That division, too, landed in North Africa in November of 1942. The 2 nd Armored Division has a stronger case. They were great performers in a secondary theater. Although capable and spirited, soldiers of the division operated on a peninsula no well-suited to armored warfare. The 1 st took Rome just before D-Day in Normandy.
Known as “Old Ironsides,” the division fought in North Africa and then in Italy. Some might argue for the 1 st Armored Division. (Image source: WikiMedia Commons)īut when you get down to it, though, only three American armored divisions were there for all of the toughest fights. These divisions, especially the 4 th, can offer justifiable claims to major contributions to the May 1945 Allied victory in Europe. When the Bulge attack erupted, the 4 th armored punched through to link up with Americans surrounded in Bastogne. All three divisions joined the bloody struggles along the German border in the fall of 1944. While it lasted, it was war American-style: fast, mobile and violent. Patton’s renowned Third Army breakout and pursuit across France in the high summer of 1944. The 4 th, 5 th, and 6 th armored divisions led Lieutenant General George S. As with the 9 th and 10 th armored divisions, the 7 th and 8 th were right where they needed to be to help halt the great German counteroffensive of December 1944. For its part, the 8 th blunted the German Nordwind winter offensive in Lorraine. Vith, stalling the German advance in the Bulge. The 7 th battled German panzers in the snowy fir stands outside St. Both first saw action among the dank forests and gray “ dragon’s teeth” pylons and pillboxes that marked the German Westwall border fortifications, also known as the Siegfried Line. The 7 th and 8 th armored divisions arrived at the end of the wet, grim autumn of 1944. But while the 9 th and 10 th earned accolades in the Ardennes, they did miss the first six months of the 1944-1945 campaign on the European continent. Without those capable tank crews, the 101 st Airborne Division’s stubborn but lightly-armed paratroopers and glider-borne infantry might well have succumbed. Both served in brigade-strength combat commands, to include the valiant defense of the key crossroads of Bastogne, Belgium. The 9 th and 10 th armored divisions each played major roles in the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944 and January of 1945. Infantry and a tank with the 11th Armored Division advance into Wernberg, Germany, April 22, 1945.
Impressive work, but not quite as important to the overall war effort as their predecessors. But all unit pride aside, eight decades later, it’s possible to assess battle performance a bit more objectively.Īs brave and bold though they were, soldiers of the 11 th, 12 th, 13 th, 14 th, 16 th, and 20 th armored divisions didn’t see much action until the spring of 1945 they helped finish off the German army. Soldiers of courage and skill wore all 16 patches. And to be sure, each American armored division did its part in the greatest war in history. who served in one of these illustrious units would argue passionately that his own outfit played a decisive role. But which one made the greatest contribution to the Allied victory? All of them fought in the European Theater. That’s why the 3 rd Armored Division was the best in the west.”ĭURING WORLD WAR II, the United States Army fielded 16 armored divisions. (Image source: WikiMedia Commons) “The division didn’t seek publicity they had a war to fight. The “Third Herd,” as it was affectionately known, often found itself leading the charge across Europe, thereby earning itself another nickname: The Spearhead. Soldiers of the 3rd Armored Division on the roll in Europe in late 1944.
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