halftrackinfo
painting and paint/ rust removal => painting => Topic started by: 67tank on November 07, 2016, 10:47:25 PM
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Just recently, my old ‘Mike Golf’ (Master Gunner from my tank company command) attended a 4th Armored Division (AD) reunion in New Jersey. The last surviving member, in the greater NY area, from Creighton Abrams 37th Tank BN was there. SFC Tony Wade had the pleasure to spend some time with the old WW2 vet -Harry Feinberg 96 years old. Knowing that I am restoring a halftrack, Tony asked if the old vet had any photos or memories of the halftracks in 4th AD. Of the three Armored Infantry Battalions (AIB) assigned to the 4th AD, the only nickname he could recall was “Hell’s Wench.”
As we restore our military vehicles to their original condition, most of us spend countless painstaking hours attempting to get every single nut and bolt close to factory issue as possible. However, when it comes down to marking the vehicle “historically accurate,” I have seen quite a number of artistic liberties. At the end of the day, owners have spent their own time and money and it’s their project to do with as they see fit. If one wants to paint it bright pink, name it after their dead great, great grandmother’s neighbor’s cat and put the Red Skull’s Hydra logo on the door, who am I to judge? That being said, seeing an Operation Torch camouflage scheme painted on an A1 version, ‘speed numbers’ on anything outside of 2AD/3AD, or nicknames-unit numbers all jacked up, well it drives me nuts – sort of like the Division CSM getting all pissed off at a group of privates walking on his grass. My personal belief is to not only to get the vehicle back to its original condition, but to get the marking’s, camouflage, and paint as close to the original to honor the history of the mounted warriors who came before me.
With that in mind, I did a deep dive researching the history of the Tank and Armored Infantry battalions as well as the Cavalry Groups and Cavalry Recon Squadrons in order to provide the group options for units to honor with your halftrack project or other military vehicle project. I focused on the Armored Divisions and Cav Groups for two reasons: 1. I am a former Armor/Cav officer and am biased to the history of tankers and Cav troopers. 2. According to TO&E 7 dated 15 July 43, the US infantry division had the following vehicles: 18 M3 105mm infantry howitzers, 36 M2 105mm howitzers, 12 M1 155mm howitzers, 5 halftracks, 13 M8 armored cars, 1,371 motor vehicles, and 10 light observation aircraft. With only 5 halftracks in the Division, not really worth digging too deep here.
I am going to break down, as best I can, the units, give some context and some history to help future restorations projects making decision on what units to honor as we keep a piece of history alive.
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First how were the halftracks distributed.
As most know the US Army fielded 16 Armored Divisions to the ETO.
13 Cavalry Groups each with two Cavalry Recon Squadrons (CRS) in the ETO Each CRS had 26 halftracks
Each of the Armored Division had one Cav Recon Battalion/Squadron each of these Cav Recon Squadron/Battalion had 32 halftracks
Each Armored Division had three Armored Infantry Battalion each with 72 halftracks
54 tank battalions in the armored divisions.
48 AIB in the armored divisions
There was a total of sixty-one separate (61) tank battalions on 1 January 1945:
Thirty-one (31) were in the ETO:
The 70th (also served in Tunisia and Sicily as a light tank battalion), 191st (also served in Tunisia and Italy), 701st, 702nd, 707th, 709th, 712th, 735th, 736th, 737th, 738th MX, 739th MX, 740th, 741st, 743rd, 744th Light, 745th, 746th, 747th, 748th, 749th, 750th, 753rd (also served in Sicily and Italy), 756th (also served in Tunisia, Sicily, and Italy as a light tank battalion, reorganized as a medium battalion 15 Dec 43), 759th Light, 761st, 771st, 774th, 778th, 781st, and 784th.
Six more arrived after Jan 45 and all saw combat the 717th, 772nd, 777th, 782nd, 786th, and 787th.
The Army raised an additional 15 independent AIB's However, only a single separate armored infantry battalions (the 526th) saw combat, the remaining fourteen were disbanded or converted to other units. The 526th was assigned to 10th Armored Group (1st Army) and fought at the Battle of the Bulge
Outside of the tank Battalions in the 1-3 AD, the typical tank battalion in 44-45 was (on paper) structured as below.
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The assignment of units in the Armored Division were as follow (I will list 1 AD in a separate post)
Armored
Div Arm Rgt Arm Rgt Arm Inf Rgt Arm FA Bn Arm FA Bn Arm FA Bn Arm Rcn Bn Arm Med Bn Div Sup Bn Ord Main Bn Arm Sig Co Arm Engr Bn
2 66 67 41 14 78 92 82 48 2 2 142 17
3 32 33 36 54 67 391 83 45 3 3 143 23
Div Tk Bn Tk Bn Tk Bn AIB AIB AIB Arm FA Bn Arm FA Bn Arm FA Bn Cav Rcn Sq Arm Med Bn Ord Maint BN Arm Sig Co Arm Eng Bn
4 8 35 37 10 51 53 22 66 94 25 4 126 144 24
5 10 34 81 15 46 47 47 71 95 85 75 127 145 22
6 15 68 69 9 44 50 128 212 231 86 76 128 146 25
7 17 31 40 23 38 48 434 440 489 87 77 129 147 33
8 18 36 80 7 49 58 398 399 405 88 78 130 148 53
9 2 14 19 27 52 60 3 16 73 89 2 131 149 9
10 3 11 21 20 54 61 419 420 423 90 80 132 150 55
11 22 41 42 21 55 63 490 491 492 41 81 133 151 56
12 23 43 714 17 56 66 493 494 495 92 82 134 152 119
13 24 45 46 16 59 67 496 497 498 93 83 135 153 124
14 25 47 48 19 62 68 499 500 501 94 84 136 154 125
16 5 16 26 18 64 69 395 396 397 23 216 137 156 216
20 9 20 27 8 65 70 412 313 414 30 220 138 160 220
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Cavalry Groups were the eyes and ear's of the Army or Corps Commanders. They were regiment sized formations with two Cav Recon Squadrons (CRS). The 13 Cavalry Groups in the ETO were as follows:
2nd Cav Group - 2nd and 42nd CRS
3rd Cav Group - 3rd and 43rd CRS
4th Cav Group - 4th and 44th CRS
6th Cav Group - 6th and 28th CRS
11th Cav Group - 36th and 44th CRS
14th Cav Group - 18th and 32nd CRS
15th Cav Group - 15th and 17th CRS
16th Cav Group - 16th and 19th CRS
101st Cav Group - 101st and 116th CRS
102nd Cav Group - 38th and 102nd CRS
106th Cav Group - 106th and 121st CRS
113th Cav Group - 113th and 125th CRS
115th Cav Group - 104th and 107th CRS
NOTES:
1. The men and equipment from the existing Regular Army Cavalry regiments were sent off to form the newly formed Armored Regiments and Armored Divisions. When the Army created the Cav Groups of 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 11th, 14th, 15th, and 16th they will filled will new recruits and volunteers. The 6th Group was the only active duty Cav regiment that became a Group and kept most of it's personnel. It was by far, Patton's (3rd Army) best Group.
2. Why the Army did not just number the 1st and 2nd squadron for the two CRS in each group as 1 and 2 is beyond me. For example - The 101st Cav Group was formed from the 2 existing squadrons of the 101st Cavalry Regiment, New York Army National Guard. 1st Squadron became 101st CRS and 2nd Squadron became 116th CRS.....
Photo is the 101st Cav Group, end of the war, Bavaria.
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ARMOR REGIMENTS Motto's and nicknames
Only six armored regiments - the 1st and 13th (1st AD) 32nd and 33rd (3rd AD) 66th and 67th (2nd AD) - were the only armored units to have ever been deployed in full regimental formation (during World War II.) All other armor units were deployed at the battalion level. In 1946, the remaining 4 armored regiments were broken up to form separate tank battalions.
Coming full circle - In 1957 the Army restructured the Tank Battalions and created the Combat Arms Regimental System. Over the next couple of years, the separate tank battalions were either re-organized into the regimental system or inactivated or disbanded. The Army would tweak that again in 1987 to the United States Army Regimental System. The Armored Regiments that survived coninued on thru Vietnam/Cold War/Desert Storm and those tankers that served on the Patton series of tanks and the M1 carried on the history and traditions of the WW2 and Korea units. Based on the needs of the Army during the past 60-70 years, various battalions would be activated/ de-activated or re-flagged.....I asked my fellow tanker brothers over on USABOT to see if they could recall the Battalion's nickname/call sign over the years and we came up with the following so far ( I will modify this as they keep sending me info) I included the regimental motto which never changes. 67th Armor is the only regiment that does not have an official motto but I was told that unofficially they adopted Death and Destruction (in Latin)
32nd Armor "Victory or Death"
1st Bn "Bandits"
2nd Bn "Outlaws"
3rd Bn "Iron Dukes"
4th Bn "Red Lions"
5th Bn "Gators"
33rd Armor "Men of War"
1st "First Men of War"
2nd Bn "Tigers"
3rd Bn "Pickles"
34th Armor "Fear God, Dreadnaught"
1st Bn "Dreadnaught"
2nd Bn "Dreadnaught"
3rd Bn "Centurions"
35th Armor "Vincere Vel Mori"
1st Bn "Iron Knights"
2nd Bn
3rd Bn
4th Bn "Louisiana Speed Bumps" (unoff.)
37th Armor "Courage Conquers"
1st Bn "Courage Conquers" or "Dragon" or "Bandits"
2nd Bn "Abrams Standards" or "Iron Dukes" or "Dragon"
3rd Bn "Dauntless"
4th Bn " Point of the Spearhead" or "Thunder"
40th Armor "By Force and Valor"
1st Bn
2nd Bn
3rd Bn
4th Bn
5th Bn
6th Bn
7th Bn
8th Bn "Desert Dragons"
63rd Armor "Seek, Strike, and Destroy"
1st Bn "Strike" or "Fighting Steel"
2nd Bn
3rd Bn "Seek, Strike, and Destroy"
4th Bn
64th Armor "We Pierce"
1st Bn "Ram" or "Desert Rogues"
2nd Bn "Rogue"
3rd Bn "Rampage" or "Armor Rampage"
4th Bn "Tuskers"
66th Armor "Semper in Hostes"
1st Bn "Iron Knights"
2nd Bn "Iron Knights"
3rd Bn "Burt's Knights"
67th Armor
1st Bn "Death Dealers"
2nd Bn "Iron Dukes"
3rd Bn "Hounds of Hell"
4th Bn "Bandits"
68th Armor "Ventre a Terre"
1st Bn "Silver Lions"
2nd Bn "Silver Lions"
3rd Bn "Pacesetters"
4th Bn
5th Bn "Gray Lions"
6th Bn "Rolling Thunder"
69th Armor "Vitesse Et Puissance"
1st Bn "Panthers"
2nd Bn "Speed and Power"
3rd Bn "Speed and Power"
4th Bn
70th Armor "Strike Swiftly"
1st Bn "Thunderbolts" or "Cobras"
2nd Bn "Iron Tigers" or "Death Dealers" (79-82) or "Thunderbolts"
3rd Bn
4th Bn "Black Lions"
72nd Armor "Crusaders"
1st Bn "1st Tank"
2nd Bn "2nd Tank" or "Dragon Force"
73rd Amor "Honor, Fidelity, Courage"
1st Bn "Bunker Busters"
2nd Bn
3rd Bn
77th Armor "Insiste Firmter"
1st Bn "Steel Tigers" or "Blackhawks"
2nd Bn "Iron Tigers"
3rd Bn "Louisiana Tigers" or "Silver Knights"
5th Bn "Pacesetters" or "Steel Tigers"
81st Armor "Supero Omnia"
1st Bn "Red Lions"
2nd Bn "Red Lions"
3rd Bn
Photo: Colonel P.A Disney, Directing the 67th Armored Regiment over the radio near Barenton France.
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Cavalry Regiments Motto's and nicknames
The regular army had 17 traditional horse Cav regiments before the start of WW1. 1-17th. The 15th, 16th and 17th were deactivated in 1921. in 1940-41 several of the existing Cav regiments would be redesignated as armored regiments. The 1st Cav regiment became the 1st Armored Regiment, and the 13th Cav regiment became the 13th Armored Regiment (both assigned to the 1st AD). All battle honors and lineage staying with these two units. The 2nd and 3rd Cav Regiments became the 2nd and 3rd Armored regiments which would then be become the 32nd and 33rd Armored Regiments (3rd AD) when the 2nd and 3rd Cav Groups were created. Battle Honors and lineage staying with the Cav Group, but the personnel (and the militray experience) staying with the armored regiments. That was the case for 4th, 6th, 11th, 14th, 15th, 16th.
The 5th, 7th, 8th and 12th regiments were assigned to the 1st Cav Division and would all fight dismounted in the Pacific. 17th Cav remained deactivated until Vietnam and the 9th and 10th Cav (Buffalo Soldiers) remained stateside during WW2.
1st Cav Rgt Motto "Animo Et Fide" nickname"First Regiment of Dragoons"
1st SQD "Blackhawks"
2nd SQD
3rd SQD
4th SQD
2nd Cav Rgt Motto "Toujours Pret" nickname "2nd Dragoons"
1st SQD "War Eagles"
2nd SQD "Cougars"
3rd SQD "Wolfpack"
4th SQD "Saber"
3rd Cav Rgt Motto "Blood and Steel" nickname "Brave Rifles"
1st SQD "Tiger"
2nd SQD "Saber"
3rd SQD "Thunder"
4th SQD "Longknife"
4th Cav Rgt Motto "Prepared and Loyal"
1st SQD "Quarter horse"
2nd SQD "Mackenzie's Raiders"
3rd SQD "Three Quarter Horse"
4th SQD
NOTE: A buddy over on USABOT provided the following: "I checked with from Cpt Robert Buckalew, former CO of B troop 2/4 Cav 4th Armored. He gave me the following:
2/4 was Mackenzie's Raiders. Came from raid into Mexico chasing Apaches by regiment led by COL Ranald Mackenzie. Had been in Civil War. Was from Morristown NJ. Was found to be insane at the end of his career and put into a sanitarium in Brooklyn. Modern think is he suffered from PTSD. The raid was sometime well over 100 miles with no casualties establishing a record for cavalry raids never matched. He is a legend in Texas and the subject of a number of books. Also famous in Texas for fighting Cheyennes. Was pretty ruthless in his battles with Indians. Would probably not be PC by any stretch today to refer to the regiment or squadron as Mackenzie's Raiders, but it served us well in the mid '60s in Germany... short answer: Mackenzie's Raiders."
5th Cav Rgt Motto "Loyalty, Courage" nickname "Black Knights"
1st SQD "Black Knights"
2nd SQD "Lancers"
3rd SQD
6th Cav Rgt Motto "Ducit Amor Patriae" nickname "Fighting Sixth"
1st SQD
2nd SQD
3rd SQD
7th Cav Rgt motto "The Seventh First" nickname "Garry Owen"
1st SQD "Garry Owen"
2nd SQD "Ghost"
3rd SQD
4th SQD
8th Cav Rgt motto " Honor and Courage"
1st SQD "Mustangs"
2nd SQD "Stallions"
3rd SQD "Warhorse"
9th Cav Rgt Motto "We can, We Will" nickname "Buffalo Soldiers"
1st SQD "Headhunters"
2nd SQD "Hunters"
3rd SQD
4th SQD "Darkhorse"
5th SQD
6th SQD "Saber"
10th Cav Rgt Motto "Ready and Forward" nickname "Buffalo Soldiers"
1st SQD
2nd SQD
3rd SQD
4th SQD
11th Cav Rgt motto "Alons" nickname "Blackhorse"
1st SQD "Ironhorse"
2nd SQD "Eaglehorse"
3rd SQD "Workhorse"
4th SQD "Thunderhorse"
12th Cav Rgt motto "Semper Paratus"
1st SQD "Chargers"
2nd SQD "Thunderhorse"
3rd SQD
13th Cav Regiment motto "it Shall Be Done" nickname "13th Horse"
1st SQD "Dakota"
2nd SQD
3rd SQD
14th Cav Regiment motto "Suivez Moi"
1st SQD
2nd SQD
3rd SQD
15th Cav Regiment motto "All for One, One for All"
1st SQD
2nd SQD
3rd SQD
16th Cav Regiment motto "Strike Hard"
1st SQD
2nd SQD
3rd SQD
17th Cav Regiment motto "Forward"
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Pat,
I for one thank you for the attention to detail. My father served in both the 2nd and 3rd Cav regiments. 1952-1955. He was very proud of his connection to the cavalry. My great-uncle was a T5 in the 153rd Armored Signal. He passed on prior to my birth. I did enjoy speaking with his Captain. He said "Dobbs" always kept the track ready.
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Pat,
First off....wow! That is pretty detailed information. I know it was a personal project, but thanks for educating the rest of us.
Second...now to make a decision. The motto of the 35th Armor is the same as my family clan (McNeil) from Scotland - "Vincere Vel Mori". And, the nickname of the 2nd CAV, 1st Squad is "War Eagle", the same as battle cry of my alma mater - Auburn University! Pretty cool stuff!
-Tom
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Thanks Tom and Kevin. Too funny that your (Tom's) Scottish clan motto is the same as 35th Armor "To Conquer or Die". Highlander could be a perfect name for a 35th Armor HQ track. That ties your family history and honors the regiment at the same time.
Kevin did you know the William "Wild Bill" Cody was awarded the Medal of Honor in the 3rd Cav Regimnet?
I have a lot more coming. Still digging thru some books and trying to make sense of all the Army changes and reorganizations.
In the meantime here are a few suggestions for the non combat arms units. Pretty standard call signs, mostly rooted in the old Cav traditions
Engineers
17th Combat Engineers, "John Henry" battalion. I am assuming because of the John Cash song?
Otherwise you mostly see "Pioneer" or "Trailblazers" for call signs and nicknames
Division Support Battalion
Pretty much traditional call sign and nickname of any Support BN or Support Squadron is "Muleskinners"
Artillery.
2AD artillery. "Hells Fires"
2nd Cav regiments Artillery Squadron "Artillery Hell"
Maintenance
"Blacksmiths"
Supply
"Packhorse"
Medic
"Scalpels"
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A lot of great information, thanks for putting it all together. This will help when its time to id mine as I would like to get it right.
Gary
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Thanks for all of this great information Pat. It must've taken a lot of time to compile it all and it's very much appreciated.
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Thanks all -
I am doing a little research for a friend who had a relative killed while serving in the 15th Tank Battalion, 6th Armored Div (ETO). As i looked up some images I came across these photos. Unit specific markings for the 15th Tank Bn "Wolfpack" They painted that specific armored insignia on all Battalion vehicles.
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The general convention is that nicknames for combat vehicles start with he letter of the company. Rich Mintz's father served on a halftrack in the 20th AD in the ETO and he pointed me over to a 20th AD Association site on Facebook where I learned something new about nicknames. Now I don't know if this was just a 20th AD SOP or something that impacted other units.....Listed below are some Halftrack names from the war.
From the 20th AD Association
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
As the 20th Armored Division moved through training in 1943 – ’44 at Camp Campbell, KY, as was standard for many WWII units, its armored crews dubbed their vehicles beginning with the letter of their Company. For example, Tanks of Company “A,” sported names as Alice, Aloha, Akron, Anton, Augusta, and so forth.
On arrival in the ETO, however, Orders must have been modified. Presumably to prevent identification by the enemy, Battalions must've been assigned new letters with which to start their vehicle’s names:
9th Tank Battalion = "N"
As the 9th Tank Battalion switched to names beginning with “N,” 1LT Harry Swofford’s (father of founding Group Member, Don Swofford, and Executive Officer of A CO.) Sherman tank, “Aggressor,” was re-named “Never Miss.” Sister tanks became “Nebraska,” "Nile," “Night Prowler,” "Nuff Said," "Nervous In The Service," and more. Charles Keith's tank, grandfather of Group Member, David Stranglein, became "Night and Day." And, Group Member, Doug Reeves, contributes a photo of his Dad, SGT George Reeves, in front of Command halftrack, "Nuts 'n Bolts."
27th Tank Battalion = "P"
Appears that in the ETO, the 27th Tank Battalion, adopted "P" as its starting letter. Documented is an eventful crossing of the Danube River on 26 April '45, by Sherman tanks "Pawnee," and "Pinto." Group Member, Don Campbell's dad's tank, in A CO. (1st Platoon) of the 27th, changed names from "Anton," to "Pla-Mor."
8th AIB = "S"
Among the Division’s Infantry Battalions, armored halftracks of 1st Platoon, B CO., 8th AIB, in which future “Peanuts” creator, S/SGT Charles M. “Sparky” Schulz served, switched to “S” names: "Snowballs N All," "Salty Baldy," “Surprise!,” and, yes, Schulz’ own “Sparky,” among them. Group Member, Mike Pistone 's Dad, B CO. Company mate (and Group Observer), Pfc John L. Pistone's, halftrack was dubbed "See Minn." Group Member, S/SGT Frank Muhly's halftrack, in the 8th's A CO. was renamed after Boston's "Scollay Square." And, HQ Squad of the 8th's C CO re-dubbed their halftrack “Satan’s Saints.”
65th AIB = "T"
My dad’s halftrack in (2nd Platoon, B CO.), 65th AIB, was named “Tag Along.” I just recently discovered that nearby ‘tracks also shared the letter T. In the same Platoon, for example, Group Member, Mike Konkol’s, dad’s halftrack was dubbed “Toots.” Additionally, Group Member, Jim Fitch’s, Decorated dad’s halftrack (C CO of the 65th) was dubbed “Tracer.” Group Member, John Schmidt's dad's (Marion, in HQ CO.) halftrack, named for John's mom, was "To Ruth." Group Member, Marissa Martinez, adds photos of her dad, Lupe (1st Platoon, A CO.), with halftracks, "Theresa" and "Til Then." And, brand new Group Member, Mary Ann Dahlquist-Downs adds a photo of father, SGT Henry Dahlquist and mates (in HQ CO.) adjacent halftrack, "True Blue."
1st Photo 4th Squad, 2nd Platoon, B CO, 65th AIB -- and their halftrack, "Tag Along."
2nd Photo HQ Squad, C CO., 8th AIB, with their hafltrack, "Satan's Saints."
3rd photo Halftrack, "Salty Baldy," platoon mate of S/SGT Charles M. Schulz's 'track, "Sparky."
4th photo S/SGT Louis Konkol (2nd Platoon, B CO, 65th AIB), and his halftrack, "Toots."
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Now that is some great INTEL. Well done recon!
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In the Army we were in C Battery 5/8 FAR 101st Airborne and our howitzer was named Cochise since we were in C Battery. All the battery's guns started with C and the name was painted on the end of the gun tube.
Chuck
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Hey Pat,
So I think I'm taking your suggestion and going with 4th Armored, 35th Tank Battalion. BUT, I have a couple of questions:
1) What is the symbol for a Tank Battalion? Is it the same as an Armored Regiment (Δ), or is it something different? I don't see it listed in the AR 850-5, but mine is dated 1942 so maybe that's before the formation of Tank Battalions?
2) What's up with the 6-HQ-6 on your halftrack? Reading the aforementioned AR 850-5, it makes mention of the "HQ" succeeded by the vehicle number (i.e. "6" for sixth vehicle), but I can't figure out the preceding "6".
-Also, when counting vehicles, I'm assuming it is the total vehicles in the HQ element? Referencing your second post, there are 4 jeeps, 2 halftracks and 2 tanks in the battalion HQ. Is there a precedence of the order those vehicles would be assigned, or can I choose a random number from 1 to 8?
Thanks, Tom
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Tom
To the best of my knowledge:
1. Yes. The triangle is the symbol for Armor. Division. Regiment. Battalion
2. Its 3 HQ 6 on mine. 3rd battalion. HQ. 6th vehicle. Because the 67th stayed as a regiment under the “Heavy” Armored Division structure I have seen a couple of photos with the Bn designation in front (see photo of a 3rd Bn track going ashore in Sicily). That way to tell differ nice bewtween the Regiment, 1st, 2nd and 3rd BN HQs. 4th Armored Division went to the “light” structure and only had the separate Tank BN ie 8th BN, 35th BN, and 37th BN and therefore no need to separate the HQs.
3. That is a great question and I have asked a lot of folks and never quite got the same answer. Some modelers shared with me some photos of Halftracks in HQ from 2AD with numbers of either 6 or 7. I haven’t seen anything else so I chose 6. I know the manual calls for the “order of March” but no idea what that means for ‘43-45. Tanks 1 and 2?? Jeeps 3, 4, and 5 and then 8 with the HT 6 and 7??? Was it different per Division or Corp SOP? Every time you think you know there’s another photo that challenges the convention.
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Yes, 3-HQ-6.... not sure what I was thinking (or typing).
Thanks for the explanation...that makes sense.
So I would be looking at something like: 4Δ 35Δ HQ-2 (or some other number following the HQ)
-Tom
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Tom. That’s correct. But look what I found on Facebook colorisied photos. HQ 8.
Notice the markings on the side.
A company of M3A1 Half Tracks of the US 4th Armored Division, passing through the liberated town of Avranches, Normandy. August 1944
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And then there’s this: Notice the location of the POM stencil
A unit of the US 25th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron (Mechanized), 4th Armored Division moves through the village of Le Repas, commune de Folligny (Manche), in Normandy on July 31, 1944.
Up front are two M8 Greyhounds and behind them, a M3A1 Halftrack and Jeeps.
The wreck on the left is an Opel Blitz from the 9./(Flak) SS-Panzer-Regiment 2, 2./SS-Panzer-Division "Das Reich"
(Photo source - US Army Signal Corps)
(Colourised by Richard James Molloy)
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Thank you for sharing your information and pictures Pat!
And what a treasure of information btw! In my opinion this kind of information becomes priceless as times goes by and memories fade away.
Thanks for putting so much time and effort in this post!
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Tom. That’s correct. But look what I found on Facebook colorisied photos. HQ 8.
Notice the markings on the side.
Interesting Pat....very similar to this pic (below) of a 50th Armored Infantry Battalion M3A1 during the Battle of the Bulge.
https://goo.gl/images/p4JYAg
I wonder if the triangle on the pic you posted is solid white like the circle, or if there are any other markings inside of it? I've searched the web but haven't found any other examples....yet.
Also, I ran across this site that, while tank specific, gives some insight into the additional markings on their Shermans:
http://www.6tharmoreddivision.com/index.php?p=articles
"The 6th Armored Division had three Tank Battalions: the 15th, the 68th and the 69th. Each battalion had its own insignia.
Because the 15th was known as the Wolf Pack, it had a wolf's head over an armored triangle as the battalion insignia. In some black and white photos the marking appears as a wolf head on a simple white square. Sometimes the painting wasn't even finished before the vehicle was sent into action.
Some veterans also mentioned it made them nervous to go into action with a big white target painted on their tanks.
The 69th had a Panther inside the hull stars as its battalion insignia. Apparently it is rather rare to see a 69th tank with the insignia painted on as it has only been seen on some light tanks from D Company and a couple of howitzers from HQ Company.
The 68th use two types of insignia: a "Fighting Turtle", the Disney character Toby Tortoise and a white triangle. The white triangle was by far the most used although the turtle has been seen in some photos.
Next to the battalion insignias, the tanks would also have a hull number. The tanks were numbered as follows:
HQ Company: 11 - 19
A Company: 21 - 38
B Company: 41 - 58
C Company: 61 - 78
D Company: 81 - 98"
-Tom
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Here's another pic, borrowed from the site that Rob just posted up, depicting a triangle forward of the national symbol, with the vehicle number aft:
-Tom
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First Thanks Tom for the awesome photos and information
I found a post on a FB "We are the Mighty" describing markings on helmets for the 101 Airborne. It might be that the 4th Armored and other AD's used a similar marking system?
"The practice of painting the symbol onto a helmet was created in England just before the Normandy Invasion. The purpose was that when a soldier jumped or glided into Normandy and got separated from a larger portion of the unit, the easily identifiable symbol would easily mark a soldier as being apart of a specific regiment and a small dash at the 12, 3, 6, or 9 o’clock position specified the battalion.
Spades were designated for the 506th Infantry Regiment, Hearts for the 502nd, Diamonds for the 501st, and clubs for the 327th Glider Infantry. The ‘tic’ marks went from 12 o’clock meaning HQ or HQ company, 3 o’clock being 1st battalion, 6 o’clock being 2nd, and 9 o’clock being 3rd battalion."
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Every division has a SOP for "Tac Signs" (term we used int he 80-90's) for marking maneuver battalions. in WW2 2AD called them 'Speed Numbers'. This allows the maneuver units to distinguish between battalions and brigades in the 'fog of war'
MODERN EXAMPLE
In the 90's my battalion was assigned to 3rd Brigade, 1st Cav Division for a couple of years and we used a simple two digit numbering system. The first number indicated the battalion and the second number the company. Then an arrow indicated platoon.
See photo 1. From left to right tank from 1st, 2nd and 3rd platoon, Charlie Company, 3-67 Armor Bn, 3rd Bde
The number 8 indicated 8th Battalion.
1,2, 3 battalions were in 1st Brigade, 4,5,6 battalions in 2nd Brigade, 7,8,9 battalions in 3rd Brigade
The number 3 indicated Charlie Compnay
0 would be Hq and HQ company, 1 would be Alpha, 2 would be Bravo, 3, Charlie, and 4 Delta
An up arrow is 1st platoon, a right facing arrow is 2nd platoon, and a down arrow is 3rd platoon. No arrow would be HQ section
After two years we were re-assigned to 2nd Bde, 2nd Armored Division and our Tac sign changed to a 4 digit number.
See photo 2. In this case 6365
6 for 6th Bn (2nd Bde)
3 for 3rd company (Charlie)
and 65 for the Company XO's tank
Photo 3 #5136
5th Battalion (also 2nd BDE) our sister battalion 1/67 Armor
1st Company ie Alpha
36 Platoon Leader 3rd Platoon.
Make sense? So there has to be Division SOP for the circle, triangle markings that Tom has shown above - I will ask a friend to check with the 4th AD Association at the next reunion.....
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So, Photo 3, tanks do get stuck? ;D.
Thanks for the info, I have been following this thread closely. A lot of great info.
Gary
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Steve A reached out to me because he is interested in marking up his halftrack with the 70th Infantry Division (Trailblazers) which is affiliated to his home state of Oregon. As I have previously stated, the 'straight leg' Infantry Divisions were only issued 5 halftracks for the organic units (this does not apply to specialized Infantry Divisions aka Airborne and Mountain Divisions). So I did some research and it appears that all five halftracks in an Infantry Division were located in the organic Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop (Mechanized)
After a little checking, it appears that in WW2 the Cav Recon Troop is numbered the same as the Infantry division it was assigned - so the 28th Inf Div (Bloody Bucket) would have the 28th Cav Recon Troop, the 70th Inf Div would have 70th Cav Recon Troop, 80th Inf Div(Blue Ridge) would have had 80th Recon Troop and so on.
The 70th Infantry Div Association has a great layout of how the Recon Troop was organized(the actual TO&E) http://www.trailblazersww2.org/units_organization.htm
Let's use the 28th Division as an example - A halftrack assigned to the 28th Recon Troop would have bumper numbers
28-X and 28R-# (# being the vehicles number based on the order of march)
28 for the 28th Infantry Division
X for a special company of the Div
28R for 28th recon troop
Then you need to decide on a number- the Recon Troop had a HQ platoon and 3 scout platoons. The Halftracks were in the HQ platoon. Trailers counted as a vehicle so if the TO&E is correct, there are 22 vehicles in the HQ platoon. So the correct number would be somewhere between 1 and 22. I have yet to see a reference photo - anyone have information to the contrary?
HQ Platoon:
Command section
3 M8’s
4 jeeps
Admin section
3 HTs each with trailers
1 2 1/2 ton with trailer
1 Jeep
Maintenance section
M8
2 HT with trailers
1 2 1/2 ton with trailer
1 Jeep
Note: For the US Army Troop, Battery and Company are equivalent size units. Cavalry uses Troop, Artillery uses Battery, and Infantry/Armor/Engineers use Company
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Finally got access to the veterans 4th AD Facebook page and they have some great photos. Here is a some tracks of the 53rd AIB of CCR, 4th AD during Operation Cobra.
Of the three MOH awarded to members of the 4th AD, one of them was from this unit. He was awarded the MOH for actions on Christmas Day during the relief of Bastogne.
Found this online about his actions:
On Christmas Day, CCR and headed toward Neufchâteau. On their way, CCR fought many small skirmishes at places like Vaux-lez-Rosières, Petite Rosières, Cobreville, Remoiville and Remichampagne. From there on the 26th, CCR sent divided task forces into different areas. “C team”, made up of C co./37th TB and C co./53rd AIB headed toward Assenois. Unlike the small villages they fought in over the last 48 hours, Assenois was heavily defended by eight anti-tank gun positions, paratroopers from the 5th FJ Division and soldiers from General Kokott’s 26th Volksgrenadier Division. The American units called for a heavy artillery barrage on the town. Lieutenant Boggess, the commander of "Cobra King”, the lead tank, raced into town firing his machine guns and cannon wildly. The Germans managed to escape the barrage and came into the fight as elements of C Team sped through town. A huge close quarter battle ensued with many hand-to-hand fights in the streets erupting where the armored infantrymen had to dismount and battle the Germans. One member of C/53, Private James Hendrix, managed to single handedly knock out two 88mm guns. He returned to his squad to fight again and saw a half-track that was hit and had injured men spread around the vehicle. He managed to leave his half-track to give aid to the wounded men and take out a machine gun crew that had inflicted additional casualties. But that was not it for him… he also witnessed another half-track take hits and erupt in flames. He heard the screams of a wounded man in the track and pulled him to safety. That soldier unfortunately died later from his wounds. 19 year old James Hendrix was later awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions that day. As the fight for Assenois continued, Lieutenant Boggess opened up the distance between his M4A3E2 and the rest of his team heading down the road out of town. He never stopped when elements of his team were damaged due to mines in the road. He advanced further with 2 other Shermans blasting their way through the forest on either side of the road. They came upon a pillbox and blasted it several times. From the woods emerged several figures and Lieutenant Boggess called out to them informing them who he was. One soldier made their way towards “Cobra King” and said “I’m Lieutenant Webster of the 326th Engineers, 101st Airborne. The 4th had made it to Bastogne.
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Thanks for posting this Pat. Just reading it gives me goosebumps. I'm a candy-ass compared to those guys.
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IMO Armored Infantry and the M36 Jackson are the 2 most underappreciated elements of WW2.
Great pics! Thanks Pat
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12th Armored Division Markings
There is a great wartime video with halftracks from the 12th AD rolling into Dillingen posted today on Facebook under the "White Half Track Enthusiasts" group site. The tracks have unique tactical markings - One of the site's members posted the following about the 12 AD's marking system.
"The 'Tombstone' is a unit marking for 12th Armored Division. I am some way towards sorting out which sign means what, The Tank Battalions have a 'Chevron'. The Armored infantry have a 'Cross'. Armored Engineers have a 'line'. Field Artillery use the 'Tombstone' (a stylised shell?) and Reconnaissance a 'Diamond'. Depending on the orientation of the sign tells you exactly what unit it is. The Circles and Squares accompanying the main sign tells you which company (and platoon?)."
Thought I would share here and see if anyone has seen something similar with regard to the 12th AD units.
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12th Armored Division Markings
There is a great wartime video with halftracks from the 12th AD rolling into Dillingen posted today on Facebook under the "White Half Track Enthusiasts" group site. The tracks have unique tactical markings - One of the site's members posted the following about the 12 AD's marking system.
"The 'Tombstone' is a unit marking for 12th Armored Division. I am some way towards sorting out which sign means what, The Tank Battalions have a 'Chevron'. The Armored infantry have a 'Cross'. Armored Engineers have a 'line'. Field Artillery use the 'Tombstone' (a stylised shell?) and Reconnaissance a 'Diamond'. Depending on the orientation of the sign tells you exactly what unit it is. The Circles and Squares accompanying the main sign tells you which company (and platoon?)."
Thought I would share here and see if anyone has seen something similar with regard to the 12th AD units.
So this is a suntanning halftrack? ;D