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| 26th Cavalry Regiment (PS) | |
|---|---|
| Unit name | 26th Cavalry Regiment (PS) |
| Dates | 1922–1942 |
| Country | Philippine Commonwealth |
| Allegiance | United States Army |
| Branch | Philippine Scout |
| Type | Cavalry |
| Role | Reconnaissance, security, delaying actions |
| Size | Regiment |
| Garrison | Fort Santiago (Manila), Fort William McKinley |
| Notable commanders | Colonel Clinton A. Pierce, Major Salvador Abcede |
26th Cavalry Regiment (PS) was a Philippine Scout cavalry regiment organized during the Philippine Commonwealth period and serving under the United States Army during the World War II campaign in the Philippines campaign (1941–1942). Raised as part of the United States Army Philippine Department force structure, the regiment performed reconnaissance, screening, and delaying actions against the Japanese Imperial Japanese Army invasion, and participated in the retreat to Bataan and subsequent capitulation at Corregidor.
The 26th Cavalry Regiment was constituted within the Philippine Scout system under the authority of the United States War Department and organized at posts including Fort William McKinley, Fort Stotsenburg, and Fort Santiago (Manila) alongside units such as the Philippine Division, 26th Cavalry Regiment (PS) Machine Gun Troop, and elements of the 27th Cavalry Regiment (PS). Its structure followed standardized tables of organization promulgated by the United States Army War Plans Division and included squadrons, troops, a regimental headquarters, signal sections linked to Signal Corps (United States Army), and logistics elements coordinated with the Quartermaster Corps (United States Army). Officers were a mix of United States Army regulars and Philippine Scouts, while enlisted ranks were primarily Philippine Scouts drawn from regions including Luzon, Mindanao, and Visayas.
Mobilized as tensions with the Empire of Japan escalated after the Attack on Pearl Harbor and the Japanese invasion of the Philippine Islands (1941–1942), the regiment operated under the command relationships of United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) and coordinated with formations such as the 2nd Regular Division (Philippine Army), 31st Infantry Regiment (United States), and the 26th Cavalry Group. During the early days of the Philippine campaign (1941–1942), the regiment conducted reconnaissance missions in concert with aviation units like the Far East Air Force (United States) and naval detachments of the United States Asiatic Fleet. As Japanese offensive operations pressed Allied defenses, the regiment executed delaying actions culminating in withdrawal orders toward Bataan as directed by commanders including General Douglas MacArthur and Lieutenant General Jonathan Wainwright.
Elements of the regiment engaged in screening operations during the defense of southern and central Luzon and fought at notable actions associated with the Battle of Bataan, the Battle of Layac Junction, and rearguard actions near Porac and the Pampanga River. The unit conducted mounted and dismounted patrols against units of the 14th Imperial Japanese Army and facing formations from the 16th Division (Imperial Japanese Army), while coordinating with artillery from the Philippine Coast Artillery District and infantry of the Philippine Scouts. In late 1941 and early 1942 the regiment performed famous reconnaissance and delaying missions similar in spirit to actions by the 26th Cavalry (United States) during World War I era traditions, and ultimately participated in the withdrawal to the Bataan Peninsula, linking with elements of the 92nd Coast Artillery (AA) and engineer detachments from the United States Army Corps of Engineers.
The 26th Cavalry Regiment was equipped with a combination of horse-mounted assets and motorized support adapted to the archipelago environment; its squadrons used mounts from remount depots at Fort McKinley and packing mules sourced from Mindoro and Palawan supply nodes. Weapons included M1903 Springfield rifle, M1 Carbine, Browning Automatic Rifle, and cavalry sabers retained for mounted tradition alongside light machine guns supplied by the Ordnance Corps (United States Army). Uniforms combined elements of the Philippine Scouts service dress with cavalry accoutrements similar to those of the United States Army Cavalry Branch, including the cavalry hat, spurs, and the yellow piping denoting cavalry lineage; winter and tropical variants paralleled clothing lists managed by the Quartermaster Corps (United States Army).
Commanders and key figures associated with the regiment included American officers and Philippine Scout leaders who coordinated with higher echelons such as General Douglas MacArthur, Lieutenant General Jonathan Wainwright, and theater staff from United States Army Forces in the Far East. Notable personnel tied to reconnaissance and partisan activities who later figure in histories of resistance included officers and NCOs connected to guerrilla networks under leaders like Col. Macario Peralta Jr., Col. Wendell Fertig, and partisan organizers who operated across Luzon and Leyte. The regiment's leadership worked closely with staff officers from the Philippine Department, advisors from the G-2 (United States Army), and coordination points of contact at Corregidor and Bataan.
Following the surrender of Bataan and the fall of Corregidor, surviving members of the regiment experienced incarceration in the Bataan Death March and subsequent imprisonment by the Imperial Japanese Army; others evaded capture to join guerrilla forces allied with leaders such as Col. Wendell Fertig and Macario Peralta Jr. that later cooperated with returning United States Army and United States Army Forces in the Far East elements during liberation operations in 1944 and 1945. Postwar, the regiment was not reconstituted in the same form, but its lineage and traditions influenced postwar formations such as the Philippine Army cavalry and mechanized units, and its veterans are commemorated in memorials at Bataan National Park, Corregidor National Monument, and veterans' associations including Veterans of Foreign Wars posts in the Philippines. The regiment's wartime experience contributes to scholarly study in works on the Philippine Scouts, the Philippine campaign (1941–1942), and broader analyses of United States and Philippine military collaboration in the Pacific War.
Category:Philippine Scouts Category:Military units and formations of the Philippines in World War II