Activated on 26 June 1943 at Camp Hood, Texas, as one of several battalions with black enlisted personnel and mostly white officers. Converted to a towed battalion on 14 July. Disembarked at Le Havre, France, on 21 January 1945, then re-embarked at Marseilles on 1 March for transfer to Italy. Entered the line in IV Corps sector on 17 March. Supported assault on La Spezia in April and advanced to Genoa by early May. Attached to: 92d Infantry Division.
Activated on 15 December 1941 at Fort Bliss, Texas. Entered combat in September 1944 in Lorraine equipped with towed guns. Transferred to Ardennes sector in December. Shifted south again and joined operations in the Saar region in February and March 1945. Converted to the M36 beginning late that month. Advanced across Germany and reached Limbach on 24 April, where action all but ceased. Attached to: 17th Airborne Division; 6th Armored Division; 5th, 26th, 35th, 44th, 65th, 76th, 80th, 87th Infantry divisions; 2d Cavalry Group.
Activated on 10 April 1942 at Camp Gordon, Georgia. Converted to a towed battalion in March 1944. Arrived at Cherbourg, France, on 23 September 1944. Entered the line near Wustwezel, Belgium, circa 28 October. Fought along the Siegfried Line in the vicinity of Stolberg beginning in November. Occupied defensive positions along the Roer River during the Battle of the Bulge. Converted to the M36 in February 1945, supported the drive from the Roer to the Rhine River in late February and early March, and helped capture Cologne. After clearing more Siegfried Line fortifications, crossed the Rhine at Worms on 31 March. Raced across Germany in April and participated in the capture of Furth. Advanced to Munich by 30 April. Attached to: 42d, 63d, 104th Infantry divisions.
Activated on 15 December 1941 at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Attached to 1st Armored Division, which had provided most of cadre personnel. Arrived at Belfast, Northern Ireland, on 11 June 1942. Companies B and C and one platoon of Recon Company participated in Operation Torch landings 8 November near Oran. Advanced toward Tunisia beginning 16 November. Rest of battalion reached North Africa on 10 December. Actions in Tunisia, usually attached to the 1st Armored or 1st Infantry Division, included El Guettar, Faid Pass, Sidi Bou Zid, Sbeitla, Hill 609, and Mateur. Shipped to Italy in October 1943 and entered the line in the Pagnataro area. TDs operated largely as artillery. For much of early 1944, the battalion was attached to II or VI Corps in Cassino sector. Shipped to Anzio beachhead in February 1944. Supported 1st Armored Division during breakout in late May, entered Rome on 4 June. Pushed north to the Arno River, crossed river on 1 September, and reached Florence area. Spent winter training and firing artillery missions. Supported 10th Mountain Division drive into the Po River valley in April 1945. Entered Verona on 26 April. Attached to: 1st Armored Division; 1st, 3d, 9th, 34th, 45th, 88th, 92d Infantry divisions; 10th Mountain Division; British 78th Infantry Division; Brazilian Expeditionary Force.
The “Seven O Deuce” was activated 15 December 1941 at Fort Benning, Georgia. Equipped with T70s (M18s) before shipping to the United Kingdom, where the battalion arrived on 25 February 1944 only to be issued M10s. Landed at Omaha Beach on 11 June. Entered line at Livry on 2 July. Formed part of 2d Armored Division’s spearhead during Cobra breakout in late July. Fought at Mortain, established first contact with Canadians during encirclement of Falaise Pocket. Entered Belgium on 5 September and crossed German border near Gangelt. Fought against Siegfried Line along Wurm River in October and November. Re-equipped with M36s in late November. Supported drive on Roer River. Moved to Ardennes in December. Crossed Roer River on 28 February 1945 and Rhine on 28 March. Participated in encirclement of Ruhr Pocket, reached Weser River on 4 April. Reached Elbe River near Magdeburg, after which took on occupation duties. Attached to: 2d Armored Division.
Activated on 15 December at Camp Polk, Louisiana. Landed in France on 1 July 1944. Saw first action near Hautes Vents on 13 July. Participated in Cobra breakout at end of month. Held in reserve during Mortain battle in August. Crossed the River Seine on 26 August, reached the Siegfried Line in the vicinity of Eschweiler, Germany, by 12 September. First battalion converted to M36s beginning 30 September. Fought along West Wall until mid- December, when transferred to Ardennes after launch of German offensive. Fought to reduce the Bulge in January 1945 and joined drive to Cologne in February and early March. Crossed Rhine River on 23 March near Honnef and participated in envelopment of the Ruhr. Slashed east to stop line at Dessau by 14 April. Attached to: 82d Airborne Division; 3d Armored Division; 1st Infantry Division.
Activated on 15 December 1941 at Camp Pine, New York. Arrived in the United Kingdom by April 1944. First battalion in the ETO to receive M18s, which occurred in May. Landed at Utah Beach on 13 July. Participated in Cobra breakout at end of month, advanced into Brittany. Raced east across France, passing north of Orleans, and crossed the Moselle River to Luneville in early September and remained in the general area through October. Fought in Morhange region in November and crossed the Saar River by month’s end. Deployed to Ardennes on 19 December. Fought around Bastogne in January 1945, then moved back south. Advanced into Germany near Sinz in February, fighting through Siegfried Line and into the Saar-Moselle triangle. Supported drive to Bitburg in March and reached Rhine by mid-month. Crossed the river on 24 March at Nierstein. Roared east to Gotha by 4 April, passed through Harz Mountains to Bayreuth in late April. Entered Czechoslovakia at Volyne on 6 May. Attached to: 101st Airborne Division; 4th Armored Division; 26th, 87th, 94th Infantry divisions; 6th Cavalry Group.
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.
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 Wurm 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.
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.
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.
