818th Tank Destroyer Battalion

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 818th 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 818th Tank Destroyer Battalion was a tank destroyer battalion of the United States Army active during the Second World War. The battalion was activated on December 15th 1941, in line with the reorganisation of the anti-tank force. It remained in the United States until October 1943, when it was moved to the United Kingdom, deploying into Normandy on D+36 (July 13th), equipped with towed 3" anti-tank guns and attached to the 5th Infantry Division.

After advancing through France with the 5th Division, it fought at Metz and along the Saar, pushing into Germany in early December. The 5th moved north on December 18th to fight in the Battle of the Bulge; the 818th was detached on December 20th and reassigned to the 26th Infantry Division, which also saw action in the Ardennes. From late January through to March 1945 it held defensive positions, then drove west with the 26th Division through Germany, finishing the war just inside the Czech border. At some point during the March-April offensive it converted to M36 Jackson tank destroyers.

References

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