773rd Tank Destroyer Battalion
| 773rd Tank Destroyer Battalion | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1941–1945 |
| Country |
 United States
|
| Allegiance | Army |
| Part of | Independent unit |
| Equipment | M10 tank destroyer |
| Decorations | Presidential Unit Citation |
| Disbanded | 1945 |
The 773rd Tank Destroyer Battalion was a tank destroyer battalion of the United States Army active during the Second World War.
The battalion was activated in July 1941, as the 73rd Provisional Anti-Tank Battalion, to take part in the Louisiana maneuvers that summer as part of the 2nd Provisional Anti-Tank Group. The battalion was formed from AT batteries from the 141st and 166th Field Artillery Regiments, as well as personnel from the 190th Field Artillery Regiment; the 141st was drawn from the Louisiana Army National Guard, with the 166th and 190th coming from the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. In December 1941, it was formally converted to a tank destroyer unit, becoming the 773rd Tank Destroyer Battalion.
It remained in the United States until January 1944, when it was shipped to the United Kingdom aboard the liner Aquitania. Through April and June it operated three marshaling camps in southern England, providing accommodation and administration for combat troops being prepared for the Normandy landings.
After a brief retraining period, the battalion landed in Normandy on 8 August, equipped with M10 tank destroyers, and was assigned to XV Corps. It entered combat on 17 August, fighting at the southern tip of the Falaise pocket outside Argentan; over four days it accounted for 41 tanks and 80 other vehicles, and was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation.
It moved up to the Seine in late August, establishing a bridgehead over the river on the 27th, before being withdrawn to Paris for rest. It returned to the line on 10 September, attached to the 79th Infantry Division, and fought along the Moselle River until the 29th, when it was directed to help clear the Forêt de Parroy near the town of Parroy, Lunéville district in the Lorraine region. After intense combat, this was cleared on 9 October. The bodies of three MIA's killed in action during the battle, but who were not identified until recently, have been identified as J.Clayton Hellums, Donald Owens, and Laurence Harris who were buried in Arlington National Cemetery on 20 July 2011. On the 19th the battalion was returned to XV Corps reserve. It was moved north to join XX Corps on the 16th, and attached to the 95th Infantry Division on the 25th.
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