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Welcome to the Home of the 32d Armor Regiment."Victory or Death""World War II, Cold War, Desert Storm"
BLAZONRY 32ND ARMORED REGIMENT The raguly of the insignia is symbolic of the striking fire-power of an armored regiment-the yellow background indicating the cavalry branch of the service.
Updated April 3, 2007 I'd like to introduce myself, my name is Don Mays and I'm a former member of the 1st Battalion, 32d Armor Regiment "BANDITS" from 1973-1976 and was assigned to Ray Barracks in Friedberg, Germany. As of April 1st, 2007, I've assumed the duties of web page master from Paul A. Smith for the 32d Armor page. I'd like to express my thanks to Paul (also a former "BANDIT") for his past service as the 32d Armor web master master for the association and hope that I can do justice to the 32d Armor Regiment veterans.
Please bear with me as I learn the ins and outs of being a web page master, thank you for your support.
If you've got new data to add to the website please email me at
Don.Mays@comcast.net (Don R. Mays).
Pat Ryan (WW2 Veteran) and Paul A. Smith (Cold War
Veteran). Ft. Campbell July 2006 with the reactivated 1st Squadron 32d Cavalry.
"Victory or Death" Map Donated by Pat Ryan, A Company 32d Armored Regiment
WWII Brief WWII History The 32nd Armored Regiment was activated 15 April,
1941 at Camp Beauregard, Louisiana as the 2nd Armored Regiment and assigned to
the 3rd Armored Division. The unit was Redesignated 8 May 1941 as the 32nd
Armored Regiment. The unit moved from Camp Beauregard to Fort Polk
Louisiana on 14 June, 1941. Although Fort Polk was still under construction, it
was designated as the training base for the 3rd Armored Division. The Battalion
received the bulk of its cadre who received basic training, began field training
and learned to operate the tanks of the time. During Mid July of 1942, the Division moved to the Mohave Desert for
training in desert warfare. It was said that this training probably did more to
toughen the Division that any other. In early October, 1942, the Division moved to Camp Picket, Virginia.
The camp was crowded and damp and has been known to be the least favorite stop
of the Battalions training. During mid January, 1943, the Division moved to Fort Indiantown Gap,
Pennsylvania. It was here that the Battalion gained the experience it would need
to help it through the hard struggle in the Ardennes two years later. It was
said that this stay was the favorite among the cadre even though the training
was tough. In early August 1943, the Division was alerted
for overseas service and moved to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. There the
personal received shots, heard talks on censorship & security, and received physical
examinations. On 4 September 1943, the Division boarded trains for New York
Harbor. The next day, the Division was sailing for Europe. The Battalion arrived in England and set up camp
in Wiltshire-Codford. They spent their time training and preparing for D-Day. The Battalion moved to Normandy in mid June of
1944. On 29 June 1944, the Battalion entered combat as part of Combat Command A
at Villiers-Fossard. The Battalion fought on until 24 April 1945. The Battalion changed rolls at that time to one
of occupational duty. With approximately 8.7 million displaced people in the
country, There was a lot of work to do in sorting everyone out and sending them
back home. The 32d Armored Regiment was inactivated 10
November, 1945 in Germany.
E Company, 32d Armored Regiment, March 6, 1945
Tank Commander, Robert Early Gunner, Clarence Smoyers Driver, WM McVey Assistant Driver, Homer Davis Assistant Gunner, John Dericci *All pictures and data sent to this
website become property of the Association of 3d Armored Division Veterans. |
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