Janesville in Rock County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Janesville Tank Company
Photographed by William J. Toman, September 10, 2011
1. Janesville Tank Company Marker
During the 1930s, the Janesville National Guard armory was headquarters for the 32nd Tank Company, a unit of Wisconsin's famed Thirty-Second Division, which had been reorganized after World War I and equipped with light tanks. In November 1940, as part of the mobilization ordered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the unit was melded with three other midwestern National Guard units and redesignated Company A of the 192nd Tank Battalion. Within a year, the Janesville tank company had been trained and dispatched to the Philippine Islands.
Following the outbreak of war on December 7, 1941, members of Company A became the first of 330,000 Wisconsin residents to engage the enemy. During a harrowing four-month defense of the Bataan Peninsula, short of supplies and devoid of air cover, the Janesville tank unit fought bravely alongside other American and Filipino forces until surrendering on April 9, 1942. As prisoners of war, the Janesville men participated in the infamous Bataan Death March. Of the original ninety-nine members of the unit, only thirty-five survived imprisonment by the Japanese.
Erected 1990 by the Wisconsin Historical Society. (Marker Number 298.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Heroes
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Location. 42° 40.81′ N, 89° 1.66′ W. Marker is in Janesville, Wisconsin, in Rock County. It is at the intersection of South High Street and Dodge Street, on the right when traveling south on South High Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 10 South High Street, Janesville WI 53548, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Wisconsin and in Greater Madison. It is also in the American Midwest, on the Great Lakes, and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Abraham Lincoln (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); First Congregational Church (about 300 feet away); First State Fair (approx. 0.6 miles away); James E. Croft (approx. 0.8 miles away); Veterans Plaza - Medal of Honor Veterans Walkway (approx. 0.9 miles away); Burr Robbins Circus (approx. 1.1 miles away); The Black Hawk War / Black Hawk's Grove (approx. 1.7 miles away); La Prairie Grange Hall (approx. 5.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Janesville.
Photographed by William J. Toman, September 10, 2011
2. Janesville Tank Company Marker
The former Janesville National Guard Armory is in the background.
Photographed by William J. Toman, September 10, 2011
3. The Armory
The former Janesville National Guard Armory near the marker is now a restaurant.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 10, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 11, 2011, by William J. Toman of Green Lake, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 2,413 times since then and 163 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 11, 2011, by William J. Toman of Green Lake, Wisconsin.
