Armored Forces

The U. S. Armored Forces began when Gen. Pershing established The Tank Corps of the AEF on 26 January 1918. During the Meuse Argonne Offensive, American and French Tank Forces demonstrated the potential for Armored Warfare to restore mobility to the battlefield and gain decisive results. Visionaries like Gen. Adna Chaffee recognized the importance of Mechanized Combat Units consisting of "a balanced team of combat arms and services" to gain victory in future wars.

Visions became realities in 1940 when Gen George C. Marshall established the U. S. Armored Forces. From 1940 to 1945 a mighty force of 46 Armored Divisions, 106 Tank Destroyer Battalions and many separate tank, infantry, artillery, signal, engineer, and cavalry units were created in which over one million men of steel served with valor in the great tradition of teamwork of the U. S. Army.

Gen Eisenhower's Allied Invasion of North Africa was the first time U. S. Armored Divisions were employed in WWII in Desert Warfare. Armored and Infantry Divisions of U. S. II Corps BR First and Eighth Armies and the I R XIX Corps defeated the Axis Armies in Tunisia. Then Armored Forces spearheaded Gen Patton's Seventh Army and Gen Montgomery's Eighth Army in the Lightning Conquest of Sicily. Then the U. S. Armored and Infantry forces of Gen Clark's Fifth Army invaded Italy at Salerno and later at Anzio and with the BR Eighth Army fought a long and bitter campaign thru mountainous terrain to defeat the German Armies and gain Allied victory there.

The Allied crusade to free Western Europe from Nazi tyranny began with the greatest waterborne invasion in history ("Operation Overlord"). Then armored armies spearheaded a breakout from Normandy and raced across France to liberate Belgium. Also, Allied forces had invaded southern France in Operation Anvil and sped north to the Swiss border. The Allied armies crossed the Rhine and smashed thru Germany to meet victorious Soviet forces at the Elbe River to complete the Allied liberation of Europe.

Armored, amphibian and amphibian tractor battalions stormed the beaches in Admiral Nimitz's island hopping campaign across the vast Central Pacific and by Admiral Halsey's conquest of the Solomons along with Gen MacArthur's campaign from New Guinea to the liberation of the Philippnes. In these campaigns, tank infantry teams expanded beachheads and led inland by a close assault of enemy fortified positions. Tarawa, Guadacanal, Buna, Saipan, Manila, Iwo Jima and Okinawa are but a few examples of the vicious close combat American solidiers and Marines and Australians experienced in defeating a fanatical enemy fighting to death from caves and bunkers.

U. S. Army and U. S. Marine Corps Armored units made important contributions to the victories of the U. S. Eighth Army in the Korean Conflict. Three regimental tank companies and one tank battalion were organic to each U. S. Infantry Division. Also many Armored Artillery, Engineer, and Anti aircraft units were employed. From Pusan to Seoul and to the Yalu River, Armored units spearheaded the offensive northward. During the United States defense along the 38th parallel Armored units supported the Infantry's positions by destroying the enemy's frontline trenches and bunkers with direct fire.

"Desert Shield" Defense of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 2 Aug 1990 - 15 Jan 1991 "Desert Storm" Liberation of the State of Kuwait Jan - Feb, 1991 U. S. armed forces led a United Nations Coalition in the defense of Saudi Arabia and the liberation of Kuwait from agression from Iraqi forces.