On 1 September 1991, he cut the final orders for himself and his commanding officer. VetFriends.com helps reunite veterans from the Army daily. The division practiced this task numerous times during Exercise Reforger from 1967 to 1988. Served in this Battalion? As a result of this varied and demanding job, command of the 2nd Armored Division (Forward) was considered a plum assignment for armor branch brigadier generals, on par with perhaps only the Berlin Brigade for high visibility and potential for advancement to higher rank. As the reserve force of the Western Task Force of Operation Husky, the division landed on 10 July 1943 in support of the 1st Infantry Division at the Battle of Gela. The division remained on active service during the Cold War. SGT Michael L. Anderson was the last member of the 2nd Armored Division. His first assignment was with the 2nd Battalion, 72nd Armor, 2nd Infantry Division, Camp Casey, Korea, from 1998 to 1999. The division destroyed 60 Iraqi tanks and 35 infantry vehicles along the IPSA pipeline. It was credited with destroying or capturing 181 enemy tanks, 148 APCs, 40 artillery pieces, 27 AA emplacements, and 263 Iraqi soldiers dead with an additional 4,051 captured. The unit returned to Ft. The 2nd Armored was formed at Fort Benning, Georgia on 15 July 1940. Scott was promoted to command the I Armored Corps in November of that year, which put Patton, now a brigadier general, in command of the division. Lucius D. Clay Kaserne was turned back over to the German government and was later to become home of the German Army Logistics and Supply School (Logistikschule der Bundeswehr) as well as the seat of General der Nachschubtruppe.[6]. The Garlstedt facilities were officially turned over to the United States by the German government in October. Uniquely among U.S. Army units, this patch was worn over the left chest pocket of the fatigue and camouflage uniforms rather than on the sleeve. Both types had an infantry component of three mechanized battalions, although the heavy divisions maintained an "armored infantry regiment" organization. However, with the end of the Cold War, the U.S. military began to draw down its combat units. The brigade deployed to Germany with the M60 Patton tank and the M113 armored personnel carrier. In December 1995, the 2nd Armored Division was again redesignated, this time as the 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized), stationed at Fort Carson, CO. US Warriors U.S. Army 1st 2nd 3rd Armored Division Baseball Hat One Size Black. The Division fought in eastern Belgium, blunting the German Fifth Panzer Army's penetration of American lines. In addition to command of the heavy brigade, he also functioned as the Commander, III Corps (Forward), headquartered in Maastricht, Netherlands, and as commander of all US Army forces in Northern Germany, including the military communities of Garlstedt and Bremerhaven. The 2nd AD fought their way to Palermo. It maintains the history of the organization through a Bulletin and an annual reunion. However, the majority of the division would spend much of the next 35 years at Fort Hood. The 2nd Brigade, alongside 3rd Armored Division, engaged and destroyed remnants of Iraq’s Tawalzalaa, and Adnan Divisions east of Al Busayyah. In December 1992, the 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized) at Fort Polk, Louisiana, was redesignated as the 2nd Armored Division. In 1986, under the army's COHORT unit manning and retention plan, 3–41st Infantry returned to Fort Hood and was replaced by 1–41st Infantry. The invasion of Kuwait by Saddam Hussein in August 1990 caught the division in the midst of the post-Cold War drawdown of the U.S. military. The Division also had support units, including the 2nd Ordnance Maintenance Battalion, a Supply Battalion, the 48th Armored Medical Battalion, and a Band and Military Police Platoon. After the Sicilian campaign, the Division trained in England for the cross-Channel invasion, landed in Normandy D plus 3, 9 June 1944, and went into action in the vicinity of Carentan; ; the Division raced across France in July and August, drove through Belgium and attacked across the Albert Canal 13 September 1944, crossing the German border at Schimmert, 18 September to take up defensive positions near Geilenkirchen. Commander: Major General Edward H. Brooks Chief of Staff: Colonel Charles D. Pamer Headquarters Company Service Company FREE Shipping. Earl F. Schelz, Pvt. 5.0 out of 5 stars 1. The unit's primary mission in case of conflict with the Warsaw Pact was to either secure airfields and staging areas for the deployment of III Corps from the United States, or to deploy directly to the Inter-German Border (IGB) and establish a blocking position as part of a NATO combat force.[4]. From shop PapaTomsWorkShop. During the Cold War, the division was primarily based at Fort Hood, Texas, and had a reinforced brigade forward stationed in West Germany. C Company, 2–66th contested for the trophy in 1985 and D Company, 2–66th in 1987. Activated 15 Jul 1940 • Entered Combat 8 Nov 1942 • Days of Combat 443 • Casualties 20,659 In 1985, 3–41st IN and 4–41st IN transitioned to the M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle; also, C/2-1 Cavalry was replaced by an air cavalry troop, D/2-1 Cavalry, armed with AH-1S Cobra attack helicopters. Several units historically associated with the 2nd Armored Division, including battalions from the 66th Armored Regiment and the 41st Infantry Regiment, currently serve as part of the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colorado, the 1st Armored Division at Fort Bliss, Texas, and the 172nd Infantry Brigade at Grafenwöhr, Germany. The top map covers the years 1942 to 1944. 95. The unit was deactivated in July 1991 and the Regimental flag transferred to sister unit 3rd Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment based in Germany. At that time the Garlstedt kaserne (camp) was named after General Lucius D. Clay, revered by the German people for his role as the American military commander following World War II. Hood). The 2nd Armored had three artillery battalions: (the 14th, 78th, and 92nd). The 2nd Armored Division (Forward), formerly the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Armored Division, is derived from the 41st Armored Infantry Regiment, which was constituted on 15 May 1917, and organized on 20 June 1917, at Fort Snelling, Minnesota. Lucius D. Clay's name was later reused for the Wiesbaden Army Airfield. Richardson, Vernon B. May 20, 2020 - 2nd Armored Division, Morocco, Sicily, Normandy, Ardennes, Germany, World War II, WWII,WW2, Second World War. Hood Texas in May 1991 and continued the deactivation that was interrupted when Iraq invaded Kuwait. This formally ended the 2nd Armored Division's 55-year history. $22.95 $ 22. The 2 nd Armored Division was the first to reach the Elbe River in mid-April 1945, which is where the Fury story begins. Unit - Re-enactment Tour 2006. Campaign for the National Museum of the United States Army. The division then landed in Normandy on 9 June 1944 under the command of then Major General Edward H. Brooks, operated in the Cotentin Peninsula and later formed the right flank of the Operation Cobra assault. Articles with unsourced statements from November 2014, 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 1940, Military units and formations of the Gulf War, United States Army Center of Military History, http://web.archive.org/web/20100609010022/http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/spdes-123-ra_ar.html, "Hell On Wheels: United States Army Tanks & Artillery (1951)", http://specialoperationshistory.info/omeka/items/show/746, Maneuver and Firepower: The Evolution of Divisions and Separate Brigades Center of Military History United States Army Washington, DC 1998, Order of Battle of the United States Army World War II, Strengthening NATO: Stationing of the 2nd Armored Division (Forward) in Northern Germany, Hell On Wheels War Against the Axis (map), Historical record operations of US 2nd Armored Division, http://www.history.army.mil/documents/elbe-fm.htm, 2nd Armored Division (Forward) as part of 1 (NL) Corps covering force, 1985-1989, https://military.wikia.org/wiki/2nd_Armored_Division_(United_States)?oldid=4682375, Charles L. Scott July 1940 – November 1940, Ernest N. Harmon 12 September 1944 – 19 January 1945, James G. Christiansen September 1947 – 28 June 1949, Charles K. Gailey, Jr. 24 November 1951 – 3 April 1952, Conrad S. Babcock, Jr. 5 April 1956 – 1 June 1957, Wilhelm P. Johnson 1 June 1957 – 30 October 1958, Edward G. Farrand 1 April 1960 – 1 July 1961, William H.S. The fate of the division after the Gulf War is a confusing series of deactivations and redesignations. 1st Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment was pulled back in to Saudi Arabia after the cease fire, with two squads staging in Kuwait to proved refueling and rearming services for battalion aircraft if hostilities resumed. The brigade was officially designated as 2nd Armored Division (Forward) during ceremonies at Grafenwöhr, FRG on 25 July 1978. The division also had support units, including the 2nd Ordnance Maintenance Battalion, 2nd Supply Battalion, the 48th Armored Medical Battalion, and a band and military police platoon. The 2nd Armored Division (Hell on Wheels) was an armored division of the United States Army.Fury is part of the 2nd. The division's 3rd brigade, the 2nd Armored Division (Forward) based in Germany, deployed to Saudi Arabia in the fall of 1990 and conducted combat operations as the third maneuver brigade of the 1st Infantry Division from Fort Riley, KS. The German government constructed family housing in the nearby city of Osterholz-Scharmbeck. The division first saw combat in Operation Torch, the invasion of North Africa. Are you looking for someone who is or was in FORT HOOD, TEXAS 2ND ARMORED DIVISION? On 1 September 1991, 2nd Armored Division(Forward), in Germany, officially became 2nd Armored Division(-) after main elements of 2nd Armored Division at Fort Hood inactivated. This contingency was practised during REFORGER exercises in 1980 and 1987. Did you proudly serve in FORT HOOD, TEXAS 2ND ARMORED DIVISION? The brigade's subordinate combat units initially consisted of the 3rd Battalion of the 41st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Battalion of the 50th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Battalion, 66th Armored Regiment (Iron Knights), 1st Battalion, 14th Field Artillery Regiment, and C Troop, 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment. The brigadier general in charge of 2nd Armored Division (Forward) had a unique command. During World War II, the 2nd Armored Division took 94,151 prisoners-of-war, liberated 22,538 Allied prisoners of war, shot down or damaged on the ground 266 enemy aircraft, and destroyed or captured uncountable thousands of enemy tanks and other equipment and supplies. Due to high demand, this item is experiencing slightly longer production and shipping times. The division played an important role during World War II in the invasions of North Africa and Sicily and the liberation of France, Belgium, and the Netherlands and the invasion of Germany. The division's 1st brigade, the Tiger Brigade for the war and commanded by Colonel John B. Sylvester, deployed to Saudi Arabia independently and participated in Operation Desert Storm by providing heavy armor for USMC forces in their attack into Kuwait. In the event of the deployment of III Corps and/or the 2nd Armored Division from the United States, the division commander would revert to his job as assistant division commander for operations of 2nd Armored Division. 2nd Armored Division (Forward) was based at a new military facility near the village of Garlstedt just north of the city of Bremen. Several of the division's battalions participated in the Vietnam War. The division was recognized for distinguished service and bravery with 9,369 individual awards, including two Medals of Honor, twenty-three Distinguished Service Crosses, and 2,302 Silver Stars as well as nearly 6,000 Purple Hearts; among those receiving the silver star were Douglas MacArthur, Bill Bowerman, Hugh Armagio, Stan Aniol and William L. Giblin. u.s. army 2nd aviation regiment unit crest $9.99. They can be zoomed in and are available for purchase at HistoryShots.com. 2nd Armored Division Association, Naugatuck, Connecticut. u.s. army special troops battalion, 2nd bct, 1st cavalry division unit crest $9.99. There he served as a Battalion S-1 and as a Tank Platoon Leader. The battalion was equipped with the AH64-A1 Apache Attack Helicopters, which had a main armament of 8 to 16 Hellfire laser guided antitank missiles. Samuel R. Marcum.16 Dec 1944, Soldiers of the division in Barenton, Normandy. Wright 1 July 1961 – 13 February 1963, Edwin H. Burba 13 February 1963 – August 1964, Joseph A. McChristian 3 July 1967 – 22 July 1969, Leonard C. Shea 22 July 1969 – 1 November 1969, Wendell J. Coats 1 November 1969 – 3 August 1971, George G. Cantlay 3 August 1971 – 16 July 1973, Charles P. Graham 3 November 1977 – 6 February 1980, Richard L. Prillaman 6 February 1980 – July 1982, John W. Woodmansee July 1982 – 20 August 1984, Roger J. The Division helped reduce the Bulge in January, fighting in the Ardennes forest in deep snow, and cleared the area from Houffalize to the Ourthe River of the enemy. Tank companies from 2–66th, and later 3–66th, Armor competed in the bi-annual NATO tank gunnery competition, the Canadian Army Trophy. The 41st Infantry was inactivated on 22 … Other brigade subordinate units eventually included the 498th Support Battalion, D Company, 17th Engineer Battalion, and the 588th Military Intelligence Company. The 2nd Armored was organized as a "heavy" armored division, having two armored regiments of four medium tank and two light tank battalions of three companies each. The division had a formal partnership with Panzergrenadierbrigade 32, a Federal Republic of Germany Bundeswehr a mechanized infantry brigade headquartered in nearby Schwanewede. If you have any stories or thoughts on the subject, please contact me. It was halted on the Elbe, 20 April, on orders. 1st Armored Division; Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division 17 April 2014 ; Headquarters, 2d Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division 25 May 2011; Headquarters, 3d Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division 18 March 2011; Headquarters, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division 25 May 2011 First activated during the Second World War by the United States Army, the "Hell on Wheels" division later served in the Vietnam War and in the Persian Gulf War, and presumably later under the banner of the Unified Earth Government during the Fall of Reach. The Division served with the First, Seventh, and Ninth Armies. The unit was transferred as a whole to Ft. Campbell KY in July/August 1991 and became the 2nd Battalion of the 101st Aviation Regiment (part of the 101st Airborne Division). The division played an important role during World War II in the invasions of North Africa and Sicily and the liberation of France, Belgium, and the Netherlands and the invasion of Germany. Now an armor-heavy brigade, 2nd Armored Division (Forward) fielded 116 M-1A1 Abrams tanks and nearly 70 M2/3 Bradley Fighting Vehicles. Army 2nd Armored Division Full Color Trucker Hat. Enrollment is free! Elements of the Division first saw action in North Africa, landing at Casablanca, 8 November 1942, and later taking part in the fighting at Beja, Tunisia, but the Division as a whole did not enter combat until the invasion of Sicily, when it made an assault landing at Gela, 10 July 1943. In 1988, 4–41st Infantry returned to Fort Hood, Texas and was replaced by 3–66th Armor (Burt's Knights, named for Captain James M. Burt who was awarded the Medal of Honor as a company commander in the 66th Armored Regiment in the Battle of Aachen during World War II). The Division then redeployed to Saudi Arabia, where some of its soldiers established and ran three refugee camps near Raffia, Saudi Arabia. The brigade also had a military police platoon and an aviation detachment. It blunted the German attack on Avranches, then raced across France with the rest of the Third Army, reaching the Albert Canal in Belgium on 8 September. Its primary mission was to prepare to conduct heavy armored combat against Warsaw Pact forces in defense of NATO. In 238 battle days, the 2nd Armored suffered 7,348 casualties, including 1,160 killed in action. Did you serve with 142D SIGNAL BATTALION, FORT HOOD, TX? In 1978, the 2nd Armored Division's third brigade forward deployed to West Germany and was assigned to NATO's Northern Army Group. The unit provided covering missions when the ground forces advanced into Iraq. In July the division entered Berlin-the first American unit to enter the German capital city. The Division was holding positions on the Roer when it was ordered to help contain the German Ardennes offensive. 66th Armor regimental coat of arms. Division subordinate units used the NATO training area at Bergen-Hohne for gunnery and maneuver training and each year the division as a whole deployed south to Grafenwöhr and Hohenfels[5] (both in Bavaria) training areas for annual crew and unit gunnery and maneuver qualification. The 2nd and 3rd battalions of the regiment provided the heavy armor punch of the 2nd Armored Division (Forward). The Division helped reduce the Bulge in January, fighting in the Ardennes forest in deep snow, and cleared the area from Houffalize to the Ourthe River of the enemy. The Division was holding positions on the Roer when it was ordered to help contain the German Ardennes offensive. ABMC Headquarters 2300 Clarendon Blvd, Suite 500 Arlington, VA 22201 Phone: 703-584-1501 The whole Division saw its first World War II action in Gela, Sicily during Operation Husky in July 1943. On 3 October, the division launched an attack on the Siegfried Line from Marienberg, broke through, crossed the Wurm River and seized Puffendorf 16 November and Barmen 28 November. In April 1986, a Burger King restaurant opened on the kaserne. After a rest in February, the Division drove on across the Rhine 27 March, and was the first American Division to reach the Elbe at Schonebeck on 11 April. Richardson, Robert C. US Army 42. Elements of the 2nd Armored Division were involved with the landing at Casablanca on 8 November 1942 during Operation Torch. 2nd Armored Division Association The association is made up of former members of the division from World War II up to it's deactivation in 1995 at Fort Hood, Texas. The brigade had approximately 3,500 soldiers and another approximately 2,500 family dependents and civilian employees. The division's 2nd Brigade could not be deployed as it was in the middle of deactivating. The remainder of Torch's American component were infantry divisions, the 1st, 3rd, 9th and 34th Infantry Divisions. [2], Btryv C, 702 TD Bn., 2nd Armored Division, tank destroyer on dug-in ramp has plenty of elevation to hurl shells at long range enemy targets across the Roer River.L-r: Sgt. The brigade received additional aviation, engineer, military intelligence, medical, and logistics support units and was re-designated 2nd Armored Division (Forward). The bottom map includes 1945. On return to Fort Hood in 1991, the Tiger Brigade and 1st Battalion of the 3rd Aviation Regiment, all that remained of the U.S.-based division, were redesignated as the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, and the 2nd Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment respectively. 2nd Armored Division (Forward) developed a reputation for excellence during these deployments, particularly in tank crew gunnery. 2.1K likes. Please continue to pass the word to currently serving Soldiers and all other Army Veterans that you come in contact with to please go to www.armyhistory.org or call 1-800-506-2672 to register.