3rd Armored Division (United States)
| 3rd Armored Division | |
|---|---|
The 3rd Armored Division's shoulder sleeve insignia.
|
|
| Active | 1941–45 1947–92 |
| Country |
 United States |
| Branch |
 United States Army
|
| Type | Armor |
| Role | Armored warfare |
| Size | Typically 15,000+ |
| Nickname(s) | "Spearhead" |
| March | Spearhead March |
| Engagements | Gulf War |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
MG Maurice Rose MG Gordon B. Rogers MG Creighton Abrams |
| Insignia | |
| Flag |  |
| U.S. Armored Divisions | |
|---|---|
| Previous | Next |
| 2nd Armored Division (Inactive) | 4th Armored Division (Inactive) |
The 3rd Armored Division ("Spearhead") was an armored division of the United States Army. Unofficially nicknamed the "Third Herd", the division was first activated in 1941, and was active in the European Theater of World War II. The division was stationed in West Germany for much of the Cold War, and participated in the Persian Gulf War. On 17 January 1992, in Germany, the division ceased operations. In October 1992, it was formally deactivated as part of a general drawing down of forces at the end of the Cold War.
The 3rd Armored Division was organized as a "heavy" armored division, as was its counterpart, the 2nd Armored Division ("Hell on Wheels"). Later, higher-numbered U.S. armored divisions of World War II were smaller, with a higher ratio of armored infantry to tanks, based on lessons of the fighting in North Africa.
As a "heavy" division, the 3rd Armored possessed two armored regiments totaling four medium tank battalions and two of light tanks (18 companies) instead of three tank battalions containing both (12 companies), 232 medium tanks instead of the 168 allotted a light armored division, and with attached units numbered over 16,000 men, instead of the normal 12,000 found in the light armored divisions. Each division type had an infantry component of three mechanized infantry battalions.
The division's core units were the 36th Armored Infantry Regiment, the 32nd Armored Regiment, the 33rd Armored Regiment, the 23rd Armored Engineer Battalion, the 83rd Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, and the 143rd Armored Signal Company. During World War II, these were organized operationally into task forces known as combat commands A, B and R (Reserve), as in the light divisions.
In addition to the core units, a number of other units of various kinds were attached to the division during various operations.
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