U.S. 3rd Armored Division
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The 3rd Armored Division —nicknamed the Spearhead— was an armored division of the United States Army. A key participant in the European Theatre of World War II, the division was stationed in Germany for much of the Cold War, and was in the Gulf War. As of 2004 its strength is officially zero, but it is not inactive.
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World War II
The division was activated on April 15, 1941 in Camp Polk Louisiana (now Fort Polk). Its core units were the 36th Armored Infantry Regiment, the 32nd Armored Regiment, the 33rd Armored Regiment, the 23rd Armored Engineer Battalion, the 83rd Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, and the 143rd Armored Signal Company. During World War II, these were organized into Combat Commands A, B and C.
It arrived in the European Theatre on September 15, 1943, conducting pre-invasion training in the Liverpool and Bristol areas. It remained in Somerset, England until June 24 1944, when it departed to partake in the Normandy operations. It advanced through France, taking part in a number of engagements, notably including the Battle of Saint Lo, where it suffered significant casualties. During this time, it was under the command of VII Corps and XVIII Airborne Corps for some time, and assigned to the First Army and the 12th Army Group for the duration of its career. Image:3adCologne.jpg
The division reached Belgium on September 2, 1944, and took part in the Battle of Hurtgen Forest. The Division began an attack on the Rhineland of Germany on February 7, 1945. On March 31, the commander of the division, Major General Maurice Rose, famed as one of few Commanding Generals to frequent the front lines during combat, rounded a corner in his jeep and found himself face to face with a German Tank. As he withdrew his pistol to surrender, the young German tank commander, apparently misunderstanding Rose's intentions, shot the General.
The 3rd Armored Division had 231 days of combat in WW2, with a total of 2,540 killed, 7,331 wounded, 95 missing, and 139 captured. Total battle and non-battle casualties equalled 16,122. About 5,000 awards were won by soldiers in this division, including about 3,900 Bronze Stars. It was inactivated on 10 November 1945.
Despite the Division's impressive record and the important role it played during the Normandy Breakout, it has been often overlooked by both Historians and Hollywood, who have favored depictions and histories of units participating in D-Day, and in the siege of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge.
The Cold War
The Division was reactivated on 15 July 1947 at Fort Knox, Kentucky to act as training formation. In 1955 it was reorganized for combat and shifted to Germany the next year. It replaced the 4th Infantry Division. Image:3ad recruit 1955.jpg Image:Ayerskaserne.jpg
The 3rd Armored's primary mission during this period was, in the event of War, to defend the Fulda Gap against numerically superior Warsaw Pact forces alongside other NATO elements. To prepare for this eventuality, the Division's units frequently conducted field training at Hohenfels and Grafonweohr, training in live fire, movement and communications tactics.
Throughout the Cold War, the Division's Headquarters was based in Drake Kaserne, in Frankfurt Germany, with a number of its subunits based in other Kasernes throughout the German state of Hesse, north to Giessen. The Division itself comprised an average of 15,000 soldiers, organized into Three Primary Brigades, each manned by two battalions of Infantry, two battalions of Armor, one battalion of Artillery, and various supporting units, notably including Medical, Engineering, and Aviation elements.
Most of the Kasernes were located adjacent to or within German communities, leading to lively trade and interaction between soldiers and German civilians. A few, however, were somewhat remotely located, particularly Ayers Kaserne, where the 1st Brigade, aka "The Rock" was stationed. The most famous soldier in the 3rd Armored Division during this time was Elvis Presley, a Tanker in the 2nd Brigade at Ray Barracks in Friedberg. After his time in service, Presley made the movie GI Blues, in which he portrays a 3rd Armored Division Tank Crewman with (amusingly) a singing career.
Desert Storm
The Division remained in Germany until momentous events in the Middle East developed.
In August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait. US troops were committed to the theater, first to defend Saudi Arabia, and then to eject Iraqi troops from Kuwait. The formation that was deployed to strengthen the American forces so that they would be able to attack rather than just defend was the VII Corps from Germany. 3rd Armored Division was one of four US heavy divisions deployed with the corps. The Gulf War was a crushing victory for the US.
Following the war, 3rd Armored was one of the first units rotated to Camp Doha, Kuwait.
Retirement
Following Desert Storm, a number of the Division's units were transferred to the First Armored Division. With the end of the Cold War, several Kasernes were closed, and eventually demolished.
On February 15, 1992, in a "retirement" ceremony at Fort Polk Louisiana, the 3rd Armored's colors were cased. It's official strength was lowered to zero and removed from the force structure, but the division is not inactive.