Along with other National Guard units, the regiment was federalized in 1940. At the beginning of World War II, most of the members of the regiment were given the opportunity to enroll in officers school. A core group of about 60 men chose to stay with the unit. The regiment was assigned to the
Third Army on 12 January 1942, and to
IV Corps on 1 May 1942. In spring 1942 the regiment became fully mechanized. The regiment participated in several maneuvers at Hineston, Kinisatchie, and Dry Creek, Louisiana; and in the Louisiana Maneuver Area through the beginning of November 1942. They were assigned to
XV Corps on 1 March 1943 and transferred to Burkeville, Texas, on 25 June 1943, after which it was sent to
Camp Hood, Texas on 25 August 1943 under the
Tank Destroyer Command. The regiment staged at
Camp Shanks, New York from 20 February 1944 until 27 February when it departed the
New York Port of Embarkation for England. • Constituted: 1921. • Activated: 25 November 1940. • Overseas: 1943–1945. • Campaigns: Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe • Days of combat: 480. • Awards:
Fourragère-1
French Croix de guerre with Palm-2,
DSC-1;
SS-58;
BS-519. • Commander: Colonel Vennard Wilson, (25 November 1940 – 23 October 1945). • Casualties:
KIA-194,
MIA-4, Wounded-499 • Returned to U.S.: 1 October 1945. • Inactivated: 23 October 1945.
Subordination Campaign summary The 106th served in the European campaign. The unit comprised approximately fifteen hundred men and was given various typical mechanized cavalry missions later recognized by the French nation with the award of two
Croix de Guerre. The unit finished its wartime duty with the 7th Army, XV Corps. As a forward cavalry force, the 106th provided the first American troops to enter
Salzburg, Austria. The 121st Squadron of the 106th received information that the Germans were holding the
King of the Belgians and his family prisoner in a chateau near
Strobl, Austria. Captain Benecke, the commander of B Troop of the 121st Squadron, led some cavalrymen of his unit, including those who spoke German, on a rescue party. The group later served as Honor Guards for the King of the Belgians and his consort. The 106th secured a truce from the defending German Army on 7 May, the day before the German High Command surrendered to the Allies on 8 May 1945.
Equipment and armament The 106th Cavalry was lightly equipped to allow it to move quickly and deploy rapidly. They fought mounted in mobile Bantam Jeeps and M8 armored cars. Each squadron's complement of troops and vehicles consisted of a headquarters troop that included communication, administrative, mess, maintenance, transportation, and supply support, a medical detachment, a cavalry assault gun troop, and three reconnaissance troops, lettered A, B, and C. A squadron of about 760 men was about the equivalent of a typical Army battalion in numbers, though Cavalry units were typically smaller. F Troop consisted of five light tank companies. Early in the war, each company had three light tank platoons, consisting of five
37mm M5A1 Stuart light tanks. While fast and maneuverable, the Stuart's armor plating and its cannon were soon found to be no match against the German tanks. In February 1945, they were replaced with the more heavily armed
75 mm M24 Chaffee light tank. The M5 Stuart light tank was capable of speeds up to on the road, while the M24 Chaffee could travel at speeds up to on paved surfaces. The M8 armored car was capable of speeds of up to , while the Bantams could exceed . The officers usually rode with their enlisted men in the Bantams, while the squadron's support troops used a variety of vehicles including the Bantams, military trucks, and armored
halftracks. At times, the men would dismount from their light vehicles and take on infantry roles, digging in to create a stronger defensive line. Patrols were undertaken both on foot or mounted as the circumstances dictated. In this capacity, the cavalrymen would go into combat with
M1 rifles and
carbines, hand grenades,
Thompson machine guns, and newly developed
bazookas. When facing heavily fortified enemy positions or, later in the war, against the heaviest German tanks, the 106th was accompanied with supporting units, usually in the form of a small number of
tank destroyers. However, the mission of reconnaissance units was not to fully engage the enemy when encountered, but to summon the slower moving and better equipped infantry and armored units to take on their counterparts. The headquarters, maintenance, mess, supply and medical units were equipped with a variety of military trucks, M8 Armored cars, halftracks, and Bantam jeeps. == Arrival in England ==