Armored group (military unit)
An Armored group was a command and control headquarters in the United States Army equivalent to the headquarters of an armored division combat command during World War II.[1] Most armored groups served in the European Theater of Operations (ETO). Typically an armored group was attached to each American corps in the European Theater of Operations.
Organization
As organized under the 2 October 1943 table of organization, the armored group consisted of a headquarters and a headquarters company totaling 15 officers, 1 warrant officer, and 81 enlisted men.[2] Without any significant organization changes, the total strength was increased to 17 officers, 1 warrant officer, and 88 enlisted men when the table of organization was updated on 11 November 1944.[3]
- The headquarters consisted of the commander, normally a full colonel, his executive officer, a lieutenant colonel, and the group staff, which consisted of six officers.
- The headquarters company consisted of the following sections:
- Headquarters section – commanded by a captain, with 6 enlisted men.
- Maintenance Section – 1 officer and 8 enlisted men
- Administrative Mess & Supply Section – 15 enlisted men, including the company first sergeant.
- Liaison Section – 9 enlisted men
- Tank Platoon – 1 lieutenant and 9 enlisted men. The tank platoon also included 3 light tanks, normally M5 Stuarts.
- Staff Section – 1 warrant officer, 2 master sergeants, and 30 additional enlisted men.
In addition, the group was authorized 2 attached chaplains, and 2 medical officers with 2 enlisted dental technicians.
History
An armored group generally supervised and was responsible for liaison for the independent tank battalions within a corps area. However, these separate tank battalions were normally attached to an infantry division. Therefore, the armored group headquarters was not in the chain of command or administration for the tank battalions which were nominally assigned to it. The corps commander would use the "surplus" group commander and staff as a special staff section for armor. The group's vehicles were used for liaison and to supplement communications with the combat units.[1]
The armored groups were frequently assigned contingency or emergency missions as a task force headquarters. However, the troops required for such missions were only assigned or attached on order, thus rarely was the task force actually activated or employed. Two notable exceptions were the 3rd Armored Group as it assaulted the Siegfried Line in western Germany from 17 to 30 September 1944,[4] and the 17th Armored Group, which was formed of units assigned or attached to the 76th Infantry Division for an attack across the Kyll River in Germany from 4 to 9 March 1945.[1]
In the Pacific Theater of Operations (PTO), the 20th Armored Group played a significant role in provisioning and preparing the amphibious tank and tractor battalions used for the landings on Leyte, Luzon and Okinawa. As in Europe, the staff served as a special staff section to the corps headquarters.[5]
Because the armored group was largely superfluous to the combat mission, the group headquarters was sometimes tasked for other purposes. These included the operation of corps rest centers and rear area defenses, administering provisional military government, and supervising special equipment schools such as mine exploders and flame thrower tanks.[1]
By the fall of 1944, it was acknowledged that American armored divisions lacked sufficient personnel to operate their Combat Command Reserve headquarters as full combat commands, while at the same time the armored groups were underutilized. On 28 October 1944, the headquarters of 3rd Armored Group was split, with a small section of about 30 men attached to the corps staff. The remainder of the group was attached to the 5th Armored Division. By war’s end, this practice had become the norm in the ETO.[1]
Based on experiences in both the European and Pacific theaters, the Army recognized that retention of armored groups was no longer justified and the armor group was eliminated in 1947.
| Unit | History[6][note 1] |
|---|---|
| 1st Armored Group | ETO. Participated in The Ardennes-Alsace Campaign. |
| 2nd Armored Group | ETO. Served in Italy, and participated in the Naples-Foggia, North Apennines, and Rome-Arno Campaigns. Awarded the French Croix de Guerre. |
| 3rd Armored Group | ETO. Elements of the 3rd Armored Group went ashore at Normandy on 6 June 1944. Received campaign credit for Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes-Alsace, Rhineland, and Central Europe campaigns. Elements of the group were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for action from 29 November – 8 December 1944. |
| 5th Armored Group | Negro unit activated on 23 May 1942. Formed of the 758th, 761st, and 784th Tank Battalions.[7] |
| 6th Armored Group | ETO. Operational in France and Germany, receiving campaign credit for Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes-Alsace, Rhineland, and Central Europe campaigns. The group received credit for an assault landing in Normandy. |
| 7th Armored Group | ETO. Operational in France and Germany, receiving campaign credit for Northern France, Ardennes-Alsace, Rhineland, and Central Europe campaigns. |
| 8th Armored Group | ETO. Operational in France and Germany, receiving campaign credit for Northern France, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe campaigns. |
| 9th Armored Group | ETO. Operational in France and Germany, receiving campaign credit for Northern France, Rhineland, and Central Europe campaigns. |
| 10th Armored Group | ETO. Operational in France and Germany, receiving campaign credit for Northern France, Ardennes-Alsace, Rhineland, and Central Europe campaigns. |
| 11th Armored Group | ETO. Operational in France and Germany, receiving campaign credit for Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes-Alsace, Rhineland, and Central Europe campaigns. |
| 12th Armored Group | ETO. Operational in France and Germany, receiving campaign credit for Ardennes-Alsace, Rhineland, and Central Europe campaigns. The Headquarters Company received the Presidential Unit Citation for action from 18–27 December 1944. |
| 13th Armored Group | PTO. Received campaign credit for Leyte. |
| 17th Armored Group | ETO. Operational in France and Germany, receiving campaign credit for Northern France, Ardennes-Alsace, Rhineland, and Central Europe campaigns. |
| 19th Armored Group | PTO. Activated in Hawaii in August 1944, the group conducted amphibious tractor training for the Central Pacific Base Command. Inactivated in April 1945 without deploying from Hawaii.[8] |
| 20th Armored Group | PTO. The group headquarters received assault landing credit for Leyte and Okinawa, and was awarded the Philippines Presidential Unit Citation for action from 7 December 1941 to 10 May 1942 or 17 Oct 1944 to 4 July 1945. |
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "The Armored Group". The General Board, United States Forces, European Theater. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
- ↑ "Detailed Organization American Armored Division, Headquarters & Headquarters Company, Armored Group, 2 October 1943, Table of Organization 17-22" (PDF). Combined Arms Research Library Digital Library. U.S. Army Command & General Staff College. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- ↑ "Detailed Organization, American Armored Division, Headquarters & Headquarters Company, Armored Group, 11 November 1944, Table of Organization 17-22" (PDF). Combined Arms Research Library Digital Library. U.S. Army Command & General Staff College. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- ↑ Combined Arms Research Library. "After Action Report, 747th Tank Battalion" (September 1944).
- ↑ McDaniel, Alva T.; et al. (1952). The Armored Division as an Assault Landing Force. Fort Knox, KY: The Armored School. pp. 22–24. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
- ↑ Headquarters, Department of the Army. DA Pam 672-1 Unit Citation and Campaign Participation Credit Register. Washington, DC: U.S. Army, July 1961.
- ↑ Lee, Ulysses. The Employment of Negro Troops. Washington, DC: U.S. Army Center of Military History, 2001. p. 121.
- ↑ "19th Armored Group". Military.com Unit Pages - 19th Armored Group. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
Notes
- ↑ Except as noted, participation is as reflected in Department of the Army Pamphlet 672-1