607th Tank Destroyer Battalion

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 607th Tank Destroyer Battalion


caption=
dates= 1941-1945
country= United States
allegiance= Army
command_structure=Independent unit
nickname=
equipment=3" anti-tank guns
M36 Jackson
disbanded=1945

The 607th Tank Destroyer Battalion was a tank destroyer battalion of the United States Army active during the Second World War.

Early service

The battalion was formed in March 1941 as the 7th Infantry Division Provisional Antitank Battalion, and on December 15th was redesignated as the 607th Tank Destroyer Battalion, in line with the reorganisation of the anti-tank force. In May 1943 it was organised as a towed battalion and equipped with towed 3" anti-tank guns, then deployed to the United Kingdom in April 1944, sailing on the USS "Wakefield".

Normandy

Two companies (the HQ company and Company A) landed in Normandy on the early morning of June 17th (D+11). Company A was committed to action in the Battle of Cherbourg on arrival, attached to the 9th Infantry Division. The battalion was assigned to the 90th Infantry Division on June 19th, with Company A attached to the 82nd Airborne Division until July 4th. The remaining two companies landed on June 23rd, and advanced slowly south with the 90th Division through July.

The battalion moved south during the Operation Cobra breakout at the end of that month, and fought on the southern side of the pincer which closed the Falaise pocket. The battalion was emplaced supporting the infantry of the 90th Division, and helped repel several armoured and infantry attacks; between August 15th and 21st, they accounted for thirty-four tanks, twenty-three self-propelled guns, nine halftracks and sixteen artillery pieces destroyed or captured, with over five hundred prisoners taken and fifteen men awarded Silver Stars.

Push through France

The 90th Division, with the 607th still attached, pushed through France to Metz, where it fought in the Battle of Metz until early November. The battalion was withdrawn from the line in November to re-equip with M36 Jackson tank destroyers, and returned to combat just in time for the final attack on the city, following which it was assigned to the 95th Infantry Division.

The Siegfried Line and the Rhine

Through December, it pushed towards the Saar and fought on the Siegfried Line. It was pulled out and sent to the Ardennes in January 1945, but returned to the Siegfried Line in February as part of the 87th Infantry Division, fought at Koblenz in March, and finally crossed the Rhine on March 25th. It pushed through central Germany, reaching the Czech border in mid-April, where it ended the war.

References

* [http://homepage.mac.com/yeide/TDBattalionHistories.htm TD Battalion Histories]
* [http://homepage.mac.com/yeide/TDAttachments2.htm TD Battalion Attachments]

*"Tank Busters: the History of the 607th Tank Destroyer Battalion in Combat on the Western Front". Harold Ely, 1945. [http://www.90thdivisionassoc.org/90thDivisionFolders/mervinhogg/607/tank_bustersmainframeunit.htm Online edition]