Original Item: One-of-a-Kind. This is an outstanding and highly displayable U.S. WWII Captain’s uniform grouping from the 6th Mechanized Cavalry Group, consisting of a custom tailored officer’s service jacket by Lester Harris of Savannah, Georgia and a matching Cavalry piped garrison cap fitted with Captain’s bars and an enameled 6th Cavalry unit insignia. The jacket is especially desirable for its bullion 6th Cavalry shoulder patch, Presidential Unit Citation, officer’s collar insignia, Captain’s rank, and four place ribbon bar. The grouping is strongly associated with the celebrated wartime service of the 6th Mechanized Cavalry Group under General George S. Patton’s Third Army, where the unit became famous for its Army level reconnaissance role and earned the nickname “Patton’s Household Cavalry.”

The 6th Mechanized Cavalry Group was organized around two squadrons:

6th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron
28th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron

The Group arrived in Normandy in July 1944 and was assigned to General George S. Patton’s Third Army. Patton wanted a reconnaissance organization that could move battlefield information directly to Army headquarters without relying entirely on the slower conventional reporting structure.

The solution became the:

Army Information Service

or:

AIS

The 6th Mechanized Cavalry Group was selected for the role.

One squadron would perform AIS duties while the other handled security, reserve, and direct action responsibilities. The squadrons rotated these assignments on a roughly 21 day cycle.

Reconnaissance troops were attached throughout Third Army headquarters structures, with detachments operating at Corps and Division level and smaller sections sometimes pushed down to Regimental headquarters.

This created an unusually fast information network.

During Operation Cobra, the AIS reportedly reduced the average time required for battlefield information to reach Third Army headquarters from the conventional eight to nine hours to roughly:

two hours and twenty minutes

That speed gave Patton much greater battlefield awareness and flexibility during the rapid advance across France.

The uniform jacket itself is a privately tailored officer’s example made by:

Lester Harris
Savannah, Georgia

The left shoulder carries a particularly attractive:

bullion 6th Cavalry insignia

The use of bullion immediately gives the jacket a more distinctive officer’s appearance than a standard machine embroidered patch.

Captain’s rank bars are present on both shoulder boards.

The collar carries:

U.S. officer’s insignia
Cavalry branch insignia

The right breast bears a:

Presidential Unit Citation

while the left breast carries a four place ribbon bar consisting of:

Purple Heart
Bronze Star Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
American Campaign Medal

There appears to have been another shoulder patch on the right sleeve at one time.

That insignia is now missing, leaving evidence of its former presence.

The exact identity of the removed patch is not known.

The matching overseas or garrison cap is an especially strong part of the grouping.

It is piped in:

black and yellow

denoting Cavalry.

The left side carries Captain’s rank bars.

The right side is fitted with an enameled:

6th Cavalry unit insignia

The enamel shows some cracking from age, but the device remains extremely attractive and displays very well.

The cap is marked as size:

7 ¼

The 6th Mechanized Cavalry Group’s wartime record was exceptionally active.

During the Brittany Campaign, elements of the Group reconnoitered the Loire River and helped ensure that bridges were destroyed or controlled so German forces could not threaten Third Army’s southern flank.

In September 1944, elements of the Group were used in direct combat and fire support roles along the Moselle.

During October, worsening weather interfered with motorcycle and Jeep communications, and the Group even resorted to:

carrier pigeons

as an alternative method of carrying information when radios or vehicles could not be relied upon.

By November, Third Army began using one squadron for AIS duties while committing the other more heavily to combat.

This led to the creation of:

Task Force Fickett

named for Colonel Edward Fickett.

The Task Force included cavalry, Rangers, tank destroyers, and engineers and fought in support of XX Corps near the Saar.

In early December 1944, TF Fickett attacked around Carling and L’Hôpital, overcoming determined German resistance.

Only days later, the Battle of the Bulge began.

On Christmas Eve, Task Force Fickett moved north to support III Corps.

Operating on the flanks of the 4th Armored Division and 26th Infantry Division, the cavalrymen helped secure the western flank of the advance toward Bastogne.

Their reconnaissance and flank protection contributed directly to the success of the 4th Armored Division’s drive to reach the surrounded 101st Airborne Division.

The Group continued fighting into January 1945.

Around Harlange, Watrange, and Sonlez, the 6th Mechanized Cavalry Group attacked positions that had resisted other American formations for days.

The cavalrymen seized the towns, captured substantial German equipment and approximately:

300 prisoners

For its actions in this fighting, the Group received the:

Presidential Unit Citation

That award is particularly relevant to this uniform because the jacket itself carries a Presidential Unit Citation over the right breast pocket.

The Group continued east through Luxembourg and Germany.

Its troops fought near the Our River, the Prüm River, and the Nims River, and later participated in rapid advances deeper into Germany.

In March 1945, Task Force Fickett served as an advance guard for VIII Corps.

At Schmitten, elements of the 28th Squadron encountered soldiers of the 6th SS Mountain Division Nord and suffered severe casualties.

The Group nevertheless continued its advance.

By April 1945, the 6th Mechanized Cavalry Group was operating toward Czechoslovakia.

It crossed the Saale River, secured bridges, screened the VIII Corps advance, and entered Czechoslovakia in late April.

Its final offensive actions took place in the opening days of May before the German surrender.

The 6th Mechanized Cavalry Group’s combination of reconnaissance, communications, security, and direct combat service made it one of the more unusual and effective cavalry organizations in Third Army.

Its performance earned the enduring nickname:

“Patton’s Household Cavalry”

This uniform grouping is particularly appealing because so many of the details are directly connected with that wartime history.

The bullion 6th Cavalry shoulder patch, Captain’s rank, Cavalry collar insignia, Presidential Unit Citation, four place ribbon bar, Cavalry piped garrison cap, and enameled 6th Cavalry insignia together create a very coherent officer’s ensemble.

The cracking to the enamel, missing interior or maker details not described, evidence of a removed right shoulder patch, and any normal age wear are fully disclosed.

The grouping also appears quite researchable, especially given the combination of rank, branch, unit insignia, awards, and custom tailor identification.

For the advanced collector, this is an especially strong U.S. armored cavalry officer grouping connected with one of Patton’s most distinctive battlefield reconnaissance formations. It would make an excellent addition to a 6th Mechanized Cavalry Group, Third Army, Patton, Battle of the Bulge, Cavalry officer, bullion insignia, or advanced U.S. WWII uniform collection.