1st Armored Division
Fort Knox is located at 37°53'34" North, 85°58'29" West (37.892809, -85.974709)[10], along the Ohio River.
Fort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown.
The base covers parts of Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade Counties. It holds the U.S. Army Armor Center,
the U.S. Army Armor School and the U.S. Army Recruiting Command.[1] It is also the site of the U.S.
Bullion Depository and the General George Patton Museum,[2] both located on or near the army post.
Parts of the base in Hardin and Meade Counties form a census-designated place (CDP), which had a
population of 12,377 at the 2000 census.
на 7 дек 41 -Kentucky, Fort Knox, Louisville Kentucky
1st Armored Division
1st Armored Brigade
1st Armored Regiment (Light)
13th Armored Regiment (Light)
69th Armored Regiment (Medium)
6th Infantry Regiment (Armored)
27th Field Artillery Battalion (155mm)(Armored)
(27th Armored FA Bn unknown 15 Jul 40)
( The unit was reconstituted on 24 March 1923 in the Regular Army as Battery D, 27th Field
Artillery, an element of the 9th Division. The 27th Field Artillery as a whole was relieved
on 1 October 1933 from assignment to the 9th Division. The unit was redesignated on 15 July
1940 as Battery D, 27th Field Artillery Battalion, and activated at Fort Knox, Kentucky, as
an element of the 1st Armored Division. The unit was absorbed on 15 December 1941 by
Battery A, 27th Field Artillery Battalion. Battery A, 27th Field Artillery Battalion, was
redesignated on 1 January 1942 as Battery A, 27th Armored Field Artillery Battalion. As part
of Battery A, 27th Armored Field Artillery, the unit's personnel served through seven campaigns
in World War II. These were Algeria-French Morocco (as part of the initial invasion), Tunisia,
Naples-Foggia, Anzio, Rome-Arno, North Apennines, and Po Valley.
)
68th Field Artillery Regiment (105mm how )(Armored)-1 Mar 40, became 68th Armored FA Bn, on 1 Jan 42.
81st Reconnaissance Battalion (Armored)
16th Engineer (Combat) Battalion (Armored)
1st Armored Division: Formed on 15 July 1940 from the 7th Cavalry Brigade.
1941:
1st Armored Brigade HHC
1st Armored Regiment (Light)
13th Armored Regiment (Light)
69th Armored Regiment (Medium)
68th Field Artillery Regiment (Armored)
81st Reconnaissance Battalion (Armored) ( 81st Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron (Mechanized) 12 May 1941)
27th Field Artillery Battalion (Armored)
6th Infantry (Armored)
Headquarters
Headquarters Company, 1st Armored Division
16th Engineer Battalion (Armored)
47th Medical Battalion (Armored)
141st Signal Company (Armored)
19th Ordnance Battalion (Armored)
13th Quartermaster Battalion (Armored)
12th Observation Squadron (Attached)
1944/45
1st Tank Battalion
4th Tank Battalion
13th Tank Battalion
6th Armored Infantry Battalion
11th Armored Infantry Battalion
14th Armored Infantry Battalion
HHB Division Artillery
27th Armored Field Artillery Battalion
68th Armored Field Artillery Battalion
91st Armored Field Artillery Battalion
81st Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, Mechanized
Headquarters
Headquarters Company, 1st Armored Division
HHC, Combat Command A
HHC, Combat Command B
Hqs, Reserve Command
HHC, Division Trains
47th Medical Battalion, Armored
123rd Armored Ordnance Maintenance Battalion
Military Police Platoon
16th Armored Engineer Battalion
141st Armored Signal Company
501st Counter Intelligence Corps Detachment
1-я бронетанковая дивизия <Старые железнобокие>
[1st Armored Division <Old Ironsides>]
Командиры дивизии:
генерал-майор Орландо Уорд [с марта 1942 по апрель 1943]
генерал-майор Эрнест Н. Хармон [с 4 апреля 1943 по июль 1944]
генерал-майор Вернон Э. Причард [с июля по сентябрь 1944]
генерал майор Родерик Р. Аллен [с сентября 1944]
Начальники штаба:
полковник, затем генерал-майор Моррис Роуз.
Начало формирования - 15 июля 1940 г., на вооружение дивизии поступили легкие танки M2A4.
С ноября 1942 по май 1943 г. дивизия в составе 2-го корпуса, Центрального оперативного соединения
воевала в Северной Африке (имела на вооружении легкие танки M3 и M3A1). С октября 1943 по май 1945
в составе 5-й армии, на Сицилии.
Состав на май 1942 г.:
1-й бронетанковый полк
13-й бронетанковый полк
6-й броневой пехотный полк
27-й батальон самоходной полевой артиллерии
68-й батальон самоходной полевой артиллерии
91-й батальон самоходной полевой артиллерии
81-й разведывательный батальон
443-й батальон береговой артиллерии (зенитной)
16-й инженерный батальон
1-й транспортный батальон
1-й ремонтный батальон
47-й медицинский батальон
Состав после реорганизации в июле 1944 г.:
1-й бронетанковый батальон
4-й бронетанковый батальон
13-й бронетанковый батальон
6-й броневой пехотный полк
27-й батальон самоходной полевой артиллерии
68-й батальон самоходной полевой артиллерии
91-й батальон самоходной полевой артиллерии
On May 7, 1940, the 7th Cavalry Brigade took part in the Louisiana Maneuvers at Monroe, Louisiana
that were instrumental in developing the armored division concept. The maneuvers concluded on May
27, 1940, and the brigade returned to Fort Knox on May 31, 1940, and preparations began to expand
the brigade into the 1st Armored Division.
On July 15, 1940, 7th Cavalry Brigade was expanded, reorganized, and redesignated as 1st Armored
Division. 1st Cavalry Regiment was redesignated as 1st Armored Regiment and 13th Cavalry Regiment
was redesignated as 13th Armored Regiment.
The first Order of Battle for the 1st Armored Division was as follows:
1st Armored Brigade
1st Armored Regiment (Light)
13th Armored Regiment (Light)
69th Armored Regiment (Medium)
68th Armored Field Artillery Regiment
6th Armored Infantry Regiment
27th Field Artillery Battalion (Armored)
16th Engineer Battalion (Armored)
81st Armored Reconnaissance Squadron
13th Quartermaster Battalion (Armored)
19th Ordnance Battalion (Armored)
47th Medical Battalion (Armored)
141st Signal Company (Armored)
On April 15, 1941 The 1st AD sent a cadre to form the U.S. 4th Armored Division("Name Enough") at
Pine Camp, New York.
After completing its organization and equipping, 1st Armored Division trained at Fort Knox, and
then deployed to participate in the VII Corps Maneuvers on August 18, 1941. Once the maneuvers
concluded, 1st Armored Division then moved on August 28, 1941, and arrived at Camp Polk for the
Second Army Louisiana Maneuvers on September 1, 1941. They then moved to Fort Jackson on October
30, 1941 to participate in the First Army Carolina Maneuvers. 1st AD then returned to Fort Knox
on December 7, 1941, but started to prepare for deployment overseas instead of returning to
garrison.
К чести американцев, они очень быстро сделали выводы из успехов германских танковых соединений
в Польше и Франции. 10 июля 1940 г. началось создание бронетанковых войск армии США - Armored
Force, во главе с генералом А. Чаффи (английское слово <armoured> - броневой, бронетанковый -
в <американском> варианте языка пишется <armored>). Спустя пять дней на базе существовавших
танковых и механизированных частей приступили к формированию 1-й и 2-й танковых дивизий
(Armored Division). В состав каждой входили два полка легких танков и один - средних,
разведывательный батальон (Reconnaissance Armored Battalion), мотопехотный батальон
(Infantry Armored Battalion), артиллерийский (Field Artillery Battalion Armored) и
инженерный (Engineer Battalion Armored) батальоны. Формирование дивизий завершили к
лету 1941 г.
The division was organized at Fort Knox, Kentucky, July 15, 1940. It was an experiment in a
self-supporting, permanent fighting unit with tanks as the nucleus. This experiment in a self-
sustaining blitzkrieg force had never been tried before, and the troops necessary for such an
organization were drawn from many army posts.
The two light tank regiments--The 1st and 13th--came from the 7th Cavalry Brigade. The medium
tank regiment, the 69th, was formed from a cadre of the 67th Tank Regiment from Fort Benning,
Georgia. The 6th Infantry Regiment was lifted intact from Jefferson Barracks, Missouri.
The 81st Reconnaissance Battalion was formed from cavalry troops drawn from two posts. The 16th
Armored Engineer Battalion took its personnel from the 47th Engineer Troop and its name from an
inactivated World War I unit. The 141st Signal Company was formerly the 47th Signal Troop. The
47th Medical Battalion was formed from the 4th Medical Troops stationed at Fort Knox.
The 68th Armored Field Artillery Battalion was formed from the 68th Field Artillery Regiment,
and the 27th Armored Field Artillery Battalion was formed from the 19th and 21st Field Artillery
Battalions. The 19th Ordnance and 13th Quartermaster Battalions combined to form the division's
Maintenance Battalion.
When the organization was completed, the division had tanks, artillery and infantry in strength.
In direct support were tank destroyer, maintenance, medical, supply and engineer battalions. But
bringing the division up to its full quota of tanks, guns and vehicles was difficult. Although
new equipment was received almost daily, the division had until March 1941, only nine ancient
medium tanks. Principal armament of the nine was a 37-millimeter gun.
Fort Knox in 1940 was not unlike other army posts in the nation. There were a few minor
differences--the high-crowned overseas cap was worn on the left side of the head, and the few
experimental models of the quarter-ton truck that were then on the post were called "peeps" to
distinguish them from the command car which had always been called a "jeep" by armored men.
To become expert with their newly-acquired tanks, half-tracks and guns, most of the division
attended the Armored Force School at Knox. The students stood reveille at 4 a.m., sat at
attention during class and at 4 p.m. rushed to the nearest Post Exchange for a bottle of beer,
which helped counteract the hot summer weather.
Everyday some unit attacked from the steel observation tower called 'O.P. Six' to capture some
part of a 25 square mile patch of Kentucky brush and gullies. The troops made three-day road
marches, scraped and polished their vehicles for Saturday morning inspections, sweated out the
lines at the bus station and occasionally dropped by Benny's or Big Nell's, the most easily
accessible civilian nightspots.
With more than a year's training behind them, the division left in September 1941, for three
month's maneuvers in Louisiana. Living was tough, in some respects tougher than combat turned
out to be. The weather was uniformly foul. The night driving was hard on the nerves and
dangerous. How necessary the incessant practice was the men did not find out until they reached
the plains of Tunisia a year later.
The day before Pearl Harbor, the division was back at Fort Knox. The beds seemed almost too soft
for sleeping. The draftees, whom the regular army men had looked on as people only a step above
the bugler, had proved themselves as soldiers in the maneuvers. They looked forward to discharges
after their year's service. The regular army men expected furloughs.
But war and soldiering had become a serious business. Training took on a new intensity. The
division was reorganized, and all tanks, both medium and light were put into two armored
regiments, the 1st and 13th. A third armored field artillery battalion, the 91st, was formed,
and the 701st Tank Destroyer Battalion was organized and attached to the division.
A few months later, in March 1942, the division was enroute to the Fort Dix, New Jersey, staging
area under command of Major-General Orlando Ward. General Ward relieved Major-General Bruce R.
Magruder, who had commanded the division since its organization.
On July 15, 1940, 7th Cavalry Brigade was expanded, reorganized, and redesignated as 1st
Armored Division. 1st Cavalry Regiment was redesignated as 1st Armored Regiment and 13th
Cavalry Regiment was redesignated as 13th Armored Regiment.
Training
After completing its organization and equipping, 1st Armored Division trained at Fort Knox,
where it participated in the Technicolor short movie The Tanks Are Coming (as the "First
Armored Force"). It deployed to participate in the VII Corps Maneuvers on 1941-08-18. Once
the maneuvers concluded, 1st Armored Division then moved on 1941-08-28, and arrived at Camp
Polk for the Second Army Louisiana Maneuvers on 1941-09-01. They then moved to Fort Jackson
on 1941-10-30 to participate in the First Army Carolina Maneuvers. 1st AD then returned to
Fort Knox on 1941-12-07, but started to prepare for deployment overseas instead of returning
to garrison.
Service
The 1st Armored Division was ordered to Fort Dix on April 11, 1942 to await their deployment
overseas. The division's port call required them to board the Queen Mary at the New York Port
of Embarkation at the Brooklyn Army Terminal on May 11, 1942. They arrived at Northern Ireland
on May 16, 1942, and trained on the moors until they moved on to England on October 29, 1942.