605th Tank Destroyer Battalion

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 605th Tank Destroyer Battalion


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

The 605th 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 5th Infantry Division Provisional Antitank Battalion, and on December 16th was redesignated as the 605th 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 January 1945 equipped with towed 3" anti-tank guns.

It first saw action on February 16th, attached to the 102nd Infantry Division, then crossed the Roer on the 24th and pushed towards the Rhine. It deployed into the Remagen bridgehead on 12th March, and was pulled out on the 17th to be sent north to support British forces in Belgium. However, it was promptly reattached to the 17th Airborne Division, crossing the Rhine on March 25th as part of Operation Varsity. In April they fought in the capture of the Ruhr Pocket, and crossed the Elbe on May 1st, near Lüneburg.

References

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

Further reading

A short pamphlet on the history of the battalion ("The 605th tank destroyer battalion") was published in 1945, written by John F. Vasco.