- 8th Armored Division (United States)
Infobox Military Unit
unit_name=8th Armored Division
caption=US 8th Armored Division Patch
dates=1942 - 1945
country=USA
branch=Army
type=Armored Division
command_structure=*US Fifteenth Army November 1944
*US Third Army January 1945
*US Ninth Army February 1945
nickname="Thundering Herd"
"Iron Snake"
battles=World War II
*Ardennes
*Rhineland
*Central Europe US Armor
previous=7th Armored Division ("Inactive")
next=9th Armored Division ("Inactive")The 8th Armored Division was an armored division of theUnited States Army that served in theEuropean Theater ofWorld War II .History
tateside
The devastating successes of the German armored units in
Poland andFrance underscored America's need for an effective armored force. The tank battles of North Africa and Russia in early 1942 caused the US Army to recognized the need to drastically increase the number of its armored units. A training command was needed to supply trained men for these future units. The 8th Armored Division was activated on1 April 1942 , atFort Knox , Kentucky, to serve this purpose. The division served as the first official military guardian of the gold vault at Fort Knox. From 1942 to 1944 it functioned as a training command stationed at Camp Polk, Louisiana. During this period the 8th supplied trained personnel to the 9th through 14th Armored Divisions. In September 1943 the division completed reorganization from the old style triangular division to the new 'light' armored division, as per War Department Letter AG-322, in preparation for activation as a combat unit. The light format armored division was made up of three Combat Commands referred to as Combat Command A (CCA), Combat Command B (CCB) and a smaller unit called Combat Command Reserve (CCR). Units could be assigned to one of the Combat Commands at need, creating a very flexible formation.Leach, Charles R; In Tornado's Wake Argus, 1956 ISBN 0-89839-176-8]During December 1943, the division participated in the famed D Series of exercises in Texas. The D Series were small scale maneuver problems designed as a precursor to the full scale Sixth Louisiana Maneuver Period. The D Series included exercises to simulate contact with the enemy and included recon, movement to contact, engineering and minefield clearing problems. 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.
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. At the end of October the 8th received movement orders to Camp Kilmer, NY in preparation for shipment overseas. On
November 6 ,1944 the division left Camp Kilmer and boarded ships in New Jersey for theUnited Kingdom . The ships arrived inSouthampton on18 November and the division moved toTidworth Barracks, joining the newly formedUS Fifteenth Army .England and France
After some additional training and acquisition of new equipment at Tidworth, England, the 8th Armored Division landed in
France ,5 January 1945 , atLe Havre andRouen . The division assembled in theBacqueville area of upperNormandy as part of the (then) still secretUS Fifteenth Army and was placed in reserve. In mid-January the Division was seconded to theUS Third Army and raced convert|350|mi|km across France through heavy snow and ice to Pont-aMousson to help stem the German drive forStrasbourg . It was at this point that the division was assigned the call-sign 'Tornado'. A detachment of the 88th Armored Cavalry undertook the division's first combat action - a reconnaissance of the best route to contact with the enemy. The division, finding the enemy already halted and beginning to fall back, took part in the Third Army drive against the Moselle-Saar salient. Th 8th supported the 94th Infantry Division's attack onNennig ,Berg andSinz , 19-28 January 1945 aimed at reducing the salient between theSaar andMoselle Rivers.Belgium and The Netherlands
Nennig and Berg were defended by elements of the
German 11th Panzer Division ; specifically the 110th, 111th and elements of the 774thPanzer Grenadier Regiments. German losses in action against 8th Armored units were 5Panzer IV tanks, 72 prisoners and many dead and wounded. 8th Armored losses were 3 M4A3 Sherman tanks, 4 Halftracks and heavy personnel casualties.From Berg, the 8th continued their advance through
Sinz and more heavy fighting. German losses were 8 tanks, 1 anti-aircraft gun, 1 anti-tank gun and 1 halftrack. Division losses were an additional 6 tanks destroyed and 4 disabled as well as heavy personnel casualties. 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.The division moved to
Simpelveld , theNetherlands for rest and refitting absorbing approximately 200 replacements. The 8th was now part of theUS Ninth Army and continued refitting and replacing losses during the first half of February 1945. On19 February the division moved toRoermond , the Netherlands to relieve theBritish 7th Armoured Division in the vicinity of Echt and launched a diversionary attack as part ofOperation Grenade , pushing the enemy north of the Heide woods and east of theRoer River .The Roer to the Rhine
On
27 February the 8th crossed theRoer River via theHilfarth Bridge which had been captured by the 35th Inf. Div. CCA headed for the town of Wegberg. CCB moved throughSittard ,Gangelt ,Geilenkirchen ,Randerath , andBrachlen to arrive at the Hilfarth Bridge and crossed after CCA. CCA tanks and infantry destroyed fifteenpillbox es, capturedTetelrath , and crossed theSwalm River while CCB attacked and captured the towns ofArsbeck and Ober Kruchten. On2 March - CCA capturedLobberich , moved through the 35th Inf. Div. and secured the town ofWachtendonk on the north bank of theNiers Canal . Co. C of the 53rd Engineers worked through the night to bridge the Niers Canal which was holding up the advance onMoers .3 March CCB moved through CCA area and capturedAlderkerk while CCR captured Saint Hubert, Vinnbruck and Saelhuysen in their advance toward Moers. The Division received orders to cease forward movement as it was 'pinched out' by the 35th Inf. on the right and the 84th Inf. on the left. CCB was detached and assigned to the 35th Inf. Div. so an attack could be mounted in the direction ofRheinberg andWessel to prevent the Germans from crossing theRhine River. CCB attackedLintfort and Rheinberg with the 35th. Heavy fighting, primarily against the 130th Panzer Division, took place in and around Rheinberg resulting in 199 divisional casualties and the loss of 41 tanks while the Germans suffered 350 men killed and 512 taken prisoner. The area (nicknamed '88 Lane') was under direct anti-tank and heavy artillery fire so each house had to be cleared by dismounted infantry. By7 March a foothold was secured in the vicinity ofGrunthal .The same day the
US 9th Armored Division captured a bridge over the Rhine atRemagen . The 130th Panzer Division was pulled out of theWesel area and moved south to counterattack. By9 March CCB of the 8th secured the town ofOssenberg as well as the towns ofBorth andWallach . CCB was relieved at 2400 and ordered to the Venlo, Holland, rest area, the relief being completed on 10th and 11th of March. The Division was assigned to cleanup operations in the rear areas of the Rhineland which had been bypassed during the movement to the Rhine River. During this period the Division became the first US or British unit to uncover the existence of the secretWerwolf organization when several cleverly camouflaged bunkers were discovered, each containing 12 to 15 fully equipped German soldiers. On22 March division Artillery units moved into firing positions in preparation for the assault on the east bank of the Rhine River as part ofOperation Plunder . On23 March all artillery units commenced firing over 130,000 rounds preceding the initial crossing of the Rhine River to be made by the 30th Infantry Division.The Rhine to the Ruhr
On
24 March the 18th Tank Bn of the 8th Armored Division was ferried across in support of the 30th Infantry prior to the Division's crossing. An 18th tank was the first across the Rhine in the 9th Army area and assisted in the capture ofSpellem , the first town captured east of the Rhine by 9th Army. The division was the first armored division to cross the Rhine in the 9th Army area, crossing at bridge sites 'G' and 'H'.The 8th received orders on
27 March to secure the road running from Hamm toSoest . CCA attacked on the left flank and capturedIm Loh then moved on to bypassDorsten . Heavy house to house fighting slowed the attack. New orders were received late in the next day to capture Dorsten so that theLippe River could be bridged allowing armor to move northward.In the meantime, CCR, located near
Bruckhausen launched an attack onZweckel andKirchhellen to the south on28 March . The 116th Panzer Division was defending both and the approaches had been heavily mined. CCR captured Zweckel in the afternoon and launched an attack on Kirchellen which was secured by nightfall. An advance unit of the 80th Tank battalion that had been surrounded in Kirchellen since early that morning was relieved.CCA captured Dorsten early the next morning and CCB moved in to secure the area so CCA could join CCR in their advance to the east towards the town of
Marl . Marl was cleared by nightfall. CCA then swung southeast from Dorsten heading forPolsum . CCR attacked and captures the towns ofScholven andFeldhausen . On29 March the German 180th Volks Grenadier Division and the 116th Panzer Division withdrew and set up new defensive lines running through the fortress town ofRecklinghausen . CCR crossed theRappholtz-Muhlen Canal on30 March and capturedBuer-Hassel . Co. C, 53 Armored Engineers built a bridge across the canal in just 44 minutes. The next day CCR capturedKolonie Bertlich . Heading east, it passed throughWesterholt andLangenbochum , engaging the German defenses in Recklinghausen only convert|2500|yd away.On
31 March the Division was relieved by units of the 75th Inf. Div. The 8th crossed theLippe River , and assembled atSelm . The 8th received orders on1 April from XIX Corps to set up two spearheads for an attack to the east, the 2nd Armored and 30th Infantry in one and the 8th Armored and 83rd Infantry in the other. CCA was assigned to attackDelbruck , CCB to attackPaderborn . The 8th launched its attack on schedule but CCB was soon stalled by fierce German resistance atNeuhaus . On3 April fighter-bombers (known as Jabos by the troops) of the US 9th Air Corps provided close air support in theTeutoburg Forest and Neuhaus areas. CCR and moved up to attackElsen to help CCB repel a strong German counterattack launched fromSennelager . CCA attacked Sennelager directly in an attempt to reduce a German strongpoint.At the end of
3 April the division was relieved by the 83rd Inf. Div. and received orders to attack towards the west to help reduce theRuhr Pocket .The Ruhr Pocket
The success of the Rhine crossing operations by Allied forces encircled approximately 430,000 German soldiers of
Army Group B comprising 21 divisions of theWehrmacht , trapping them in an area that came to be known as theRuhr Pocket . TheTwelfth Army Group was tasked with reducing the pocket.Whiting, Charles, "The Battle of the Ruhr Pocket", Random, 1970 ISBN 0-345-21438-2]On
3 April the 8th turned 180 degrees in response to orders into the Ruhr Pocket and CCR attacked west towardRecklinghausen . CCR captured the towns ofStripe andNorddorf , and continued throughVollinghausen ,Oberhagen , andEbbinghausen before stopping for the night in front ofHorne . The next day CCA attackedErwitte . The US 9th Air Force continued to provide close air support as the division continued into the Ruhr Pocket through heavy fighting in theLippstadt area.Col. Wallace, the commander of CCR, was captured by German forces during the night of
4 April . On5 April Col. Vesely assumed command of CCR and continued to attack westward capturing the towns of Horne,Klieve ,Schmerlacke andSerlinghausen . At the end of the day, CCB relieved CCR and attacked westward towardSoest ; capturing the towns ofSchallen andLohne while CCA continued attacking south capturing the towns ofAnrochte ,Mensel ,Drewer , andAltenruthen . On6 April , CCB made a convert|25|mi|km|sing=on 'end run' around Soest to the outskirts ofOst Onnen to cut off a German breakout path from the Ruhr pocket.While CCB blocked the German withdrawal near Ost Onnen, CCA cleared the area north of the
Mohne River soglider troops could be landed in case of a break-out attempt in that area. They captured the towns ofWamel ,Brullinggsen ,Ellingsen , andWestendorf . CCR, in the meantime, outposted all roads northeast of Soest to facilitate an attack on the town by the 94th Inf. Div.On
7 April the eastward movement of theUS 2nd Armored Division and the westward movement of the 8th Armored created a gap of convert|180|mi|km between the two fronts. This would allow German forces to briefly cut off the US 2nd Armored. Troop A, 88th Reconnaissance Squadron captured theMohne Talsparre Dam on the 7th to prevent the Germans from flooding theMohne Valley . CCB began an attack onWerl in the afternoon and capturedGerlingen . The burgomeister of Ost Onnen surrendered the town later that day. The following day CCR moved to secure the road between Werl andWickede and captured the towns ofParsit , Bremen,Vierhausen ,Schluckingen andWiehagen capturing 238 German soldiers, 1Tiger tank , and 3 88 mm anti-tank guns. CCB captured Werl by late afternoon after heavy resistance during the day. They then capturedOst Buderich by the end of the day. By9 April , The threat of a German breakout had passed due to the buildup of allied troops in the area. CCB moved onUnna capturingHoltun andHemmerude . The following day CCB continued the attack on Unna and capturedLernen . A ten minute air strike was laid on Unna to soften it up. The Germans moved reinforcements, includingHitler Youth into Unna from theMulhausen garrison.On
10 April CCR advanced convert|7000|yd in fierce fighting and securedStentrop ,Bausenhagen ,Scheda ,Beutrap Wemen , andFromern . The following day CCA joined the attack on Unna and CCB went into reserve. CCB had suffered 198 casualties this period. The next day CCR capturedHohenheide andFrondenberg after an air strike drove 4 German tanks out of the town. The town ofBillmerich was also captured. Unna finally fell that afternoon after another air strike. The Germans lost 160 personnel, 2 tanks and a battery of 88's. This surrender was the end of organized resistance from the 116th Panzer Division.CCA continued cleaning up operations in Unna while CCR captured the towns of
Hengsen ,Ostenforf ,Ottendorf , andDellwig . CCA was relieved on13 April and ordered to move east of Unna across theWeser River to the vicinity ofWolfenbuttel . CCA had lost 2 tanks, 1 halftrack and 1 jeep during these operations. CCB was assigned to protect right flank of the 2nd Armored and the 83rd Inf. Div. as they moved east. They move convert|170|mi|km to Wolfenbuttel. Later CCR was relieved and ordered to move to the vicinity ofDenstorf . On the drive west, CCR suffered 203 casualties and lost 11 tanks, 3 jeeps, 9 halftracks. The German forces lost 6 Mark VPanther tank s, 4 20 mm guns, 1 large railroad gun, and 3 tons of small arms.Central Germany
After leaving the Rhur Pocket on
13 April the division moved east. The 8th participated in the liberation of theHalberstadt-Zwieberge concentration camps nearLangenstein (see below). Most of CCB moved on toHalberstadt with some units remaining inWolfenbuttel until the rest of the Division arrived. On14 April the remaining units of the Division began moving to an assembly area in the vicinity ofBraunschweig with CCA going to Wolfenbuttel and CCR going toDenstrof . For the period of 15-18 April CCB cleared the area near the Hartz Mountains of remnants of the 11th Panzer Army while CCA began moving toSeehausen to support the attack onMagdeburg by the XIX Corps. CCR moved from Denstrof to Braunschweig and continued screening the rear areas. CCB completed clearing resistance from the edge of ForestHeimburg south ofDerenburg while units of the 2nd Armored relieved CCR allowing it to move into the vicinity ofStrabeck in preparation for reducing resistance inBlankenberg . On19 April CCA was relieved and returned toWernigerode from Seehausen where it in turn relieved the 330th Inf. Reg. of the 83rd Inf. Div. CCB moved toWesthausen and CCR moved toAspenstedt to clear the remaining woods around Blankenburg. The next day the division began to attack Blankenburg. At 1000 hours a 13 plane squadron attacked Blankenburg and immediately afterward the burgomeister was contacted about surrendering after a show of force. 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.On
21 April CCR cleared the woods south of Blankenburg and linked up with elements of the 1st Inf. Div. of the First Army. By22 April the last organized resistance ended with the capture of Gen. Heinz Kokott, commanding officer of the 26th Volks Grenadier Div and brother-in-law of Gestapo Chief Heinrich Himmler. During the period of23 April through8 May the division was assigned an area of 90 kilometers long by 30 kilometers wide and went into occupation duty. Some additional cleanup was required of small pockets of resistance as stragglers were found.Zwieberge Concentration Camps
The 8th liberated Halberstadt-Zwieberge, a subcamp of the
Buchenwald concentration camp, between April 12 and 17, 1945 during its drive through central Germany. The area around the city of Halberstadt housed a number of Buchenwald subcamps that had been established in 1944 to provide labor for the German war effort, including Halberstadt-Zwieberge I and Halberstadt-Zwieberge II. More than 5,000 inmates were incarcerated in these two subcamps, where they were forced to hollow out massive tunnels and build underground factories forJunkers Aircraft of Aircraft Motors Construction Company, which produced military aircraft. [http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/index.php?Type=article&ModuleId=10006149 US Holocaust Museum] ]Buchenwald administered at least 87 subcamps located across Germany, from Duesseldorf in the Rhineland to the border with the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia in the east. Prisoners in the satellite camps were put to work mostly in armaments factories, in stone quarries, and on construction projects. Periodically, prisoners throughout the Buchenwald camp system underwent selection. 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. Other weakened prisoners were killed by phenol injections administered by the camp doctor.
Of interest is that all details regarding the camp were sealed and classified by the US Government; presumably because of the camp's involvement with an improved version of the
V-1 flying bomb . In 1997, the information was declassified through the efforts of a former 8th Armored Division officer, Dr. Bernard Metrick. The records confirmed the role of the division in liberating the camp and the division's flag was added to those on display at the U.S. Holocaust Museum honoring those who liberated the death camps.Post War
The end of hostilities unfortunately did not mean the end of casualties for the 8th Armored. On
1 May the 58th Inf. lost two men to snipers who had to be killed since they would not surrender. The next day the 58th Inf. lost an officer and three more men when a powder plant blew up inMunchshaf . Sabotage was suspected. It is believed that these were the last official wartime casualties of the Division. From8 May through30 May the Division remained on occupation duty and continued to clean up stragglers and small pockets of resistance. On30 May the Division was assigned to Third Army. It was relieved by units of the British Army and began its move to thePilsen , Czechoslovakia area. From1 June through19 September , many men were sent home under the point system. Those remaining were sent to various I & E (Information and Education) training schools. Very little other training was done. On19 September the division began the convert|600|mi|km|sing=on trip to Camp Oklahoma City nearRheims , France for deployment home. On26 October the division traveled convert|180|mi|km from Camp Oklahoma City to Camp Phillip Morris at LeHarve, France and the Division was officially dismounted. The division was deactivated on13 November 1945 at Camp Patrick Henry, VA by Gen. Charles F. Colson.There is an official 8th Armored Division memorial at the American Cemetery in the city of
Margraten , TheNetherlands [http://www.8th-armored.org/ 8th Armored Division Association] ]Nickname
The nickname of the 8th Armored Division, the "Thundering Herd," was coined before the division went to Europe in late 1944. 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. [http://www.lonesentry.com/usdivisions/history/armored/division/8th_armored_division.html 8th Armored Division History] ]
Division Commander
Major General William Grimes 1942 - 1944
*Grimes left the division on6 October 1944 just prior to the divisions shipment overseas. Grimes went on to serve as Commandant of the Cavalry School at Fort Riley, KS.Major General John Devine (Commander in Combat) 1944 - 1945
*Devine was personally selected by Gen. Eisenhower to command the 8th Armored. His prior assignment was Commanding General, Combat Command B, 7th Armored Division. He had been in combat continuously from D-Day plus 2 (8 June 1944 ) when he landed at Normandy as artillery commander of the 90th Infantry Division.Unit Commanders and Organization
Combat Command Organization, 1944-1945(as of
24 October 1944 )Combat Command A: Col. Charles F. Colson
7th Armored Infantry Battalion: Lt. Col. A. D. Poinier
18th Tank Battalion: Lt. Col. G. B. Goodrich
398th Arm'd Field Artillery Battalion: Lt. Col R. H. DawsonCombat Command B: Col. Edward A. Kimball
49th Armored Infantry Battalion: Lt. Col. M. G. Roseborough
36th Tank Battalion: Lt. Col. J. H. Van Houten
399th Arm'd Field Artillery Battalion: Lt. Col. R. M. LillyCombat Command R: Col. Robert J. Wallace
58th Armored Infantry Battalion: Maj. George Artman
80th Tank Battalion: Maj. A. E. Walker
405th Arm'd Field Artillery Battalion: Lt. Col. William McLynnService Battalions:
(attached by companies to Combat Commands)
53rd Armored Engineer Battalion: Lt. Col. E. T. Podufaly
78th Armored Medical Battalion: Lt. Col. P. D. Marx
88th Armored Reconnaissance Battalion: Lt. Col. T. B. Harrington
130th Armored Ordinance Battalion: Lt. Col. I. O. Drewry. Jr.
148th Armored Signal Company: Capt W. C. Jackson
508th CIC Detachment: Lt. A. J. Stanchick
Division Trains: Col. Y. D. Vesely
Division Artillery: Col. W. H. Holt
Military Police Platoon: Maj. W. H. BurgerTemporarily Attached Units
473rd AAA AW (SP) Battalion809th Tank Destroyer Battalion Strength and Casualties
*Total Authorized Strength: 10,937
*Total battle casualties: 2,011
*Total deaths in battle: 469Armor
The primary striking force of the Armored Division was the tank. The 8th was composed of 3 tank battalions:
*18th, 36th & 80thTank BattalionsEach battalion comprised approximately 80 tanks and was organized as a headquarters unit and 6 companies:
*a Headquarters Company,
*a Service Company and
*4 tank companies referred to as A, B, C and D companiesZaloga, Steven, "US Armored Divisions: The European Theater of Operations 1944-1945 (Battle Orders)," Osprey, 2004]The Headquarters unit was made up of the battalion command team and their vehicles; 3 M4A3 Sherman tanks (usually not used and held as a reserve) and various peeps (WWII US Armored divisions called the
jeep a 'peep') and similar vehicles.Headquarters Company (HQ Co)
The HQ Co was usually made up of:
*1 platoon of 3 M4A3 Sherman tanks
*1 platoon of 3 M4A3105 Sherman tanks.
**These were M4A3’s fitted with a 105 mm cannon and used as anassault gun .ervice Company
The Service Company contained the special units like:
*Tank retrievers for recovering damaged tanks
*Tanks with plows and flails for clearing obstacles
*Medical UnitsTank Companies
Companies A, B and C generally consisted of 17 medium tanks as follows:
*3 platoons of 5 M4A3 Sherman tanks
*1 M4A3 105 tank
*1 M4A3 tank for the company commander.Company D consisted of 17 light tanks:
*3 platoons of 5 M5A1 Stuart tanks
*1 section of 2 M5A1 Stuart tanksShortly after arriving in Europe, the 8th swapped its M5A1 tanks for the newer, more powerfulM24 Chaffee light tank.The M4A3 76 were M4A3 Shermans tanks fitted with a more powerful 76 mm cannon. Later in the war, more M4A3 76 tanks were added to the tank companies as replacements for older or damaged units. The 8th, along with many of the other armored units arriving in Europe in late 1944, was equipped with all 76 mm armed Shermans. [http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/wwii/usarmy/tanktypes.aspx MilitaryHistoryOnline.com - US Army in World War II ] ] The M4A3E8 76 or 'Easy Eight' version of the Sherman was also used by the 8th as it became available. In April of 1945 the 8th began receiving the new
M26 Pershing . None of the 8th Armored Pershing tanks engaged in combat before the close of hostilities.Armored Infantry
Early experience with armored warfare in the First World War made it clear that tanks could not fight in isolation. It was essential that tanks be supported by infantry. The Armored Infantry was developed to fill that role. Zaloga, Steven, "M3 Infantry Half-Track 1940-73", Osprey, 1995]
The 8th was composed of 3 Armored Infantry Battalions:
*7th, 49th & 58th Armored Infantry BattalionsEach battalion was organized as follows:
*A Battalion Headquarters Unit
*1 Headquarters Co (HQ Co)
*3 Armored Infantry Companies referred to as A,B and C Companies
*1 Service CompanyThe Battalion Headquarters Unit was made up of the battalion command team and their vehicles; 2 - 3 M2A1 or M3A1Halftracks and various peeps or similar vehicles.
Headquarters Company (HQ Co)
The HQ Co was usually made up of:
*An HQ platoon comprising the Battalion Staff and their vehicles; 2 – 3 M3A1Halftracks and various peeps or similar vehicles.
*A machine gun platoon with 6 M1917A1 Heavy Machine Guns, 3 M2 Heavy Machine guns, their crews (30 men total) and 3 M3A1Halftracks
*A mortar platoon with 3 M4 Mortar Carriers (made up of an 81mm mortar mounted in a M2A1 halftrack and designed to fire over the rear of the vehicle) and their crews (30 men total)
*Anassault gun platoon of 3 M4A3 105 tanks
*A Recon Platoon of 6 peepsRifle Companies
The Battalion was made of 3 Armored Infantry Companies: A, B and C which in turn were made up of:
*A Headquarters Platoon comprising the platoon staff and their vehicles: 2 M3A1Halftracks.
*3 Rifle platoons of 36 riflemen divided into 3 squads of 12, 2 M1919A4 medium Machine Guns and their crews, 1 60mm mortar and its crew and the platoon’s vehicles: 5 M3A1Halftracks.ervice Company
The Service Company was made up of:
*A Headquarters Platoon comprising the platoon staff and their vehicles: 2 M3A1Halftracks.
*An Anti-tank platoon with 9 bazooka rocket launchers, their crews (30 men in total) and their vehicles: 3 M3A1Halftracks.
*Medical units
*Other support unitsEarly in the war, the anti-tank platoon would have included an 37 mm anti-tank cannon but by the time the 8th entered combat in late 1944 the 37 mm was deemed ineffective against German armor and was discarded from the TO & E.
The primary weapon of the Armored Infantryman was the
M1 Garand rifle . Crew-served weapon crewmen were usually armed with the M1911A1 pistol or the M1 Carbine as a personal weapon. 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. These machine guns could be dismounted and used as needed.Armored Field Artillery
The third side of the armored division's offensive triangle was the Armored Field Artillery. The 8th Armored Division included the:
*398th, 399th & 405th ArmoredField Artillery Battalions Each battalion comprised 18 self-propelled cannon and supporting vehicles. The battalion was broken down into 5 Batteries and usually organized as:
*1 Headquarters Battery
*3 Firing Batteries referred to as A, B and C Batteries
*1 Service BatteryHeadquarters Battery (HQ Bat)
The HQ Bat was usually made up of:
*1 Command Section of 3 M3A1Halftracks and 1 ¼ Ton Truck
*2 Observation Sections of 1 M3A1Halftrack, 1 ¼ Ton truck and 1Stinson L-5 Observation Airplane each. [http://geocities.com/EnchantedForest/Creek/7185/ 275th Armored Field Artillery Battalion Association Home Page ] ]Firing Battery
Batteries A, B and C consisted of 6 self-propelled guns and supporting vehicles broken out as follows:
*2 sections of 3 M7 105 mm self-propelled guns and 3 M3A1Halftracks and 1 ¼ Ton Truck
*1 Headquarters Section with 1 M3A1Halftrack and 1 ¼ Ton Truckupport Battery
The Support Battery comprised:
*1 Service Section with 1 2½ Ton Truck and 1 ¼ Ton Truck
*1 Medical SectionReconnaissance
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.
These units were identical, except that the battalion was organized as companies, while the squadron as troops (although the light tank unit was a company in either organization). [http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/wwii/usarmy/cavalry.aspx Military History Online - US Army in World War II ] ]
*The 88th
Armored Cavalry Recon Squadron served with the 8th Armored Division.The Squadron was organized in Troops and equipped as follows:
HQ Troop
*10 Peeps
*4 M8 Armored CarsTroops A, B, C & D
*12 M8 Armored Cars
*23 PeepsTroop E
Company F
*17 M5A1 tanks (Later
M24 Chaffee )Recon units were often supported by Tank Destroyer units, in the case of the 8th the
809th Tank Destroyer Battalion . The 809th used theM18 Hellcat 76 mm GMC.External links
* [http://www.lonesentry.com/gi_stories_booklets/8tharmored/ Tornado! The Story of the 8th Armored Division (WWII unit history booklet, 1945)]
* [http://www.8th-armored.org/ 8th Armored Division Association]
* [http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/index.php?Type=article&ModuleId=10006149 US Holocaust Museum]
* [http://www.lonesentry.com/usdivisions/history/armored/division/8th_armored_division.html 8th Armored Division History]
* [http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/documents/eto-ob/8AD-ETO.htm US Army History of the 8th]References
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