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Call Me SPEARHEAD

The Official Publication of the Association of 3d Armored Division Veterans 

April 15, 2000                                                                                      Volume 00, Issue 2

Fifty-nine years ago today the 3d Armored Division was activated at Camp Beauregard, LA from a cadre of 688 officers and 4,875 enlisted men of the 2d Armored Division at Ft Benning, GA.  From its humble beginnings at a back water post in rural America few could have predicted the tremendous impact this new unit would have on the course of the American offensive to liberate Europe. 

  By the 4^th anniversary of the division’s activation it had already been the 1^st American unit to:  fire a shell into Germany, Sept 10, 1944; to cross the German border and capture a German town, Rotgen, Sept 12, 1944; to breach and pierce the Siegfried Line, Sept 13-15, 1944; to shoot down an enemy plane from German soil, Sept 18, 1944; to capture a major German city, Cologne.  It also made the longest one-day fighting advance in the history of warfare, 101 miles on Mar 29, 1945.  In doing all of this the SPEARHEAD also suffered more casualties, killed and wounded, of any armored division in the U.S. Army. 

  It is to the memory of those who died, those who were wounded and all those whoever wore the patch that this association is dedicated to preserving.  Our association continues to grow but we could use the help of everyone in continuing to recruit new members.

  As most of you are aware we recently completed the split of the association from the museum.  The original Kentucky corporation has changed its name to the 3d Armored Division Museum and Archives.   The Association is now incorporated in North Carolina.  The board of directors is now composed of Charles Brainard, Jim Cunningham, Steve Depuy, Brian Hatheway, Mike Lyman, Jim MacClay, Ray Reeder, and Mike Williard.  Anyone wishing to contact the board may do so at leadership@mail.3ad.org. 

  Due to the reorganization the issuance of membership cards was intentionally delayed.  We will be sending those no later than the end of May.  We now face the challenge of planning and organizing a reunion.  In this area we need help, if we are to accomplish this during the year 2000.  Anyone willing to take the lead on organizing this event, please send an email to the board of directors.    We are not asking for someone to do it all but we need someone who has the time to head up the planning.

 
Victory or Death
A Brief History of the 32d Armor Regiment

The history of the 32d Armor Regiment began when a cadre of 58 officers and 565 enlisted men of the 2d Armored Division’s 66^th Armored Regiment left Ft. Benning, GA for Camp Beauregard, LA.  The 2d Armored Regiment (as the 32d was originally designated) was activated on April 15, 1941 as one of the original elements of the new 3d Armored Division.  On May 12, 1941 the unit was redesignated as the 32d Armored Regiment to free the number “2” for the 2d Cavalry that was scheduled to convert to the armored regiment configuration.  

Originally the 32d was organized as a light armored regiment, but was later converted to a mixed regiment of both light and medium tank units when the army abandoned the Medium/Light concept.  The regiment trained with the division in swamps of Louisiana, the desert in California, the hills of Virginia, the snow of Pennsylvania, as well as on the Salisbury Plain in England.  This training hardened the regiment and prepared it for the rigors of combat.

Colonel (later Brigadier General) Truman E. Boudinot is credited with bestowing the motto “Victory or Death” on the regiment while serving as its commander.  During five European campaigns the regiment would more than live up to its name as the core of Combat Command A.  Brave tankers like the crew of “In the Mood” commanded by SSG Lafayette Pool helped lead the regiment to victory on the battlefields of western Europe.  By the end of the war, the recon company and the 2d Battalion had been awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for exceptional valor.

The end of the war also brought an end to 32d Armor, which was inactivated with the division on Nov 10, 1945.  When the army reactivated the SPEARHEAD division in 1947, the armored regiment was no longer a part of the army force structure.  During World War II the Army had begun splitting up the armored regiments into separate tank battalions.  By the end of the war only the 32d, 33d, 66^th, and 67^th remained as regiments and by 1947 they were all gone.  However, the legacy of the regiment was carried on by 32d Medium Tank Battalion, which was activated at Fort Knox on July 15, 1947 when the 3d Armored colors were again unfurled as a training division.  The 32d Tank remained a part of division throughout the training years as well as when the division reorganized as a tactical unit and made the gyroscope move to Germany in 1956.

By the mid-1950s the Army had all but abandoned the regiment as a tactical unit for all the combat arms branches.  This caused much concern when the history of units that had been in service since the very beginning of the country was perceived as being lost.  In an attempt to correct this problem the Army adopted the Combat Arms Regimental System (CARS) in 1957.  Under CARS the Army’s separate battalions would be designated as part of regiments that existed only on paper.  When CARS was implemented, the 32d Tank Battalion was redesignated as 1^st Battalion, 32d Armor.  At the same time the 2d Battalion was activated as part of the 1^st Armored Division at Fort Polk, LA. By 1963 both the 2d and 3d Battalions would join the 3d Armored in Germany.

In 1966 the 32d Armor had six Battalions serving in the Army. In addition to the units with 3AD in Germany, 4^th Battalion was part of the US Army Reserve and headquartered at Jefferson, IN, 5^th Battalion was also in Germany with the 24^th Infantry Division, and the 6^th Battalion was at Fort Knox supporting the armor school.  In 1968 the 4^th Battalion inactivated.  The 5^th Battalion would later move to Ft. Stewart, GA and the 6^th Battalion would move to Ft. Carson, CO to be part of the 4^th Infantry Division.

In the early 1980s the Army decided to revamp CARS with a new system called the U.S.  Army Regimental System (USARS).  Under this new system it was planned that each regiment would have a roughly equal number of units located overseas as well as within the continental United States.  Soldiers would select or be assigned to the regiments and would then rotate between the battalions in the U.S. and overseas.  To accomplish this, two battalions of the 32d, 1^st and 3d were allocated to the 1^st Cavalry Division at Ft. Hood, TX and 3d Armored in Germany kept the 2d Battalion and gained the 4^th Battalion.  The 5^th and 6^th Battalions were redesignated in order to round out other regiments that did not have as many battalions on active duty.

The Persian Gulf War brought the 32d to combat for the 1^st time since 1945. The 1^st, 3d, and 4^th Battalions were deployed as part of the 3d Armored and 1^st Cavalry Divisions. The 2d Battalion was selected to remain in Germany to protect the 3d Armored families that remained in Germany when their family members deployed.   In combat operations against the Iraqi Army the 32d units again lived up to their motto.  For their part in the action the 1^st and 4^th Battalions were awarded the Valorous Unit Award and the 3d Battalion was awarded the Meritorious Unit Citation.

The draw down of forces that occured during the 2 years following the end of both Gulf War and the Cold War led to all four Battalions of the 32d being either inactivated or redesignated as the Army revamped USARS.  In 1995 the 32d Armor rejoined the active rolls when the 1^st Battalion was activated at Ft. Lewis, WA as part of the 3d Brigade, 2d Infantry Division.  

In 1999 the 1^st Battalion was identified as one of two heavy armor battalions that would convert to a new medium weight force.  The “Bandits” are currently preparing to turn in their M1A1 Abrams Tanks for Light Armored Vehicles.  LTC Dana J. H. Pittard commands the Battalion and CSM Jay A. Kinsey is the Command Sergeant Major.  The “Bandit” Battalion continues to serve the army well and carries forward the traditions and spirit of the veterans who have served.

SPEARHEAD Happenings around the world

SSG David Uebel Reenlists to stay a part of 1-36 IN (SPARTANS)

LTC Mike Cloy (Member #82 & Commander of 1-36 IN) administers the reenlistment oath to SSG David Uebel (Member # 42) at Ray Barracks, Friedberg, Germany on Jan 13th.  LTC Cloy and SSG Uebel previously served together in 1-36 IN while it was still part of 3AD. They also served with 3AD in the Persian Gulf with 5-18 IN.  The Iraqi T-72 Tank they stand beside was captured by the 1^st Brigade, 3AD during that conflict.

1-33 Armor Gets New Commander

LTC Ernest Audino assumed command of 1^st Battalion, 33d Armor (Men Of War) on January 12^th.  LTC Audino previously served with the “Men of War” as new lieutenant while the battalion was still stationed at Gelnhausen, Germany.  During his tour as a platoon leader, LTC Audino had a platoon sergeant by the name of SSG Neil Ciotola. Now his former platoon sergeant serves as the “Men of War” Command Sergeant Major.   LTC Audino is also the first Army National Guard officer to assume command of an Active Component unit as part of a new program to better integrate the Active and Reserve Components.

32d Armor gets New Honorary Colonel of the Regiment

General (Retired) Ronald H. Griffith, former Commander of the 1^st Battalion, 32d Armor (1985-87) and the 1^st Armored Division (Persian Gulf War), will be inducted as the Honorary Colonel of the 32d Armor Regiment at Watkins field, Fort Lewis, WA on May 18th.  On the 19th, Gen Griffith will be the guest speaker at the post Armor Ball. The unit would like as many alumni of the regiment as possible to come to Fort Lewis for the ceremony and possibly for the Armor Ball. If interested please contact 1LT James Malphurs at 132s1@lewis.army.mil or 253-967-7051

13^th AIB/2-46 IN to hold reunion

Bill Bricker has asked that we pass the word that 13^th Armored Infantry Battalion/2d Armored Rifle Battalion, 46^th Infantry will hold a reunion this fall in Washington D.C.

Anyone interested in attending can contact Bill at Krickkrap@aol.com

A Veteran’s Memories

THREE DAYS IN HELL

By Bob Pacios A/36th Armored Infantry Regiment

Maybe it was our imagination, but to the men of Company A, 36^th Armored Infantry the toughest assignments seemed to be assigned to A Company.  Therefore when we received our next task it seemed that we finally had a soft touch.  This was fine with us since we had just received a new C.O., 1^st Lieutenant Walter I. Berlin. In addition, former platoon Sergeant, Raleigh F. “Pete” Colbert, Jr. had, a few days earlier, received a battlefield commission as a new 2d Lieutenant and had assumed command of the second platoon.

For the first time in several months the Company was at full strength, 5 officers and 174 men.  There were three 42 man platoons consisting of a HQ squad, two rifle squads, a 60mm mortar squad and a machinegun squad with two .30 caliber light machineguns.  With officers and Company HQ squad had a fighting strength of 140. The remainder of the personnel consisted of drivers, mechanics, cooks, etc.

It was in the early afternoon of December 9, 1944, in the small German town of Mausbach, eight miles east of Aachen, that Lt. Berlin briefed the company.  The next day we were to be part of task Force Kane and, from a collection of farm buildings called Stutgerhof, provide left flank protection for Task Force Hogan which was to make the major effort by attacking north, capturing the towns of Geich and Ober Geich and moving rapidly forward to seize and secure Echtz.

TF Kane consisted of A Co., 36^th, Companies D & G of the 32d Armored Regiment, a platoon of engineers from the 23d, a platoon of M-36’s from the 703d Tank Destroyer Battalion, a section of mine clearing Sherman tanks from the 738^th Tank Bn, all supported by the 105 howitzers of the 67^th AFA Bn.

At 1900 we moved out in complete darkness to make the road march to Langerwehe.  Dismounting we moved on foot to Stutgerhof that had been seized by a combat team from the 9^th Infantry Division.  Upon our arrival the men from the 9^th quickly disappeared and we were left alone.

As dawn broke into a gray, overcast day we saw that Stutgerhof was on a slight prominence that was about 25 feet higher than the flat ground that stretched to the East. We could plainly see Geich and Ober Geich, Hogan’s twin objectives, lying to our right as well as the church steeple of Echtz, his second objective.

As the morning wore on we could hear the distant sound of artillery and the very faint sound of small arms fire from Geich.  As Hogan’s task force was having trouble reaching its target towns, at 1400 we received orders to proceed across the flat farmland and seize Echtz.  Moving across the level fields from which sugar beets had been harvested and receiving only intermittent, ineffective artillery fire, we reached ground two hundred yards from the outskirts of Echtz before we encountered slight resistance in the form of a small volume of rifle fire from troops of the German 3d Parachute Division who were sheltered in a deep trench.  This resistance was easily overcome since the krauts had no anti-tank weapons to fight the 30 tanks that were with us.

Moving quickly into the built-up area the men of Company A flushed out a substantial number of enemy soldiers who had taken refuge in the buildings.  By dark the town of Echtz was secure with a few more enemy appearing and being killed or captured during the night.  Our casualties on December 10 were relatively light, 14 men wounded with most of these wounds being slight.

The next morning, after meeting with Lt. Berlin and Col. Kane, Lt. Pete Colbert returned to his second platoon.  Pete told us that intelligence had determined that all of the enemy’s fighting men had been killed or captured, and the next town to the east, Hoven, was occupied by cooks, bakers, clerks and other headquarters personnel of the German 3d Parachute Division.  Therefore the men of the second platoon were to mount 5 Sherman tanks of G-32, one squad to a tank, and reconnoiter the ground between Echtz and Hoven.

If able, we were to hold the town, radio back and the rest of Company A with the remaining tanks would come up and relieve us.  Confident that we would be in Hoven within an hour (it was only 2,000 yards distant) the second platoon mounted the tanks and started out onto the flat, treeless plain and moved towards our objective.

Three hundred yards from Echtz the tanks moved out of their column formation and fanned out into a platoon front.  We halted and the tank platoon commander surveyed Hoven through his field glasses.  Suddenly all hell broke loose as we began to draw enemy anti-tank fire and then some artillery rounds.  The tanks began backing up, withdrawing into the shelter of the buildings.  The driver of the tank I was on backed up very slowly and the members of my squad leaped off it and high-tailed back into town.  The solid rounds cracked by our heads and we heard some plunge into the soft ground with a huge thud.  The slow moving tank was knocked out and only three of the five-man crew escaped. 

The second platoon immediately prepared for a counterattack.  (The Germans were notorious for mounting them.)  Taking firing positions inside the buildings, we were ready but the enemy did not oblige.  In the basement of the building I was in, the men started exploring the structure.  Dan Woods, a rifleman, threw back a curtain covering an alcove and there sat six docile members of the Wehrmacht.

The brass then decided that their estimation of the situation was incorrect and that maybe quite a few of the enemy paratroopers had been able to retire safely to Hoven.  That afternoon, December 11, the entire Company, along with the tanks of D and G Companies of the 32^nd moved out to attack.  Our first platoon was on the left side of the road and the third on the right with the second now in reserve.  TF Hogan, having by now captured Geich and Ober Geich, moved into Echtz and now joined in the attack on Hoven The 67^th Field Artillery Battalion fired a preparatory barrage on the town. 

When the leading elements of the infantry reached the small stream that bisected the area, the krauts opened up with murderous artillery, mortar, small arms and automatic weapons fire.  Devoid of any cover or concealment the infantry was taking horrendous casualties.  Not neglecting the tank, anti-tank rounds destroyed several tanks.  Cries of “Medic! Medic!” attested to the accuracy of Jerry’s fire.  Pinned to the ground, the infantry was not able to rise to seek shelter until the artillery fired white phosphorous rounds to create a smoke screen and shelter the movements of the first and third platoon from German observation. 

The bodies of eight members of the Company lay sprawled on both sides of the road between Echtz and Hoven.  Nineteen wounded men were able to make their way back to Echtz, either by themselves or with the aid of stretcher-bearers or helped along by unhit men.  The Company’s three medics did yeoman duty in caring for the wounded. 

That night the men, with sentries posted and on the alert, rested as well as they could under the circumstances.  The German artillery plastered Echtz with harassing fire all evening, stopping just before dawn.  The bag of German prisoners grew and created a problem when their guards took cover from an artillery concentration.  Taking advantage of this and probably seeking shelter from their own shells the Germans scattered into a number of buildings.  A couple of squads spent a few hours before then were all rounded up again. 

It was obvious that someone higher up in the command structure wanted to capture Hoven which sat on the east bank of the Roer River.  That night the rest of the 1^st Battalion of the 36^th AIR and the 1^st Battalion of the 60^th Infantry Regiment (9^th Infantry Division) was attached to TF Kane.  The Task Force now consisted of two infantry battalions with attached armor supported by all four 3^rd Armored Division field artillery battalions as well as several Corps artillery Battalions.

We were to commence a third attack the next morning, December 12, at 0800 after a prolonged artillery preparation on Hoven.  Because A Company had suffered many casualties the previous two days, we were the reserve company of the 36^th which attacked in the fields on the right side of the road to Hoven while the 60^th was on the left. 

The artillery preparation seemed to be overwhelming and included with several frightening TOT’s (time on target).  Immediately smoke was fired to cover the movements in the open field.  By the time A Company had reached the stream in the field, we were receiving a lot of artillery and mortar fire.  Soon we reached the first buildings in Hoven, passed through the other two companies, and commenced to clear out the buildings in the town. 

My squad led the platoon and moved out.  We had cleared several buildings (there were only six men remaining in the squad) when we discovered that we were alone – the rest of the platoon was not following.  When the last man in our squad had signaled the first man in the following squad, the signal was missed and we had moved out alone.  However things were going well for us and I decided to continue on.

Working in two teams we leap-frogged aggressively and cleared out buildings on both sides of the street.  Flushing out a number of frightened German paratroopers we continued on until we came to an intersection, which was covered by a German anti-tank gun.  I sent Mike Lucas back to where the tanks were, which had halted at the beginning of the village, to retrieve the platoon radio that had been on the deck of one of the tanks.  Mike returned a half hour later with a tank and with word that shrapnel had riddled the radio useless.

By this time I discovered that each of us had less than a full clip of ammunition for our M-1’s.  I sent two men back along the street to recover empty clips that had been ejected.  Borrowing a machine gun belt of .30 caliber from the tank, we reloaded the recovered empty clips.  Because the tank commander dared not expose the tank to the anti-tank gun, we sat there for several hours before being relieved. 

Thus, on December 12 we were able to take the objective with a force 20 times larger than our original reconnaissance patrol that tried unsuccessfully two days earlier.  But the victory this day was not without casualties.  We had another eight men killed and six wounded. 

A Company’s total casualties for the three-day affair were 16 killed, 33 wounded, 15 evacuated because of exhaustion and one self-inflicted gunshot wound.  Thus our casualties totaled 65 or 43%.

There was a tremendous amount of heroism displayed by the men of the Company and the Army recognized this.  As a result Lt. Berlin received the Distinguished Service Cross (he had been recommended for the Medal of Honor), nine men received the Silver Star and seventeen Bronze Star medals were awarded.  To cap it all off the entire Company received a cluster to The Distinguished Unit Badge, or Presidential Citation as we called it, having received its original one for its actions in breaching the Siegfried Line the previous September. 

Last round

Look for the next edition of “Call Me Spearhead” to be published in July.  Anyone wishing to submit material for the newsletter may do so by emailing Mike Williard at mwilliard@mail.3ad.org or sending by regular mail to PO BOX 1499, Wake Forest NC 27588.  All material published here is the intellectual property of the Association of 3d Armored Division Veterans or the individual author as noted.