106th Air Refueling Squadron, History, Alabama Air National Guard, Operation Desert Shield
LOROP was capable of high-resolution images of objects 100 miles away using a high-resolution 66-inch focal length camera that was carried in a centerline pod underneath the aircraft. It was used to conduct prewar surveillance and photo-reconnaissance mapping of Iraqi forces in occupied Kuwait as well as those deployed along the Saudi Arabia-Iraq border. In support of RF-4C operations, numerous airmen and aircraft were used, among them C-21 Learjets, to move finished imagery around the theater. In the Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia known as the "Black Hole," coalition air commander Lt. Gen. (later Gen.) Charles "Chuck" Horner scrutinized the RF-4C images of Iraq's forces every day.


106th Air Refueling Squadron, History, Alabama Air National Guard, Operation Desert Shield
Unfortunately, 64-1044 crewed by Major Barry K. Henderson and Lt. Col. Stephen G. Schraam was lost in an operational accident on 8 October 1990.


106th Air Refueling Squadron, History, Alabama Air National Guard, Operation Desert Shield
The 106th TRS, however, did not engage in combat operations during Operation Desert Storm, being relieved on 18 December 1990 by the 192d Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron of the Nevada ANG. Later, RF-4Cs taken from the USAF's 12th TRS/67th TRW and the 38th TRS/26th TRW were deployed and were engaged in combat during Desert Storm.


106th Air Refueling Squadron, History, Alabama Air National Guard, Air Refueling
After the end of Desert Storm, the phaseout of the RF-4C with the ANG was accelerated. On 16 March 1992 the 117th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing adopted the USAF "objective wing" and was re-designated the 117th Reconnaissance Wing; on 1 June 1992 Tactical Air Command was inactivated, being replaced by the new Air Combat Command (ACC). During 1994 the RF-4Cs were sent to Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona for retirement at AMARC. On 1 October the 117th Reconnaissance Wing was re-designated as the 117th Air Refueling Wing, the mission now becoming aerial refueling with KC-135 Stratotankers, the first tanker arriving later that month.


106th Air Refueling Squadron, History, Alabama Air National Guard, Air Refueling
After the 9/11 attacks on the United States, the 117th ARW was deployed to MacDill AFB, Florida and began refueling F-15 and F-16 aircraft flying Combat Air Patrol missions over major cities in the Southeastern United States as part of Operation Noble Eagle.


106th Air Refueling Squadron, History, Alabama Air National Guard, Air Refueling
In its 2005 BRAC Recommendations, DoD recommended closing the 117th ARW and reassigning its aircraft to other National Guard units. This decision was ultimately reversed.


106th Air Refueling Squadron, History, Lineage
* * This unit is not related to another 106th Aero Squadron (Service) that was activated in March 1918 at Rich Field, Waco, Texas.


106th Aviation Regiment (United States)
The 106th Aviation Regiment is an aviation regiment of the United States Army.


106th Battalion (Nova Scotia Rifles), CEF
The 106th Battalion (Nova Scotia Rifles), CEF  was a unit in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. Based in Truro, Nova Scotia, with two additional companies in Pictou and Springhill, the unit began recruiting on 18 November 1915. The battalion was the first rifle regiment in Maritime Canada. The battalion sailed to England on 16 July 1916 and trained at Lower Dibgate, Shorncliffe. It was later broken up and most members were absorbed into the 40th Battalion (Nova Scotia), CEF.


106th Battalion (Nova Scotia Rifles), CEF
Its first commanding officer was Walter Allen, a carriage maker in Truro who had been active in the pre-war militia and had joined the 17th Battalion as a captain in 1914. When the 17th became a reserve unit, he was promoted to major and transferred into the 15th Battalion but lasted less than a month before being wounded. He was sent home, then was appointed commanding officer of the 106th, presumably on the basis of his brief battlefield experience.


106th Battalion (Nova Scotia Rifles), CEF
His unusual wound was under investigation, however, and two months later he was court-martialled for “behaving in a scandalous manner, unbecoming the character of an officer and a gentleman." His improbable replacement was Robert Innes, a twenty-four-year-old major from Coldbrook, Nova Scotia, then living in Ottawa, who had militia experience but also, it would appear, Conservative party connections.


106th Battalion (Nova Scotia Rifles), CEF
Private Jeremiah Jones, who enlisted with the 106th Battalion, was awarded the Canadian Forces Medallion for Distinguished Service for valour at the Battle of Vimy Ridge with The Royal Canadian Regiment.


106th Battalion (Nova Scotia Rifles), CEF
The 106th Battalion is perpetuated by The Nova Scotia Highlanders.


106th Brigade (United Kingdom)
The 106th Brigade was a formation of  the British Army during the First World War. It was raised as part of the new army also known as Kitchener's Army and assigned to the 35th Division. The brigade served on the Western Front.


106th Brigade (United Kingdom), Formation
The infantry battalions did not all serve at once, but all were assigned to the brigade during the war.


106th Cavalry Regiment
The 106th Cavalry Regiment (formerly organized as a group) was a mechanized cavalry unit of the United States Army in World War II recognized for its outstanding action. The group was organized in 1921 as part of the Illinois National Guard and during the Spanish–American War and World War I was known as the 1st Regiment Illinois Volunteer Cavalry. It underwent a number of reorganizations before World War II. Like other Guard units during the inter-war years, the 106th held weekly or monthly drills and yearly training. Readiness for war in 1940 led to the mechanization of the unit and induction into Federal service at Camp Livingston, Louisiana on 25 November 1940.


106th Cavalry Regiment
After the Pearl Harbor attack, the 106th trained at Camp Hood, Texas until the spring of 1944 when they deployed to Europe. Upon arriving in England, the group was reorganized into the 106th and 121st Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadrons along with a Group Headquarters. When they were moved to Europe, they were often in the lead of other units. Lightly armed, they scouted ahead to fix enemy locations.


106th Cavalry Regiment
For the next year and a half, they fought through France, Luxembourg, Germany and Austria, earning five campaign streamers and two Croix de Guerre from Charles de Gaulle, President of the Provisional French government. The regiment led the Allied advance across the Rhine and were the first unit to attack a town south of the Siegfried Line or West Wall.


106th Cavalry Regiment
In late 2006, the 33rd Brigade Combat Team of the Illinois Army National Guard was formed and the 2nd Squadron, 106th Cavalry was included in the reorganization.


106th Cavalry Regiment, Pre-World War II
Before World War II, the 106th Cavalry was a National Guard unit based in Chicago, Illinois. Prior to World War I and the Spanish–American War it had been known as the 1st Illinois Volunteer Cavalry. The 106th underwent a number of different reorganizations until 1 September 1940, when it was redesignated the 1st Squadron, 106th Cavalry (Horse-Mechanized). The 106th was inducted into federal service on 25 November 1940 in Chicago. The Regiment moved to Camp Livingston, Louisiana on 3 January 1941 under command of V Corps.


106th Cavalry Regiment, Pre-World War II, The Black Horse Troop
From 1929 to 1940, Troop E of the Regiment was known as The Black Horse Troop and participated in parades and ceremonies as a horse mounted unit. Businessman Samuel Insull raised funds to outfit the Troop and their Mounted Band. The Troop wore a dress uniform of blue shell jackets.


106th Cavalry Regiment, World War II
Along with other National Guard units, the regiment was federalized in 1940. At the beginning of World War II, most of the members of the regiment were given the opportunity to enroll in officers school. A core group of about 60 men chose to stay with the unit. The Regiment was assigned to the Third Army on 12 January 1942, and to IV Corps on 1 May 1942. In spring 1942 the Regiment became fully mechanized. The regiment participated in several maneuvers at Hineston, Kinisatchie, and Dry Creek, Louisiana; and in the Louisiana Maneuver Area through the beginning of November 1942.


106th Cavalry Regiment, World War II
They were assigned to XV Corps on 1 March 1943 and transferred to Burkeville, Texas, on 25 June 1943, after which it was sent to Camp Hood, Texas on 25 August 1943 under the Tank Destroyer Command. The Regiment staged at Camp Shanks, New York from 20 February 1944 until 27 February when it departed the New York Port of Embarkation for England.


106th Cavalry Regiment, World War II, Campaign summary
The 106th served in the European campaign. The unit comprised approximately fifteen hundred men and was given various typical mechanized cavalry missions later recognized by the French nation with the award of two Croix de guerre. The unit finished its wartime duty with the 7th Army, XV Corps.


106th Cavalry Regiment, World War II, Campaign summary
As a forward cavalry force, the 106th provided the first American troops to enter Salzburg, Austria. The 121st Squadron of the 106th received information that the Germans were holding the King of the Belgians and his family prisoner in a chateau near Strobl, Austria. Captain Benning, the commander of B Troop of the 121st Squadron, led some cavalrymen of his unit, including those who spoke German, on a rescue party. The group later served as Honor Guards for the King of the Belgians and his consort. The 106th secured a truce from the defending German Army on 7 May, the day before the German High Command surrendered to the Allies on 8 May 1945.


106th Cavalry Regiment, World War II, Organization and tactics
The 106th Cavalry Group's purpose was to act as the "eyes and ears" of a field army or army group, scouting ahead of slower and heavier-equipped armored and infantry formations to locate the enemy and shield friendly units from ground detection. Whenever enemy forces were found, the cavalry was designed to determine opposing size and positions using reconnaissance-by-fire tactics, and report this information to higher command. The group was too lightly armed to engage in sustained combat, and regular infantry or armor was utilized if the opposition proved beyond cavalry-group capabilities. Another routine aspect of its reconnaissance duties involved employment of the cavalry group to fill measurable gaps separating frontline Allied units. The cavalry group was also assigned missions requiring rapid movement to bypass enemy forces, if opportune weaknesses or uncovered terrain was discovered by mechanized reconnaissance methods.


106th Cavalry Regiment, World War II, Equipment and armament
The 106th Cavalry was lightly equipped to allow it to move quickly and deploy rapidly. They fought mounted in mobile Bantam Jeeps and M8 armored cars. Each squadron's complement of troops and vehicles consisted of a headquarters troop that included communication, administrative, mess, maintenance, transportation, and supply support, a medical detachment, a cavalry assault gun troop, and three reconnaissance troops, lettered A, B, and C. A squadron of about 760 men was about the equivalent of a typical Army battalion in numbers, though Cavalry units were typically smaller.


106th Cavalry Regiment, World War II, Equipment and armament
The three reconnaissance troops were each equipped with Bantam jeeps with a bracket-mounted .30 caliber machine gun, manned by a soldier sitting in the front passenger seat. A second Bantam jeep was mounted with a 60mm mortar manned by two soldiers. Sometimes the Bantam was mounted with a .50 caliber machine gun. Each troop was usually equipped with a mixture of the three vehicles. To maximize speed and maneuverability on the battlefield, the Bantams were not given extra armor protection. The only modifications the 106th made was to add a wire cutter. They mounted a steel pole on the front bumper that extended above the driver's head because the Germans would sometimes stretch piano wire over roads with the intention of injuring or decapitating the driver.


106th Cavalry Regiment, World War II, Equipment and armament
The third vehicle used was the six-wheeled, light-weight M8 Greyhound armored car, mounted with a 37 mm gun in a movable turret that could swing a full 360 degrees. It also featured a .30 caliber coaxial machine gun that could move independently of the turret. The M8 was equipped with powerful FM radios to enable battlefield communications.


106th Cavalry Regiment, World War II, Equipment and armament
E Troop, the Squadron's mobile artillery, was the Cavalry Assault Gun Troop and consisted of three assault gun platoons. Each platoon was equipped with assault guns, short-barreled 75 millimetres (3.0 in) howitzers in an open turret on an M8 chassis. They also utilized two halftracks to carry their headquarters unit and an ammunition section. Two gun sections used an M8 Greyhound.


106th Cavalry Regiment, World War II, Equipment and armament
F Troop consisted of five light tank companies. Early in the war, each company had three light tank platoons, consisting of five 37mm M5A1 Stuart light tanks. While fast and maneuverable, the Stuart's armor plating and its cannon were soon found to be no match against the German tanks. In February 1945, they were replaced with the more heavily armed 75 mm M24 Chaffee light tank.


106th Cavalry Regiment, World War II, Equipment and armament
The M5 Stuart light tank was capable of speeds up to 36 mph (58 km/h) on the road, while the M24 Chaffee could travel at speeds up to 37 mph (60 km/h) on paved surfaces. The M8 armored car was capable of speeds of up to 50 mph (80 km/h), while the Bantams could exceed 70 miles per hour (110 km/h). The officers usually rode with their enlisted men in the Bantams, while the squadron's support troops used a variety of vehicles including the Bantams, military trucks, and armored halftracks. At times, the men would dismount from their light vehicles and take on infantry roles, digging in to create a stronger defensive line.


106th Cavalry Regiment, World War II, Equipment and armament
Patrols were undertaken both on foot or mounted as the circumstances dictated. In this capacity, the cavalrymen would go into combat with M1 rifles and carbines, hand grenades, Thompson machine guns, and newly developed bazookas. When facing heavily fortified enemy positions or, later in the war, against the heaviest German tanks, the 106th was accompanied with supporting units, usually in the form of a small number of tank destroyers. However, the mission of reconnaissance units was not to fully engage the enemy when encountered, but to summon the slower moving and better equipped infantry and armored units to take on their counterparts.


106th Cavalry Regiment, World War II, Equipment and armament
The headquarters, maintenance, mess, supply and medical units were equipped with a variety of military trucks, M8 Armored cars, halftracks, and Bantam jeeps.


106th Cavalry Regiment, Arrival in England
The regiment arrived at Glasgow, Scotland on 9 March 1944, was moved to Doddington Hall camp in England, and six days later was reorganized as the HHT 106th Cavalry Group (Mechanized), comprising the 106th and 121st Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadrons along with a Group Headquarters. Half of its officers and non-commissioned soldiers formed the basis of the newly created 121st Cavalry Squadron. The 33rd Aviation Battalion of the Illinois National Guard was reorganized as Troop A. After three months of training, the 106th sailed for France on 29 June 1944.


106th Cavalry Regiment, Arrival in England
While crossing the English Channel to Europe, the Squadron was transported on two Liberty ships. The Liberty ship carrying A Troop of the 121st Squadron hit a mine shortly after leaving England. Fortunately, a Red Cross LST came quickly alongside and all the men were safely evacuated back to England for another 19 days before new transportation to France could be found.


106th Cavalry Regiment, European operations
The cavalry group served in the European campaign and at various stages screened the advance of the US Third Army, US Seventh Army and US Sixth Army Group. The 106th as a scouting force provided the first American troops to enter Salzburg, Austria and accepted its surrender.


106th Cavalry Regiment, European operations, Normandy
The 106th Cavalry Group arrived in France under the command of Colonel Vennard Wilson, a Regular Army officer. They were first committed to combat on 2 July 1944 with the VIII Corps. Its first mission was to assist in the reduction of German forces previously isolated during the VIII Corps advance in the Normandy Peninsula. The next mission was an offensive screening mission, which led from Normandy south through St. James, Isigny, La Haye-du-Puits, Manche, Basse-Normandie, Coutance, and Avranches, to Rennes. With the quick advance, gaps appeared between VIII and XV Corps, and General George S. Patton plugged the gap between Louvigne and Rennes with the 106th Cavalry Group.


106th Cavalry Regiment, European operations, Normandy
When VIII Corps turned west to mop up and secure the Brittany Peninsula, the 106th Regiment was reassigned once again to XV Corps. As the XV Corps raced east towards Le Mans, the 106th provided reconnaissance and a screening force. Members of the 106th were among the first to enter Le Mans on 8 August. The German front in the Battle of Normandy had collapsed, and the XV Corps turned north to help close the Falaise Pocket and the 106th provided flank screening security.


106th Cavalry Regiment, European operations, Northern France
The XV Corps then turned north towards the Seine and Paris. With the pocket closed, the 106th reconnoitered east through Alençon, Sarthe, Nogent, and Mantes-Gassicourt. On 15 August they covered the 50-mile (80 km) to Dreux, just west of Paris, in a single day. They remained there covering the XV Corps' flank until 27 August. This mission helped protect XV Corps against German remnants attempting to escape the Falaise Pocket. The advance east from Auxerre to Gondrecourt was very fast against diminishing German resistance. Their screening mission took them along a 90-mile (140 km) front from the left to the right flank of the Third Army.


106th Cavalry Regiment, European operations, Northern France
The group was then transferred under the command of and assigned to protect the right flank of XII Corps for twelve days carrying out reconnaissance as that corps advanced east. In mid-September it was reassigned to XV Corps at Joinville. This marked a two-month and 400-mile (640 km) trek across France as they moved in to protect the right flank of U.S. Third Army during their rapid advance from Joinville au Marne to Charmes au Moselle. During this advance, the 106th along with the 2nd French Armored Division assisted in eradicating the effective combat power of the German 16th Infantry Division.


106th Cavalry Regiment, European operations, Northern France
The 106th's commanding officer, Colonel Vennard Wilson, later described the unit's action:


106th Cavalry Regiment, European operations, Northern France
We used five of our six troops to contain those Germans, slipped around to their north, delivered our infantry on their objective at five in the afternoon after a fifty-mile advance. I wish to pay special tribute to B Troop 106th Squadron and their gallant troop commander, Captain Park, in this operation.


106th Cavalry Regiment, European operations, Northern France
This troop was one hundred miles in rear of us when the advance was ordered, came up during the night, arrived at the starting point after the other troops had departed, kept moving as rear troop during the day, and were sent into action late in the afternoon after I had committed the five other troops. Captain Park used one of his platoons on side blocking and reconnaissance missions, and when I arrived at Charmes we had only Captain Park, two platoons, and a platoon of tanks. It was enough to do the job.


106th Cavalry Regiment, European operations, Eastern France
In late September, the U.S. Army transferred the XV Corps from General Patton's Third Army, 12th Army Group to Seventh Army, 6th Army Group. Reassigned with the XV Corps, the 106th—without moving positions—switched from guarding the Third Army's right flank to guarding the Seventh Army's left flank and maintaining contact between the Third and Seventh Armies.


106th Cavalry Regiment, European operations, Eastern France
The 106th was then tasked with reconnaissance in front of the XV Corps. They led the XV Corps from the Moselle River to Lunéville, and supported by the 813th Tank Destroyer Battalion, attacked northeast into the Forêt de Parroy, northeast of Lunéville, France. For two months they fought as infantrymen, dismounted alongside the 79th and 44th Infantry Divisions, enduring winter weather and minefields. Major General Wade H. Haislip characterized Forêt de Parroy as being "in reality a jungle."


106th Cavalry Regiment, European operations, Eastern France
During what was said to be the worst winter in 30 years, the 1500 men of the 106th held up to 125-mile (201 km) of the front. Staying in contact with the XII Corps right flank to its north was difficult because its lines were so thinly spread. Maintaining relatively static lines from 20 September through 5 November, they took the opportunity to rotate the two squadrons in and out of the line as trench foot took its toll on the soldiers. On several occasions the 106th was ordered to counter German probing attacks. The 121st Cavalry Squadron was later awarded the Croix de guerre with Palm for its combat participation during this extended period.


106th Cavalry Regiment, European operations, Eastern France
When the XV Corps' infantry attacked the German defensive line, the 106th, once again supported by the 813th Tank Destroyer Battalion, preceded the 2nd French Armored Division in maneuvering through the Vosges Mountains to within 1-mile (1.6 km) of the Rhine River. The 106th screened the north advance, leading the attack on Sarrebourg and then advancing 16-mile (26 km) to the east to seize the Saverne Gap. Once through the Gap, the 106th guarded the northwest flank near Sarrebourg as the rest of the Corps advanced east another 33 miles (53 km) to capture Strasbourg.


106th Cavalry Regiment, European operations, Eastern France
On the American's Thanksgiving Day, 23 November 1944, one of the most élite units in the entire German army, the well-rested and refitted Panzer-Lehr-Division counterattacked, trying to recapture the Saverne Gap and cut off the XV Corps from its supply lines. The 106th was forced back (militarily credited with the usual propaganda of "completing a brilliant delaying action") but the retreat gave XV Corps Commander Major General Wade H. Haislip enough time to reinforce and the counter German advance.


106th Cavalry Regiment, European operations, Eastern France
Two weeks later, on 16 December 1944, the Germans launched the Ardennes Offensive (Battle of the Bulge). The 106th was placed in a dismounted (infantry) patrol mode north of Sarrebourg to scout German forces.


106th Cavalry Regiment, European operations, Eastern France
On 23 December the Group relieved the 6th Cavalry Group of Third Army in its zone to the north. The 106th Squadron relieved the 28th Squadron near St. Avold and the 121st Squadron relieved the 6th Squadron near Freyming-Merlebach. The 106th Cavalry Group maintained position on the shoulder of the bulge, helping maintain contact with Third Army and check the German attack.


106th Cavalry Regiment, European operations, Operation Nordwind
As the Ardennes Offensive faltered, the Germans launched Operation Nordwind in the Alsace just before midnight on New Year's Eve to try to relieve pressure on its troops in the Ardennes. They once again sought to recapture the Saverne Gap and join up with the German 19th Army, enveloping seven American divisions along the Rhine River. The Germans attacked the right center of the Regiment and the group temporarily withdrew. The bitterly cold winter weather made fighting more difficult, but the 106th finally forced the Germans to retreat.


106th Cavalry Regiment, European operations, Operation Nordwind
When Nordwind was stopped on 28 January 1945, the Seventh Army and the French First Army resumed the offensive the following day. The 106th continued to patrol until 11 February 1945, when it was relieved by the 101st Cavalry Group. The regiment moved outside of Merlebach for rest, refitting, and equipment maintenance. They were outfitted with the new M-24 'Chaffee' light tank with its improved 75 mm gun mount, a huge improvement over the M5A1's 37 mm gun.


106th Cavalry Regiment, European operations, Operation Nordwind
Upon receiving the tanks in mid-February 1945, soldiers said, "The light tank companies of both squadrons turned in their 37 mm gun-toting M5A1's and drew the new M24's Armed with a 75 mm cannon and twice the size of the precursors, these tanks seemed beautiful to us. Our tankers itched to try them out. On 15 March, they got their chance. We were back in the line."


106th Cavalry Regiment, European operations, Rhineland
After just over a month's break, the 106th Cavalry Group returned to the front lines. From 15 to 26 March it led XV Corps' offensive through the Siegfried Line near Saarbrücken. Leading the advance across the Rhine were A and B Troops of the 121st Squadron, the first to attack a town south of the West Wall. Finally reaching the Rhine River, on 27 March 1945 the 106th crossed the river and cleared and secured Salzbach. The Group then covered the advance of XV Corps to Aschaffenburg am Main. The 106th secured the Corps' left flank and maintained contact with the 44th and 45th Infantry Divisions and the 2nd Cavalry Division.


106th Cavalry Regiment, European operations, Rhineland
From 1 to 5 April, the regiment assisted the 2nd Cavalry Group, advancing north to Bad Orb, Germany and secured an Allied Prisoner of War camp. The Regiment's 121st Squadron was then charged with reconnoitering the main road to Neustadt.


106th Cavalry Regiment, European operations, Rhineland
In the next eight days, the group moved northeast into Germany, rapidly cleared the towns of Alsberg, Siedensroth, Steinau, Schlüchtern and Flieden. From 5 to 13 April, the regiment cleared the enemy eastward to the Main River, a tributary of the Rhine River, covering the advance of the 45th Infantry Division into Lauda-Königshofen and then on 20 April the capture of Nuremberg.


106th Cavalry Regiment, European operations, Rhineland
On 21 April A Troop of the 106th Squadron was charged with leading the 2nd Battalion, 179th Infantry Regiment, 5th Infantry Division about 160-mile (260 km) south to the Danube River, and to secure and hold a crossing near Neuberg.


106th Cavalry Regiment, European operations, Rhineland
During the next two days, the 106th Cavalry Group fought its final major engagement. From Neuberg, the unit attacked southward towards Augsburg. Leading the 45th Infantry Division rapidly east 60 kilometres (37 mi) down the autobahn towards Munich as it tried to locate the rapidly retreating Germans, Troop C along with two light tanks from Company F, drew a concentrated attack from German forces only 5.6-mile (9.0 km) from their objective. The German self-propelled guns, tanks, and small arms fire left four dead and destroyed four armored M8 vehicles and four Bantams.


106th Cavalry Regiment, European operations, Rhineland
On 29 April, during the assault towards Munich, the 3rd Battalion, 157th Infantry Regiment, 45th Division liberated the Dachau Concentration Camp. The 45th Infantry Division for which the 106th had reconnoitered for several months, battled diehard Nazi troops and took Munich on 30 April 1945. After helping to capture Munich, the 106th lead the XV Corps into Austria. On 2 May, they received orders to capture Salzburg. En route, they captured the remnants of the Hungarian 9th Infantry Brigade, about 8,800 men, who were retreating eastward, fighting the advancing Soviet Marshal Rodion Malinovsky's 2nd Ukrainian Front. Salzburg surrendered on 4 May, and the local German commander offered a truce.


106th Cavalry Regiment, European operations, Austria
The group's final mission involved the release of the King of the Belgians. Held in internal exile by the Germans since his small nation had withstood a German attack for three weeks in May 1940, German-speaking members of a small recon party from B Troop, 121st Squadron of the 106th learned while searching the towns of St. Wolfgang and Strobl that King Leopold was under guard in a villa in Strobl. Travelling in a six-wheeled Mercedes previously owned by Germany's Foreign Minister Von Ribbentrop, the troopers located the villa. The SS Guards were still present, and the troopers disarmed them without any resistance, freeing King Leopold.


106th Cavalry Regiment, Decorations
Colonel Vennard Wilson was awarded the Legion of Merit, Legion of Honor, and Croix de guerre for his outstanding leadership of this unit. Lieutenant Benjamin S. Hill, C Troop, 121st Squadron, was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.


106th Cavalry Regiment, Decorations
The 121st Cavalry Squadron was awarded the Fourragère. For its action at Lunéville, the 121st Cavalry Squadron was recognized with the Croix de guerre with Palm, and the Croix de guerre with Palm was awarded to entire 106th Cavalry Regiment for their gallantry and action at Caen-Falaise.


106th Cavalry Regiment, Decorations
General Charles de Gaulle's citation praised the 106th Cavalry Group's action fighting alongside the 2nd French Division into the Vosges Mountains:


106th Cavalry Regiment, Decorations
A magnificent Regiment, whose brilliant achievements, during the time in which it fought with and in support of the 2nd French Armored Division, from 20 August 1944 to 10 February 1945, command the highest admiration.


106th Cavalry Regiment, Decorations
This Regiment conducted aggressive and extended reconnaissance form east of the Mouldre towards Crespierres as far as the Moselle at Charmes, where it established and held a bridgehead without reinforcements; then near Luneville and Baccarat engaged in protective and advanced guard missions, first at Andelot, then from the Marne to the Moselle. In the Mortagne sector, the Regiment seized the town of Mont, overran Voucourt, and reached the line Emmersviller-Geislautern-Wadgassen, where it held stubbornly in the face of the strong German counter-attacks of 31 December 1944 and of 1 January 1945.


106th Cavalry Regiment, Decorations
In the conduct of these operations the 106th Cavalry Group, U.S.A., showed a tenacity and vigor worthy of the greatest praise. Never allowing itself to be cut off even when it was engaged with a determined enemy force superior in numbers to its own, successfully accomplishing all the missions assigned to it, persistently seeking contact when the enemy concealed himself, this Regiment has proven itself possessed of the highest military attributes and of a combat proficiency without equal.


106th Cavalry Regiment, Kappelman photographic collection
T/5 Glenn Kappelman was among replacements who joined the unit on 1 February 1944, and he was able to take about 750 pictures of the unit's action during the remainder of the war. Against orders, Kapplelman had secreted a Kodak 616 camera in his gas mask during embarkation inspection in New York. Because he was a common soldier and not a professional photographer, and since cameras and film were rare among troops in combat, the photographs depict a soldier's everyday experience and are relatively unique among war photography.


106th Cavalry Regiment, Kappelman photographic collection
Traveling in an M8 armored car, he stashed film in empty ammunition boxes, shooting nearly 100 rolls of film. On one occasion during the winter of 1945 near Lunéville, his M8 was damaged and his squadron was forced to hastily retreat. Unable to carry his boxes of film, he hid them in a nearby home under a table covered by a long tablecloth. He returned two days later to find the ammunition boxes undisturbed.


106th Cavalry Regiment, Kappelman photographic collection
Fifty years later, he began to produce large format prints of selected images and donated copies to the United States Cavalry Museum at Ft. Riley, Kansas, and other collections. He also gave a set to the King of Belgium who had been 15 years old when he was rescued by Kappelman's unit from German captivity in 1945. Kappelman and fellow 106th veteran Art Barkis narrated a largely self-financed video documentary titled Through My Sights: A Gunner's View of WWII of the photographic collection in 1999. In 2003 he followed that with a book of the same name featuring a large number of the photos interspersed with his personal recollections 50 years later, along with excerpts from his wartime letters and diaries.


106th Cavalry Regiment, Kappelman photographic collection
Kappelman reprinted the unit's 1945 history, "The 106th Cavalry Group in Europe 1944-1945" in 1999. He added additional information to the captions of some photographs.


106th Cavalry Regiment, Occupation duty
The 106th remained in Austria as an occupation force until October 1945. Part of their responsibility was acting as an Honor Guard for King Leopold. The King was at the time a controversial figure because of his stand during the war and refusal to flee and set up a government in exile, but surrendered to the Germans. The 106th was billeted in Pension Appesbach next door to the King's chateau. They assisted with Military Police duties but otherwise relaxed, playing sports, swimming, boating, and sightseeing. Ironically, one member of B Troop, T/5 Myron Ricketts, having survived the war, died in a drowning accident during occupation duties.


106th Cavalry Regiment, Occupation duty
In a speech to the Cavalry Group on Memorial Day, 30 May 1945, commanding officer Colonel Vennard Wilson described the Group's and specifically Troop B's accomplishments:


106th Cavalry Regiment, Occupation duty
Our regiment, approximately fifteen hundred men, rather small as a major combat unit, has carried its full share of the action from Normandy to Austria. We landed in Normandy on 2 July 1944, learned combat in the famous hedgerow fighting there, learned to make swift advances in the initial breakthrough to Avranches. Then came our first open runs, from Avranches to the Seine. We were ready, and took up the gallop for fifty- and sixty-mile runs, leading the pack all the way. When the Third Army paused for supplies, we covered its right flank for a length of one hundred and fifteen miles.


106th Cavalry Regiment, Occupation duty
The advance began again and we were told to lead the XV Corps from the vicinity of Neufchateau to Charmes. That, from a tactical standpoint, was one of the most interesting and successful of our accomplishments. An entire German division—the 16th Infantry Division—was in front of us. Our communications and technique were then developed to such a high standard that our infantry following us hardly lost an hour.


106th Cavalry Regiment, Occupation duty
We used five of our six troops to contain those Germans, slipped around to their north, delivered our infantry on their objective at five in the afternoon after a fifty-mile advance. I wish to pay special tribute to B Troop 106th Squadron and their gallant troop commander, Captain Park, in this operation.


106th Cavalry Regiment, Occupation duty
This troop was one hundred miles in rear of us when the advance was ordered, came up during the night, arrived at the starting point after the other troops had departed, kept moving as rear troop during the day, and were sent into action late in the afternoon after I had committed the five other troops. Captain Park used one of his platoons on side blocking and reconnaissance missions, and when I arrived at Charmes we had only Captain Park, two platoons, and a platoon of tanks. It was enough to do the job.


106th Cavalry Regiment, Post World War II
The 106th Cavalry Regiment departed Austria for New York, United States on 1 October 1945 and was inactivated in Urbana, Illinois on 24 October 1945. In 1952 Companies A and C of the 106th Tank Battalion were headquartered at Camp Lincoln in Illinois.


106th Cavalry Regiment, Modern era
The unit was reorganized on 1 February 1968 to consist of Troop E, an element of the 33d Infantry Brigade. Troop E 106 Cavalry was constituted as a scout element for the 33rd Separate Infantry Brigade, in Streator, Illinois, as a unit of the Illinois Army National Guard. The unit won several best unit citations during annual training with the 33rd Separate Infantry Brigade in the late 1980s. It served with distinction during a call up for Mississippi River floods in 1993. It was deactivated in 1995 and reconstituted as an air defense artillery unit.


106th Cavalry Regiment, Modern era
In late 2006, the 33rd Brigade Combat Team of the Illinois Army National Guard was formed. A, B, and C Troops of 106th Cavalry Squadron along with its Headquarters Troop were included in the reorganization, forming the 33rd's Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition squadron. Like their predecessors, they are responsible for reconnaissance, engaging the enemy with scout vehicles and anti-armor weapons, identifying and reporting enemy locations and activity, and providing enemy targeting information.


106th Cavalry Regiment, Modern era
On 2 and 16 August 2008, about 100 Soldiers of the Headquarters and Headquarters Troop and Troop C, 2nd Squadron, 106th Cavalry were honored in a deployment ceremony prior to their deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, to Afghanistan. As part of the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, they acted as mentor teams. They trained both the Afghan Army and Afghan National Police, conducting patrol and security missions. This deployment was a part of Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix VIII.


106th Cavalry Regiment, Current organization
The Squadron currently consists of a Headquarters and Headquarters Troop and three cavalry troops:


106th Cavalry Regiment, Heraldry and colors, Coat of arms
Shield   Per fess dovetailed Or and Gules, in base four fleurs-de-lis, three and one, of the first.


106th Cavalry Regiment, Heraldry and colors, Coat of arms
Crest   That for the regiments and separate battalions of the Illinois Army National Guard:  On a wreath of the colors Or and Gules upon a grassy field the blockhouse of old Fort Dearborn, Proper.


106th Cavalry Regiment, Heraldry and colors, Coat of arms
Shield   The shield is divided per fess dovetailed Or and Gules (yellow and red), denoting that the organization has served as Artillery as well as Cavalry. Red and yellow, being the Spanish colors, also indicate Spanish–American War service within the continental limits of the United States. The fleurs-de-lis on the red portion symbolize the combat operations of the organization in Europe during World War I and World War II.


106th Cavalry Regiment, Heraldry and colors, Coat of arms
Crest The crest is that of the Illinois Army National Guard.


106th Cavalry Regiment, Heraldry and colors, Coat of arms
The coat of arms was originally approved for the 106th Cavalry Regiment, Illinois and Michigan National Guard on 17 December 1930. The description wording was modified on 30 December 1932 to show the unit's correct period of service on the Mexican Border. The unit was redesignated as the 106th Heavy Tank Battalion, Illinois and Michigan National Guard on 3 October 1949. The shield was amended to delete the crest for organizations of the Michigan National Guard on 6 October 1949. Four years later, on 19 October 1953 the unit was redesignated as the 106th Tank Battalion, Illinois National Guard.


106th Cavalry Regiment, Heraldry and colors, Coat of arms
The insignia was redesignated for the 106th Armor Regiment, Illinois National Guard on 13 December 1960. It was redesignated once again as the 106th Cavalry Regiment, Illinois Army National Guard on 7 January 1965. It was amended to change the symbolism of the shield of the coat of arms on 7 October 1969.


106th Cavalry Regiment, Heraldry and colors, Distinctive unit insignia
The unit device is a gold-colored metal and enamel device 1 1/32 inches (2.62 cm) in height overall consisting of a shield blazoned: Per fess dovetailed Or and Gules, in base four fleurs-de-lis, three and one, of the first.


106th Cavalry Regiment, Heraldry and colors, Distinctive unit insignia
The shield is divided per fess dovetailed Or and Gules (yellow and red), denoting that the organization has served as Artillery as well as Cavalry. Red and yellow, being the Spanish colors, also indicate Spanish–American War service within the continental limits of the United States. The fleurs-de-lis on the red portion symbolize the combat operations of the organization in Europe during World War I and World War II.


106th Delaware General Assembly
The 106th Delaware General Assembly was a meeting of the legislative branch of the state government, consisting of the Delaware Senate and the Delaware House of Representatives. Elections were held the first Tuesday after November 1 and terms began in Dover on the first Tuesday in January. This date was January 6, 1931, which was two weeks before the beginning of the third administrative year of Governor C. Douglass Buck and James H. Hazel as Lieutenant Governor.


106th Delaware General Assembly
Currently the distribution of the Senate Assembly seats was made to seven senators for New Castle County and for five senators to each Kent and Sussex counties. Likewise the current distribution of the House Assembly seats was made to fifteen representatives for New Castle County and for ten representatives each to Kent and Sussex counties. The actual population changes of the county did not directly affect the number of senators or representatives at this time.


106th Delaware General Assembly
In the 106th Delaware General Assembly session both chambers had a Republican majority.


106th Delaware General Assembly, Members, Senate
About half of the State Senators were elected every two years for a four-year term. They were from a district in a specific county, with the number of districts determined by the state constitution, not the size of the population.


106th Delaware General Assembly, Members, House of Representative
All the State Representatives were elected every two years for a two-year term. They were from a district in a specific county, with the number of districts determined by the state constitution, not the size of the population.


106th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)
The 106th Division (第106師団, Dai-hyakuroku Shidan) was an infantry division of the Imperial Japanese Army. It has no call sign, similar to 101st division. It was formed 15 May 1938 in Kumamoto as a C-class square division. The nucleus for the formation was the 6th division headquarters. The division was originally subordinated to the Central China Expeditionary Army. Its first division commander was Lieutenant General Matsuura Junrokuro, a graduate from Japanese Army War College.


106th Division (Imperial Japanese Army), Action
The 106th Division was assigned to 11th army. Landing south of Tianjin 22 July 1938, it soon participated in the Battle of Wuhan, capturing Jiujiang 26 July 1938. During August 1938, it advanced along railroad to Nanxun District, and in September 1938 was heavily engaged in the Battle of Wanjialing. The 106th artillery regiment was stuck in mountainous terrain, therefore was unable to provide any fire support from 20 September 1938, and entire division suffered heavy losses after its parts has been encircled in Lianxi District. Five of the eight regiments were routed 24 September - 13 October 1938, and division suffered an 11,164 casualties (over half of total strength).


106th Division (Imperial Japanese Army), Action
From 1939 the 106th Division was commanded by Lieutenant General Ryotaro Nakai. Under his command the division was in the Battle of Nanchang (in particular divisional artillery acting in Battle of Xiushui River 20 March 1939), and the Battle of Changsha (1939). The division was planned to be demobilized after finishing a mop-up operations in Shantou area.


106th Division (Imperial Japanese Army), Action
Due to the ongoing 1939-40 Winter Offensive, the demobilization of the 106th division was cancelled 20 December 1939. Instead it was assigned to the 21st army and sent to hold positions along the south bank of the Yangtze River between Wuhu and Hukou and stood off the attacks of the Chinese.


106th Division (Imperial Japanese Army), Action
The division was demobilized on March 9, 1940, with dissolution completed in April 1940. Some of the soldiers of 106th division, in particularly belonging to the 113th infantry regiment, were re-employed in the 56th division formed 10 July 1940.


106th Division (People's Republic of China)
The 106th Division (Chinese: 第106师) was created in February 1950 under the Regulation of the Redesignations of All Organizations and Units of the Army, issued by Central Military Commission on November 1, 1948, basing on the 258th Division, 111th Corps of Republic of China Army defected on September 19, 1949 during the Chinese Civil War.


106th Division (People's Republic of China)
In April 1951 the division absorbed 111th Division and a regiment from Cavalry Brigade, 36th Corps as preparation before entering Korea.


106th Division (People's Republic of China)
In September 1951 the division moved into Korea as a part of the People's Volunteer Army. During its deployment to Korea the division was in charge of rear guards mission and the construction of Wonli Airfield.


106th Division (People's Republic of China)
In February 1952 the division was re-organized as 1st Build Construction Division(Chinese: 建筑工程第1师).


106th Field Battery, Royal Australian Artillery
The 106th Field Battery was an artillery battery unit of the Royal Australian Artillery. The battery was formed in 1966 and served two tours during the Vietnam War before being disbanded in 1976.


106th Field Battery, Royal Australian Artillery
The battery was re-raised as 106th Battery on 5 December 2014 as part of 4th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery.


106th Field Battery, Royal Australian Artillery, History
Formed in December 1966 at Wacol, Queensland as part of the 4th Field Regiment.


106th Field Battery, Royal Australian Artillery, History
The battery left for its first tour of Vietnam between April 1967 and March 1968. The second tour of duty of Vietnam was between February 1970 and January 1971.


106th Field Battery, Royal Australian Artillery, History
Reformed in the mid 70's to conducts gun trials for the replacement of the BL 5.5 inch Medium Gun.


106th Field Battery, Royal Australian Artillery, History
In 2014, 106th Battery was re-raised in 4th Regiment to support 2nd Cavalry Regiment which had relocated from Robertson Barracks in Darwin to Lavarack Barracks in Townsville under Plan Beersheba.


106th Fighter-Interceptor Wing
The 106th Fighter-Interceptor Wing is a former unit of the New York Air National Guard, last stationed at Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base, Westhampton Beach, New York.


106th Fighter-Interceptor Wing
The 102d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, which was assigned to the Wing's 106th Fighter-Interceptor Group, was first organized during World War I as the 102d Aero Squadron on 23 August 1917. It was reconstituted on 4 November 1922, as the 102d Observation Squadron, and is one of theObservation Squadrons of the United States Army National Guard formed before World War II. The squadron has a history going back to 30 April 1908, and is the oldest unit of the New York Air National Guard.


106th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, History, New York Air National Guard
In October 1950, the Air National Guard converted to the wing-base organization. As a result, the 52d Fighter Wing was withdrawn from the Air National Guard and inactivated on 31 October 1950. The 106th Composite Wing was activated as one of two new New York Air National Guard wings (the other being the 107th Fighter Wing at Niagara Falls Airport) which replaced it. Both wings reported to the adjutant general of the New York National Guard in Albany.


106th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, History, New York Air National Guard, Korean War activation
With the surprise invasion of South Korea on 25 June 1950, and the regular military's lack of readiness, most of the Air National Guard was called to active duty. The subordinate 102d and 114th Bombardment Squadron's Douglas B-26 Invader light attack bombers were sent to Fifth Air Force in Japan for use in the Korean War, and the 106th Bomb Group was federalized on 1 February 1951 and assigned to Strategic Air Command. On 28 March 1951, the wing moved to March Air Force Base, California.


106th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, History, New York Air National Guard, Korean War activation
At March, the 106th was re-equipped with Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers and tankers and given the mission to train B-29 combat crews for service in Korea. The 106th Wing's personnel and equipment at March were transferred to the 320th Bombardment Wing, which was activated on 1 December 1952 and the 106th Wing was returned to New York state control.


106th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, History, New York Air National Guard, Cold War
With its return to New York state control, the 106th was again equipped with B-26 Invaders, the aircraft being returned from combat duty in Korea. The 106th trained with the Invader until the removal of the B-26 from bombing duties in 1956 as it neared the end of its service life.


106th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, History, New York Air National Guard, Cold War
The 106th wartime gaining command was changed from Tactical Air Command to Air Defense Command (ADC) and became the 106th Fighter-Interceptor Wing. It assumed an air defense mission over Long Island and New York City, entering the jet age with the limited all-weather two seat Lockheed F-94B Starfire interceptor. With the Starfire, the 106th began standing end of runway air defense alert, ready to launch interceptors if ADC ground control intercept radars picked up an unidentified target. The wing kept aircraft on air defense alert from one hour before sunrise until one hour after sunset every day. In 1957, ADC upgraded the wing's 102d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron to the single seat North American F-86D Sabre. With the receipt of the F-86D, the alert mission was expanded to full-time.


106th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, History, New York Air National Guard, Cold War
In 1956, Lt. Col. Norma Parsons made military and National Guard history when she became the first woman member of the National Guard, the first woman member of the Air National Guard, and the first woman to be commissioned in the Air National Guard.


106th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, History, New York Air National Guard, Cold War
The State of New York was notified by the United States Air Force on 26 September 1957 that support for the wing's 114th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron would be ended due to fiscal constraints. Despite protests from the Governor of New York State that this was in violation of the law with respect to State militia units, the Air Force eventually prevailed and the 114th was inactivated on 30 September 1958.


106th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, History, New York Air National Guard, Cold War
In 1963 As a result of an agreement between the New York Governor's office and the Air Force, New York accepted a new aeromedical transport mission, thereby preserving the military careers of most 106th Wing personnel and, at the same time, providing the State with a valuable airlift potential. The wing became the 106th Aeromedical Transport Group and its gaining command became Military Air Transport Service (MATS), The 106th worked closely with the 1st Aeromedical Transport Group at Kelly Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas, a regular Air Force unit.


106th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, History, New York Air National Guard, Cold War
Initially equipped with specialized Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcars configured for transport of wounded and injured, the 106th Wing airlifted critically injured and sick personnel until 1964. With air transportation recognized as a critical wartime need, the 106th was redesignated the 106th Air Transport Wing in January 1964 and equipped with Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter heavy transports. With the C-97s, the 106th augmented MATS airlift capability worldwide in support of the Air Force's needs. It also flew scheduled MATS transport missions to Europe, Africa the Caribbean and South America.


106th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, History, New York Air National Guard, Cold War
With the acquisition of KC-97 Stratotankers from SAC, the 106th gaining command returned to Tactical Air Command in September 1969 and the it became the 106th Air Refueling Wing. Its mission was to provide air refueling to tactical fighter and reconnaissance aircraft. The KC-97 was a variant of the C-97 Stratofreighter and the conversion of the unit from transports to refueling aircraft was easily accomplished. The wing's KC-97Ls had added jet engine pods mounted on their outboard wings.


106th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, History, New York Air National Guard, Cold War
It rotated personnel and aircraft to West Germany as part of Operation Creek Party, a continuous rotational mission flying from Rhein Main Air Base, West Germany, providing air refueling to United States Air Forces in Europe tactical aircraft. The success of this operation, which would continue until 1972, demonstrated the ability of the Air National Guard to perform significant day-to-day missions without being mobilized.


106th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, History, New York Air National Guard, Cold War
In 1969, the Air Force closed Suffolk County Air Force Base as an active base and the wing relocated there in 1970. The wing returned to the air defense mission in 1972 and again became the 106th Fighter-Interceptor Wing. The wing was equipped with the Convair F-102A Delta Dagger, which was being replaced in the active duty interceptor force by the Convair F-106 Delta Dart.


106th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, History, New York Air National Guard, Cold War
The Mach-2 "Deuce", still a very potent interceptor, served with the 106th Wing until June 1975, when Aerospace Defense Command was reducing the USAF interceptor force as the threat of Soviet Bombers attacking the United States was deemed remote. When the wing's flying element converted to an air rescue mission in 1975, the 106th Wing was inactivated


106th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, References, Bibliography
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website .


106th Grey Cup
The 106th Grey Cup (branded as the 106th Grey Cup presented by Shaw for sponsorship reasons) was the Canadian Football League (CFL) championship game for the 2018 season. It was played on November 25, 2018, between the Ottawa Redblacks and the Calgary Stampeders at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta.


106th Grey Cup
In a rematch of the 104th Grey Cup, the Stampeders won 27–16, claiming their eighth Grey Cup Championship.


106th Grey Cup, Host city, Selection process
On March 24, 2017, it was reported by several news outlets that the Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Eskimos were bidding to host the 2018 Grey Cup game. In previous years, the games would be awarded based on regional preference or ownership changes (such as Toronto hosting the 104th Grey Cup four years after hosting their previous one). However, beginning with the 2018 game, the League announced it would conduct a formal bidding process based on the merits of the application to determine a host. Calgary last hosted the Grey Cup in 2009 while Edmonton last hosted in 2010. Both cities had previously hosted the Grey Cup game four times. Edmonton was awarded the 106th Grey Cup on June 5, 2017, and Calgary was awarded the 107th Grey Cup on April 25, 2018.


106th Grey Cup, Host city, Selection process
Despite having a new stadium, and not having hosted the Grey Cup game since 1996, it was reported that the Hamilton Tiger-Cats would not submit a bid for the 106th Grey Cup due to ongoing lawsuits filed against the construction firms that completed the stadium more than a year behind schedule. Tiger-Cats CEO, Scott Mitchell, relayed that the organization was focused on the lawsuits first and foremost, and once those were completed they would focus on hosting a Grey Cup in the near future. Following the resolution of the lawsuits in 2018, the Tiger-Cats announced they would be bidding for the 108th Grey Cup.


106th Grey Cup, Host city, Grey Cup Festival
The Grey Cup Festival took place from November 21 to 25 in downtown Edmonton on Jasper Avenue. In February 2018, it was announced that the planned Festival would be over twice the size of the Festival held for the 98th Grey Cup, which was the last time that Edmonton hosted the event. The increase in the size of the Festival was the result of a new initiative of the CFL to improve the Grey Cup experience and avoid previous situations where hosting teams underbudgeted the Festival.


106th Grey Cup, Host city, Grey Cup Festival
The five-day event included a zipline from Jasper Avenue to Louise McKinney Park, artificial hills for tubing and skiing, as well as Grey Cup traditions like the team parties. A total of fifty unique events and twenty-eight musical acts were scheduled, and the Festival was expected to add over $80 million to the local economy.


106th Grey Cup, Host city, Grey Cup Festival
On October 11, 2018, it was announced that due to the proximity between the annual Santa's Parade of Lights and the Grey Cup Parade, the two would be combined into a single event. The combined parade was held on November 24.


106th Grey Cup, Host city, Grey Cup Festival
On November 8, 2018, Maritime Football Ltd. announced a Name-The-Team drive for its proposed CFL team in Halifax, Nova Scotia. During the East Coast Kitchen Party (an annual Grey Cup party put on by fans from Atlantic Canada) held on November 23, it was announced that the proposed team would be known as the Atlantic Schooners—reviving the name of a former conditional franchise that was awarded to Halifax in 1984 but which folded without ever playing a game.


106th Grey Cup, Host city, Ticket sales
On June 6, 2018 the Eskimos announced they had sold 51,000 tickets in only four days; leaving only a little more than 4,800 seats remaining for the championship game. The game officially sold out in the days leading up to the event. Two weeks before the game, it was announced that numerous Festival events, including the CFL Awards Ceremony, CFLPA Legends Luncheon, and the Grey Cup Gala Dinner, were either sold out or close to selling out.


106th Grey Cup, Background
This was the first Grey Cup game to feature eight officials. In the wake of a hit to quarterback Brandon Bridge's helmet that went unpenalized, the league added an eighth official for the Eastern and Western finals. Ben Major was assigned to work as the eighth official in the Grey Cup.


106th Grey Cup, Background, Calgary Stampeders
The Stampeders finished first in the West Division for a third straight year with a regular season record of 13–5. They became the first team in the league to clinch a playoff spot in Week 13 of the regular season with a 38–16 victory over the Toronto Argonauts. The Stampeders narrowly beat out the Saskatchewan Roughriders for first in the West and did not clinch the top spot until defeating the BC Lions in the final game of the season. That victory also prevented the Stampeders from entering the playoffs on a losing streak for the second year in a row.


106th Grey Cup, Background, Calgary Stampeders
As the first place team in the West, the Stampeders received a bye in the first round of the playoffs and hosted the Western Final on November 18 against the third place Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The Stampeders won the game 22–14 to become the West Division champions for the third straight year.


106th Grey Cup, Background, Ottawa Redblacks
The Redblacks placed first in the East Division with an 11–7 record, returning to the playoffs for the fourth straight season. Led by quarterback Trevor Harris, the Redblacks clinched first place with a victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Week 17. During their season, rookie kicker Lewis Ward broke the professional football record for consecutive field goals, surpassing NFL kicker Adam Vinatieri with his 45th consecutive field goal in Week 16. Receiver Brad Sinopoli also set a league record for catches by a Canadian, with 116 worth 1,376 yards.


106th Grey Cup, Background, Ottawa Redblacks
As the first place team in the East, the Redblacks hosted the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Eastern Final after the Tiger-Cats defeated the crossover BC Lions in the Semi-Final. The Redblacks handily defeated the Tiger-Cats 46–27 behind Harris throwing for six touchdowns, a CFL playoff record. With the victory, the Redblacks advanced to the Grey Cup for the third time in four years.


106th Grey Cup, Background, Head-to-head
Calgary and Ottawa met twice in the 2018 regular season, with Calgary winning both games. Their first meeting took place during Week 3 in Calgary and saw the Stampeders win 24–14. Two weeks later, the teams met in Ottawa, where the Stampeders routed the Redblacks 27–3. The 106th Grey Cup was the second championship match-up between the two teams, following the 104th Grey Cup which was won by the Redblacks in overtime.


106th Grey Cup, Game summary
Prior to kickoff, Calgary (CGY) won the coin toss and chose to defer to the second half, with Ottawa (OTT) choosing to kick the ball. Due to the freezing temperatures in Edmonton in the days prior to the event, the turf was slippery throughout the game, with Stampeders defensive lineman Ja'Gared Davis commenting that he had never played on a field with as little traction. The two teams opened the first quarter with quarterbacks Bo Levi Mitchell and Trevor Harris exchanging interceptions.


106th Grey Cup, Game summary
Following their interception of Harris' pass, the Stampeders opened the scoring in the last third of the first quarter with a 21-yard touchdown run by running back Don Jackson and a successful conversion by kicker Rene Paredes to put the Stampeders up 7–0. The Stampeders would not relinquish the lead for the rest of the game.


106th Grey Cup, Game summary
While the Stampeders began the second quarter with possession, the Redblacks would score on their following possession with a field goal by Lewis Ward, making the score 7–3. However, four minutes later the Stampeders would respond with another touchdown, this time courtesy a 17-yard pass from Mitchell to Lemar Durant, extending their lead to 14–3.


106th Grey Cup, Game summary
The Redblacks would finally score their first touchdown of the game at the 12:35 mark of the second quarter with a successful pass from Harris to receiver Julian Feoli-Gudino, who caught the 25-yard pass at the 30-yard line and proceeded to run it into the endzone. The Redblacks opted to go for the two-point conversion rather than the kick to make the score 14–11. However, two minutes later Stampeders punt returner Terry Williams would score the final touchdown of the first half following a 97-yard punt return, setting a Grey Cup record for longest punt return. The previous record had stood since the 83rd Grey Cup in 1995 and was set by Chris Wright of the Baltimore Stallions.


106th Grey Cup, Game summary
In comparison to the first two quarters, the third quarter was a quiet one offensively, with the two teams both managing a successful field goal to make the score 24–14 going into the fourth quarter. The Stampeders would kick another field goal three minutes into the fourth to increase their lead to 27–14. Facing a thirteen-point deficit, the Redblacks make an offensive push and made it to Calgary's seven-yard line before an attempted touchdown pass was knocked down by Stampeders linebacker Jamar Wall, forcing a turnover on downs. Despite conceding a two points to the Redblacks as the result of a safety, the Stampeders managed to hold their opponents scoreless for the remainder of the game, allowing them to win with a final score of 27–16.


106th Grey Cup, Game summary
With his two successful field goal kicks, Stampeders kicker Rene Paredes became the all-time Grey Cup leader in field goal percentage, having successfully made all 11 of his field goal kicks throughout five career appearances in the Grey Cup. The previous record was 9-for-9 and was held by former Toronto Argonauts kicker Mike Vanderjagt.


106th Grey Cup, Broadcasting
The game was televised in Canada by TSN (English) and RDS (French), and in the United States on ESPN2.


106th Grey Cup, Broadcasting
For the first time, a Spanish-language telecast was provided by ESPN Latin America for ESPN3 in Mexico, with Aaron Soriano on play-by-play and the Toronto Argonauts' Frank Beltre on colour. The move came on the heels of a letter of intent between the CFL and Mexico's Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional, which contained a proposal for partnerships between the two leagues and the possibility of a CFL game played in Mexico as early as 2020.


106th Grey Cup, Entertainment
On June 28, 2018, the CFL announced that The Reklaws would perform prior to the game as part of the SiriusXM Canada Kickoff Show, after their scheduled week 1 halftime performance at Investors Group Field in Winnipeg was cancelled due to inclement weather. Canadian country singer Brett Kissel sang the national anthem which marked the first time the line "in all of us command" was sung at the game.


106th Grey Cup, Entertainment
On September 29, 2018, the CFL announced that Alessia Cara would be the halftime performer.


106th Guards Airborne Division
The 106th Guards Tula Red Banner Order of Kutuzov Airborne Division, more generally referred to as the Tula Division, is one of the four airborne divisions of the Russian Airborne Troops, the VDV (Russian: Воздушно-десантные войска, romanized: Vozdushno-desantnye voyska). Based in the city of Tula, to the south of Moscow, it is administratively located within the Western Military District.


106th Guards Airborne Division, History, 1944–1991
The Division was founded in January 1944 as the 16th Guards Airborne Division, and from then until the end of the Second World War fought in Hungary, Austria and Czechoslovakia (including in Prague), mostly with 38th Guards Rifle Corps of 9th Guards Army. It became the 106th Guards Rifle Division in December 1944, as all the original VDV divisions and brigades were being reconstituted as Guards Rifle formations. The Division's honorifics are 'Red Banner, Order of Kutuzov', though an early Western writer reported them as 'Dneipr-Transbaikal' seemingly incorrectly, at one point in its history.


106th Guards Airborne Division, History, 1944–1991
On 7 June 1946, the 106th Guards Rifle Division was converted to an airborne division at Tula, part of the new 38th Guards Airborne Corps. On 1 October 1948, the division's 347th Guards Air Landing Regiment was used to form the 11th Guards Airborne Division. It was replaced by the new 51st Guards Air Landing Regiment, which became an airborne unit in 1949. On 5 May 1955, the 137th Guards Airborne Regiment joined the division from the disbanded 11th Guards Airborne Division.


106th Guards Airborne Division, History, 1944–1991
On 6 January 1959, the 110th Separate Military-Transport Aviation Squadron was formed with the division, equipped with ten Antonov An-2 transports. On 15 August 1960, the 205th Guards Artillery Regiment became the 845th Separate Guards Artillery Battalion. At the same time, the 351st Guards Airborne Regiment transferred to the 105th Guards Airborne Division and was replaced by the 105th's 331st Guards Airborne Regiment. On 27 April 1962, the 845th Separate Guards Artillery Battalion became the 1182nd Guards Artillery Regiment.


106th Guards Airborne Division, History, 1944–1991
As the attention of the Soviet leadership began to shift towards their ability to project force overseas, the need for a rapidly deployable force to spearhead large-scale operations became apparent and the VDV was once again built up as such an air assault force. The Tula Division, from that point until the present day, was to be one of the most frequently-used elements of it. Two of its regiments took part in the Soviet–Afghan War. As nationalist unrest grew in the southern republics of the USSR throughout the end of the 1980s, the division was deployed to Baku, Azerbaijan, in 1988 and to Fergana, Uzbekistan, in 1990. Throughout this time the division was commanded by General Alexander Lebed.


106th Guards Airborne Division, History, 1944–1991
In 1991, an attempted coup against the Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev took place in Moscow. As the coup faltered, and the plotters lost the initiative while support for Boris Yeltsin, the President of the Russian SFSR, grew, the plotters called in reinforcements from the Tula Division, in the form of a battalion from the 137th Guards Airborne Regiment. When they arrived, Lebed stated that he had orders to secure the Parliament building, where Yeltsin's supporters were barricaded. He did not, however, give the order for his men, equipped with BMD armoured vehicles, to launch an attack.


106th Guards Airborne Division, History, 1944–1991
This may have been because at that point in the coup, the Tamanskaya Division was in the process of switching its own allegiance from the plotters to the parliamentarians, but whatever Lebed's rationale, the episode helped to boost his own public profile immensely. Following the failure of the coup and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, in 1992, he was appointed commander of the Russian 14th Army in Moldova.


106th Guards Airborne Division, History since 1991
The 119th Guards Airborne Regiment joined the division from the 7th Guards Airborne Division in August 1993, replacing the 331st Guards Airborne Regiment, which had been transferred to the 98th Guards Airborne Division.


106th Guards Airborne Division, History since 1991
In 1994, the Russian Army was ordered into the breakaway southern republic of Chechnya by Yeltsin, then President of the Russian Federation, after the refusal of the separatist government to surrender to Moscow's authority, beginning the First Chechen War. Battalions of the Tula Division were attached to 'Group West' (the western element of the three-pronged invasion of Chechnya). They took part, in December that year, in the first Battle of Grozny, helping to capture the city's central railway station, which had proved to be one of the most difficult and costly strategic points in Grozny for the Russians to capture.


106th Guards Airborne Division, History since 1991
In March 1995, the battalions were transferred to the command of 'Group North' and continued fighting, notably around Argun. In May, they withdrew from Chechnya. The division's losses in the first war are unclear: 36 of its soldiers have been confirmed killed in action, but the number missing in action is around 200.


106th Guards Airborne Division, History since 1991
The Second Chechen War began in 1999. With Moscow determined to avoid a repeat of the quagmire that the first war had become, the Russian force committed in 1999 was larger, better equipped and better organised. The Tula Division's contribution to that force was the 51st and 119th Parachute Landing Regiments. Its losses in this war were still considerable but less than in the first: 67 of its soldiers were reported either killed or missing in action. For its actions in the second campaign, the Tula Division was awarded the MoD Pennant.


106th Guards Airborne Division, History since 1991
In 2001, after the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, paratroopers from the division were sent to Afghanistan to evacuate the staff of the Russian embassy in Kabul, so as to ensure their safety in the face of the American military campaign in support of the Northern Alliance's advance towards the city.


106th Guards Airborne Division, History since 1991
On 26 April 2004, the Tula Division celebrated its 60th anniversary.


106th Guards Airborne Division, History since 1991
In August 2014 the division's 137th Guards Airborne Regiment had allegedly participated in the War in Donbass.


106th Guards Airborne Division, History since 1991
On 13 August 2015, the division was given the honorific name "Tula".


106th Guards Airborne Division, Subordinate units and fighting strength
Modern Russian airborne divisions are relatively smaller formations, in manpower terms; typically, they number around over 5,000 men. The Tula Division was until 2005 the exception to this rule, numbering over 7,000 men. The reason for this was that it included 3 Parachute Landing Regiments, whereas the other 3 VDV divisions had only two such regiments. In 2005, however, the 119th Guards Airborne Regiment was disbanded and the division was thus bought essentially into line with the other 3 divisions. As of 2006, the subordinate units of the division in 2006 were as follows:


106th Guards Airborne Division, Subordinate units and fighting strength
By 2017 the division expanded and added further units and has the following composition.


106th Hazara Pioneers
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106th Hazara Pioneers
The 106th Hazara Pioneers was a pioneer infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They were formed in 1904 at Quetta from Hazara people. They were disbanded in 1933.


106th Hazara Pioneers, Establishment
The first contact between the British and the Hazaras was just before the First Afghan War, when some Hazaras served in "Broadfoot's Sappers" (British Scouts) from 1839–1840. A considerable number of Hazaras had come to India to work as labourers prior, particularly in heavy work such as quarrying. In 1903–1904, however, due to high levels of persecution by the Afghans, large numbers of Hazaras refugees poured over the frontier. In 1904, Lord Kitchener, who at that time was Commander-in-Chief in India, directed Major C. W. Jacob to raise a battalion of Hazara Pioneers.


106th Hazara Pioneers, Establishment
Prior to this, the only Hazaras in the Indian Army were those enlisted in the 124th and 126th Baluchistan Infantry, as well as a troop in the Guides Cavalry. The 106th Hazara Pioneers were raised at Quetta in 1904 by Major C. W. Jacob; a nucleus was formed by drafts from the 124th Duchess of Connaught's Own Baluchistan Infantry and the 126th Baluchistan Infantry. The Battalion was composed of eight companies of Hazaras, and their permanent peace station was at Quetta. Their full dress uniform was drab with red facings.


106th Hazara Pioneers, History
In 1918 the Hazaras of the 124th Duchess of Connaught's Own Baluchistan and the 126th Baluchistan Infantry were transferred to the 106th Hazara Pioneers, then assigned to active service in the Mesopotamian campaign. The 106th Hazara Pioneers were now the only unit in the Indian Army enlisting Hazaras nationals.


106th Hazara Pioneers, History
There were two changes in the title of the regiment after the 1914–1918 war. The 106th Hazara Pioneers became 1st Battalion 4th Pioneers in 1922 and "The Hazara Pioneers" in 1929. As a result of the financial crisis in 1933, all Pioneer Regiments in the Indian Army, including the Hazara Pioneers, were disbanded.


106th Hazara Pioneers, History
Following the 1914–1918 war, it became increasingly difficult to recruit Hazaras from the Hazarajat; more recruits had to be taken from the Hazaras colonies settled in the Mashhad area. These men, however, lacked many of the best qualities of the Hazaras enlisted directly from the Afghan highlands. The difficulty in obtaining more of the latter was due chiefly to the change in the attitude of the Afghans towards the Hazaras, who were no longer poorly treated and were now being freely enlisted in the Afghan Army. In addition, the Afghan government had requested the government of India to stop enlisting their subjects (the Hazaras) in the Indian Army.


106th Hazara Pioneers, History
Field Marshal Sir Claud Jacob was colonel of the regiment from 1916 until its disbandment in 1933.


106th Hazara Pioneers, History
In 1915, one company served with distinction in France with the 107th Pioneers. The whole regiment was employed during 1915–1916 with the Kalat Column, and at Khwash in Sistan under General Dyer. In 1917 they served on the Mohmand Blockade Line, and sent one company to join the 128th Pioneers in Mesopotamia.


106th Hazara Pioneers, History
In 1918, the whole regiment proceeded to Mesopotamia where, after serving for some months with the 18th Indian Division on the Tigris above Baghdad, they joined the 2nd Corps and were employed in helping the drive the railway through the Jabal Hamrin from Table Mountain on the Dajla (Tigris River).


106th Hazara Pioneers, History
During 1919, they worked strenuously on the Shergat-Mosul line of communications. In the autumn of that year they took part in the Kurdistan campaign. In 1920, they were again employed on the Shergat-Mosul lines of communications, completing their labors in 1921 by constructing a new road down the bank of the Tigris from Shergat to Baji. They returned to Quetta in August 1921.


106th Hazara Pioneers, History
During the above operations, several Indian Orders of Merit, as well as a number of Indian Distinguished Service Medals and Indian Meritorious Service Medals, were awarded to Hazaras for gallantry.


106th Hazara Pioneers, History
During the Waziristan campaign (1919–1920) of 1923–1924, the Hazara Pioneers took part in the road making through the Baravi Tangi and the Shahur Tangi. Afterward, they helped with the construction of the railway and frontier roads in Zhob.


106th Hazara Pioneers, History
In 1917, due to the difficulty of enlisting a sufficient number of Hazaras from Afghanistan, the experiment was made of recruiting Baltis as a temporary measure. A recruiting party from the 106th Hazara Pioneers visited Baltistan in the late autumn of 1917. About 100 recruits were enlisted during 1917–1918 and even brought to Quetta for training, but the war ended before any of them were able to join the regiment overseas. After the armistice, nearly all these Baltis were demobilized and returned to their homes.


106th Hazara Pioneers, History
In 1922, the 106th Hazara Pioneers became the 1st Battalion 4th Hazara Pioneers under the new numbering system employed in the British Indian Army, where multi-battalion regiments replaced single-battalion regiments. The 4th Hazara Pioneers were one of four Pioneer units in the 1922 reorganisation, including the 1st Madras Pioneers, 2nd Bombay Pioneers, and 3rd Sikh Pioneers.


106th Hazara Pioneers, Sarhad Operations 1915–1917
Before the First World War the British Indian Army commenced operations to create a neutral buffer state between Persia (modern-day Iran) and British India to protect the western borders. In 1907, Britain invaded Persia after a convention was agreed with Imperial Russia. Indian troops were stationed in Persia around Mashhad at posts along the telegraph lines. Britain was interested in the north-western region of Persia due to the arms trade between the Arabs and the Ottomans. By mid-1915, the 106th Hazara Pioneers were involved in the operation. After the operation three men with German names were taken prisoner along with a few Baluchi rebels.


106th Hazara Pioneers, Information
2. Wintermute, B. A. & Ulbrich, D. J. (2019). Walter de Gruyter GmbH


106th Hazara Pioneers, Information
3. Owtadolajam, M. (2006). an analysis of socio-cultural change. Quetta: Hazaragi Academy.


106th Illinois Infantry Regiment
The 106th Illinois was created during the call for 300,000 volunteers during the summer and fall of 1862. It was raised to be entirely composed of men from Logan County, Illinois, but Company A was raised in Sangamon County and Company K from Menard. The men were organized and trained in Lincoln, Illinois, and mustered into Federal service on September 18, 1862.


106th Illinois Infantry Regiment, History
Leaving Illinois behind, the 106th took a train from Lincoln to St. Louis, Missouri, and thence to Columbus, Kentucky, where it was attached to the Army of the Tennessee under Major General Ulysses S. Grant. They spent much of the winter of 1862-1863 around Jackson, Tennessee, and were tasked with guarding the Mobile & Ohio Railroad in that sector. In late December Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest led a cavalry raid on Jackson. This attack took the regiment by surprise and Companies C and G surrendered without a fight. The rest of the regiment built a makeshift breastwork out of railroad ties and bridge timber and fended-off the Rebels with some difficulty. After action reports claim to have not suffered a single man killed or wounded while inflicting many casualties on the enemy.


106th Illinois Infantry Regiment, History
After Forrest's raid, the regiment was assigned to guard railroad stations north of Jackson until May 31, 1863, when it was ordered to Vicksburg, Mississippi, to participate in the siege already taking place there. While en route to Vicksburg, the regiment's steamboat came under fire from Rebel infantry and artillery on Island No. 63 near Clarksdale, Mississippi. Being unable to return much fire, the regiment suffered several men killed and twenty-five wounded, before it even arrived at Vicksburg.


106th Illinois Infantry Regiment, History
Throughout the month of June the 106th served in the trenches of Vicksburg, where the men suffered from high heat, lack of water, lack of shade, and continual fire from the enemy. Toward the end of the siege, they were transferred to the Yazoo River to protect the army's flank and rear against enemy raiders operating north of Vicksburg.


106th Illinois Infantry Regiment, History
After the surrender of the Confederate bastion on July 4, 1863, the 106th was transferred to Helena, Arkansas, under the command of Major General Frederick Steele. Here it took part in the advance on Little Rock and the Battle of Bayou Fourche on September 10, 1863, which secured Little Rock and most of Arkansas for the Union. For the rest of the war the 106th was assigned to guard posts throughout Arkansas, keeping the peace and guarding against possible Confederate counter-thrusts in that region.


106th Illinois Infantry Regiment, History
The report of the Illinois Adjutant General sums up the 106th Illinois' service succinctly: "Except the siege of Vicksburg, the Regiment was not in any of the most noted battles, but, nevertheless, it performed well its part in putting down a rebellion, and it suffered many privations and hardships marching through swamps and bayous, guarding railroads, government property, fighting and foraging, as is proven by its long list of casualties."


106th Illinois Infantry Regiment, History
The 106th Illinois was mustered out on July 12, 1865, at Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and the men were discharged on July 24 at Camp Butler near Springfield, Illinois.


106th Infantry Division (United States)
The 106th Infantry Division was a division of the United States Army formed for service during World War II. Two of its three regiments were overrun and surrounded in the initial days of the Battle of the Bulge, and they were forced to surrender to German forces on 19 December 1944. The division was never officially added to the troop list following the war, despite having been almost completely organized in Puerto Rico by 1948; subsequently, the War Department determined the division was not needed and inactivated the division headquarters in 1950.


106th Infantry Division (United States), World War II
The 106th Infantry Division's Headquarters and Headquarters Company was constituted on paper on 5 May 1942, five months after the United States entered World War II. It was actually activated on 15 March 1943 at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, with a cadre from the 80th Infantry Division. Following Basic and Advanced Infantry Training, the Division moved on 28 March 1944 to Tennessee to participate in the Second Army No. 5 Maneuvers.


106th Infantry Division (United States), World War II
The 106th Infantry Division relieved the 2nd Infantry Division in the Schnee Eifel on 11 December 1944, with its 424th Infantry Regiment was sent to Winterspelt. Prior to the battle, according to the US Army Service Manual, one division should be responsible for no more than 5 miles (8.0 km) of front. On the eve of the battle, the 106th, along with the attached 14th Cavalry Group was covering a front of at least 21 miles (34 km).


106th Infantry Division (United States), World War II
In the Ardennes-Alsace Campaign, the Germans attacked the 106th on 16 December 1944. The division's 422nd and 423rd Infantry Regiments were encircled and cut off by a junction of enemy forces in the vicinity of Schönberg. They regrouped for a counterattack, but were blocked by the enemy. The two regiments surrendered on 19 December. The Germans gained 6,000 prisoners in one of the largest mass surrenders in American military history. Nearly 50% of the division's strength was brushed aside in the first days of the Battle of the Bulge.


106th Infantry Division (United States), World War II
The remnants of the division were reinforced by the 112th Infantry Regiment of the 28th Infantry Division and withdrew over the Our River and joined other units at Saint Vith. Along with the city of Bastogne to the south, St. Vith was a road and rail junction city considered vital to the German goal of breaking through Allied lines to split American and British forces and reach the Belgian port city of Antwerp.


106th Infantry Division (United States), World War II
A scratch force of 106th Division personnel, in particular the division's 81st Engineer Combat Battalion, was organized and led by the 81st's 28-year-old commanding officer, Lt. Col. Thomas Riggs, in a five-day holding action (17–21 December) on a thin ridge line a mile outside St. Vith, against German forces vastly superior in numbers and armament (only a few hundred green Americans versus many thousands of veteran Germans). For this action, the 81st Engineer Combat Battalion was later awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation for gallantry. The defense of St. Vith by the 106th has been credited with ruining the German timetable for reaching Antwerp, hampering the Bulge offensive for the Germans.


106th Infantry Division (United States), World War II
The 81st and other units, including 168th Engineer Combat Battalion, pulled back from St. Vith on 21 December, under constant enemy fire, and withdrew over the Saint River at Vielsalm on 23 December. The following day, the 424th Regiment, attached to the 7th Armored Division, fought a delaying action at Manhay until ordered to an assembly area. From 25 December to 9 January 1945, the division received reinforcements and supplies at Anthisnes, Belgium, and returned to the struggle, securing objectives along the Ennal-Logbierme line on 15 January after heavy fighting. After being pinched out by advancing divisions, the 106th assembled at Stavelot on 18 January for rehabilitation and training. It moved to the vicinity of Hunningen on 7 February for defensive patrols and training.


106th Infantry Division (United States), World War II
In March, the 424th advanced along the high ground between Berk and the Simmer River and was relieved on 7 March. A period of training and security patrols along the Rhine River followed, until 15 March, when the division moved to St. Quentin for rehabilitation and the reconstruction of lost units.


106th Infantry Division (United States), World War II
The division was reconstituted on 16 March when the 3rd Infantry Regiment (the Old Guard) and the 159th Infantry Regiment were attached to replace the two lost regiments. The division then moved back to Germany on 25 April, where, for the remainder of its stay in Europe, the 106th handled POW enclosures and engaged in occupational duties.


106th Infantry Division (United States), World War II
In the meantime, the 422nd Infantry Regiment and the 423rd Infantry Regiment were reconstituted from replacements in France on 15 April, were attached to the 66th Infantry Division in training status, and were still in this status when the Germans surrendered on 8 May 1945.


106th Infantry Division (United States), Honors, Decorations, Individual recognition
All infantry members who received the Combat Infantryman Badge were also later awarded the Bronze Star.


106th Infantry Division (United States), Honors, Shoulder sleeve insignia
The blue is for infantry, while the red represents artillery support.


106th Infantry Division (United States), Notable members
Kurt Vonnegut served in this division and used his experiences during the Battle of the Bulge (and captivity as a prisoner of war) in his novel Slaughterhouse-Five.


106th Infantry Division (United States), Notable members
Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds (died 1985), who was captured on 19 December 1944 as a member of the 422nd Infantry Regiment, was recognized in 2015 by Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial and museum as the first American serviceman from World War II to be honored with the title Righteous Among The Nations for risking his life to save Jewish-American POWs under his command from being taken from the POW camp in Germany to concentration camps, where they likely would have been murdered or worked to death.


106th Infantry Division (United States), Notable members
Donald Prell, futurologist and founder of Datamation, the first computer magazine, served as the leader of an anti-tank platoon in the 422nd Infantry Regiment, and several years following the war researched the biological basis of personality with the British psychologist Hans Eysenck. Prell had been captured in the Battle of the Bulge, survived Allied aerial bombardment while locked in a boxcar with 59 other POWs, and then suffered freezing and starvation while in a German POW camp.


106th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)
The 106th Infantry Division (German: 106. Infanterie-Division) was a German division in World War II. It was formed on 22 November 1940 in Wahn. The division was destroyed by the end of August 1944 during the Soviet Jassy–Kishinev Offensive.


106th Infantry Regiment (United States)
The 106th Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment of the New York Army National Guard that traces its history to the 10th New York National Guard. During World War II, the 106th served in the Pacific Theater and acted both independently and as parts of larger divisions.


106th Infantry Regiment (United States), World War I
The iteration of the 106th Infantry that served in World War I was a different unit than the 106th that served in World War II.


106th Infantry Regiment (United States), World War I
The 27th Division was organized in November 1917 into a "square division" of the US Army. It had two infantry brigades (each with two infantry regiments), along with an artillery brigade, machine gun battalions, and headquarters and support units During the reorganization, the 23rd New York Infantry Regiment was converted into the 106th Infantry Regiment, under the command of Col. Franklin W. Ward, and was assigned to the 53rd Infantry Brigade (now the 53rd Troop Command) alongside the 105th Infantry Regiment (former 2nd New York).


106th Infantry Regiment (United States), World War I
When the regiment arrived in France, it had a strength of 3,003 officers and enlisted men, and it was moved into the front lines on 25 June 1918. The regiment relieved elements of the British 6th Division along the East Poperinghe Line in Belgium, where it remained with the other elements of the 27th Division. On 31 August 1918, the Ypres-Lys Offensive began, and the 106th Regiment was engaged in the reconnaissance efforts prior to the main battle.


106th Infantry Regiment (United States), World War I
Alongside the 53rd Brigade and the rest of the 27th Division, the 106th attacked German position in the Second Somme Offensive from 24 September to 21 October 1918.This offensive proved to be the decisive action which broke the Hindenburg Line. The desperate fighting is clearly demonstrated by the actions of Lt. Col. J. Leslie Kincaid, the Judge Advocate of the Division Staff.


106th Infantry Regiment (United States), World War I
From 25–28 September, Lt. Col. Kincaid took command of a leaderless battalion of the 106th Infantry and managed to hold off an enemy counterattack by organizing every man in the battalion including runners, cooks, signalmen, etc., in the defense; he even personally manned a Lewis Gun during the action. He was awarded the British Distinguished Service Order. On 21 October 1918, the entire division was relieved from front line duty, and returned to the US on 19 March 1919. By the end of its combat action in World War I, the 106th Infantry Regiment suffered 1,955 casualties including 1,496 wounded, 376 killed, and 83 who later died of their wounds.


106th Infantry Regiment (United States), Interwar period
The 106th Infantry Regiment was reconstituted in the National Guard on 30 December 1920, assigned to the 27th Division, and allotted to the state of New York. The 23rd New York Infantry had been reorganized in 1919-1920, and was redesignated the 106th Infantry on 1 June 1921. The regiment, less the 3rd Battalion, was reorganized and redesignated the 186th Field Artillery Regiment on 1 September 1940 and relieved from the 27th Division. The 3rd Battalion became the 101st Military Police Battalion.


106th Infantry Regiment (United States), World War II
The 106th Infantry that served in World War II traces its lineage to the 53rd Pioneer Infantry (the former 47th New York Infantry Regiment) that served in World War I. The unit was reorganized in the New York National Guard from March to June 1921 by consolidation with the 10th New York Infantry Regiment, and assigned to the nondivisional 93rd Infantry Brigade. As nondivisional infantry brigades did not factor into US mobilization plans in 1940, the unit was relieved from the brigade on 1 June 1940, and was assigned to the 27th Division on 1 September 1940.


106th Infantry Regiment (United States), World War II
The 10th New York was ordered into federal service on 15 October 1940. The regiment was made up of recruits from Upstate New York, divided into 12 companies, with 4 companies per battalion. Companies A, B, C, and D were recruited from Albany. Companies E and F came from Binghamton. Companies F, G, I, and K were recruited from Walton, Oneonta, Mohawk, and Oneida respectively and Companies L and M were filled with soldiers from Utica. Additional Regimental troops were drawn from Catskill, Hudson, and Rome. The regiment moved to Fort McClellan, Alabama on 23 October. On 11 December 1940, the 10th New York was redesignated the 106th Infantry.


106th Infantry Regiment (United States), World War II
Due to the restructuring of the United States Army in the early 1940s, the Square Division concept gave way to the Triangular division concept (where three infantry regiments were supported by more versatile elements rather than relying solely on infantry firepower), the 108th Infantry Regiment was released from the 27th Infantry Division's command and was sent to the 40th Infantry Division, and the 106th was itself sent to Hawaii independent of the rest of the division on 10 March 1942. It was attached to the V Amphibious Corps on 14 December 1943.


106th Infantry Regiment (United States), World War II, Majuro and Eniwetok
The 2nd Battalion (2-106), occupied Majuro Atoll on February 1, 1944 against no resistance, and remained there until it was sent to Oahu for training on 5 March 1944. The 1st and 3rd Battalions (1-106 and 3-106) were sent to capture the island of Eniwetok on 19 February 1944. 1-106 made a beach assault against weak Japanese resistance, but became bogged down inland where enemy resistance increased in intensity. 3-106, alongside the 22nd Marine Regiment, arrived to reinforce 1-106 and the island was secured on 21 February.


106th Infantry Regiment (United States), World War II, Saipan
The regiment consolidated its three battalions in Hawaii on 13 April 1944, and landed on Saipan on 20 June 1944, five days after the initial invasion. Here the 106th Infantry Regiment rejoined the rest of its parent unit, the 27th Infantry Division, which had already been fighting on Saipan. The 106th fought along rough jungle terrain at the base of Mount Tapotchau, which they dubbed "Purple Heart Ridge" and "Death Valley." After many of the Japanese strongpoints had been subdued, the defenders launched a second last ditch Banzai charge, which the 106th was active in defeating. After departing the island on 4 September 1944, the 106th enjoyed some R&R on Espiritu Santo.


106th Infantry Regiment (United States), World War II, Okinawa
The regiment departed Espirtu Santo for Okinawa on 20 March 1945, and participated alongside the XXIV Corps general attack on the island. From 11 April to 16 April, the 106th was under the control of the 96th Infantry Division but was returned to the 27th Division's command for the attack on Rotation Ridge. Working together with the 105th Infantry Regiment, they fought to capture a hill called The Pinnacle, a tall spire of rock, where the Japanese had prepared an intricate defense.


106th Infantry Regiment (United States), World War II, Okinawa
The last action of the 106th Infantry's World War II chronicle occurred when 1-106 repelled a Banzai charge west of the Pinnacle on 22 April 1945. Following the relief of the division, 2-106 was sent to occupy the island of Ie Shima. When the war ended, the 106th arrived in Japan for occupation duty on 12 September 1945. It was eventually inactivated on 31 December 1945.


106th New York Infantry Regiment
The 106th New York Infantry Regiment (or St. Lawrence County Regiment) was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.


106th New York Infantry Regiment, Service
The 106th New York Infantry was organized at Ogdensburg, New York, and mustered in for three years service on August 27, 1862, under the command of Colonel Schuyler F. Judd.