602nd Tank Destroyer Battalion

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 602nd Tank Destroyer Battalion


caption=
dates= 1941-1945
country= United States
allegiance= Army
command_structure=Independent unit
nickname=
equipment=M18 Hellcat
disbanded=1945

The 602nd Tank Destroyer Battalion was a tank destroyer battalion of the United States Army active during the Second World War.

The battalion was formed in March 1941 as the 2nd Infantry Division Provisional Antitank Battalion, and on December 14th was redesignated as the 602nd Tank Destroyer Battalion, in line with the reorganisation of the anti-tank force. It remained in the United States until 1944, when it was moved to the United Kingdom, deploying into Normandy in late August equipped with M18 Hellcats.

It first saw combat on 9th September, fighting along the Moselle in the Lorraine Campaign and participating in the capture of Metz in November with the 26th Infantry Division. During the Battle of the Bulge in December it was sent north to Belgium to help stabilise the line, arriving near Bastogne on December 21st, and fought in the counterattack in January 1945 as part of the 11th Armored Division. Company C of the battalion was awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation for its role in clearing the Harlange Pocket.

After participating in the offensive through the Siegfried Line, the battalion was returned to the southern sector in March, and attached to the 89th Infantry Division on the 15th. It crossed the Rhine on the 26th, and advanced into Germany. On the 4th April, elements of Company A were the first to enter Ohrdruf, the first concentration camp to be liberated by American forces.

References

* [http://homepage.mac.com/yeide/TDBattalionHistories.htm TD Battalion Histories]
* [http://www.89infdivww2.org/memories/tank_1.htm History of the 602nd Tank Destroyer Battalion]

Further reading

*Oliver, Bertrand. "History of the 602nd Tank Destroyer Battalion: March 1941 to November 1945". 602nd Tank Destroyer Association, 1990