81st Armor Regiment (United States)
| 81st Armor Regiment | |
|---|---|
Coat of arms
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| Active | 1941 – present |
| Country |
 United States
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| Branch | Armor Branch (United States) |
| Type | Armor |
| Garrison/HQ | Fort Knox, KY past Fort benning, GA present |
| Motto(s) | Supero Omnia |
| Colors | Gold, Black and Green |
| Engagements | World War II |
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 Benning, GA. They are responsible for training enlisted armor crewmen for the US Army and US Marines on armored warfare vehicles such as the M1A1/M1A2 and Stryker platform.
The 81st Armor Regiment was activated on 1 October 1941 at Fort Knox, Kentucky.
In early 1942, the 81st Armor was moved to California with orders to defend against possible Japanese attacks. While stationed there, it was redesignated as the 81st Tank Battalion in 1943.
Shortly after their service in California, the 81st Tank Battalion headed to Europe in July 1944 to participate in the battles for Normandy and Northern France. The 2nd Battalion was reformed as Company B, 81st Armor and was successful in liberating Luxembourg City on 10 September 1944. As December 1944 crept closer, the battalion entered the Huertgen Forest in the Alsace Region of France. The battalion then rested and refitted for the final push into Germany. The unit spearheaded the 5th Armored Division’s drive to the Rhine River and became the first unit to cross the Siegfried Line into the Rhineland, crossing the Rhine in March 1945. It then drove to the Elbe, 45 miles from Berlin, and was engaged in mopping up German resistance in the Ninth Army sector.
Upon returning from the battlefields of Europe, the battalion was deactivated in the fall of 1945. Except for seven months in 1950, it was active from 1948–1956 with the 5th Armored Division at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas. In 1962, the 81st and the 94th Tank Battalions and the 505th Replacement Company were redesignated as the 81st Armor under the Combat Arms Regimental System. The 1st and 2nd Battalions were assigned to the 1st Armored Division in February of that year. The 2nd battalion was deactivated in 1971 and reactivated in 1972 in West Germany. It was then deactivated again in 1989. The 2nd Battalion was once again reactivated in January 1996 as a part of the 1st Armored Training Brigade at Fort Knox, Kentucky.
Following America’s entry into the Second World War, on 20 September 1943, the 3rd battalion was re-designated as the 707th Tank Battalion, where it saw combat as part of both the 5th and 7th Armored Divisions. As part of the drive through Europe, the 707th participated in the campaigns of Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe. The 707th was awarded the Luxembourg Croix de Guerre, World War II streamer, for its outstanding wartime service. Following its successful campaigns in Europe, the 707th was inactivated at Boston, Massachusetts, on 8 October 1945.
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Wikipedia