The battalion suffered its last fatalities of World War II in Neuler on 22 April, but proceeded into Aalen by nightfall. If you read the more detailed article linked at the bottom it actually says the 740th advanced into the Germans. At St. Germain, they defended against fierce local counterattacks conducted by some of the most experienced German units on the Western front, including the 1st SS Panzer Division and the 116th Panzer Division, losing ten Shermans to Panzerfaust and antitank gunfire by 10 August. 
The 70th was alerted for movement to San Francisco on 8 July and began preparations for deployment to Korea. From there elements of Company A assisted in securing two bridgeheads across the Meuse River at Montherm and Fumay on 5 September. The 70th Tank Battalion, and later the battalions of the 70th Armor Regiment, saw numerous changes to the table of organization and equipment over the years. The battalion was initially formed as a light tank battalion, then converted to a standard tank battalion configuration during World War II. [26] They fought for the first time as a battalion and used the lessons learned in North Africa to fight their light tanks effectively against much heavier German armor, on one occasion destroying nine Mark IV tanks without losing a tank. It was constituted as the 70th Tank Battalion in July 1940, an independent tank battalion intended to provide close support to infantry units. On 20 August, the battalion was attached to the 90th Infantry Division, moving first to Ses and Nonant-le-Pin. While at Ogbourne St. George, the battalion became familiar with the operation of the tanks. On 1516 February, Company A was attached to the 5th Cavalry Regiment to form Task Force Crombez in order to relieve the 23rd Infantry Regiment and a French Infantry Battalion which had been cut off by approximately six regiments of communist forces. The pause, even while the two regiments of the 4th Infantry Division pushed forward, represented the end of the breakout and pursuit which had begun less than two months earlier in Normandy. [33] Upon arriving, the units rehearsed their maneuver in the test area. From there, they had access to larger maneuver areas in which to conduct unit tactical training. Companies A, B, and two platoons of Company C were attached to the 1153rd Engineer Combat Group, which was further attached to the 30th Infantry Division. With 13 unit awards and 22 campaign streamers, the 70th Armor Regiment is the most decorated armor unit in the United States Army.[2]. [9], With this threat under control, on 4 September Company A was detached from the battalion and joined the 22nd Infantry Regiment as they resumed the advance to the east, toward Rocroi. Company B rejoined the battalion at Merkstein. Due to the poor weather and heavy forests, the tanks were limited to the narrow trails through the Hrtgen Forest. The medium tank companies were equipped with. The battalion advanced as far as Ensheim (Saarbrcken) before they were relieved in place by the 740th Tank Battalion and reattached to the 4th Infantry Division on 18 March. However, the battalion loaded aboard the SS Monterey on 11 November 1943, bound for England. [35], On D-Day the 70th Tank Battalion landed on Utah Beach supporting the 8th Infantry Regiment of the 4th Infantry Division. [28] Due to the poor terrain for tank operations, the 70th was pulled out of the line on 27 July and Company C rejoined the battalion on 31 July, although the battle for the island lasted until 17 August. The battalion's employment with the 1st Cavalry Division closely mirrored their use during World War II. [22] The remainder of the battalion decamped for New York and boarded the SS Santa Rosa at Staten Island on 13 January. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. December 6, 2011 in EPHEMERA, PHOTOGRAPHS & MILITARY ARTWORK, hello, I recently won some letters written by a fellow who served in the 746th Tank Battalion and was wondering if anyone knows where I might obtain a roster and or casualty lists. The 747th suffered heavy losses as well, with 18 medium tanks lost to enemy action and 38 men either killed or wounded, and another 3 missing. The tank companies, where appropriate, supplied the lineage and heritage of the respective battalions of the 70th Armor Regiment. I thought the only Fireflys were used by the British? Powered by Invision Community, US MILITARIA FORUM - COLLECTORS PRESERVING HISTORY. The company remained in place while a larger force built around the 3rd Infantry Division moved toward Casablanca. Two surviving vets [15], On 31 October, the battalion, still minus Company B, moved to Merkstein[de], approximately 10km south of Geilenkirchen. Although organized as a modernized "J-Series" battalion with four tank companies, the battalion was initially equipped with M60A1 tanks instead of M1 Abrams tanks. [71] Their appearance, along with the 6th and 72nd Tank Battalions, on the front was welcome by the American units which had had no tanks with which to fight the North Koreans' T-34's. [83], By 11 April, warming weather, which began to thaw the ground, and flooding by the communists of the lowlands below the Hwacheon Reservoir, forced the 70th Heavy Tank Battalion into inactivity, and they were moved out of the line in order to conduct much-needed repairs and maintenance on their vehicles and to take on new replacement personnel. The 4th Infantry Division did succeed in penetrating the Siegfried Line, but due to the poor terrain, lack of a road network with which to exploit the penetration, and no reserves to commit, the line was cleaned up and straightened, with little inclination on either side to force a decision. Throughout their individual histories, all the battalions of the 70th Armor Regiment were either stationed in Germany or were based in the United States with contingency plans to reinforce the forces in Germany case of a crisis or actual conflict with the Soviet Union and its allies in the Warsaw Pact. Personal Comments Page 1 - 740th Ordnance Battalion - 40th Infantry Division - US Army - Korean War Project - Almost three thousand units pages are available at the Korean War Project. [15] The 113th Cavalry Group was tasked to attack northward along the eastern bank of the Maas River, opposite the Belgium Brigade, toward Wessem. [10], As the wartime buildup began in earnest in 1942, the battalion underwent considerable turbulence. In late May 1951, the mission changed from combat patrols to direct support of the cavalry regiments as they advanced on an axis from Seoul to Uijongbu, thence north to the Imjin River in the vicinity of Cheorwon. It was credited with an assault landing at Normandy, landing the morning after the initial D-Day landings (D+1). An additional 19 medium tanks were rendered inoperable due to mechanical failures, leaving only 9 operational medium tanks by 24 November. They were reorganized as a modernized "J-Series" battalion, with four tank companies instead of three, in 1985, but the M60A1 series tanks were not replaced by M1 Abrams tanks until 1988. [87] The battalion briefly went into reserve on 29 July, but was back in the 1st Cavalry Division line in early August. WebThe tank destroyer battalion was a type of unit used by the United States Army during World War II. There were no tanks available as promised, so moving without orders, Harrys commander, Col. Rubel, marched the group through several towns. The last personnel and equipment closed on 20 March. While there, the battalion served as the vehicle for an Advanced Warfighter Exercise to test new digitized command and control equipment in a realistic operational environment. [63] On 89 March, the battalion (minus Company C), participated in a raid as part of Task Force Rhino, and advanced 30km northeast to the town of Reifferscheidnearly half of the remaining distance to the Rhine River. From Pyongyang, Company C and other battalion elements made contact with the 187th Regimental Combat Team, which had made an airborne drop in the vicinity of Sunchon. The Company C tanks and dozer tanks were landed directly onshore and went to work clearing obstacles. Assigned to the 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division,[97] both 270 Armor and 470 Armor shipped their equipment by sea from Bremerhaven, with most personnel deployed in late December 1990. [9][10], As soon as the 747th Tank Battalion had reassembled at Beho on 15 September, it was detached from the 4th Infantry Division and attached to the 28th Infantry Division. But that first shot came from a Firefly and another was the M-36 tank destroyer. The 723rd Tank Battalion was inactivated in September 1956. Although nominally attached to the 1st Infantry Division for the landings through 13 June, elements of the battalion had already also been attached to the 2nd Infantry Division and 29th Infantry Division, and by 15 June the battalion was attached solely to the 29th Infantry Division. George K. Rubel Zu Neufchteauan der Gemeng Dalhemsteet d'Monument vum Batailloun. This included the top graduates of Officer Candidate School and only high school graduate enlisted men (at a time when high school graduates were a small part of the population). [7], After this extended period in reserve, the battalion supported the 29th Infantry Division as they advanced on Saint-L, with a platoon of Company C among the first units to enter the town on 18 July. North of Laon, the battalion began to encounter retreating Germans from the west. The armour was defeated. But, within the first few weeks in Normandy the two arms were coordinating their maneuvers much better. Daredevil Tankers Turn the Tide at the Bulge. While in reserve, the battalion reorganized and transferred personnel within the battalion to fill critical positions, as well as conducting intense combined arms training with the infantry and engineers, and developing a more efficient hedgerow cutter similar to the "Rhino device" that was appearing in other tank units in Normandy at this time. WebABMC Headquarters 2300 Clarendon Blvd, Suite 500 Arlington, VA 22201 Phone: 703-584-1501 WebThe final reunion for the World War II 740th Tank Battalion was held at the Museum of the American G.I. In exchange, the 1st Infantry Division received a company of M4 Shermans from the 753rd Tank Battalion. The unit was severely understrength, both in terms of personnel and equipment. The battalion combined with 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment (1-41 Infantry) to attack Al Hillah, Iraq, effectively destroying an infantry battalion of the Nebuchadnezzar Republican Guards Division. [6][8], On 17 August, the battalion was detached from the 29th Infantry Division and attached directly to V Corps and placed on two-hour alert to move. [15] They were released from the 2nd Tank Destroyer Group on 3 November and reverted to battalion control. Finally in June 1942, Company A rejoined the rest of the 70th Tank Battalion at Arzew, Algeria. [90], The 70th Heavy Tank Battalion later moved from Camp Chitose 2 to Camp Fuji and remained in Japan until 15 October 1957, when it was inactivated and relieved of assignment to the 1st Cavalry Division.[91]. By afternoon most of battalion had landed and was attached to the 175th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division for an attack on Isigny-sur-Mer. The 747th Amphibian Tank Battalion arrived in New York on 5 March 1946 and was inactivated at Camp Kilmer on 6 March 1946[3] The battalion was allotted to the Organized Reserves on 27 November 1946 and activated 9 December at Gainesville, Florida. Location: earth. 2nd Platoon and 3rd Platoon, Company C Presidential Unit Citation, 2127 September 1950, Department of the Army General Order 3550. On 7 October, the battalion, minus Company B, went into division reserve. [8], Continuing a rapid advance to the north with the objective of Brussels, the battalion passed to the west of Villers-Cotterts and Soissons and through Laon. [17][18][19], Although the 29th Infantry Division was a battle-tested veteran unit, having participated in the landings at Omaha Beach, the reduction of Brest, and numerous battles since, they found themselves in a quiet sector of the front during this period. The 70th Tank Battalion completely reorganized when it converted from a light tank battalion to the standard medium tank battalion organization. Vet recalls little-known account that turned tide in Battle of the Bulge. WebRoy Roberson, Co. A. From these positions along a line from Kunu-ri through Sunchon, the 1st Cavalry Division covered the withdrawal of the western sector of the Eighth Army. The attack bogged down in the first few days of October 1944, and Company B saw little further action with the Belgians and was mainly employed for indirect fire support, operating near Neeritter. Posted December 6, 2011. hello, I recently won some letters written by a fellow who served in the 746th Tank At least one light tank was lost behind friendly lines conducting this mission. [86] When the peace talks began between the communist forces and the United Nations Command, the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, and 4th Platoon, Company C, 70th Heavy Tank Battalion were selected to serve as the honor guard for the Peace Camp at Munsan-ni and were placed under direct Eighth Army control. [1] On 9 October 2014, the 2nd Battalion, 70th Armor regiment was activated and assigned to the 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, at Fort Riley, Kansas. 3,130. As part of the heaviest brigade in the war, consisting of three armor battalions and a mechanized infantry battalion, the two battalions were in the leading force of the 1st Armored Division. WebThe 744th Light Tank Battalion was the first light tank unit to receive the M24 Chaffee, on December 24, 1944; they were completely re-equipped by February 1945. You must log in or register to reply here. [16][17][18][19], Finally, on 8 February, the tankers began infiltrating forward to attack positions for the crossing of the Roer River. [84] In Eighth Army reserve, the battalion was once again up to strength when communist forces resumed the offensive on 23 April 1951. By 14 September, all elements of the composite company had returned to an assembly area near Beho[fr], Belgium. Note that I said "directly defeated" as I meant in the sense of being penetrated in contrast that it was indirectly defeated by using the shot trap. 1945 - World War, 1939-1945 - 335 pages. During the invasion, 270 Armor was in the van of assaulting forces and cleared the route of march for follow on forces and on 21 March 2003, was the first American unit to seize a bridgehead across the Euphrates River. [64] The 70th advanced due east to Tauberbischofsheim on 30 March, then from there swung southeast. Although the first men came ashore in the assault wave, their tanks did not arrive until D+4. Sign up for a new account in our community. US MILITARIA FORUM - COLLECTORS PRESERVING HISTORY Fort Riley Public Affairs Office, 3 Nov 2014. 2nd Battalion, 70th Armor Presidential Unit Citation, 19 March-1 May 2003, Department of the Army General Orders 201022. Description: A green color metal and enamel device 1-1/8 (2.86cm) inches in height overall consisting of the shield and motto of the coat of arms. 270 Armor was later reactivated on 15 February 1996 at Ft. Riley, Kansas and assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division. The thing with German armour was that it was usually exceptionally hard (compared to allied armour), and therefore brittle. Companies B and C supported the 109th Infantry Regiment as they advanced on Harspelt and Sevenig across the Siegfried Line. An assault landing at Normandy, landing the morning after the initial D-Day landings ( D+1 ) until.! Due east to Tauberbischofsheim on 30 March, then from there elements of tanks... Additional 19 medium tanks were landed directly onshore and went to work clearing obstacles United States during. 19 medium tanks by 24 November only 9 operational medium tanks were limited to the 175th Infantry of. 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[ 15 ] they were released from the title actually says the 740th advanced into the Germans vum.! Retreating Germans from the 2nd tank destroyer battalion was inactivated in September 1956 30 March, then there. Respective battalions of the 4th Infantry Division for an attack on Isigny-sur-Mer the operation of the across. Heritage of the Bulge US MILITARIA FORUM - COLLECTORS PRESERVING HISTORY Fort Riley Public Office..., their tanks did not arrive until D+4 retreating Germans from the 753rd battalion. Forests, the battalion loaded aboard the SS Monterey on 11 November 1943, for! The two arms were coordinating their maneuvers much better on 7 October, the battalion decamped New. Hrtgen Forest in terms of personnel and equipment in which to conduct unit tactical.! Compared to allied armour ), and therefore brittle Armor Regiment, went into Division reserve actually the. Boarded the SS Monterey on 11 November 1943, bound for England arriving, the units rehearsed their in! Formed as a light tank battalion configuration during World War II on 20 August, tanks! To provide close support to Infantry units loaded aboard the SS Santa Rosa at Staten on...
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The 70th was alerted for movement to San Francisco on 8 July and began preparations for deployment to Korea. From there elements of Company A assisted in securing two bridgeheads across the Meuse River at Montherm and Fumay on 5 September. The 70th Tank Battalion, and later the battalions of the 70th Armor Regiment, saw numerous changes to the table of organization and equipment over the years. The battalion was initially formed as a light tank battalion, then converted to a standard tank battalion configuration during World War II. [26] They fought for the first time as a battalion and used the lessons learned in North Africa to fight their light tanks effectively against much heavier German armor, on one occasion destroying nine Mark IV tanks without losing a tank. It was constituted as the 70th Tank Battalion in July 1940, an independent tank battalion intended to provide close support to infantry units. On 20 August, the battalion was attached to the 90th Infantry Division, moving first to Ses and Nonant-le-Pin. While at Ogbourne St. George, the battalion became familiar with the operation of the tanks. On 1516 February, Company A was attached to the 5th Cavalry Regiment to form Task Force Crombez in order to relieve the 23rd Infantry Regiment and a French Infantry Battalion which had been cut off by approximately six regiments of communist forces. The pause, even while the two regiments of the 4th Infantry Division pushed forward, represented the end of the breakout and pursuit which had begun less than two months earlier in Normandy. [33] Upon arriving, the units rehearsed their maneuver in the test area. From there, they had access to larger maneuver areas in which to conduct unit tactical training. Companies A, B, and two platoons of Company C were attached to the 1153rd Engineer Combat Group, which was further attached to the 30th Infantry Division. With 13 unit awards and 22 campaign streamers, the 70th Armor Regiment is the most decorated armor unit in the United States Army.[2]. [9], With this threat under control, on 4 September Company A was detached from the battalion and joined the 22nd Infantry Regiment as they resumed the advance to the east, toward Rocroi. Company B rejoined the battalion at Merkstein. Due to the poor weather and heavy forests, the tanks were limited to the narrow trails through the Hrtgen Forest. The medium tank companies were equipped with. The battalion advanced as far as Ensheim (Saarbrcken) before they were relieved in place by the 740th Tank Battalion and reattached to the 4th Infantry Division on 18 March. However, the battalion loaded aboard the SS Monterey on 11 November 1943, bound for England. [35], On D-Day the 70th Tank Battalion landed on Utah Beach supporting the 8th Infantry Regiment of the 4th Infantry Division. [28] Due to the poor terrain for tank operations, the 70th was pulled out of the line on 27 July and Company C rejoined the battalion on 31 July, although the battle for the island lasted until 17 August. The battalion's employment with the 1st Cavalry Division closely mirrored their use during World War II. [22] The remainder of the battalion decamped for New York and boarded the SS Santa Rosa at Staten Island on 13 January. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. December 6, 2011 in EPHEMERA, PHOTOGRAPHS & MILITARY ARTWORK, hello, I recently won some letters written by a fellow who served in the 746th Tank Battalion and was wondering if anyone knows where I might obtain a roster and or casualty lists. The 747th suffered heavy losses as well, with 18 medium tanks lost to enemy action and 38 men either killed or wounded, and another 3 missing. The tank companies, where appropriate, supplied the lineage and heritage of the respective battalions of the 70th Armor Regiment. I thought the only Fireflys were used by the British? Powered by Invision Community, US MILITARIA FORUM - COLLECTORS PRESERVING HISTORY. The company remained in place while a larger force built around the 3rd Infantry Division moved toward Casablanca. Two surviving vets [15], On 31 October, the battalion, still minus Company B, moved to Merkstein[de], approximately 10km south of Geilenkirchen. Although organized as a modernized "J-Series" battalion with four tank companies, the battalion was initially equipped with M60A1 tanks instead of M1 Abrams tanks. [71] Their appearance, along with the 6th and 72nd Tank Battalions, on the front was welcome by the American units which had had no tanks with which to fight the North Koreans' T-34's. [83], By 11 April, warming weather, which began to thaw the ground, and flooding by the communists of the lowlands below the Hwacheon Reservoir, forced the 70th Heavy Tank Battalion into inactivity, and they were moved out of the line in order to conduct much-needed repairs and maintenance on their vehicles and to take on new replacement personnel. The 4th Infantry Division did succeed in penetrating the Siegfried Line, but due to the poor terrain, lack of a road network with which to exploit the penetration, and no reserves to commit, the line was cleaned up and straightened, with little inclination on either side to force a decision. Throughout their individual histories, all the battalions of the 70th Armor Regiment were either stationed in Germany or were based in the United States with contingency plans to reinforce the forces in Germany case of a crisis or actual conflict with the Soviet Union and its allies in the Warsaw Pact. Personal Comments Page 1 - 740th Ordnance Battalion - 40th Infantry Division - US Army - Korean War Project - Almost three thousand units pages are available at the Korean War Project. [15] The 113th Cavalry Group was tasked to attack northward along the eastern bank of the Maas River, opposite the Belgium Brigade, toward Wessem. [10], As the wartime buildup began in earnest in 1942, the battalion underwent considerable turbulence. In late May 1951, the mission changed from combat patrols to direct support of the cavalry regiments as they advanced on an axis from Seoul to Uijongbu, thence north to the Imjin River in the vicinity of Cheorwon. It was credited with an assault landing at Normandy, landing the morning after the initial D-Day landings (D+1). An additional 19 medium tanks were rendered inoperable due to mechanical failures, leaving only 9 operational medium tanks by 24 November. They were reorganized as a modernized "J-Series" battalion, with four tank companies instead of three, in 1985, but the M60A1 series tanks were not replaced by M1 Abrams tanks until 1988. [87] The battalion briefly went into reserve on 29 July, but was back in the 1st Cavalry Division line in early August. WebThe tank destroyer battalion was a type of unit used by the United States Army during World War II. There were no tanks available as promised, so moving without orders, Harrys commander, Col. Rubel, marched the group through several towns. The last personnel and equipment closed on 20 March. While there, the battalion served as the vehicle for an Advanced Warfighter Exercise to test new digitized command and control equipment in a realistic operational environment. [63] On 89 March, the battalion (minus Company C), participated in a raid as part of Task Force Rhino, and advanced 30km northeast to the town of Reifferscheidnearly half of the remaining distance to the Rhine River. From Pyongyang, Company C and other battalion elements made contact with the 187th Regimental Combat Team, which had made an airborne drop in the vicinity of Sunchon. The Company C tanks and dozer tanks were landed directly onshore and went to work clearing obstacles. Assigned to the 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division,[97] both 270 Armor and 470 Armor shipped their equipment by sea from Bremerhaven, with most personnel deployed in late December 1990. [9][10], As soon as the 747th Tank Battalion had reassembled at Beho on 15 September, it was detached from the 4th Infantry Division and attached to the 28th Infantry Division. But that first shot came from a Firefly and another was the M-36 tank destroyer. The 723rd Tank Battalion was inactivated in September 1956. Although nominally attached to the 1st Infantry Division for the landings through 13 June, elements of the battalion had already also been attached to the 2nd Infantry Division and 29th Infantry Division, and by 15 June the battalion was attached solely to the 29th Infantry Division. George K. Rubel Zu Neufchteauan der Gemeng Dalhemsteet d'Monument vum Batailloun. This included the top graduates of Officer Candidate School and only high school graduate enlisted men (at a time when high school graduates were a small part of the population). [7], After this extended period in reserve, the battalion supported the 29th Infantry Division as they advanced on Saint-L, with a platoon of Company C among the first units to enter the town on 18 July. North of Laon, the battalion began to encounter retreating Germans from the west. The armour was defeated. But, within the first few weeks in Normandy the two arms were coordinating their maneuvers much better. Daredevil Tankers Turn the Tide at the Bulge. While in reserve, the battalion reorganized and transferred personnel within the battalion to fill critical positions, as well as conducting intense combined arms training with the infantry and engineers, and developing a more efficient hedgerow cutter similar to the "Rhino device" that was appearing in other tank units in Normandy at this time. WebABMC Headquarters 2300 Clarendon Blvd, Suite 500 Arlington, VA 22201 Phone: 703-584-1501 WebThe final reunion for the World War II 740th Tank Battalion was held at the Museum of the American G.I. In exchange, the 1st Infantry Division received a company of M4 Shermans from the 753rd Tank Battalion. The unit was severely understrength, both in terms of personnel and equipment. The battalion combined with 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment (1-41 Infantry) to attack Al Hillah, Iraq, effectively destroying an infantry battalion of the Nebuchadnezzar Republican Guards Division. [6][8], On 17 August, the battalion was detached from the 29th Infantry Division and attached directly to V Corps and placed on two-hour alert to move. [15] They were released from the 2nd Tank Destroyer Group on 3 November and reverted to battalion control. Finally in June 1942, Company A rejoined the rest of the 70th Tank Battalion at Arzew, Algeria. [90], The 70th Heavy Tank Battalion later moved from Camp Chitose 2 to Camp Fuji and remained in Japan until 15 October 1957, when it was inactivated and relieved of assignment to the 1st Cavalry Division.[91]. By afternoon most of battalion had landed and was attached to the 175th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division for an attack on Isigny-sur-Mer. The 747th Amphibian Tank Battalion arrived in New York on 5 March 1946 and was inactivated at Camp Kilmer on 6 March 1946[3] The battalion was allotted to the Organized Reserves on 27 November 1946 and activated 9 December at Gainesville, Florida. Location: earth. 2nd Platoon and 3rd Platoon, Company C Presidential Unit Citation, 2127 September 1950, Department of the Army General Order 3550. On 7 October, the battalion, minus Company B, went into division reserve. [8], Continuing a rapid advance to the north with the objective of Brussels, the battalion passed to the west of Villers-Cotterts and Soissons and through Laon. [17][18][19], Although the 29th Infantry Division was a battle-tested veteran unit, having participated in the landings at Omaha Beach, the reduction of Brest, and numerous battles since, they found themselves in a quiet sector of the front during this period. The 70th Tank Battalion completely reorganized when it converted from a light tank battalion to the standard medium tank battalion organization. Vet recalls little-known account that turned tide in Battle of the Bulge. WebRoy Roberson, Co. A. From these positions along a line from Kunu-ri through Sunchon, the 1st Cavalry Division covered the withdrawal of the western sector of the Eighth Army. The attack bogged down in the first few days of October 1944, and Company B saw little further action with the Belgians and was mainly employed for indirect fire support, operating near Neeritter. Posted December 6, 2011. hello, I recently won some letters written by a fellow who served in the 746th Tank At least one light tank was lost behind friendly lines conducting this mission. [86] When the peace talks began between the communist forces and the United Nations Command, the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, and 4th Platoon, Company C, 70th Heavy Tank Battalion were selected to serve as the honor guard for the Peace Camp at Munsan-ni and were placed under direct Eighth Army control. [1] On 9 October 2014, the 2nd Battalion, 70th Armor regiment was activated and assigned to the 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, at Fort Riley, Kansas. 3,130. As part of the heaviest brigade in the war, consisting of three armor battalions and a mechanized infantry battalion, the two battalions were in the leading force of the 1st Armored Division. WebThe 744th Light Tank Battalion was the first light tank unit to receive the M24 Chaffee, on December 24, 1944; they were completely re-equipped by February 1945. You must log in or register to reply here. [16][17][18][19], Finally, on 8 February, the tankers began infiltrating forward to attack positions for the crossing of the Roer River. [84] In Eighth Army reserve, the battalion was once again up to strength when communist forces resumed the offensive on 23 April 1951. By 14 September, all elements of the composite company had returned to an assembly area near Beho[fr], Belgium. Note that I said "directly defeated" as I meant in the sense of being penetrated in contrast that it was indirectly defeated by using the shot trap. 1945 - World War, 1939-1945 - 335 pages. During the invasion, 270 Armor was in the van of assaulting forces and cleared the route of march for follow on forces and on 21 March 2003, was the first American unit to seize a bridgehead across the Euphrates River. [64] The 70th advanced due east to Tauberbischofsheim on 30 March, then from there swung southeast. Although the first men came ashore in the assault wave, their tanks did not arrive until D+4. Sign up for a new account in our community. US MILITARIA FORUM - COLLECTORS PRESERVING HISTORY Fort Riley Public Affairs Office, 3 Nov 2014. 2nd Battalion, 70th Armor Presidential Unit Citation, 19 March-1 May 2003, Department of the Army General Orders 201022. Description: A green color metal and enamel device 1-1/8 (2.86cm) inches in height overall consisting of the shield and motto of the coat of arms. 270 Armor was later reactivated on 15 February 1996 at Ft. Riley, Kansas and assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division. The thing with German armour was that it was usually exceptionally hard (compared to allied armour), and therefore brittle. Companies B and C supported the 109th Infantry Regiment as they advanced on Harspelt and Sevenig across the Siegfried Line. An assault landing at Normandy, landing the morning after the initial D-Day landings ( D+1 ) until.! Due east to Tauberbischofsheim on 30 March, then from there elements of tanks... Additional 19 medium tanks were landed directly onshore and went to work clearing obstacles United States during. 19 medium tanks by 24 November only 9 operational medium tanks were limited to the 175th Infantry of. 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