48th Infantry Regiment

48th Infantry Regiment
Coat of Arms
Active	1917-89
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army
Type	Infantry
Size	Regiment
Garrison/HQ	Ft Leonardwood, MO
Nickname(s)	"Dragoons"
Motto(s)	"Blood and Guts!"
Insignia
Distinctive unit insignia

The 48th Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment in the United States Army first formed in 1917.

The 1st and 2nd Battalions, 48th Infantry, were mechanized infantry units assigned to the 3rd Armored Division (United States) (3AD) in West Germany during the Cold War. The battalions had overlapping assignments in the 3AD within the time frame 1957 to 1983 (joining the 2d of the 48th, the 1st of the 48th relocated to the 3AD at Gelnhausen in 1963 as part of the ROAD reorganization, from a prior assignment to 7th Army at Worms, Germany. In the 1963 ROAD reorganization 3d Armored Division's Combat Command B at Gelnhausen was redesignated as the Second Brigade). 2lt Colin Powell served in 2nd Bn 48th at Gelnhausen c1959. James S. Voss served as platoon leader, intelligence officer, and C company commander from 1975 to 1978. Following the 1963 ROAD reorganization, and along with the 1st Battalion, 33rd Armor Regiment (United States) which had been at Gelnhausen since the Spring of 1956, they comprised (1963 to 1983) the maneuver elements of the Division's 2d Brigade, stationed at Coleman Kaserne, in the city of Gelnhausen, Federal Republic of Germany. The Battalions served as part of NATO forces guarding the Inner-German Border against the Warsaw Pact. The unit crest of the 48th Infantry designated the unit as Dragoons. They are descended from National Guard units which trained for the First World War, and armored infantry battalions which served with the U.S. 7th Armored Division during World War II. The 48th Armored Infantry Battalion, along with 1st Battalion, 40th Armor, in particular fought a tough battle in Vielsalm, Belgium, holding off the German V Panzer Corps for three days at the crossing of the Salm river, during the German Ardennes Offensive (also known as Battle of the Bulge).

The 2d Battalion, 48th Infantry was inactivated at Gelnhausen on 15 October 1983 (and approximately two years later the 3d Bn, 33d Armor from 3d Armored Division's 1st Brigade at Kirch Goens was transferred to Gelnhausen and took up some of the vacated space). On 16 June 1989 the 1st Battalion, 48th Infantry was inactivated at Gelnhausen and its personnel were re-designated and continued there as 4th Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment.

On June 16, 2017, the 48th Infantry's 2nd Battalion was reactivated in a ceremony at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri to train BCT. It consisted solely of United States Army Reserves Drill Sergeants.