Nicknames, markings and Unit designations

[67tank]

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. 

[67tank]

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. 

[67tank]

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
 

[67tank]

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.

[67tank]

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. 

[67tank]

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"

[col.halftrack]

 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.

[Tapper02]

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

[67tank]

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"

[yd328]

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

[8683jb]

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.

[67tank]

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. 

[67tank]

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."

[col.halftrack]

Now that is some great INTEL. Well done recon!

[ida34]

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