7th Armored Division

The 7the Armored Division was activated on 1 March 1942. They arrived in England June 1944 to begin their World War II combat assignments.

The Division landed on Omaha Beach and Utah Beach in August 1944, being assigned to the U.S. Third Army. Immediately into the fight, the 7th attacked Chartres then Dreux and Melun crossing the Seine River. They liberated Chateau-Thierry and Verdun by the end of the month.

September had the 7th crossing the Moselle River and into the heavy fighting around Metz. At the end of September, transferred to the 9th Army the Division moved toward the Netherlands for Operation Market Garden. In a variety of engagements the 7th along with their British counterparts fought back and forth actions with the Germans eventually securing their objectives.

In December they were at the banks of the Roer River when the Germans launched their Ardennes Offensive. The 7th was transferred to St. Vith in Belgium where despite having to fight in a withdrawl action, slowed the German advance in this sector. They were able to re-capture St. Vith at the end of January as they returned to the offensive and February had them fighting in the Huertgen Forest.

They moved to the Rhine River south of Bonn in March as well as an offensive to break the Remagen bridgehead. In April they had been involved in the Ruhr Pocket collapse. The Division was then transferred north to the Baltic Sea where they moved east to link up with the Russian Army. The 7th Armored Division was in this area when VE Day arrived ending World War II in Europe.

Nickname: Lucky Seventh