by Harry Yeide
705th Tank Destroyer Battalion32
Activated on 15 December 1941 at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Arrived at Gourock, Scotland, on 27 April 1944. Landed at Utah Beach on 18 July equipped with M18s. Joined Cobra breakout and swept through Brittany to Brest in late July and early August. Helped clear Crozon Peninsula into September. Moved across France in October to Moselle River. Advanced to German border at Kitzing in mid-November. Shifted north to Aachen area in early December. Moved to Bastogne, where TDs participated in famous defense by 101st Airborne Division. Supported drive to Rhine River in March 1945. Crossed river on 29 March at Oppenheim. Conducted drive across Germany through Bayreuth in April, arriving in Neukirchen, Austria, by 6 May. Attached to: Task Force A; 101st Airborne Division; 11th Armored Division; 29th, 83d, 95th Infantry divisions.
771st Tank Destroyer Battalion33
Activated on 15 December 1941 at Ft. Ethan Allen, Vermont. Arrived at Glamorganshire, Wales, on 1 January 1944 and shipped to France in late September equipped with M10s. Entered combat with the 102d Infantry Division against the Siegfried Line defenses along the Würm River on 3 November. Participated in the drive to the Roer River and held defensive positions there during December. Converted to the M36 in January 1945. Supported drive toward Rhine River in February. Crossed the Rhine beginning 31 March and joined the 102d Infantry Division’s drive across Germany to the Elbe River, reaching same on 14 April. Spent remainder of the war helping to mop up bypassed pockets of resistance between the Rhine and the Elbe. Attached to: 5th Armored Division; 102d Infantry Division; 11th Cavalry Group.
772d Tank Destroyer Battalion34
Activated on 16 December 1941. Entered the line near Birgel, Germany, on 22 December 1944. Fought in Belgium in January 1945, then shifted south to Seventh Army’s sector along the Rhine in February. Converted to the M36 beginning in late March. Supported operations against the Ruhr Pocket in April and then took on military government duties. Attached to: 30th, 75th, 83d, 106th Infantry divisions.
773d Tank Destroyer Battalion35
Activated on 15 December 1941 from the 73d Provisional Antitank Battalion, which had been formed from Louisiana and Pennsylvania National Guard units in July. Arrived at Gourock, Scotland, on 7 February 1944. Landed at Utah and Omaha beaches on 8 August equipped with M10s. Caught up with spearheads and saw first real action at Le Bourg St. Leonard beginning 17 August during envelopment of Falaise Pocket. Advanced to Moselle River sector via Paris. Fought at Luneville and the Foret de Parroy. Supported capture of Metz in November. Joined operations against Siegfried Line along the Saar in December, ordered to the Ardennes on 6 January 1945. Fought through Siegfried Line in February. Reached the Rhine at Koblenz on 16 March. Crossed the Rhine 23–24 March at Oppenheim. Helped capture Darmstadt and Frankfurt before driving across Germany to Czechoslovakia beginning 1 April. Cleared Czechoslovak-German border area southward and ended war near Petrovice. Attached to: 6th Armored Division; 79th, 90th, 95th Infantry divisions.
774th Tank Destroyer Battalion36
Activated on 15 December 1941 at Camp Blanding, Florida. Converted to a towed battalion before arriving at Gourock, Scotland, on 12 June 1944. Debarked at Utah Beach on 7 August. Joined fighting around Argentan. Ran eastward across France to Lorraine as part of a cavalry screen and the 7th Armored Division. Participated in fighting around Metz starting in September. Fought along the Saar in December and then joined rush north to the Ardennes. Converted to the M36 in late February 1945. Drove to the Rhine in March. Held Rhine west of the Ruhr Pocket in April, then took on military government duties. Attached to: 7th Armored Division; 5th, 80th, 90th, 94th, 95th Infantry divisions; 43d Cavalry Group.
776th Tank Destroyer Battalion37
On 21 December 1941, a provisional antitank battalion of the 76th Field Artillery Brigade was activated as the 776th Tank Destroyer Battalion. Issued M10s while still in the States. Arrived Casablanca, Morocco, 25 January 1943. Fought in area of Maknassy and Ferryville, Tunisia. Eighteen enlisted men participated in Sicily campaign as radio operators and military police. Debarked vicinity of Cappaci, Italy, beginning 19 September 1943. Main body committed near Rotondi 10 October 1943, where it supported the Volturno River crossing. Supported Rapido River crossing and fought near Cassino and in January–March 1944. Joined breakthrough of Hitler Line May 1944, entered Rome 4 June, and joined drive to Arno River. Transferred to southern France in September–October 1944, during which drew M36s. Moved into line near Luneville on 30 October 1944. Supported French 2d Armored Division advance to Strasbourg in November. Battled German Nordwind offensive around Rimling, France, in January 1945, where claimed first Jagdtiger destroyed on Western front. Attacked Siegfried Line near Omersheim, Germany, and crossed Rhine River near Worms in March 1945. Aided capture of Mannheim, Heidelberg, and Ulm, Germany, and crossed Danube in April 1945. Ended war in Ehrwald, Austria. Attached to: 1st Armored Division; 4th, 34th, 44th, 63d, 85th, 100th Infantry divisions.
801st Tank Destroyer Battalion38
As 101st New York National Guard Antitank Battalion was federalized on 6 January 1941 and redesignated 801st Tank Destroyer Battalion on 15 December. Arrived in England as a towed battalion 11 March 1944. Landed at Utah Beach on 13 June and participated in capture of Cherbourg. Fought at Mortain in early August, reached outskirts of Paris on 25 August. Entered Belgium on 8 September and Germany on 12 September. Supported operations in Hürtgen Forest beginning late November. On the line in Ardennes when German offensive struck on 16 December. Moved to Aachen, Germany, in February 1945. Crossed Roer River on 25 February and reached Rhine south of Düsseldorf. Crossed Rhine near Wessel on 29 March and supported drive to the Ruhr and then east to the Elbe River. Transferred south and supported operations in Harz Mountains in late April. Converted to M18s in late April. Crossed Danube and reached Inn River outside Hitler’s birthplace—Brunnau, Austria—by VE Day. Attached to: 2d, 13th Armored divisions; 2d, 4th, 9th, 83d, 99th Infantry divisions.
802d Tank Destroyer Battalion39
The New York National Guard’s 102d Antitank Battalion was federalized on 13 January 1941 and converted into the 802d Tank Destroyer Battalion on 15 December at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. Disembarked in France on 1 July 1944 as a towed battalion. Entered battle near Carentan on 4 July. Advanced into Brittany in August and supported attack on St. Malo in August. Crossed France and entered Luxembourg on 23 September. Supported operations against Siegfried Line through November. Participated in Battle of the Bulge in Luxembourg in late December. Converted to M36s in February–March 1945. Crossed Rhine River at Wessel on 2 April. Joined elimination of Ruhr Pocket, after which took on occupation duties. Attached to: 4th, 80th, 83d, 95th Infantry divisions.
803d Tank Destroyer Battalion40
Initially activated as the 103d Antitank Battalion on 30 September 1940 from Washington National Guard troops, federalized on 10 February 1941, and redesignated 803d Tank Destroyer Battalion on 12 December 1941. Departed for England on 24 June 1943. Landed at Omaha Beach on 13 June 1944 equipped with M10s. Helped capture St. Lô in July. Raced across northern France in August and passed through Belgium and Holland before reaching the Siegfried Line in September. Supported operations north of Aachen in October, transferred to Hürtgen Forest. Shifted to Ardennes just before German offensive began in December. Committed against Siegfried Line again in early 1945. Converted to the M36 in February. Participated in capture of Trier, crossed Rhine River on 23 March at Oppenheim. Joined elimination of Ruhr Pocket in April, then pivoted and marched southeast through Austria and into Czechoslovakia. Attached to: 82d Airborne Division; 3d Armored Division; 2d, 5th, 8th, 29th, 30th Infantry divisions; 1st Belgian Brigade.
804th Tank Destroyer Battalion41
Converted in January from the 104th Infantry Antitank Battalion, 45th Infantry Division, at Camp San Luis Obispo, California. Arrived Belfast, Ireland, on 17 August 1942 and at Oran, Algeria, on 1 February 1943. Trained French troops on M10s in North Africa; only battalion observers went t
o front. Landed at Naples, Italy, on 8 February 1944, and moved Gustav Line along Garigliano River by 9 March. Entered Rome on 4 June. Carried doughs into Livorno on 18 July. Crossed Arno River in September, then supported attack on Gothic Line through October. Broke into Po River Valley in April 1945, crossed Po River on 27 April. Company C part of column that linked up with U.S. Seventh Army troops in Brenner Pass on 5 May. Attached to: 34th, 85th, 88th, 91st Infantry divisions.
805th Tank Destroyer Battalion42
105th Antitank Battalion redesignated 805th Tank Destroyer Battalion on 15 December 1941. Arrived in England 18 August 1942. Landed at Algiers 17 January 1943. Actions included Kasserine Pass and Gafsa. Converted to towed 3-inch gun battalion in October 1943. Debarked in Italy 28 October 1943 at Bagnoli. Shipped to Anzio beachhead 12 March 1944. Served largely as artillery even after re-equipped with M18s in June–August. TDs were part of advance guard at capture of Bologna and Brenner Pass. Attached to: 34th, 85th, 91st Infantry divisions.
807th Tank Destroyer Battalion43
Activated 1 March 1942 at Camp Cooke, California. Arrived Liverpool, England, on 23 August 1944 and at Utah Beach on 18 September. Fought in Metz sector from September to November. Attacked toward Saarlautern in November and December. Battled German Nordwind offensive in January 1945. Shifted north for offensive to the Rhine in March. Defended Rhine River bridges in April and converted to the M18 in time to join the drive through Bavaria late in the month. Reached vicinity of Salzburg, Austria, in early May. Attached to: 101st Airborne Division; 5th, 30th, 35th, 75th, 83d, 86th, 90th, 95th, 100th Infantry divisions; 3d Cavalry Group.
808th Tank Destroyer Battalion44
Activated 27 March 1942 at Camp Joseph T. Robinson, Arkansas. Reorganized as a towed battalion in May 1943. Disembarked at Utah Beach on 19 September 1944. Entered the line east of the Moselle River six days later, where it remained until transferring to the Ardennes on 21 December. Protected XII Corps flank through January 1945. Converted to the M36 in February. Supported drive to the Rhine in March and the river crossings south of Boppard late in the month. Joined Third Army’s drive through Erfurt, Nürnberg, and south into Bavaria. Advanced to Linz, Austria, in early May. Attached to: 5th, 65th, 76th, 80th Infantry divisions; 2d, 6th Cavalry groups.
809th Tank Destroyer Battalion45
Activated 18 March 1942 at Camp Forrest, Tennessee. Arrived at Liverpool, England, on 8 December 1944 and Le Havre, France, on 20 January 1945 equipped with M18s. Supported Roer River crossing in late February 1945. Crossed the Rhine on 27 March. Supported operations against the Ruhr Pocket in April and converted to the M36 that same month. Helped clear the Harz mountains in late April. Attached to: 8th Armored Division; 79th, 95th Infantry divisions.
811th Tank Destroyer Battalion46
Activated 10 April 1942 at Camp Gordon, Georgia. Arrived at Cherbourg, France, on 15 September 1944 equipped with M18s. Moved to Luxembourg in November and participated in the Battle of the Bulge in December. The battalion was scattered widely and pieces attached to many divisions into January 1945. Supported operations against the Siegfried Line in February and early March. Advanced to the Rhine in late March and crossed river on 30 March. Supported 80th Infantry Division in capture of Kassel and advance to Erfurt and Chemnitz in April. Moved south and crossed Danube River to Regensburg. Entered Austria on 5 May. Attached to: 17th, 101st Airborne divisions; 4th, 9th, 11th Armored divisions; 28th, 78th, 80th, 87th, 89th Infantry divisions; 3d Cavalry Group.
813th Tank Destroyer Battalion47
Activated 15 December 1941 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Arrived in North Africa on 17 January 1943, where it supported British, French, and American troops in Tunisia. Re-equipped with M10s after end of hostilities. The battalion sent six officers and 400 men to Sicily to handle POWs. Two platoons served briefly in southern Italy before battalion sailed to the United Kingdom in November 1943. Disembarked at Utah Beach on 27 June 1944. Joined drive to Le Mans and then north to Alencon at Falaise Gap. Was first armored unit to cross the Seine River. Entered Belgium 2 September 1944. Moved south and fought around the Foret de Parroy in October. Supported advance to Strasbourg in November, where Recon Company actually preceded 2d French Armored Division to within one mile of Rhine. Battled German Nordwind offensive in January 1945, partially re-equipped with M18s after heavy losses. Shifted to Belgium in February, re-equipped again with M36s. Crossed Rhine River 24 March, participated in reduction of Ruhr Pocket. Conducted long roadmarch south to Ulm. Took on military government duties in early May. Attached to: 44th, 79th, 84th Infantry divisions; 106th Cavalry Group.
814th Tank Destroyer Battalion48
Activated by 1 May 1942 at Camp Polk, Louisiana. Arrived at Greenock, Scotland, in February 1944. Landed at Utah Beach beginning 8 August equipped with M10s. Raced across France in August and participated in fighting around Metz in September. Transferred to Peel Marshes in Holland in late September. Began re-equipping with M36s in October, then supported Ninth Army’s drive toward the Roer River in November. Transferred with 7th Armored Division to the Ardennes on 17 December and participated in the defense of St. Vith. Supported operations against the West Wall in February 1945. Crossed the Rhine River at Remagen on 23 March. Helped reduce the Ruhr Pocket in April. Drove east to the Elbe River and crossed, reaching the Baltic coast on 3 May. Attached: 7th Armored Division; 113th Cavalry Group.
817th Tank Destroyer Battalion49
Activated on 1 June 1942 at Camp Chaffee, Arkansas. Converted to a towed battalion in June 1943. Arrived at Greenock, Scotland, on 31 July 1944 and landed at Utah Beach on 25 August. Took up rear-area security duties in France and Belgium. Entered battle in the Hürtgen Forest with the 8th Infantry Division on 9 December. Shifted to Ardennes in February 1945 and then back to Roer River sector to fire as artillery. Participated in advance to Rhine River with the cavalry. Crossed river at Remagen on 15 March—the only towed TD battalion to enter the bridgehead. Began conversion to M18s on 26 March. Joined the 104th Infantry Division at the Ruhr Pocket in April. Two companies joined the drive eastward from Marburg in mid-April, fighting in the Harz Mountains. Helped capture Halle and advanced to the Mulde River, where offensive operations ceased. Attached to: 8th, 9th, 78th, 99th, 104th Infantry divisions; 4th, 14th Cavalry groups.
818th Tank Destroyer Battalion50
Activated on 15 December 1941 at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Arrived in North Ireland on 1 November 1943. Landed in France on D+36 with towed guns. Advanced across France during August and September to the area of Metz. Supported operations along the Saar until December, when transferred to the Ardennes sector. Participated in race across Germany beginning in March 1945. Converted to M36s prior to mid-April. Ended the war in Kienberg, Czechoslovakia. Attached to: 5th, 26th Infantry divisions.
820th Tank Destroyer Battalion51
Activated on 25 June 1942 at Camp Swift, Texas. Arrived Liverpool, England, on 15 October 1944 and at Omaha Beach with towed guns two days later. Moved to the Ardennes sector in early December, where the battalion was deployed with the 106th Infantry Division in the path of the German offensive. Converted to M18s in early 1945. Supported operations in the Ruhr Pocket in April 1945. Crossed Germany to Mesto Touskov area in Czechoslovakia by early May. Attached to: 13th Armored Division; 97th, 106th Infantry divisions.
821st Tank Destroyer Battalion52
Activated on 25 July 1942 at Camp Carson, Colorado. Arrived in England 17 April 1944. Disembarked at Omaha Beach 26 June with towed 3-inch guns. Supported capture of St. Lô and subsequent breakout. Entered Brittany in August, supported capture of Brest by 18 September. Moved east in late September to Holland. Conducted operations against Siegfried Line in October near Aachen, Germany. Transferred to Ubach, Germany, in November and supported drive toward Roer River. Converted to M10s beginning in December. Crossed Roer beginning 23 February 1945. Withdrawn from line during March. Company B supported operations against Ruhr Pocket in April. Battalion then marched east to Elbe River. Took up occupa
tion duties on 27 April. Attached to: 29th, 35th Infantry divisions.
822d Tank Destroyer Battalion53
Activated on 25 July 1942 at Camp Carson, Colorado. Arrived at Le Havre, France, on 23 January 1945 with towed guns. Entered line with 63d Infantry Division near Sarreguemines on 7 February. Crossed Rhine River on 27 March and reached Heidelberg on 1 April. Reorganized as self-propelled battalion in mid-April, although the battalion possessed some M18s by late March. Advanced across Germany, reached Munsterhausen on 27 April, and took up occupation duties. Attached to: 36th, 63d Infantry divisions.
823d Tank Destroyer Battalion54
Activated on 25 July 1942 at Camp Carson, Colorado. Arrived in England in April 1944. Landed at Omaha beach on 24 June with towed 3-inch guns. Supported drive on St. Lô. Fought at Mortain in August. Passed through Belgium and Holland, and entered Germany on 17 September. Fought along Siegfried Line in October, including encirclement of Aachen. Converted to M10s beginning in November. Shifted to the Ardennes in late December and fought to eliminate the Bulge in January 1945. Crossed Roer River on 24 February and Rhine on 24 March. Raced eastward to Elbe River at Magdeburg in April. Began military occupation duties on 21 April. Attached to: 29th, 30th Infantry divisions.