Mechanized Cavalry Regiment
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mechanized Cavalry Regiment Μηχανοκίνητο Σύνταγμα Ιππικού | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1937–1941 |
| Country |  Kingdom of Greece |
| Branch | Hellenic Army |
| Type | Mechanized infantry |
| Part of | Cavalry Division (1937–1940), 8th Infantry Division (1940–1941) |
| Engagements | Greco-Italian War |
The Mechanized Cavalry Regiment (Greek: Μηχανοκίνητο Σύνταγμα Ιππικού) was a mechanized infantry unit of the Hellenic Army, created in 1937 at Thessaloniki as part of the Cavalry Division. It fought in the Greco-Italian War of 1940–41, before being amalgamated into the 19th Mechanized Division in March 1941.
Greece's first contact with armoured warfare was in 1925, when the French military mission to Greece (1925–32) introduced up-to-date French tactical manuals. The creation of a Tank Regiment was ordered in 1926, but the effort was abandoned a year later due to financial constraints.[1] In 1931, Greece acquired its first tanks—two Vickers 6-Ton light tanks, one each of Type A and Type B, and two Carden Loyd tankettes. Initially used for training, they were formed into a tank battalion in 1935, with the expectation that they would be complemented with 14 light tanks ordered in Britain and France, at a cost of 40 million Greek drachmas. In the event, these were never delivered due to the priority given by Britain and France to their own rearmament and the outbreak of World War II.[1][2]
In 1937, in an apparent imitation of the French Division Légère de Cavalerie model, the Mechanized Cavalry Regiment was formed at Thessaloniki, as part of the Hellenic Army's single Cavalry Division.[1] Its structure was as follows:[3]
- Command and regimental staff group, including one communications and one engineer group
- 1st Battalion Command (Διοίκηση Ι Επιλαρχίας)
- 2nd Battalion Command (Διοίκηση ΙΙ Επιλαρχίας)
- Light Company (Ελαφρά Ίλη)
- 1 Bicycle and Tricycle Squad (Ουλαμός Δικύκλων και Τρικύκλων)
- 3 Reconnaissance Squads (Ουλαμοί Αναγνωρίσεως) on cars
- 3 Battle Companies (Ίλες Μάχης), each comprising 120 men armed with 6.5 mm Mannlicher–Schönauer carbines, eight VB rifle grenade launchers on Lebel rifles, and twelve 6.5 mm Hotchkiss machine guns, divided into
- 2 Half-Companies (Ημιλαρχίες) of
- 2 Lorry-Borne Squads (Μεταφερόμενοι Ουλαμοί)
- 2 Half-Companies (Ημιλαρχίες) of
- 1 Machine Gun Company (Ίλη Πολυβόλων) with twelve 7.92 mm Hotchkiss machine guns
- 1 Mortar Company (Ίλη Όλμων) with four 81 mm mortars
- unit transports
- 2 mobile repair workshops
In total, the regiment comprised c. 165 trucks (44 each of the Mercedes-Benz W 152 4x4 cars and Mercedes-Benz LG 2500 6x6 trucks, and 75 other 2.5-ton trucks, probably mostly Fiats), as well as motorcycles and other vehicles, but no armoured cars or tanks.[4] The battalion commands were designed to provide tactical flexibility, by detaching squads from the support companies and attaching them as needed to the Battle Companies.[4]
