3rd Armored Division

The 3rd Armored Division was activated 15 April 1941 at Camp Beauregard, Louisiana. They moved to Camp Polk and began training. The 3rd AD arrived in England in late 1943 and continued to train in the Liverpool area. The Division crossed the English Channel to the Normandy Coast on 24 June 1944.

It did not take long for the 3rd to see their first World War II combat. Elements engaged German troops on 29 June and the full division was in combat 9 July . The division as part of the U.S. First Army moved through Normandy fighting in the hedgerows, battling at places such as Saint Lo and breaking out at Marigny along with the US 1st Infantry Division. The 3rd Armored was ordered to the Falaise Gap and Argentan Pocket, completing their objectives by mid August. The Division moved east, through towns and cities such as Courville and Chartres. They then crossed the Seine River and proceeded to Belgium.

In September the Division broke through the Siegfried Line and took place in the Battle of the Hurtgen Forest. When the Germans began their Ardennes Offensive, the 3rd located north of the Bulge, countered by taking a highway leading to St. Vith cutting off a route for the Germans. With the Battle of the Bulge complete, the Division began its push into Germany in late-January 1945. First they entered the Rhineland in February and proceeded to the City of Cologne, arriving in March. In April the 3rd had crossed the Saale River and moved toward the Elbe.

World War II combat ended for the 3rd Armored Division near the German city of Dessau in May.

Nickname: Spearhead