3rd Tank Battalion

3rd Marine Tank Battalion
3rd Marine Tank Battalion
	3rd Tank Battalion insignia
Active	16 September 1942 – 7 January 1946; 5 March 1952 – 1 June 1992
Country	United States of America
Branch	United States Marine Corps
Type	Armored
Role	Armor protected firepower and shock action.
Size	Battalion
Nickname(s)	3rd Tanks
Motto(s)	Shock, Mobility, Firepower!
Engagements	World War II Battle of Bougainville; Battle of Guam; Battle of Iwo Jima; Vietnam War Battle of Huế; Operation Desert Storm

The 3rd Tank Battalion (3rd Tanks) was an armor battalion of the

Okinawa. Along with the 1st Tank Battalion, 3rd Tanks was involved in major combat operations in South Vietnam from 1965 to 1969. Afterwards it concentrated on desert warfare and fought in the first Gulf War

in 1991. It was deactivated for the last time in 1992.

History

World War II

The 3rd Tank Battalion was formed during World War II on 16 September 1942. Each of the three

23rd Marines

(later redesigned Third Marines) company became Company C.

When the battalion was formed it absorbed the three companies; a

Light Armored Reconnaissance

battalions were formed, revitalizing the same methods used during World War II.

In January–February 1943, they deployed to Auckland, New Zealand.^[1]

They participated in the

Iwo Jima on 20 February 1945, the battalion brought its flame tanks and played an important role in the capture of the island. From Iwo Jima the battalion returned to the US via Guam. In Guam the battalion received 18 upgraded tanks produced by the Seabees that had been intended for the Army's 713th flame tank Battalion on Okinawa. The battalion embarked for San Diego in December 1945 and on 7 January 1946 was deactivated at Camp Pendleton. The Marine Corps would store the POA-CWS-H5 Flametanks the battalion received in Guam at Camp Pendleton and Hawaii. They would see action in Korea

.

The battalion received a Presidential Unit Citation for its actions on Iwo Jima.

Korean War

With the outbreak of the

Okinawa and the following year moved to Camp Hansen

, Okinawa.

Vietnam War

On 3 March 1965 SSgt John Downey, 3rd platoon, Company B, 3rd US Marine Corps 3rd Tank Battalion, drove his M48A3 Patton tank off the landing craft onto Red Beach 2 in I Corps, South Vietnam. SSgt Downey's USMC Patton tank became the first US tank to enter the Vietnam War.^[4] The 3rd Tank Battalion conducted combat operations in South Vietnam from 1965 to 1969 and set up a command post at Da Nang. In 1965 the 3rd Tanks engaged the Viet Cong 1st Regiment southwest of Da Nang, pushing them into the sea, and killing over 700 men.^[5] However, after the two-day battle, seven of the 3rd Tank Battalion's M48s had suffered hits, three of which were hit so badly they could no longer traverse their turrets, and one of the three was so damaged that it had to be destroyed by a demolition team.^[5]

Eventually two full battalions, consisting of the USMC 1st and 3rd Tank Battalions, would end up conducting combat operations in northern I Corps, South Vietnam. They participated in combat actions against

communist forces during the Tet Offensive of 1968, and during the re-taking of the city of Huế, and the siege of Khe Sanh during that same enemy offensive.^[5] Until their re-deployment in November 1969, the 3rd Tanks served as an armored defense at the DMZ

along the 17th Parallel.

Post Vietnam

This was a period of desert tactical doctrine development for the Marine Corps and the 3rd Tank Battalion played a major role developing the concept of the tank battalion as a maneuver element in extended inland warfare during a multitude of Combined Arms Exercises (CAX) and the 1981/82 joint training operation, Gallant Eagle.

Around the time of the Iran-U.S. Hostage Crisis (1979-1981) the US Department of Defense developed a concept for rapid deployment of forces which became the

29 Palms, California became the combat power of the newly reformed 27th Marine Regiment in the newly formed 7th Marine Amphibious Brigade (MAB). The two headquarters for the 27th Marines and the 7th MAB received Navy Meritorious Unit Citations

for the period May 1980 - Aug 1983.

Gulf War I

The battalion joined the

Navy Unit Citation for the period 14 Aug 1990 – 16 Apr 1991.^[6]

The battalion was deactivated on 1 June 1992.

Unit awards

A unit citation or commendation is an award bestowed upon an organization for the action cited. Members of the unit who participated in said actions are allowed to wear on their uniforms the awarded unit citation. 3rd Tanks was presented with the following awards:

	bronze star
	Navy Unit Commendation
	Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with 4 bronze stars
	World War II Victory Medal
	National Defense Service Medal with 2 bronze stars
	Korean Service Medal
	Southwest Asia Service Medal with 2 bronze stars
	silver stars and 1 bronze star
	Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm Streamer
	Kuwait Liberation Medal

Insignia

The coat of arms of the 3rd Tank Battalion is that of the 3rd Marine Division, differenced by surmounting the caltrop with a M4A3 Sherman tank, as used on Iwo Jima during WWII and stenciled with a number "3" on the turret and "USMC" on the hull in gold, all above a Marine Corps emblem of gold. A gold banner above the shield is inscribed "Third Tank Battalion" and another below the shield has "Shock, Mobility, Firepower" in scarlet. Subsequent insignia and devices are variations of this original insignia, typically changing the tank to a more modern version.

References

Notes

^ ^a ^b 3rd Marine Division, Two Score and Ten: History, (United States Marine Corps: Turner Publishing Company, 1992).
^ Bruce F. Meyers, Swift, Silent, and Deadly: Marine Amphibious Units in the Pacific, 1942—1945, (Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Press Institute, 2004).
^ Robert Aurthur and Kenneth Cohlmia, The Third Marine Division, ed. Robert T. Vance (Wash, DC: Infantry Journal Press, 1948)
^ Starry p. 52 and 53
^ ^a ^b ^c Starry p. 54
^ NAVMC 2922 Department of the Navy, HQ USMC

Bibliography

Rottman, Gordon L. (2002). U.S. Marine Corps World War II Order of Battle - Ground and Air Units in the Pacific War, 1939 - 1945s. Greenwood Press.
ISBN 0-313-31906-5
.

Department of the Army

.

External links

[3rdMarDiv,_History-1] 3rd Marine Division, Two Score and Ten: History, (United States Marine Corps: Turner Publishing Company, 1992).

[2] Bruce F. Meyers, Swift, Silent, and Deadly: Marine Amphibious Units in the Pacific, 1942—1945, (Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Press Institute, 2004).

[3] Robert Aurthur and Kenneth Cohlmia, The Third Marine Division, ed. Robert T. Vance (Wash, DC: Infantry Journal Press, 1948)

[4] Starry p. 52 and 53

[Starry_p._54-5] Starry p. 54

[6] NAVMC 2922 Department of the Navy, HQ USMC

[1]

[4]

[5]

[6]