824th Tank Destroyer Battalion
824th Tank Destroyer Battalion | |
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Bronze Stars (individual awards) |
The 824th Tank Destroyer Battalion was a
The 824th was originally formed in August 1942 in Oklahoma, and trained in the United States for two years. In October 1944, it deployed to France equipped with towed
After conversion to
Early service
The battalion was formed at
After the men had been assembled at Camp Gruber, the battalion departed for
On completing unit training at Fort Hood in August, the 824th was transferred to Louisiana for field maneuvers, returning to Camp Bowie in January 1944.
Fighting in Alsace
The battalion first saw frontline service on 28 November, when two companies were attached to the
On 21 December, after the start of the
Through the rest of January and February, the battalion remained in defensive positions, with crews rotating to the neighboring 776th Tank Destroyer Battalion in order to train on self-propelled tank destroyers. The 824th was prepared for conversion to the new equipment by early March, but this was delayed in order to support the 100th Division's attack on Bitche as part of Operation Undertone from 15–19 March.[6]
Advance into Germany
In the last week of March, the battalion finally withdrew to refit with the M18 Hellcat self-propelled tank destroyer.[6] In so doing, it reverted to the old self-propelled battalion organisation; three companies of twelve tank destroyers, plus a fourth reconnaissance company with a platoon of pioneers.[10] The new organisation was smaller than the old - fewer men were needed for vehicle crews - and so even after the creation of the new Reconnaissance Company on 27 March, the 824th finished the month with a complement of 646 all ranks, down from 750.[11]
Following the refit, it crossed the Rhine on 1 April,
Once Heilbronn had been secured, the 100th Division, and the 824th with it, moved south towards
The battalion carried out security and occupation duties, until handing over to the
Notes
- ^ p. 1, After Action Report: 1 to 31 April 1945. "The 3rd platoon had fired 10 rounds of HE and machine-gun fire at enemy snipers located in building at WIESLOCH. Sniper fire ceased as a result of this action."
- ^ p. 1, After Action Report: 10 August 1942 to 28 November 1944. While the AAR is not explicit on the origins of the draftees, the bulk of the men mentioned later in the reports are from towns and cities in New York State, and it is likely the initial draftees were heavily New Yorkers. A description of B Company describes it as "Tennessee farmboys or savvy Jewish kids from New Jersey and Brooklyn" (Gimlette, p. 16); around a third of them spoke some German or Yiddish (Gimlette, p. 88).
- ^ Gabel, pp. 20, 45. When initially planned the companies would have had two platoons with M3 75mm guns and one with M6 self-propelled 37mm guns; however, the "light" platoons were abolished in November 1942, before the 824th had been brought up to strength (Gabel, p. 20). Early tables of organisation had also called for two anti-aircraft guns per platoon (Gabel, p. 20), which were abandoned in January 1943 as part of a general reduction in manpower. (Gabel, p. 45).
- ^ a b p. 2, After Action Report: 10 August 1942 to 28 November 1944.
- ^ a b Gabel, p. 47
- ^ a b c d e f g "824th Tank Destroyer Battalion: Combat History". 100th Infantry Division Association. 2010.
- ^ Gimlette, pp. 17, 78.
- ^ p. 1, After Action Report: 28 November to 31 December 1944.
- ^ a b Annex E, After Action Report: 1 to 31 January 1945.
- ^ Gabel, p. 45
- ^ p. 6 and Annex C, After Action Report: 1 to 31 March 1945.
- ^ Yeide, p. 280
- ^ Annex E, After Action Report: 11 to 31 May 1945.
- ^ p. 2, After Action Report: 1 to 10 May 1945.
- ^ After Action Report: 1 June to 11 September 1945.
References
- Yeide, Harry (2007). The Tank Killers: A History of America's World War II Tank Destroyer Force. Haverton, Pennsylvania: Casemate. ISBN 9781932033809.
- "After action report 824th Tank Destroyer Battalion, 10 Aug 42 thru 11 Sep 45". Combined Arms Research Library Digital Library.
- "824th Tank Destroyer Battalion". tankdestroyer.net.
- "824th Tank Destroyer Battalion: Combat History". 100th Infantry Division Association. 2010.
- Gabel, Christopher R. (1985). Seek, Strike and Destroy - US Army Tank Destroyer Doctrine in World War II (PDF). Leavenworth papers no. 12. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 October 2008. Retrieved 21 April 2013.
- ISBN 0307265420.
Further reading
- ISBN 1841767980.