14th Cavalry Group

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	Regular Army

Ardennes // Alsace Rhineland // Central Europe

Commander: Mark Devine, COL, CAV // Lawrence Smith, COL, CAV

The 14^th Cavalry Group (Mecz) under the command of Colonel Mark Devine, Cavalry, with the 18^th and 32^nd Cavalry Squadrons sailed from New York on 28 August 1944 .  After a short stay in England , it landed on Omaha Beach on 27 September 1944 .  The first mission was a defensive mission of a sector facing the Seigfried Line.  Defensive positions were occupied by 19 October 44 .  At the beginning of the Ardennes Offensive by the Germans, on 16 December 1944 , the group had been attached to the 106^th Infantry Division, and was occupying defensive positions on the left side of the division near Manderfeld , Belgium .

The group suffered heavy casualties during the first few days of the “ Battle of the Bulge” and on 31 December was withdrawn from action for reorganizaton and re-equipping since they had also lost a considerable as well as personnel.  It was the 106^th Infantry Division which  took he main attack of this great offensive of the Germans.  The group was back into the fight by the 28^th of January and took part in the attack on the Roer River .  The 14^th Cavalry continued on the offensive and took part in the First Army drive that created and finally liquidated the Ruhr Pocket.  In 18 April 1945 , the 14^th Cavalry Group was relieved from assignment to First Army and assigned to Third Army, which made necessary a 250 mile march from the Ruhr to the town of Furth near Nurnberg in the direction of Salzburg , Austria .  The group continued on its offensive mission crossing the Danube and Isar Rivers continuing into the Redoubt area until halted on the banks of the Inn River at the Austrian border just prior to VE Day.  It was ordered back to Nurnberg , Germany , on 8 May, where it took over occupation duties.

This article is extracted from a supplemental student text (undated) written for the US Army Armor School by LTC (Ret) James W. Cooke