3 PLATOONS - LINE OFFICER (LIEUTENANT), PLATOON SGT (STAFF), 2 SECTION SGTS, 2 OR 3 SQUADS PER SECTION DEPENDING ON MANPOWER AVAILABLE AND MISSION ASSIGNED, CORPORAL FOR EACH SQUAD PLUS SEVEN MEN. 2 MOTORCYCLE RIDERS.
MOTORCYCLES, JEEPS, SCOUT CARS (ORIGINALLY M3A1; LATER ARMORED UTILITY CAR M20) 3/4 TON TRUCKS, 6X6 TRUCKS, 250 GALLON WATER TRAILER. EACH DRIVER WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FIRST ESCHELON MAINTENANCE OF THE VEHICLE SO IN THIS SENSE THEY WERE A LUXURY TO THE AVERAGE TROOPER AS COMPARED TO HAVING A HORSE TO TAKE OF. IT WAS ALSO SOMEWHAT OF A LUXURY TO BE ABLE TO STRAP OUR BEDROLLS AND MUSSET BAG ON THE VEHICLE AND NOT BE BURDENED DOWN WITH THEM. EVEN FOR THE DRIVER THEY GENERALLY DID NOT ENTAIL A GREAT DEAL OF TIME TO TAKE CARE OF. THE VEHICLES WERE IN SOME CASES MODIFIED BY OUR OWN MOTOR CREW FOR SPECIFIC USES HOWEVER, IN THE MAIN THEIR USE WAS AS FOLLOWS:
MOTORCYCLES - WERE USED BY AND LARGE FOR TRAFFIC CONTROL OF THE TROOP; TO MAINTAIN CONTACT BETWEEN PLATOONS, TROOP HEADQUARTERS, AND DIVISION HEADQUARTERS. THEY WERE HEAVY DUTY HARLEY-DAVIDSONS THAT COULD WITHSTAND RUGGED TERRAIN. JEEPS - WERE THE NUMBER ONE VEHICLE OF CHOICE FOR MOST TROOPERS. MUCH HAS BEEN WRITTEN ABOUT THEM. I CAN TESTIFY TO THEIR UTILITY AND OVERALL DURABILITY. WE ALWAYS SAID THAT THE MOTOR CREW COULD KEEP THEM RUNNING AS LONG AS THEY HAD A GOOD SUPPLY OF BAILING WIRE AND CHEWING GUM IN THEIR REPAIR KITS. THEY WERE OUR PRINCIPAL RECON UNIT. OF THE THREE OR FOUR JEEPS IN EACH SECTION THE ONE WITH THE LEADER OF THE UNIT WAS EQUIPPED WITH A RADIO. SCOUT CARS - USUALLY HAD TWO M3A1 CARS ASSIGNED TO EACH PLATOON AND TWO TO HEADQUARTERS UNIT (ONE OF THESE QUITE OFTEN WAS WITH DIVISION HEADQUARTERS FOR LIAISON AND MESSAGE RELAYS TO G2). EACH WAS EQUIPPED WITH A RADIO AND THE EARLY ONES HAD MACHINE GUNS MOUNTED ON A 360 RAIL. THEY WERE MOSTLY LATER REPLACED BY THE M20. 3/4 TON TRUCK - USUALLY TWO TO A PLATOON. ONE WAS DESIGNATED AS A MORTAR SQUAD VEHICLE AND THE OTHER AS A 37 MM CANNON VEHICLE. ONE WAS DESIGNATED AS A PIONEER AND DEMOLITION UNIT VEHICLE AND CARRIED A JACK HAMMER, FUSES, DETONATOR, AND TNT -- IT WAS USUALLY WITH THE HEADQUARTERS PLATOON. 6X6 MAINLY ASSIGNED TO HEADQUARTERS UNIT. MOST IMPORTANT JOB AS FAR AS THE TROOPERS WERE CONCERNED WERE THE ONES USED BY THE MESS SERGEANT AND HIS CREW. THEY, OF COARSE WERE ALSO USED FOR SUPPLY AND VEHICLE MAINTENANCE.
MOST OF THE TROOPERS WERE ARMED WITH A RIFLE AND A 45 CAL AUTOMATIC PISTOL. THE PISTOL WAS CARRIER IN A HOLSTER WHICH WAS ATTACHED TO THE WEB BELT ON WHICH ALSO WAS CARRIED A CANTEEN AND FIRST AID BANDAGE POUCH. IN COMBAT AREAS THE MEN ALSO CARRIED HAND GRENADES. SOME OF THE RIFLEMEN WERE EQUIPPED WITH ANTI TANK SHELLS FOR THEIR RIFLES. EACH PLATOON ALSO HAD TWO HAND HELD ROCKET LAUNCHERS FOR ANTI TANK PROTECTION. THE PLATOON AND SECTION SERGEANTS CARRIED THOMPSON SUB MACHINE GUNS. A 50 CAL MACHINE GUN AND A 30 CAL MACHINE GUN WERE MOUNTED ON EACH SCOUT CAR WHICH PROVIDED A GOOD PLATFORM FOR FIRING PURPOSES. MOST SECTION JEEPS IN EACH PLATOON HAD EITHER A 50 CAL MG OR A 30 CAL MG ON PEDESTAL MOUNTS WHICH GAVE THEM A GOOD STEADY FIRING PLATFORM; HOWEVER, THE OPTION TO UNLOAD THEM QUICKLY TO GET INTO A LOW FIRING POSITION WAS ALWAYS PRESENT AND COULD BE DONE VERY QUICKLY. WITH T HE MORTAR CREWS IT WAS NECESSARY TO DISMOUNT AND SET UP TO FIRE THEM. THE 37 MM CANNON WAS TOWED, ESPECIALLY AT FIRST, BUT IF MEMORY SERVES ME RIGHT SOME OF THEM WERE LATER MOUNTED DIRECTLY ON THE BED OF THE 3/4 TON TRUCKS. THIS GAVE THEM MUCH NEEDED TIME IN CASE OF EMERGENCY. SINCE WE WERE CAVALRYMEN NOT INFANTRYMEN WE WERE NOT ISSUED BAYONETS. SOMEHOW MOST OF US THAT SAILED ON THE QUEEN MARY TO ENGLAND IN 1942 FELT WE SHOULD HAVE THE EQUIVALENT SO MOST OF US CARRIED A LARGE HUNTING KNIFE IN A HOLDER ON OUR BELT. THEORETICALLY I SUPPOSE IT QUALIFIES AS A WEAPON -- AT LEAST IT CAME IN HANDY ESPECIALLY TO OPEN C RATION CANS THAT HAD THE KEY BROKEN AS WELL AS FOR OTHER USES WHICH I LEAVE TO THE READERS IMAGINATION. SO ALL IN ALL YOU CAN SEE THAT FOR A SMALL UNIT OF APPROXIMATELY 200 MEN THEY POSSESSED AS GREAT DEAL OF FIRE POWER AND VERSITILITY.
IN THE GUIDLINES TO THE RECON TROOP PROVIDED BY GENERAL TERRY ALLEN ITS MISSION WAS TO MAINTAIN EXTENSIVE AND AGGRESSIVE PATROLS TO LOCATE THE ENEMY, TO ASCERTAIN THE ENEMY’S DISPOSITION AND TO MAINTAIN CONTACT. IN THIS REGARD ONE PLATOON OF THE 1ST RECON WAS NORMALLY ATTACHED TO EACH COMBAT TEAM. AS A RESULT PLATOON LEADERS (LIEUTENANTS AND SERGEANTS) WERE VERY MUCH ON THEIR OWN MOST OF THE TIME QUITE OFTEN FAR FROM HOME (THE TROOP AREA). ALSO AT OTHER TIMES THE UNITS COVERED LARGE AREAS TO KEEP CONTACT BETWEEN ELEMENTS OF THE DIVISION. AT THE CAVALRY REPLACEMENT CENTER IN FORT RILEY IN MY OPINION THEY WERE VERY MUCH BEHIND THE TIMES. I LOVED THE HORSES AND EVERYTHING CONNECTED WITH THEM BUT IN MY MIND I COULD NOT JUSTIFY ONE SQUADRON BEING TRAINED AS HORSE CAVALRY AND THE OTHER AS MECHANIZED. I WAS INITIALLY ASSIGNED TO THE HORSE SQUADRON BUT I FELT THAT THE TIME SPENT TRAINING THE MEN TO RIDE COULD BE BETTER USED TO READY THEM FOR ACTUAL COMBAT CONDITIONS WHICH BY AND LARGE CALLED FOR VEHICULAR MOBILITY. I SUPPOSE MY THOUGHTS WERE EVIDENT BECAUSE IT WAS NOT LONG BEFORE I WAS ASSIGNED TO THE MECHANIZED SQUADRON AS THE ADJUTANT. HERE I FELT I WAS BETTER SUITED TO GIVE THEM SOME INSIGHTS ON WHAT WOULD BE EXPECTED OF THEM IN ORDER TO DO THEIR JOB AND CREATE A BETTER SURVIVAL RATE AMONG THE. REPLACEMENTS WHO WERE ASSIGNED TO FRONT LINE RECON UNITS.
AS WOULD BE EXPECTED THE EMPHASIS IN A RECON UNIT WOULD BASICALLY START WITH WEAPONS AND VEHICLE MAINTEANCE TRAINING. THIS WAS FOLLOWED WITH MAP READING AND OTHER RECON TRAINING SO THAT THE MEN COULD ACCOMPLISH THEIR MISSION. IT WAS IMPORTANT ALSO THAT THEY HAD SOME UNDERS STANDING OF FIRST AID TO HELP THEIR FELLOW SOLDIERS AS WELL AS THEMSELVES IN CASE OF INJURY.
1st Infantry Division
Return to the QuarterHorse Index Page
The QuarterHorse marches on. click here to see their Active Duty WebSite.