U.S. 5th Armored Division
Encyclopedia
The 5th Armored Division ("Victory") was an armored
formation
of the United States Army
active from 1941 to 1945 and from 1950 to 1956.
The division landed at Utah Beach
on 24 July 1944 under the command of Major General Lunsford E. Oliver, and moved into combat on 2 August, driving south through Coutances
, Avranches
, and Vitré
, and across the Mayenne River
to seize the city of Le Mans
, 8 August. Turning north, the division surrounded the Germans in Normandy
by advancing to the edge of the city of Argentan
on 12 August—8 days before the Argentan-Falaise Gap was closed.
Turning Argentan over to the 90th Infantry Division
, the 5th Armored advanced 80 miles to capture the Eure River
Line at Dreux
on 16 August. Bitter fighting was encountered in clearing the Eure
-Seine
corridor, the second big trap in France. The 5th passed through Paris 30 August to spearhead V Corps drive through the Compiègne Forest
, across the Oise
, Aisne
, and Somme
Rivers, and reached the Belgian border at Condé
, 2 September.
The division then turned east, advancing 100 miles in 8 hours, and crossed the Meuse
at Charleville-Mézières
, 4 September. Racing past Sedan
, it liberated Luxembourg City on the 10th and deployed along the German border. The reconnaissance squadron of the division sent a patrol across the German border on the afternoon of 11 September to be the first of the Allies to cross the enemy frontier. On 14 September, the 5th penetrated the Siegfried Line
at Wallendorf
, remaining until the 20th, to draw off enemy reserves from Aachen
.
In October it held defensive positions in the Monschau
-Hofen
sector. The division entered the Hurtgen Forest area in late November and pushed the enemy back to the banks of the Roer River in very heavy fighting. On 22 December it was withdrawn to Verviers
and placed in 12th Army Group
reserve.
Crossing the Roer on 25 February 1945 the 5th spearheaded the XIII Corps
drive to the Rhine, crossing the Rhine at Wesel
, 30 March. The Division reached the banks of the Elbe
at Tangermunde
, 12 April—45 miles from Berlin. On 16 April, the 5th moved to Klotze
to wipe out the Von Clausewitz Panzer Division and again drove to the Elbe, this time in the vicinity of Dannenberg
. The division mopped up in the Ninth Army
sector until VE-day.
1941
1944–45
1944, 28 January 1945 – 9 May 1945)
The division's losses included 570 killed in action, 2,442 wounded in action, and 140 who died of wounds.
The division was inactivated on 11 October 1945, reactivated in 1950, and inactivated for the final time in 1956.
Armoured warfare
Armoured warfare or tank warfare is the use of armoured fighting vehicles in modern warfare. It is a major component of modern methods of war....
formation
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
active from 1941 to 1945 and from 1950 to 1956.
History
The 5th Armored "Victory" Division was activated on 10 October 1941, and reached the United Kingdom in February 1944.The division landed at Utah Beach
Utah Beach
Utah Beach was the code name for the right flank, or westernmost, of the Allied landing beaches during the D-Day invasion of Normandy, as part of Operation Overlord on 6 June 1944...
on 24 July 1944 under the command of Major General Lunsford E. Oliver, and moved into combat on 2 August, driving south through Coutances
Coutances
Coutances is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France.-History:Capital of the Unelli, a Gaulish tribe, the town took the name of Constantia in 298 during the reign of Roman emperor Constantius Chlorus...
, Avranches
Avranches
Avranches is a commune in the Manche department in the Basse-Normandie region in north-western France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. The inhabitants are called Avranchinais.-History:...
, and Vitré
Vitré, Ille-et-Vilaine
Vitré is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in north-western France.Vitré, a sub-prefecture until 1926, is the seat of a canton of around 17,000 inhabitants . It lies on the edge of Brittany, near Normandy, Maine, and Anjou...
, and across the Mayenne River
Mayenne River
The Mayenne is a river in western France principally located in the French region Pays de la Loire. Together with the river Sarthe and its tributary Loir it forms the river Maine, which is a tributary to the river Loire.-Geography:...
to seize the city of Le Mans
Le Mans
Le Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...
, 8 August. Turning north, the division surrounded the Germans in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
by advancing to the edge of the city of Argentan
Argentan
Argentan is a commune, and the seat of two cantons and of an arrondissement in the Orne department in north-western France.Argentan is located NE of Rennes, ENE of the Mont Saint-Michel, SE of Cherbourg, SSE of Caen, SW of Rouen and N of Le Mans....
on 12 August—8 days before the Argentan-Falaise Gap was closed.
Turning Argentan over to the 90th Infantry Division
U.S. 90th Infantry Division
The 90th Infantry Division was a unit of the United States Army that served in World War I and World War II.Its heraldic descendant is the 90th Sustainment Brigade.-World War I:*Activated: August 1917.*Overseas: June 1918....
, the 5th Armored advanced 80 miles to capture the Eure River
Eure River
The Eure is a river in northern France, left tributary of the Seine. It rises at Marchainville in the Orne département and joins the Seine near Pont-de-l'Arche...
Line at Dreux
Dreux
Dreux is a commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France.-History:Dreux was known in ancient times as Durocassium, the capital of the Durocasses Celtic tribe. Despite the legend, its name was not related with Druids. The Romans established here a fortified camp known as Castrum...
on 16 August. Bitter fighting was encountered in clearing the Eure
Eure River
The Eure is a river in northern France, left tributary of the Seine. It rises at Marchainville in the Orne département and joins the Seine near Pont-de-l'Arche...
-Seine
Seine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
corridor, the second big trap in France. The 5th passed through Paris 30 August to spearhead V Corps drive through the Compiègne Forest
Compiègne Forest
The Forest of Compiègne is a large forest in the region of Picardie, France, near the city of Compiègne and approximately north of Paris.-Geography:...
, across the Oise
Oise River
The River Oise is a right tributary of the River Seine, flowing for 302 km in Belgium and France. Its source is in the Belgian province Hainaut, south of the town Chimay. It crosses the border with France after about 20 km. It flows into the Seine in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, near Paris...
, Aisne
Aisne River
The Aisne is a river in northeastern France, left tributary of the river Oise. It gave its name to the French département Aisne. It was known in the Roman period as the Axona....
, and Somme
Somme River
The Somme is a river in Picardy, northern France. The name Somme comes from a Celtic word meaning tranquility. The department Somme was named after this river....
Rivers, and reached the Belgian border at Condé
Condé-sur-l'Escaut
-Administration:Condé-sur-l'Escaut is the eastern member of the agglomerated Valenciennes metropolitan area, which together administers 35 communes.-References:...
, 2 September.
The division then turned east, advancing 100 miles in 8 hours, and crossed the Meuse
Meuse River
The Maas or Meuse is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea...
at Charleville-Mézières
Charleville-Mézières
Charleville-Mézières is a commune in northern France, capital of the Ardennes department in the Champagne-Ardenne region. Charleville-Mézières is located on the banks of the Meuse River.-History:...
, 4 September. Racing past Sedan
Sedan, France
Sedan is a commune in France, a sub-prefecture of the Ardennes department in northern France.-Geography:The historic centre is built on a peninsula formed by an arc of the Meuse River. It is around from the Belgian border.-History:...
, it liberated Luxembourg City on the 10th and deployed along the German border. The reconnaissance squadron of the division sent a patrol across the German border on the afternoon of 11 September to be the first of the Allies to cross the enemy frontier. On 14 September, the 5th penetrated the Siegfried Line
Siegfried Line
The original Siegfried line was a line of defensive forts and tank defences built by Germany as a section of the Hindenburg Line 1916–1917 in northern France during World War I...
at Wallendorf
Wallendorf
Wallendorf is a municipality in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, on the Sauer river. It was first mentioned in an old document from 1136 as "Vualcheresdorf". Wallendorf has 388 inhabitants. It is located on the German side of a bridge connecting it to the Luxembourgish town of...
, remaining until the 20th, to draw off enemy reserves from Aachen
Aachen
Aachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...
.
In October it held defensive positions in the Monschau
Monschau
Monschau is a small resort town in the Eifel region of western Germany, located in the district Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia.-Geography:The town is located in the hills of the North Eifel, within the Hohes Venn – Eifel Nature Park in the narrow valley of the Rur river.The historic town center...
-Hofen
Hofen
Hofen may mean:* Hofen, Switzerland, a municipality in the Canton of Schaffhausen* Höfen, Tyrol, in Austria* Hofen, a former community incorporated into modern Friedrichshafen, Germany...
sector. The division entered the Hurtgen Forest area in late November and pushed the enemy back to the banks of the Roer River in very heavy fighting. On 22 December it was withdrawn to Verviers
Verviers
Verviers is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège. The Verviers municipality includes the old communes of Ensival, Lambermont, Petit-Rechain, Stembert, and Heusy...
and placed in 12th Army Group
U.S. 12th Army Group
The Twelfth United States Army Group was the largest and most powerful United States Army formation ever to take to the field. It controlled the majority of American forces on the Western Front in 1944 and 1945...
reserve.
Crossing the Roer on 25 February 1945 the 5th spearheaded the XIII Corps
U.S. XIII Corps
Activated on 7 December 1942 in Providence, Rhode Island, the XIII Corps fought for 180 days in the European Theater of Operations, fighting from the Netherlands to the Elbe River. It was first activated under the command of then-Major General Emil F. Reinhardt, but would be commanded in combat by...
drive to the Rhine, crossing the Rhine at Wesel
Wesel
Wesel is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the Wesel district.-Division of the town:Suburbs of Wesel include Lackhausen, Obrighoven, Ginderich, Feldmark,Fusternberg, Büderich, Flüren and Blumenkamp.-History:...
, 30 March. The Division reached the banks of the Elbe
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
at Tangermunde
Tangermünde
Tangermünde is a town in the district of Stendal, in the northeastern part of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the Elbe river in the Altmark region.-History:Tangermünde can look back at an 1000-year history...
, 12 April—45 miles from Berlin. On 16 April, the 5th moved to Klotze
Klötze
Klötze is a town in the Altmarkkreis Salzwedel , in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated approx. 20 km northwest of Gardelegen, and 35 km northeast of Wolfsburg....
to wipe out the Von Clausewitz Panzer Division and again drove to the Elbe, this time in the vicinity of Dannenberg
Dannenberg
- Places :* Dannenberg , a town in Germany* County of Dannenberg, a medieval fief founded by Henry the Lion- People :* Konrad Dannenberg, German-American engineer* Peter A Dannenberg, Russian general...
. The division mopped up in the Ninth Army
U.S. Ninth Army
The Ninth United States Army was one of the main U.S. Army combat commands used during the campaign in Northwest Europe in 1944 and 1945. It was commanded from its inception by Lieutenant General William Simpson...
sector until VE-day.
Structure
The division consisted of these units:1941
- 5th Armored Brigade HHC
- 31st Armored Regiment (Light)
- 34th Armored Regiment (Light)34th Armor Regiment (United States)The 34th Armor Regiment is an armored regiment of the United States Army formed in 1941.-Lineage:Constituted 28 August 1941 in the Regular Army as the 34th Armored Regiment and assigned to the 5th Armored Division...
- 81st Armored Regiment (Medium)81st Armor Regiment (United States)The 81st Armor Regiment currently has two active battalions, the 1st and 3rd, both of which are assigned to the 194th Armor Brigade, US Army Armor Center, Fort Knox, KY...
- 65th Field Artillery Regiment (United States) (Armored)
- 85th Armored Reconnaissance Battalion
- 58th Field Artillery Battalion (Armored)
- 46th Infantry Regiment46th Infantry Regiment (United States)The 46th Infantry Regiment is a unit in the United States Army that served in WWII.-History:During World War II, the 46th Infantry Regiment was assigned to the 5th Armored Division...
(Armored) - Headquarters
- Headquarters Company, 5th Armored Division
- 22nd Engineer Battalion (Armored)
- 75th Medical Battalion (Armored)
- 145th Signal Company (Armored)
- 21st Ordnance Battalion (Armored)
- 19th Quartermaster Battalion (Armored)
1944–45
- 10th Tank Battalion
- 34th Tank Battalion
- 81st Tank Battalion
- 15th Armored Infantry Battalion
- 46th Armored Infantry Battalion46th Infantry Regiment (United States)The 46th Infantry Regiment is a unit in the United States Army that served in WWII.-History:During World War II, the 46th Infantry Regiment was assigned to the 5th Armored Division...
- 47th Armored Infantry Battalion
- HHB Division Artillery
- 47th Armored Field Artillery Battalion
- 71st Armored Field Artillery Battalion
- 95th Armored Field Artillery Battalion
- 85th Cavalry Reconnaissance Battalion, Mechanized
- 505th Counter Intelligence Corps Detachment
- Headquarters
- Headquarters Company, 5th Armored Division
- HHC, Combat CommandCombat commandA Combat Command was a combined-arms military organization of comparable size to a brigade or regiment employed by armored forces of the U.S. Army from 1942 until 1963...
A - HHC, Combat Command B
- Headquarters, Reserve Command
- HHC, Division Trains
- 75th Medical Battalion, Armored
- 127th Armored Maintenance Battalion
- Military Police Platoon
- 22nd Armored Engineer Battalion
- 145th Armored Signal Battalion
- 628th Tank Destroyer Battalion628th Tank Destroyer BattalionThe 628th Tank Destroyer Battalion was a tank destroyer battalion of the United States Army active during the Second World War. It was redesignated the 628th Tank Battalion after the end of the war, and today exists as the 103rd Armor Regiment.-Early service:...
(attached 2 August 1944 – 19 December 1944, 28 January 1945 – 9 May 1945) - 629th Tank Destroyer Battalion (attached 29 August 1944 – 14 December 1944)
- 771st Tank Destroyer Battalion (attached 17 April 1945 – 24 April 1945)
- 387th AAA Automatic Weapons Battalion (attached 1 August 1944 – 25 March 1945, 28 March 1945 – 9 May 1945)
1944, 28 January 1945 – 9 May 1945)
- 202nd Field Artillery Battalion (attached 2 August 1944 – 25 August 1944)
The division's losses included 570 killed in action, 2,442 wounded in action, and 140 who died of wounds.
The division was inactivated on 11 October 1945, reactivated in 1950, and inactivated for the final time in 1956.
Further reading
- Richard S. Gardner Paths of Armor, Battery Press, 4300 Dale Ave, Nashville TN 37204, 615-298-1401
External links
- Fact Sheet of the 5th Armored Division from http://www.battleofthebulge.org
- La libération de Quierzy
- The Road to Germany: The Story of the 5th Armored Division