World War II 70th Armor Regiment

1 world war ii

1.1 activation , service
1.2 north africa
1.3 sicily
1.4 operation overlord , action in france
1.5 siegfried line , hürtgen forest
1.6 battle of bulge
1.7 end of war in germany

world war ii
activation , service

the 70th tank battalion formed independent medium tank battalion on 15 july 1940 @ fort meade, maryland elements of 34th infantry regiment , 67th infantry regiment (medium tanks). made 70th tank battalion 1 of founding units of new armored force of u.s. army, along 1st , 2nd armored divisions, , tank battalion not assigned armored division. despite initial designation medium tank battalion, 70th organized light tank battalion , received light tanks.

with roots in regular army @ time when u.s. army rapidly expanding draftees, battalion able select junior officers, sergeants, , new soldiers of superior qualities. included top graduates of officer candidate school , high school graduate enlisted men (at time when high school graduates small part of population).

in addition home station training @ fort meade, battalion trained @ indiantown gap, pennsylvania , fort knox, kentucky in 1941. in june 1941, battalion began association 1st infantry division later serve in combat when company began practicing amphibious landings division @ new river, north carolina.

on basis of training experience, 1st infantry division , 70th tank battalion alerted deployment on 4 january 1942, less month after attack on pearl harbor. battalion (minus company c) sailed 1st infantry division on 9 january 1942 pro-nazi vichy french island of martinique in west indies in order deny island , american-built p-40 aircraft axis base of operations in western hemisphere. on basis of show of force off coast of martinique, island s governor surrendered without fight.

as wartime buildup began in earnest in 1942, battalion underwent considerable turbulence. in february 1942 company c detached, redesignated 10th light tank company , sent garrison duty in iceland, new company c being formed in may. in august, 6 officers , 135 men reassigned form cadre of 746th tank battalion. , preparations combat became earnest, company detached on 17 september , sent camp dix, new jersey. on 26 september, company sailed new york. stops @ belfast, northern ireland, greenock, scotland, , inverary, scotland, company preparing land 39th regimental combat team, 9th infantry division @ algiers part of operation torch.

north africa

campaign map showing route of 70th tank battalion across north africa, sicily, , europe during world war ii. u.s. army

the 70th tank battalion landed in north africa not battalion, 3 dispersed companies, each attached separate assault element , landing on 8 november 1942. battalion headquarters , residue remained in united states.

company landed 2nd battalion, 39th infantry regiment, 9th infantry division @ algiers, part of eastern task force of operation torch. initial ground combat light, company faced repeated air raids when began guarding glida airport. company had light duties in algiers until reported col. edson raff , 509th parachute infantry regiment @ fériana, tunisia. attachment 509th brief, , company found attached french combat units, , british, in vicinity of ousseltia valley remainder of north african campaign. along company a, 601st tank destroyer battalion, company american unit in sector. allied units closed on bizerte , tunis in final stages of campaign, german , italian troops preferred surrender company of american light tanks rather british or french. estimate of prisoners taken company between 11–13 may 1943 tallied between 17–20,000. company had impressed french allies: 25 men received croix de guerre , company selected honor guard international victory parade in tunis on 20 may. in june 1942, company rejoined rest of 70th tank battalion @ arzew, algeria.

lakehurst, formerly seatrain new jersey, after discharging medium tanks @ safi north africa.

company b landed 47th regimental combat team of 9th infantry division @ safi, morocco in order secure port. port needed facilitate unloading medium tanks of 2nd armored division advance on primary objective @ casablanca. meeting light resistance, company suffered no casualties , port secured 1530. company remained in place while larger force built around 3rd infantry division moved toward casablanca. shortly thereafter, company b moved through casablanca , rejoined company c near port lyautey.

company c s objective, all-weather airport @ port lyautey, have been taken on 8 november. however, company put ashore @ mehdya plage, 3 miles intended landing site. due navigational error , more spirited response french defenders @ other landing sites, airfield did not fall until 11 november. assault role completed, company c reverted routine duties near port lyautey. after company b rejoined them, 2 companies remained in area through january 1943.

when tank companies deployed north africa, battalion headquarters , other elements remained in fort bragg, north carolina until 1 january 1943. remainder of battalion decamped new york , boarded ss santa rosa @ staten island on 13 january. santa rosa docked @ casablanca on 29 january 1943.

with of battalion (still minus company a) reunited, 70th tank battalion moved rail casablanca tlemcen, algeria on 4 february 1943. @ tlemcen, battalion made responsible training free french soldiers later formed of cadre of 2nd french armored division. continued in role until may 1943, when ordered proceed arzew, algeria. there company caught rest of battalion, , unit first time since september 1942.

sicily

the 70th tank battalion selected support 1st infantry division in assault landings in sicily operation husky in july 1943. battalion came ashore piecemeal starting on 10 july, men , equipment offloading separately. although first men came ashore in assault wave, tanks did not arrive until d+4. fought first time battalion , used lessons learned in north africa fight light tanks against heavier german armor, on 1 occasion destroying 9 mark iv tanks without losing tank.

company c detached 1st infantry division on 17 july , attached 45th infantry division remainder of sicilian campaign. in exchange, 1st infantry division received company of m4 shermans 753rd tank battalion. due poor terrain tank operations, 70th pulled out of line on 27 july , company c rejoined battalion on 31 july, although battle island lasted until 17 august. battalion began receive new tanks replace ones lost in combat , continued training next campaign, , naturally assumed part of italian mainland invasion force. however, battalion loaded aboard ss monterey on 11 november 1943, bound england.

operation overlord , action in france

based on impression made on general omar bradley, commander of seventh army , future commander of american landing forces in normandy, 70th tank battalion reassigned mediterranean theater of operations , transferred england participate in normandy landings. brigadier general theodore roosevelt, jr., first regimental commander of 26th infantry regiment, assistant division commander of 1st infantry division impressed performance of 70th , worked have them attached landings 4th infantry division, roosevelt had been reassigned assistant division commander.

the ss monterey docked @ liverpool, england on 28 november 1943 , personnel of 70th tank battalion transported ogbourne st. george, battalion met members of 10th light tank company, had departed iceland , arrived in england week before 70th tank battalion. new addition, first requirement of battalion reorganize , re-equip battalion de facto medium tank battalion. personnel 10th light tank company partitioned among companies of 70th tank battalion 743rd tank battalion. addition of these personnel, battalion reorganized companies a, b, , c m4 sherman medium tank companies , d company m5 stuart light tank company. while @ ogbourne st. george, battalion became familiar operation of tanks. on 16 february 1944, departed camp barton stacey, near andover. there, had access larger maneuver areas in conduct unit tactical training. new camp served base companies deployed wales conduct gunnery training heavier 75 mm guns of shermans.

by time had been decided companies , b equipped amphibious dual drive (dd) tanks landings. therefore began receive specialized training in march 1944, first become accustomed unique operating environment of dd tanks, tanks themselves, using british dd valentine tanks, later own new dd shermans. april, battalion moved devonshire coast , began amphibious training 4th infantry division. in april 1944, 70th tank battalion participated in operation tiger, dress rehearsal utah beach landing, navigating dd tanks through surf first time. although there heavy casualties during training, both result of friendly fire incidents , german raid on convoy, battalion suffered no casualties. in these final days before landings, battalion received dozer tanks landings , levy of combat engineers fill out crews on additional tanks. although engineers proved invaluable during landings , subsequent combat in normandy hedgerows, new personnel required last minute shuffle of tank crews.

dd tanks of 70th battalion waiting move off utah beach, 6 june 1944.

on d-day 70th tank battalion landed on utah beach supporting 8th infantry regiment of 4th infantry division. unlike dd tanks on omaha beach, of 70th s dd tanks made shore. of company b s tanks made beach, although 4 company tanks , 1 of crew lost when lct hit mine before tanks launch. company c tanks , dozer tanks landed directly onshore , went work clearing obstacles. although units landed 2,000-yard off designated objectives, fortunate actual landing sites less defended , general roosevelt had them reoriented hit beach. company d, landing @ h+260 link 101st airborne division , provide them tank support paratroopers secured causeways leading inland beaches.

the following day, medium tank companies assisted 8th infantry regiment in consolidating beachhead clearing pockets of german resistance in , around ste. mère Église , linking 82nd airborne division, preparatory push toward port town of cherbourg. although 70th tank battalion 1 of experienced tank battalions in u.s. army @ point, 4th infantry division new combat , infantry-tank coordination @ first tenuous. but, within first few weeks in normandy 2 arms coordinating maneuvers better. following consolidation of initial invasion objectives, 70th tank battalion continued in support of 4th infantry division moved northward take port city of cherbourg, fell on 27 june.

the 4th infantry division recommitted in main line of advance @ base of carentan peninsula, near sainteny on 6 july. 70th tank battalion moved division , engaged in brutal fighting in hedgerows, made worse heavy rainfall. after sustaining heavy casualties, division , battalion withdrawn line on 15 july rest , refit preparatory playing key role in breakout normandy.

the 4th infantry division 1 of assault divisions operation cobra, planned breakout normandy. following disastrous air bombardments of 24–25 july 1944, in 70th tank battalion suffered minor material losses, 8th infantry regiment began assault across st. lô-périers road. initial progress slow, 2,500 meters on 25 july, , 8,000 meters next day, these gains quite large compared advances in norman hedgerows. vii corps commander committed armor units breakout on 27 july , german resistance crumbled.

once breakthrough had succeeded, 70th taken out of line in order perform needed maintenance on vehicles, , battalion, beginning company c, begin receiving new shermans mounting high-velocity 76 mm guns. 70th began race across france, @ times halting because had outstripped supply lines. 24 august, battalion on outskirts of paris. company d moved paris next day, ostensibly helps secure city, found instead tumultuous reception, while medium tank companies continued fight in environs northeast of paris. on 29 august, battalion attacked en masse in vicinity of tremblay-les-gonesse, rare occurrence independent tank battalion parceled out company , platoon attachments elements of infantry division.

the battalion continued advance northeastern france through first half of september. fuel shortages imposed several days of inactivity during battalion able catch on maintenance. 70th tank battalion crossed belgium on 11 september, , issued 4 flame-thrower tanks same day. after brief orientation on flame-thrower tanks, battalion crossed germany near winterscheid on 13 september.

siegfried line , hürtgen forest

in crossing german frontier, 70th tank battalion found in siegfried line. 4th infantry division s sector hilly, heavily forested , ill-suited tanks. arriving in sector @ end of summer, weather became cool , wet, , conditions worsened throughout stay in sector. result, although infantry units of division engaged in penetrating siegfried line, 70th saw limited action until november 1944. tanks employed in platoon strength , due restricted terrain , poor ground , weather conditions, lighter m5 s of company d employed in lieu of heavier m4 shermans. 4th infantry division did succeed in penetrating siegfried line, due poor terrain, lack of road network exploit penetration, , no reserves commit, line cleaned , straightened, little inclination on either side force decision. ongoing limited supply of fuel tanks during of period did nothing improve outlook, though did restore combat strength of unit-strength needed in next operation.

the 70th tank battalion alerted movement on 6 november 1944. road march began late on 8 november , battalion arrived near heistern on western edge of hürtgen forest late next morning. after several days of preparations , reconnaissance, tanks committed in support of infantry regiments. due poor weather , heavy forests, tanks limited narrow trails through hürtgen forest. these object of ranged artillery , repeated mining, germans infiltrate area @ night , lay new mines. numerous tanks lost mines, crews targeted mortars , artillery abandoned or worked on disabled tanks. battalion suffered 8 killed , 39 wounded in 3 weeks of combat in hürtgen forest, 10 tanks lost , 8 damaged due enemy fire , mines. when infantry able push through eastern , northern reaches of forest tanks once again maneuver in reasonably open terrain. however, division , 70th tank battalion exhausted , depleted instead withdrawn line beginning on 3 december , relocated on next 8 days vicinity of luxembourg.

battle of bulge

luxembourg not fortuitous site relocate. within week of battalion s arrival, germans began last desperate counteroffensive ardennes. battle of bulge began on 16 december, , 70th tank battalion located on southern flank of german penetration, eleven of 54 medium tanks in operating condition. on 16 december 1944, elements of battalion sent forward infantrymen of 12th infantry regiment mounted on tanks in order reach elements of regiment had been overrun , isolated near echternach, berdorf, lauterborn, osweiler, , dickweiler, in northeastern part of luxembourg. until 24 december, platoon size detachments of tanks, supported no more 5 infantrymen mounted on each tank, operated mobile strike forces repel german thrusts toward luxembourg city. thinly 70th tank battalion s operational tanks spread, presence, reinforced combined arms task forces 9th , 10th armored divisions credited defeating superior numbers of german infantry.

the battalion had lost 5 men killed, 14 wounded, , 4 missing in week in ardennes. after unrelenting combat , movement since coming ashore @ utah beach, 70th tank battalion had month christmas day 1944 until 21 january 1945 rest , refit , bring battalion strength before went on offensive.

end of war in germany

in late january 1945 70th tank battalion alerted on move again. on 4 february, battalion once again crossed germany west of buchet. battalion made steady progress eastward against spirited defense supporting infantry regiments of 4th infantry division outskirts of prüm until ordered go on defensive on 12 february. virtually out of contact enemy, battalion used time train new replacements , catch on administrative actions. on 1 march, battalion went on offensive, supporting infantry attach on prüm. break had given germans opportunity stiffen defenses, , battalion suffered 9 killed , 18 wounded in 2 days of action. on 8–9 march, battalion (minus company c), participated in raid part of task force rhino, , advanced 30 km northeast town of reifferscheid—nearly half of remaining distance rhine river. signaling german defense on verge of collapsing, resistance light, disorganized , dispirited, on 1,500 prisoners taken task force in on 24 hours.

after successful deep penetration german territory, battalion unexpectedly received orders attaching them seventh army, far south in france, , prepare long road march. battalion covered 120 km on 12 march, , additional 175 km on 13 march, closing on town of st.-jean-rohrbach, france. here, battalion attached 63rd infantry division, mission of assisting division breach siegfried line—the third time 70th tank battalion. battalion advanced far ensheim (saarbrücken) before relieved in place 740th tank battalion , reattached 4th infantry division on 18 march.

the battalion withdrew bivouacs in vicinity of hochfelden, france, beginning on 27 march moved in series of road marches germany, crossing rhine @ worms on 29–30 march. next day battalion in contact germans, though sporadic , ineffective nature of combat indicated organized german military resistance had collapsed. 70th advanced due east tauberbischofsheim on 30 march, there swung southeast. took rothenburg ob der tauber on 18 april, , proceeded possible elements of 4th infantry division along divergent routes capture ansbach , crailsheim. battalion suffered last fatalities of world war iiin neuler on 22 april, proceeded aalen nightfall. reached danube @ lauingen 25 april, , proceeded through wolfratshausen far miesbach, 15 km austrian border before combat mission completed on 3 may. on 7 may 1945 battalion road-marched ingolstadt briefly bivouacking there before moving rothenburg ob der tauber on 18 may take occupation duties.