CONTENTS
1st Cavalry Division
Horse Cavalry Communications
As of January 26, 2012
In the old horse cavalry, they used mirrors and signal flags to communicate and of course sent mounted couriers on horse back from unit to unit. But in the early days of armor, when the tank units were still using signal flags and hand signals, the horse cavalry had radios!
This was called a “Guidon Radio”
The radio operator carried a radio in one saddle bag and
a battery pack in the other saddle bag. He wore an
aviators helmet with ear phones and the antenna ran
alongside a cane pole which was carried as shown in the
photo above like a Guidon and set in the stirrup. It
worked on the principle of the old rhombic antenna like
we used to set up in Vietnam where you ran Commo wire
high in the trees and pointed it in the direction you
wished to communicate with. Photo taken circa 1924 in
the 1st Cav horse stables at Fort Bliss, Texas. This was
the early equivalent of the Commander and his RTO.
Horse Cavalry Signal Troopers with a
Pack Radio
Photo courtesy of the 1st Cavalry Division
Association
Horse Cavalry Signals running Land
Lines to OP’s, FAO’s and LP’s in the field
Signal Corps NCOs of the type
attached to the Cavalry Regiments on the western plains
and later on to the 1st Cavalry Division. These signal
mirrors were often in use by Cavalry units on the
western plains. Note the Stetsons blocked as was later
worn by Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders, but Stetsons
none the less.
Later as they transformed from mounted horse cavalry to a more modern force, they still used the same type radio only mounted on a motor car as seen below:
Note the spot light mounted under one of the
very first 30 cal air cooled machine guns. You will also
see the old wire antenna running from the pole mounted
on the hood of the vehicle to the antenna mount on the
rear fender and the battery pack mounted on the back of
the driver’s seat. This was the modern cavalry in
1925-26 at Fort Bliss, Texas.
Of course, they never forgot their
cavalry roots and the sight of a mounted cavalry
regiment in column as seen in this photo taken at Ft
Bliss about 1924
All photos courtesy of the National Archives.
Prepared by:
Sam Reinert
CPT MP USAR (Ret)
Founder
545th Military Police Company Association
626 1/2 South 9th Street
Richmond, Indiana 47374 USA
(765) 962 4627 phone & FAX
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