Category Archives: US Army

Desert Emils: 7./JG 26’s 109Es and the shifting sands of Africa

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The 7th Staffel of Adolf Galland’s famed Jagdgeschwader 26 (JG 26) “Schlageter,” fresh off the Lowlands and France campaigns and the drawn-out aerial combat against the RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain, was sent south to warm the skins of their Messerschmitts along the assorted shores of the Mediterranean some 85 years ago this month.

This left Oberleutnant Joachim “Jochen” Müncheberg (at the time with 23 confirmed aerial victories), with his unit on a well-earned skiing vacation in the Austrian Alps, suddenly ordered off the slopes and rushed to Sicily with his pilots and ground crews (sans planes) to assist in the attempted reduction of stubborn Malta.

The squadron never got another vacation.

Arriving at Gela on 9 February, they received their factory-new Bf 109 “Emil” E-7/Ns, and by the 12th, Müncheberg tallied his 24th victory, a RAF No. 261 Squadron Hurricane flown by Flt. Lt. James MacLachlan (who bailed out, wounded), over Malta.

Messerschmitt Bf 109E4 7.JG26 White 1 Joachim Muncheberg transit flight Sicily, Feb 1941

Messerschmitt Bf 109E3 7.JG26 White 4 line up Gela Sicily March 1941-01

Messerschmitt Bf 109E7 7.JG26 White 7

Messerschmitt Bf 109E7 7.JG26 White 9 Gela Sicily 1941

Messerschmitt Bf 109E7B 7.JG26 Gela Sicily April 1941

Messerschmitt Bf 109E7B 7.JG26 White 12 Joachim Muncheberg WNr 3826 Gela Sicily 1941

Messerschmitt Bf 109E7B 7.JG26 White 1 Munchenberg Gela Sicily Feb 1941

7./JG 26 would continue its rampage across the theater, relocating to Grottaglie airfield near Taranto for the Yugoslav/Greece campaign in April, shifting to airfields in Greece (Molaoi) for the Crete campaign in May, then to join Fliegerführer Afrika where they operated from Libya (Ain el Gazala) until, with only a couple of planes left, were recalled to France in late August 1941, where they received newer Bf 109 F-4s.

Messerschmitt Bf 109E7B 7.JG26 Gela Sicily

Messerschmitt Bf 109E7B 7.JG26 Gela Sicily 1941

Messerschmitt Bf 109E4 7.JG26 White 3 Ernst Laube Gela Sicily May 1941

Messerschmitt Bf 109E7 7.JG26 armorers 1941

Messerschmitt Bf 109E7N 7.JG26 White 11 Theo Lindemann WNr 4139-Gazala 21st Aug 1941. Note the flare cartridges around his legs. 

By the time they did, Müncheberg’s tally had grown to 49 while 7./JG 26 claimed 52 enemy aircraft during their time in the Med without a single pilot lost to the Allies.

While 7/JG 26 never saw the sands of North Africa again, Müncheberg would return there as a Major in command of JG 77 in October 1942– by which time he had over 100 “kills” after Eastern Front service.

In the desert, he met his fate at the hands of Capt. Theodore Reilly Sweetland, USAAF, who reportedly rammed his flaming British-made 2nd FS/52nd FG Spitfire into the German uber-ace’s Bf 109 G-6 during a dogfight over Meknassy, French Tunisia, on 23 March 1943.

The Pomeranian-born Müncheberg, aged 24, is buried at the German cemetery at Bordj-Cedria, Tunisia, and was credited with 135 victories, while the Oakland-born Sweetland was just three months shy of his own 24th birthday. The American is still listed MIA, memorialized at Tablets of the Missing North Africa American Cemetery Carthage, and earned a posthumous Silver Star among other decorations.

In a bit of dark irony, RAF Squadron Leader James Archibald Findlay MacLachlan DSO, DFC & Two Bars, who had lost his arm to Müncheberg over Malta in February 1941, would perish in Pont-l’Évêque, German-occupied France, also aged 24, on 31 July 1943, just three months after Müncheberg and Sweetland’s mid-air inferno. “One-Armed Mac” at the time had 16 claimed victories, a triple ace, and had been shot down over France while piloting his American-made ADFU Mustang, then passed 13 days later at a German field hospital in Normandy.

Snow and paracord, by the Northern Lights

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Breathtaking.

U.S. Army paratroopers assigned to the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 11th Airborne “Arctic Angels” Division, executed a low-light tactical airborne insertion as the opposing force during Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center 26-02 on Husky Drop Zone at Yukon Training Area, Alaska, Feb. 11, 2026.

These paratroopers descended into the frozen terrain to replicate a thinking, adaptive threat, forcing rotational training units to fight for every movement across Alaska’s unforgiving battlefield while reinforcing the division’s focus on Arctic lethality and expeditionary readiness.

Photo by Spc. Brandon Vasquez

Photo by Spc. Brandon Vasquez

Photo by Spc. Brandon Vasquez

Photo by Spc. Brandon Vasquez

Polar Bears in the trees…

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With all of these polar vortices and bombs recently (I mean, we just had like 11 days in a row that hit below freezing on the Mississippi Gulf Coast), these images from roughly 107 years ago seemed appropriate.

Take a look at this photo, know it is in Northern Russia, February 1919, and ask yourself the nationality of the snow-camo-ed troopers masking themselves among the birch, pines, spruces, and larches of the region.

U.S. Signal Corps photo 111-SC-161113 via NARA.

If you guessed American, you are right, as they are the “Polar Bears” of the U.S. 339th Infantry Regiment (a Wisconsin-Michigan outfit) that fought in North Russia in 1918-19 against the “Reds.”

As the 339th, who unenthusiastically used American-made Mosins in combat against Russians, who unenthusiastically sometimes used lever-action Winchesters against the “Interventy” (Interventionists), I always thought the campaign bordered on the absurd.

The official caption for the above image:

American Soldiers on patrol wear white capes to reduce the chances of discovery while operating in the snow-blanketed forests, which line the Vologda railroad line on each side. Left to right: Bugler Charles Metcalf, Company I; Private Harold Holliday, Company M; and Sgt. Major Ernest Reed, 3rd Battalion, 339th Infantry, 85th Division, February 21, 1919. 111-SC-161113

And these others from the same period:

Blockhouse at Verst 455 on the Vologada Railway, surrounded by the forest, white with a new covering of snow. Photo taken on one of the coldest days of the year, when the temperature reached a point 50 degrees below zero. The American soldier in the foreground is Corporal Hearn of Company I, 339th Infantry, 85th. Division Verst 455, Vologda Railroad front, Northern Russia. 17 February 1919. 111-SC-161081

339th Inf in Russia Verst 455, Vologda Railway Front Feb 1919, with Mosins and Lewis guns. The Lewis was also probably chambered in 7.62x54R (30 cal Russian), drawn from U.S. Savage-made stockpiles originally contracted by the Tsar. 111-SC-161112

339th Inf in Russia Verst 455 Volgada Railway front Feb 1919 Mosins 111-SC-161090.

The 339th served in Russia from September 1918 to June 1919, rather involuntarily clocking in during the Russian Civil War with their more supportable Mosins, then shipped back to a much more agreeable service in post-Great War springtime France, where they were all too happy to get their M1917 Enfields back before shipping home, arriving back in the Midwest in July, wrapping their confusing, and bitter, war.

Blackhorse at 125

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Led by its regimental band, the 11th U.S. Cavalry is shown passing in review on the parade ground of Fort Des Moines, in the summer of 1904. The unit is three years old in this image and had just returned from fighting overseas in the Philippines. Via Mike Brubaker. http://temposenzatempo.blogspot.com/2010/05/11th-us-cavalry-band.html

Founded on 2 February 1901 as a horse-mounted cavalry unit, the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment has served the nation for over a century across nearly every major era of conflict.

Blackhorse troopers first saw action during the Philippine-American War and the 1916 Mexican Expedition.

11th Cavalry Regiment in garrison at the Presidio of Monterey, 1932. They retired their horses for armor shortly after, inactivating as a mounted unit in July 1942.

Later, charging into history in World War II during the Normandy invasion and the liberation of Europe, picking up five battle honors as the 11th Cavalry Group, Mechanized.

M-4 Sherman tanks of the 11th Cavalry Group (Mechanized) in Europe during WWII. (US Army 11th ACR Museum)

The Regiment continued its legacy through Vietnam, stood watch at the Fulda Gap against aggression during the Cold War, and answered the call again in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Members of the 11th ACR talk with West German border police during the Cold War, 1986 DA-ST-86-06121

11th Armored Cavalry Regiment M-1 Abrams Reforger 85 DF-ST-85-13232

In every generation, Blackhorse has adapted to meet the demands of modern warfare while preserving its proud cavalry heritage.

Today, the Regiment carries that legacy forward as the Army’s premier Opposing Force at the National Training Center, forging combat-ready formations and sharpening the force for future conflict as, through the years, the 32nd Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment, or the Krasnovian local forces in the Mojave Desert of Fort Irwin.

This started life as an M113

OPFOR.. the NTC Fort Irwin, CA.. It’s an M113 dressed as a Warsaw Pact BMP-2

Sadly, the 11th ACR’s Horse Detachment is scheduled for retirement this year, making this week one of its final unit rides.

The poster from the 11th ACR’s 100th birthday, now a quarter century in the rearview and lacking the most recent honors from the Sandbox. DA-SD-03-07553

Happy birthday, Blackhorse, Allons!

Leo Belgicus, Korean edition

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Some 75 years ago this week, in February 1951, the 600-man, all-volunteer Belgian-Luxembourgish battalion landed in Pusan, South Korea, and, after marrying up with their equipment, held their first formation before joining the British Commonwealth 29th Infantry Brigade, fleshed out with a company-sized formation of South Korean augmentees.

The flags of Belgium and Luxembourg fly for the first time in Korea. 

On 13 September 1950, the Belgian Government offered a battalion as a contribution to the United Nations effort to fight aggression in Korea.

As the country’s standing forces– which all included conscripts– could not deploy overseas in line with government policy, a call went out for volunteers, of which more than 2,000 regulars submitted packets. Following a selection process and a special training period of three months, the unit shipped out for the Pacific from Antwerp via Singapore, bolstered by 43 officers and men from Luxembourg who formed 1st Platoon, A Company.

Luxembourgish soldier in Korea

This picture shows the Luxembourg Army flag.

The unit was originally formed along British lines, complete with DPM camo smocks and No.4 Enfield .303 rifles. They shipped out to Korea with a new design dark brown beret and a new cap badge, which would be a hallmark of their battalion.

Belgian Battalion Korea soldier cleaning No 4 Enfield rifle 1951 UN 191459

Luxembourg soldiers, Belgian B,n Korea Feb 1951 UN7668158

The Belgian Battalion commander was Colonel Albert Crahay, 48, a regular who graduated from the Royal Military Academy (the École Militaire) in 1923 and, having been captured during the German invasion of his country in 1940, spent five long years as a POW. Crahay left his position at the academy to command the battalion, while his XO, Major Henri Moreau de Melen, resigned as Minister of War for the chance to go to Korea.

Here, at a parade, the commandant, Lt. Colonel Albert Crahay, of Brussels, receives a report from a company commander. The white-haired officer at left is Major Moreau de Melen, who resigned as Minister of War to come to Korea.  1 February 1951, UN7668160

The battalion experienced its first casualties on 18 March 1951 when Lt. Pierre Beauprez, at the time leading a patrol with American soldiers on the southern bank of the Han River, was killed by a Chinese land mine. In WWII, he had served in 4 Belgian troop of No 10 (Inter Allied) Commando.

Hungry for combat, they fought alongside the 1st Gloucestershire Regiment at the Battle of the Imjin River in April 1951. For their actions, the Belgians were awarded a U.S. Presidential Unit Citation. Lt. Col. Crahay, seriously wounded in the battle, picked up a DSC, while de Melen earned a Legion of Honor.

From Crahay’s citation:

Upon receiving orders to withdraw on the night of 23 April 1951, Colonel Crahay, realizing that all planned routes of withdrawal were unfeasible, daringly seized upon a momentary lull in the battle and organized, regrouped, and effected a spectacular lateral withdrawal across the Imjin River. After an arduous, circuitous march, his command rejoined the brigade the following day and was committed to cover the displacement of two battalions along the enemy-infested main supply route. He was seriously wounded while directing and coordinating this stubbornly contested action, but his incredible courage under fire and his intrepid actions inspired his officers and men to fight with unwavering persistency, which contributed significantly to stemming the relentless advance of the numerically superior foe.

Henry Huss, commander of C Company, 8th King’s Royal Irish Hussars, during the Battle of the Imjin River. Lt. Col. Crahay and Major de Melen are seen with their Lion-badged brown berets.

Chopped to the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division’s 7th Infantry Regiment and later the 15th Regiment, post-Imjin, the Belgians received several citations for their actions at Haktang-Ni in October 1951, and along the “Iron Triangle,” and in the Battle of Chatkol in April 1953, including both U.S. and South Korean citations.

This saw them slowly morph into more supportable U.S. gear, including uniforms, M1 helmets, M1 Garands/Carbines, and .30-06 caliber machine guns.

Belgian Battalion Korea

Belgian Battalion Korea

Belgian Battalion Korea during its period with the 15th Infantry Regiment, whose motto was “Can do.”

A Belgian Battalion jeep, complete with KATUSA, circa 1952. Note the combination of Belgian lion berets and 3rd Infantry Division “broken television” patches.

Post 1953, they were one of the first Belgian line units to receive the new SAFN 49 rifles.

The last Belgian troops remained in Korea until June 1955, with the battalion rotating out several times. A total of 3,172 Belgians participated in the Korean War. Some 700 pulled two tours, and 19 very hardy souls elected to draw a third.

The Belgian Battalion lost 106 troops killed in action, along with two Luxembourgers, and 9 assigned South Korean soldiers. Another 478 of its members and 17 Luxembourgers were wounded during the war. Five Belgians are still listed as MIA, while one was captured by the Chinese and repatriated post-armistice.

As for Lt. Col. Crahay, he later went on to command the Belgian 16th Armored Division and, by 1960, was commander of all Belgian Forces in Germany. He retired in 1964 as a Lieutenant-General and was made a Baron in 1983. He passed away in 1991, aged 88.

Today, the Belgian Para-Commando Brigade and the 3rd Parachute Bn (3 Bataljon Parachutisten), retain a dark brown Parachute Qualification Brevet in a salute to the brown berets made iconic in Korea, paid for with the blood of lions.

Combat Village!

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To give new and returning GIs a taste of what they could expect in the often-vicious house-to-house and hamlet-to-hamlet struggle that units had experienced in the first stages of the war in Korea, a “Combat Village” was constructed at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

These images are from some 75 years ago this month, January, 1951.

A squad from Company B, 83rd Engrs., Fort Sill, Okla., closes in on a house at the newly-opened Combat Village. 17 January, 1951. Photographer: Sgt. R.R. McGaffin. Photo Source: U.S. National Archives. Digitized by Signal Corps Archive. SC 364247

Through billowing smoke, three men from Company B, 83rd Engr. Bn., Fort Sill, Okla., push on toward the next house in realistic training at Fort Sill’s Combat Village. 17 January, 1951. L-R they are: Pvt. Virgil Burns, Pvt. Jim McDermott and Pvt. Bill Young, all of Omaha, Neb. Photographer: Sgt. R.R. McGaffin, 4th Det., 4050th ASU TAC. Photo Source: U.S. National Archives. Digitized by Signal Corps Archive. SC 364249

Pvt. Glen Hauer signals men behind him to hold up as they close in on a house at Combat Village. The men on the left are: Pvt. John Salsberry, Leavenworth, Kan., and Pvt. Donald Pickering, Abilene, Kan. All are with Company B, 83rd Engr. Bn., Fort Sill, Okla. 17 January, 1951. Photographer: Sgt. R.R. McGaffin. Photo Source: U.S. National Archives. Digitized by Signal Corps Archive. SC 364248

A .50 caliber machine gun crew from the 46th Engr. Const. Bn. at Fort Sil, Okla., prepares to open up on an approaching enemy tank during a realistic training problem on the Fort Sill range. Pointing out the enemy is Pfc. Delbert Nelson, Dallas, Texas, to Pvt. Charlie Shanks, Big Spring, Texas, and Pvt. J.C. Bauer, Houston, Texas. The gun fired blank ammunition to add realism to the training. 3 January, 1951. Photographer: Sgt. J.D. Hall, 4th Det. 4050th ASU TAC. Photo Source: U.S. National Archives. Digitized by Signal Corps Archive. SC 364245

Sgt. Charles H. Hague, Boerne, Texas, marches an “aggressor” prisoner back to the command post for interrogation during field maneuvers of the 46th Engr. Const. Bn. at Fort Sill, Okla. The prisoner is Pvt. Willie Martinez, of Los Alamos, N.M. Hague is with “B” Company of the 46th. Martinez is with “A” Company. 3 January, 1951. Photographer: Sgt. John D. Hall. Photo Source: U.S. National Archives. Digitized by Signal Corps Archive. SC 364246

Ironically, following the blunting of the Chinese spring offensive in 1951, the war in Korea became very static, one of trenches and hills, resembling more the combat of the Great War, and required totally different tactics than those imparted at the Combat Village.

The Light Fighters of the 1980s

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To the surprise of some, infiltration operations by light infantry have become common on the battlefields of Ukraine.

In “The Light Fighters,” historian Don Wright recounts how the U.S. Army introduced light infantry units in the 1980s that specialized in infiltration and other missions requiring stealth, physical toughness, and mental stamina.

Of course, being “Light Infantry” in the 1980s just meant you had to carry twice as much stuff as your average infantry in other units.

Read the article here.

Big Army to keep (some) Horse Units Afterall

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Leading the Way. Army Capt. Megan Korpiel, commander of the Horse Cavalry Detachment, 1st Cavalry Division, leads soldiers while waving to a crowd during the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, Calif., Jan. 1, 2026. Army photo 260101-A-WV576-1153M by Army Spc. Steven Day

The above troopers have a reason to be smiling under their Stetsons.

We reported last July on the move by the Trump administration to slice the number of Army military working equid (MWE) programs (horses, mules, and donkeys owned by the Department of Defense and housed on Army installations) from seven to two, with 141 U.S. Army horses rehomed.

The last two MWE programs would continue with the Caisson units of The Old Guard at the Military District of Washington and at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas.

There has been a bit of a backpedal on this, with the MWE programs at Fort Hood, Texas (the Horse Cavalry Detachment, 1st Cavalry Division, which was established in 1973) and Fort Riley, Kansas (the circa 1992-founded Commanding General’s Mounted Color Guard, CGMCG) now retained as well.

Plus, the Army recently established a new military occupational specialty (MOS), “Army Equestrian” (08H), that replaces the “military horseman” identifier (D2) and “creates a specialized career path dedicated to the professional care of military working equines.” It is currently open to infantry Soldiers in grades E5-E9.

When the smoke clears, just three of seven programs will be discontinued: the circa 2001-formed 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment (ACR) Horse Detachment, Fort Irwin, California; B Troop, 4th U.S. Cavalry Regiment (Memorial) at Fort Huachuca, Arizona (established in 1974); and the Artillery Half Section at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. The latter, a unique horse artillery unit, is the most senior.

The Fort Sill Artillery Half Section in Oklahoma was established in 1963 as a ceremonial unit to preserve the tradition of the Great War era horse-drawn artillery, featuring a six-horse team pulling a Model 1897 French 75 field piece, and became a permanent fixture around 1970. The horses wear 1904 McClellan saddles, while the Doughboy is the uniform of the day. It is sad to see them go

You can’t save ’em all.

Garryowen!

Climb to Glory: Air Scouts out, UAS Company(s) Real In

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Transformation is the buzzword.

The 10th Mountain Division (LI) made a quiet move last week to case the colors of the 164-year old (constituted 4 May 1861) 6th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment (“Fighting Six-Six”) and disband the heavy attack reconnaissance squadron (HARS), sending its 24 AH-64D Longbow Apaches and six RQ-7Bv2 Shadows to other units.

In its place, Fox Company, 1st Battalion, 10th Aviation Regiment (F, 1-10 Attack Battalion), a new company dedicated to achieving “drone dominance” on the modern battlefield, was activated.

The other three companies in 1-10 Attack will be Apache units, fielding 24 of the birds, at least for now. In the meantime, the Army is retiring older AH-64D models (starting FY2026) to focus on modernizing smaller numbers of AH-64E, which notably have counter-drone capabilities and allow for more UAV integration. Further, with the long-planned Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) program canceled last year, you can bet Apaches in general will likely be replaced by unmanned assets sometime in the 2030s.

“As the 10th Mountain Division’s first dedicated Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems (TUAS) and Launch Effects (LE) company, these Soldiers are now at the forefront of the Army Aviation Transformation Initiative,” said the Army of Fox 1-10 Attack.

Meanwhile, new Multifunctional Reconnaissance Companies (MFRC), focused on Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) employment, are standing up in the 10th Mountain as well as the rest of the Army at the brigade level.

At Camp Beauregard, LA, Soldiers from Sioux Company (Multi-Purpose Company), 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, prepared to launch a Medium-Range Reconnaissance (MRR) Ghost-X drone while utilizing the Soldier Borne Mission Command Surrogate (SBMC-S) system during a training exercise. The SBMC-S empowers Soldiers to task and hand off Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) assets, simultaneously providing access to high-resolution, full-motion video (FMV) streamed directly from the drone. (U.S. Army photo by Zach Montanaro, PEO Soldier Public Affairs)

Just Cause Sheridans

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Following up on the recent mention of the anniversary of Just Cause here on the blog, I would be remiss to point out something super interesting in that 1989 intervention.

It was the only instance of the M-551 Sheridan Armored Reconnaissance/Airborne Assault Vehicle (AR/AAV) being used exactly as it was designed: as an airdropped light tank.

Crewed by the 3rd Battalion of the 73rd Armor Regiment, 82nd Airborne, the 10 M-551A1s that were hurled to the earth from speeding C-141 Starlifters on 20 December 1989, were the only air drop into combat of the vehicle.

One was damaged and another destroyed when their chutes failed to deploy properly (an 80 percent success rate!), but the use in Panama of the eight functional survivors was “considered highly successful.”

The Sheridan went on to see combat once again in Desert Storm (being the first American Army armor on the ground) and run around the Mojave with the NTC for years, but other than Panama, its claim to fame was in Vietnam.

Albeit without airdrops.

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