10th Armd Gp 28 Feb 45-5 Mar 45, 999th Engr Treadway Br Co 27 Feb 45-29 Mar 45 The US 9th Air Force continued to provide close air support as the division continued into the Ruhr Pocket through heavy fighting in the Lippstadt area. Arrived ETO 21 November 1944 The week's action resulted in the loss of 50% of the personnel the 110th and 111th Panzer-Grenadier Divisions had brought into the Saar-Moselle triangle. Grimes went on to serve as Commandant of the Cavalry School at Fort Riley, Kansas. The armored infantrymen were not issued the Browning Automatic Rifle as each rifle platoon contained 2 M1919A4 medium machine guns as well as the 4 M1919A4's and 1 M2 mounted on the platoon's halftracks. (For a detailed history see the book In Tornado's Wake by Cap't Charles R. 80th Tank Battalion: Maj. A. E. Walker The division assembled in the Bacqueville area of upper Normandy as part of the (then) still secret US Fifteenth Army and was placed in reserve. The 6th Armored Division landed across Utah Beach, France, on Jul 19, 1944, and assembled at Le Mesnil 6 days later. The division was the first armored division to cross the Rhine in the 9th Army area, crossing at bridge sites 'G' and 'H'. Units could be assigned to one of the Combat Commands at need, creating a very flexible formation. Names and information on the rosters are from various sources.They are only partially complete of course and will be updated if more information can be obtained. 8th Armored Division in World War II. This was the last major battle waged by the 8th Armored Division. [1], On 2 March – CCA captured Lobberich, moved through the 35th Inf. The next day the division began to attack Blankenburg. By nightfall, most of Blankenburg had surrendered except for a few strongpoints that comprised fanatical resisters unwilling to lay down their arms or soldiers who had not yet received word to surrender. 4 Mar 45 Lt. Col. Edwin H. Burba Prisoners in the satellite camps were put to work mostly in armaments factories, in stone quarries, and on construction projects. The campaign of the US along with our allies including but not limited to the Australians, British, Chinese and Filipinos against the Japanese stretched from Australia to China and into the Western Pacific became known as the Asiatic-Pacific Theater. The Service Company contained the special units like: Companies A, B and C generally consisted of 17 medium tanks as follows: Shortly after arriving in Europe, the 8th swapped its M5A1 tanks for the newer, more powerful M24 Chaffee light tank. Div. The ships arrived in Southampton on 18 November and the division moved to Tidworth Barracks, joining the newly formed US Fifteenth Army. 53d Armored Engineer Battalion Military Police Platoon: Maj. W. H. Burger[4], Temporarily Attached Units 398th Arm'd Field Artillery Battalion: Lt. Col R. H. Dawson[4], Combat Command B: Col. Edward A. Kimball Signal Company:7 Officers, 302 other ranks 1.3. The Division drove through Nogent-le-Rotrou in an attack on Chartres. 473rd AAA AW (SP) Battalion CCA had lost 2 tanks, 1 halftrack and 1 jeep during these operations. Later in the war, more M4A3 76 tanks were added to the tank companies as replacements for older or damaged units. Division Trains: Col. Y. D. Vesely [1], In the meantime, CCR, located near Bruckhausen launched an attack on Zweckel and Kirchhellen to the south on 28 March. Periodically, prisoners throughout the Buchenwald camp system underwent selection. Most of CCB moved on to Halberstadt with some units remaining in Wolfenbüttel until the rest of the Division arrived. The 8th completed the D Series and participated in the Sixth Louisiana Maneuver Period from February through April 1944 as part of the Red Force. CCB was relieved at 2400 and ordered to the Venlo, Holland, rest area, the relief being completed on 10 and 11 March. After training at Tidworth, England, the 8th Armored Division landed in France, 5 January 1945, and assembled in the Bacqueville area of upper Normandy. More than 5,000 inmates were incarcerated in these two subcamps, where they were forced to hollow out massive tunnels and build underground factories for Junkers Aircraft of Aircraft Motors Construction Company, which produced military aircraft.[3]. Later CCR was relieved and ordered to move to the vicinity of Denstorf. 1.1.1… During this period the 8th supplied trained personnel to the 9th through 14th Armored Divisions. Div. It was also known as the "Iron Snake" late in the war, after a correspondent for Newsweek likened the 8th to a "great ironclad snake" as it crossed the Rhine River in late March 1945. The division is also sometimes referred to as Tornado – its wartime tactical call sign. The tank battles of North Africa and Russia in early 1942 caused the US Army to recognize the need to drastically increase the number of its armored units. On 30 May the Division was assigned to Third Army. Division losses were an additional 6 tanks destroyed and 4 disabled as well as heavy personnel casualties. 1st Bn, 290th Inf (75th Div) 27 Mar 45-31 Mar 45. Place and date: Near Grufflingen, Belgium, 21 December 1944. Headquarters Company:14 Officers, 159 other ranks 1.1. The nickname of the 8th Armored Division, the "Thundering Herd," was coined before the division went to Europe in late 1944. It is adjustable for sizing. The third side of the armored division's offensive triangle was the Armored Field Artillery. German losses were 8 tanks, 1 anti-aircraft gun, 1 anti-tank gun and 1 halftrack. The SS staff sent those too weak or disabled to continue working to the Bernburg or Sonnenstein euthanasia killing centers, where they were killed by gas. A brief History of the 8th Armored Division "Thundering Herd" The 8th Armored Division was activated at Fort Knox, Kentucky, on 1 Apr 1942. The 809th used the M18 Hellcat 76 mm GMC. [1], The 8th launched its attack on schedule but CCB was soon stalled by fierce German resistance at Neuhausdisambiguation needed. Devine was personally selected by Gen. Eisenhower to command the 8th Armored. [1], On 27 February 8 crossed the Roer River via the Hilfarth Bridge which had been captured by the 35th Inf. [1], On 7 April the eastward movement of the US 2nd Armored Division and the westward movement of the 8th Armored created a gap of 180 miles (290 km) between the two fronts. When our tank forces took the severe mauling at Kasserine Pass, 4,000 trained replacements of the 8th Armored were shipped directly to Tunisia to help save the day, and launched the drive which pushed Rommel out of North Africa. The burgomeister of Ost Onnen surrendered the town later that day. These photos are (with a few exceptions) from the period 1943 to 1945. [1], At the end of 3 April the division was relieved by the 83rd Inf. The Division arrived on the European Continent on 4 Jul 44 and elements began their World War II combat on 6 July with the entire division engaged on 8 July 1944. Div. Very little other training was done. The nickname of the 8th Armored Division, the "Thundering Herd", was coined before the division went to Europe in late 1944. New Books on 7AD in the Bulge. Leach, Charles R; In Tornado's Wake Argus, 1956 ISBN 0-89839-176-8, Articles with links needing disambiguation from November 2015, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, Armored divisions of the United States Army, United States Army divisions during World War II, Military units and formations established in 1942, MilitaryHistoryOnline.com – US Army in World War II, "275th Armored Field Artillery Battalion Association Home Page", Military History Online – US Army in World War II, Tornado! On 24 March 18 Tank Bn of the 8th Armored Division was ferried across in support of the 30th Infantry prior to the Division's crossing. If you have any data on units and those who served we would be interested in adding it to our digital project-library; please Contact Us. Read more and Support Us. The 8th crossed the Lippe River, and assembled at Selm. The Regiment then advanced south through Avranches and Rennes and turned west into Brittany. [1], From Berg, the 8th continued their advance through Sinz and more heavy fighting. CCB was assigned to protect right flank of the 2nd Armored and the 83rd Inf. Do you have items such as papers, photos, uniforms, gear, guns, weapons and other artifacts? The battalion was broken down into 5 Batteries and usually organized as: Batteries A, B and C consisted of 6 self-propelled guns and supporting vehicles broken out as follows: Reconnaissance in the armored divisions was performed by the Armored Reconnaissance Battalion in the old style heavy division or by the Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, Mechanized in the light divisions such as the 8th. Combat Command A The 8th Division was activated 1 July 1940. Grimes left the division on 6 October 1944 just prior to the divisions shipment overseas. The Germans moved reinforcements, including Hitler Youth into Unna from the Muelhausen garrison. During World War II, in early July 1944, the "Golden Arrow" division landed on Utah Beach in Normandy, just weeks after the Allies invaded France on D-Day (June 6, 1944). |N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z|, Missing In ActionSearch Alphabetically| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |. US Soldiers in the Netherlands, January 1945, showing the conditions men of the 8th had to contend with in their march across France and the Low Countries. Armoured warfare or armored warfare , mechanised warfare or tank warfare is the use of armoured fighting vehicles in modern warfare. 1.1. See more ideas about battalion, armor, tank. 148th Armored Signal Company, 398th Armored Field Artillery Battalion [1], From the period of April through October 1944, the division conducted post-maneuver training, losing a number of trained personnel to other units and absorbing and training their replacements.
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