Fiddle's Green

[dragoon500ly]

Reequipping the 3rd....well that will be the last of the ACRs. And I don't feel that it is a very good idea. Its the continual loss of our heavy firepower in favor of Strykers. They are not even trying to keep alive the ideal of a balanced force...

How about that Stryker, now there is no need for heavy armor because the Stryker can do everything....

But ya know...I somehow think that when a Stryker goes up against a T-72....the T-72 will win.

[dragoon500ly]

So just what is a ACR?

The armored cavalry regiment is a corps level asset that has several missions.

First up is the reconnaissance-in-force mission, its light enough to move fast and heavy enought to punch through just about anything in its way.

Second is the screening mission, the ACR can cover the corps front or one of its flanks. The size of an ACR and its equipment mix can also be used in a deception mission, impersonating a mech brigade for example.

During my time in service, there were two TO&Es used. The older TO&E used a ten vehicle platoon (the largest platoon in the Army) made up a scout section equipped with 4 M-113 APCs carrying a Dragon mount, a tank section with 4 M-1IPs and a command section consisting of a M-113 and a M-106 4.2-inch mortar carrier. The mortar carrier was often detached to the troop headquarters, giving the troop 3 mortar carriers. Three cav platoons and a HQ platoon make up a armored cavalry troop.

A armored cavalry squadron is made up of a headquarters troop, three cavalry troops, a tank company (14 M-1IPs) and a howitzer battery (8 SP 155mm). The regiment itself has three armored cavalry squadrons, a air cavalry squadron, a headquarters troop and attached Stinger platoon, target acquisition platoon (OH-58D) a engineer company and a military intelligence company. As you can see, a powerful combined arms organization capable of performing a variety of missions.

The ACRs do not use the standard phonetic alphabet names, but use a more evocative series:

First Squadron
Apache Troop
Bull Troop
Charlie Troop
Delta Company
How Battery
Second Squadron
Eagle Troop
Fox Troop
Ghost Troop
Hawk Company
How Battery
Third Squadron
Iron Troop
Killer Troop
Lightning Troop
Mad Dog Company
How Battery
Fourth Squadron
Nomad Troop (8 OH-58C and 4 AH-1F)
Oscar Troop (ditto)
Palehorse Troop (ditto)
Quickstrike Troop (4 OH-58C and 8 AH-1F)
Redcatcher Troop (ditto)
Sierra Company (12 UH-60A)

[dragoon500ly]

The 1991 Persian Gulf War/Desert Storm is perhaps the best example of how ACRs are used.

Both the 2nd and the 3rd ACRs took part.

2nd ACR was part of the VII Corps drive. It performed the corps-level screening mission. The Dragoons led the assault into Iraqi and proceeded to tear apart the Iraqi forces. To enhance the 2nd ACRs drive, the 210th Field Artillery Brigade (consisting of 2 bns of SP155mm, a attack helicopter squadron and a MLRS battery) was attached.

3rd ACR was attached to the 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized) and was used as a fourth maneuver brigade during the drive of the XVIII Airborne Corps.

[Panther Al]

These days its:

B=Bandit
G=Grim
H=Heavy
I=Ironhorse
Regiment is Remington and the supply guys are know as the Muleskinners.

At least in the 3d ACR.

[Panther Al]

Originally Posted by dragoon500ly

Reequipping the 3rd....well that will be the last of the ACRs. And I don't feel that it is a very good idea. Its the continual loss of our heavy firepower in favor of Strykers. They are not even trying to keep alive the ideal of a balanced force...

How about that Stryker, now there is no need for heavy armor because the Stryker can do everything....

But ya know...I somehow think that when a Stryker goes up against a T-72....the T-72 will win.

I have nothing against the concept of one chassis providing the base for a number of specialised vehicles, its an even better idea for the ACR's as they need to run on as small as possible logistical tail. My problem with it is that they made far far to complex for what was needed. The original base vehicle, the piranha is great: mechanically and electrically simple that can be maintained with great ease: they stryker on the other hand... Hell the Centaro armoured cars we loaned from italy are easier to maintain.

[Abbott Shaull]

Unless you using M1 or Challenger or similar AFV for scouting mission, I think the T-72 will stand a good chance of winning. That is as long as it not a lone T-72 or all the commanders are day dreaming at the same time...

[dragoon500ly]

Originally Posted by Abbott Shaull

Unless you using M1 or Challenger or similar AFV for scouting mission, I think the T-72 will stand a good chance of winning. That is as long as it not a lone T-72 or all the commanders are day dreaming at the same time...

Thats why, after Desert Storm, the divisional recon squadrons started adding tank sections to the ground troops...

[dragoon500ly]

In the mid to late 80s, the armd cav platoon replaced two M113 Dragon tracks with two M-901 Improved Tow Vehicles...not exactly the best choice for the recon mission!

Towards the end of the eighties, with the first deployment of the M3 Devers CFV, the ACRs started a major reorganization of the platoons.

First tested in the 1986 REFORGER, the structure was 1st & 2nd Platoons, using a command M113, 3 M-901s and 3 M113 Dragons apeice (splitting the Third Herds scout section) and giving up their tank sections to 3rd Platoon...12 M-1s!

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by dragoon500ly

Towards the end of the eighties, with the first deployment of the M3 Devers CFV, the ACRs started a major reorganization of the platoons.

I might point out that the initial plans were dropped and they never called the M3 the Devers.

[Panther Al]

True, but that (at least according to the cav) was because the infantry branch got all pissy that someone might get something special, after all, the infantry is the only bunch that gets promotion points for proving they know how to do their job...

But in all seriousness, yes, the M3 was called the Bradley, but to a lot of cavalry men its still the Devers- at least to the old timers- the new crop over the past 10 years hasn't heard about its old name..

[Abbott Shaull]

Originally Posted by dragoon500ly

In the mid to late 80s, the armd cav platoon replaced two M113 Dragon tracks with two M-901 Improved Tow Vehicles...not exactly the best choice for the recon mission!

Towards the end of the eighties, with the first deployment of the M3 Devers CFV, the ACRs started a major reorganization of the platoons.

First tested in the 1986 REFORGER, the structure was 1st & 2nd Platoons, using a command M113, 3 M-901s and 3 M113 Dragons apeice (splitting the Third Herds scout section) and giving up their tank sections to 3rd Platoon...12 M-1s!

3rd platoon would have 12 M1s....WOW the platoon would have as much firepower minus the HQ section of a regular Armor Company...lol

[dragoon500ly]

Originally Posted by Abbott Shaull

3rd platoon would have 12 M1s....WOW the platoon would have as much firepower minus the HQ section of a regular Armor Company...lol

Tell me about it! To the best of my knowledge, it was only pulled on that one REFORGER with mixed results (gee wonder why). That's why the next move in the troop was to go to four line platoons, two with 6 M3 each and two with 4 M1A1s apiece. This is the configuration that went into Desert Storm.

[dragoon500ly]

Originally Posted by Panther Al

I have nothing against the concept of one chassis providing the base for a number of specialised vehicles, its an even better idea for the ACR's as they need to run on as small as possible logistical tail. My problem with it is that they made far far to complex for what was needed. The original base vehicle, the piranha is great: mechanically and electrically simple that can be maintained with great ease: they stryker on the other hand... Hell the Centaro armoured cars we loaned from italy are easier to maintain.

And that's the problem with the Stryker, all the nifty gadgets packed into...everything from that remote-controlled weapon station to the electronics. The more "techie" things are, the greater the likely hood that gremlins while strike whenever you need it the most.

Its like when the pluggers first came into service...the first thing was to no longer teach basic map reading/compass work...so when the pluggers crashed.......the old sarges had to pull out thier compasses and the paper maps and start teaching the old skills, yet again.