway between Austi ...

, Texas in the Regular Army and subsequently assigned to the

III Corps III or iii may refer to: Companies * Information International, Inc., a computer technology company * Innovative Interfaces, Inc., a library-software company * 3i, formerly Investors in Industry, a British investment company Other uses * I ...

. By 1989 the brigade added the suffix '(Air Combat)', and was organised as follows: * 6th Cavalry Brigade (Air Combat) ** Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, at Fort Hood, Texas ** 1st Squadron,

(18x

Boeing AH-64 Apache The Hughes/McDonnell Douglas/Boeing AH-64 Apache ( ) is an American twin-turboshaft attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear and a tandem cockpit for a crew of two. Nose-mounted sensors help target acquisition, acquire targets an ...

, 13x Bell OH-58C Kiowa, 3x Sikorsky UH-60A Black Hawk) ** 3d Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment (18x Boeing AH-64 Apache, 13x Bell OH-58C Kiowa, 3x Sikorsky UH-60A Black Hawk) ** 4th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment (18x Boeing AH-64 Apache, 13x Bell OH-58C Kiowa, 3x Sikorsky UH-60A Black Hawk) ** 6th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment (18x Boeing AH-64 Apache, 13x Bell OH-58C Kiowa, 3x Sikorsky UH-60A Black Hawk) — ''activated 6 June 1990'' ** 7th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment (18x Boeing AH-64 Apache, 13x Bell OH-58C Kiowa, 3x Sikorsky UH-60A Black Hawk) — ''Army Reserve unit, in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, Texas'' ** 2d Battalion, 58th Aviation Regiment (Air Traffic Control) ** 2d Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment (32x CH-47D) While based at Fort Hood the brigade also had a small

Pathfinder Pathfinder, Path Finder or Pathfinders may refer to: Aerospace * ''Mars Pathfinder'', a NASA Mars Lander * NASA Pathfinder, a high-altitude, solar-powered uncrewed aircraft * Space Shuttle ''Pathfinder'', a Space Shuttle test simulator Arts and ...

detachment assigned. In the autumn of 1990, two subordinate units of the brigade (including the 2nd Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment), were deployed to

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

. These units would go on to take part in

Operation Desert Shield , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

and later Operation Desert Storm. Among the brigade commanders was Walter H. Yates Jr. On 16 June 2005, both the 6th Cavalry Brigade and the 17th Aviation Brigade were inactivated and their assets were merged into the Combat Aviation Brigade, 2d Infantry Division, thus ending the lineage.

Heraldry

Distinctive unit insignia

Description * A silver color metal and enamel device in height overall consisting of a red enameled shield with a silver border bearing a black bucking horse in front of a six-pointed star and surmounting overall a silver pentagon, point up. Symbolism * The horse and the six-pointed star, a symbol for guidance and achievement, represent the historical origin and great tradition of the Cavalry. * The six points of the star further allude to the numerical designation of the Brigade. * The pentagonal background, a symbol of perfection, also refers to the five campaigns credited the organization for service in France and Germany during World War II. Background * The insignia was approved on 21 Feb 1975.

Shoulder Sleeve Insignia

Description * A heater-shaped shield in width and in height overall with a black border around a field divided diagonally from upper right to lower left with scarlet above and white below and just below center two crossed yellow sabres with hilts to base * COMBAT SERVICE IDENTIFICATION BADGE: A silver color metal and enamel device {{convert, 2, in, cm in height consisting of a design similar to the shoulder sleeve insignia. Symbolism * The colors red and white are the old guidon colors of Cavalry units and the crossed sabres are adopted from the former Cavalry branch insignia. Background * The insignia was approved 21 Feb 1975 * (TIOH Drawing Number A-1-582)

Footnotes

References

* Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Steven E. Clay, ''U.S. Army Order of Battle 1919–1941, Volume 2 The Arms: Cavalry, Field Artillery, and Coast Artillery, 1919–41''. Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Military units and formations established in 1927 Military units and formations established in 1942 Military units and formations established in 1975 Military units and formations disestablished in 1940 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 Military units and formations disestablished in 2005 Cavalry brigades of the United States Army