Cobbled together through a series or redesignations, consolidations, additions, and subtractions of various units, the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment (ACR) did not hold that title until November of 1948. The oldest unit that wound up as part of the regiment was the 11th Calvary, constituted in February 1901 and deployed to the Philippines less than a year later, near the official end of the Philippine-American War. Here, the tactics of the mounted troopers more closely resembled those of light infantry because of the dense jungle terrain, which explains their use of bolo knives, or machetes (images of these are found on the regiment’s Unit Crest, or Distinctive Unit Insignia.) The unit also served along the Mexican border, where it led the last mounted cavalry charge against in U.S. military history in 1916.
During World War II, other units were consolidated into what eventually became the 11th ACR. Among them was the 11th Armored Regiment, which was assigned to the 10th Armored Division and helped capture the city of Metz and breach the Siegfried Line in World War II; the 11th Tank Battalion, which participated in the Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central-Europe Campaigns; and the 11th Cavalry Group (Mechanized), which served in the Roer River sector and crossed the Rhine at the start of April, 1945.
After seven years spent patrolling the Fulda Gap (1957-1964) in Germany, the 11th ACR deployed to Vietnam in 1966. Over the next six years, the regiment’s units were almost constantly involved in combat operations of varying scope and size. The unit as a whole earned two Valorous Unit Awards and three Republic of Vietnam Crosses of Gallantry with Palm; the Headquarters Troop garnered two honors and individual troops and companies of the regiment were awarded a dozen more.
Following the Vietnam War, the regiment returned to the Fulda Gap as part of U.S. Cold War deployments in Europe, and several of its units deployed to Kuwait as part of the post-Gulf War security operations in Kuwait. Currently, the regiment acts as the Army's Opposing Force at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, California.
The 11th ACR’s CSIB (Combat Service Identification Badge) features the Cavalry colors of red and white with a rearing black horse, a reference to the unit’s nickname. According to some regiment historians, the “Blackhorse” nickname was inspired by the 11th Calvary’s efforts in response to the “Great Monterey Oil Fire,” caused by a lightning strike on an oil tank. Rushing from their barracks in the Presidio, the entire 11th Cavalry took on the role of became firefighters; 26 of the troopers died battling the inferno. The black horse, along with the unit motto "Allons," is also featured on the regiment’s unit crest (link below), which is officially referred to as a Distinctive Unit Insignia (DUI).
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11th Armored Cavalry Regiment Patch (SSI)
11th Armored Cavalry Regiment Unit Crest (DUI)