The 69th Division landed in Le Havre, France, on January 24, 1945, and advanced through France and Belgium into Germany. Bradley Fighting Vehicles attached to 369 AR were the first regular army elements to cross the berm into Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom I. The 69th Armor is an armored (tank) regiment of the United States Army. With the inauguration of the Regimental Combat Arms System, the formerly splintered elements of the 2nd Battalion were reconstituted into the Regular Army as the 69th Armor Regiment. Those brave men riding with the Black Panther continue to lead the way into the 21st Century as part of the Army's Heavy Force. The 1st Battalion was alerted to begin preparations for deployment to the Republic of Vietnam in December of 1965. On April 19, 1945, the Division captured Leipzig. The battalion assumed responsibility for an area of operations once belonging to two battalions and a brigade headquarters. I called the number ans wow he was blown away when he found out who I was. 3-69 AR was the first conventional US unit to enter Iraq in 2003, and among the first units to serve four tours in Iraq. Bravo Company's 1st Platoon, detailed to provide additional firepower to the SF camp, fought what was to be the only engagement between U.S. and NVA armor on the night of 3 and 4 March. The battalion served first under 2nd BCT, 2ID and later under 4th BCT, 10th MTN DIV while detached from the rest of the 3rd HBCT. 69th Armor tankers learned on-the-job the importance of rear and flank security, the effect of canister in dense jungle, the exaggerated needs for constant maintenance halts and the value and down-sides of assorted OVM and equipment. The 69th Tank Battalion participated in most of the major ETO actions and campaigns with the 6th Armor Division includingNormandy, Northern France, the Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace and Central Europe. 1st Platoon, B Company earned a special Presidential Unit Citation in August, 1966 for their actions at LZ 27 Victor, a small Korean enclave in the triple canopy jungles of the Ia Drang-Chu Pong mountain area, where nine months earlier, the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) fought savage battles with infiltrating North Vietnamese units. C/2-69 AR, along with additional attachments, remained in Chalis Qada to serve with the Iraqi Army in that area. The 52 ton M48A3 performed well during this initial two-week fight and the unit set an example for future tactical employment of armor in Vietnam. Deployment commenced on 25 January, 1966 with the Battalion laying over in Okinawa to take over 52 new M48A3 tanks and familiarize crews with the new series, AN-GRC 12 radios. 69TH ARMORED DIVISION. Thank you so much again for helping me The 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment (3-69 AR) is a United States Army combined arms battalion and part of the Third Infantry Division based at Fort Stewart, Georgia. The 69th Tank Battalion, as part of the 6th Armored Division, was included in various European campaigns including Normandy, the Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace and Central Europe. In January 2003, 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor deployed to Kuwait awaiting orders to begin combat operations. It was subsequently deactivated in late 1991 with the regimental colors returning to the 2nd Battalion at Fort Benning, Georgia. [2], A Company was committed within two hours of its disembarking from LSTs in Saigon as a reaction force to combat in the Filhol Rubber Plantation west of Saigon. The unit, along. B Company was given the mission of reaction force and route security between Dak To and the besieged Special Forces border camp of Ben Het. In July 2003, following the downfall of the regime under Saddam Hussein. Joe did not want us to forget what each and every brave man and woman of the Fighting 69th did for their families, their country, and the world. We wonder about the rest that served with us in the artillery unit we served in. Co. & 69th Inf. View our site visit statistics. It was redesignated for the 69th Armor Regiment on 25 July 1958. Contrasting with the old battalion M48A2 vehicles, the new A3 models still featured the 90mm cannon, a M2HB cupola mounted .50 caliber machinegun and a 7.62mm, M72 coaxial machinegun. Able-co/2-69 AR, Delta/2-69 AR, HHC/2-69 AR, and E/203 SB (FSC/2-69 AR) along with B/1-30 IN operated out of CAMP CORREGIDOR and COMBAT OUTPOST on the eastern side of Ar Ramadi. The period from 9 to 21 March was spent in mopping up activities and training. In March 2007, 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor was deployed as part of the Baghdad "surge." Contrasting with the old Battalion M48A2 vehicles, the new A3 models still featured the 90mm cannon, a M2HB cupola mounted .50 caliber machinegun and a 7.62mm, M72 coaxial machinegun. I had a great time and intend to go again next year. [3], LTC Theodore S. Riggs took command of the battalion in March 1968, prior to its displacement to An Khe. After a successful tour, Task Force 369 Armor redeployed to Fort Stewart, Georgia in March 2008, to train in preparation of future operations. 11 April: Patrolled vicinity of Mulhausen. Thank you for signing up for the VetFriends Newsletter! Throughout Operation Iraqi Freedom 3-69 AR was featured several times on CNN, ABC News, and the PBS . Free shipping for many products! The 69th Armor is an armored regiment of the United States Army.The 69th Armor Regiment is part of the U.S. Army Regimental System with only two battalions, the 2nd and 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, existing in separate brigades and representing the regiment as a whole. B Company was given the mission of reaction force and route security between Dak To and the besieged Special Forces border camp of Ben Het. This is a beachfront resort Hotel directly on the ocean. New Apr 2020 "814th Tank Destroyer Battalion: December 1944: (Attached to 7th Armored Division) Combat Interviews, After Action Report, Morning Reports" by Wesley Johnston.Maj. Also during this period, a provisional detachment of tanks taken from each line company, was detailed to support elements of the 101st Airborne Division and the 44th ARVN Regiment in the Phan Thiet-Song Mao area. The 69th Tank Battalion, as part of the 6th Armored Division, was included in various European campaigns including Normandy, the Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace and Central Europe. It's been nearly 40 years since we parted. Sign up to receive our newsletter regarding Veterans, Reunions, Military, Veteran Benefits, Military Pictures, Jokes, Military History, The unit's combat actions earned the Presidential Unit Citation and the Navy Unit Commendation. Thanks VetFriends, It was a wonderful moment that we will both remember for the rest of our lives, and we owe it to VetFriends. 3d Battalion, 69th Armor similarly operated with the 24th Division during war. The 2nd Battalion at Fort Benning, and the 3rd Battalion assigned to Fort Stewart, Georgia, were organic to the 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized). 1/69 Armor played a critical role in the defense of Pleiku, Kontum, Dak To and Hwy 19 during the Jan/Feb. [2], 1/69 Armor played a critical role in the defense of Pleiku, Kontum, Dak To and Highway 19 during the Jan/Feb. The 69th Tank Battalion, as part of the 6th Armored Division, was included in various European campaigns including Normandy, the Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace and Central Europe. It was re-designated on 14 January 1957 as Company C, 69th Tank Battalion (the 69th Medium Tank Battalion was relieved on 1 February 1957 from assignment to the 6th Armored Division), and on 15 February 1957 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Medium Tank Battalion, 69th Armor. Archer 1/35 U.S. 69th, 71st, 95th, 98th, 106th Infantry Division Patches FG35035. 69th Armored Infantry Battalion 23rd Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron (Mechanized) 216th Armored Engineer Battalion 156th Armored Signal Company 16th Armored Division Artillery 393rd Armored Field Artillery Battalion 396th Armored Field Artillery Battalion 397th Armored Field Artillery Battalion 16th Armored Division Trains Obviously surprised by the presence of the U.S. tanks, the enemy fled the field after the B Company M48s destroyed several of the assaulting PT 76b tanks and BTR50 fighting vehicles. It was reorganized and re-designated on 20 September 1943 as Company C, 69th Tank Battalion. How cool is that. This web site strives to tell the wartime story of our great Divisionfrom its formation to its meeting Soviet soldiers at The Elbe River on April 25, 1945 as seasoned veteransa critical event that hastened the end of the war in Europe two weeks later on May 9, 1945 (Victory in Europe or V-E Day). [2], The 1st Battalion was again reactivated and assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division in Germany in 1975. Please send updates. In 2013, 3rd Battalion was deployed to eastern Afghanistan in Wardak, Nangarhar, & Ghazni Provinces. Because of this Act, the men of The 69th Infantry Division entered the Army, by draft or voluntary enlistment. We talked on the phone several times in the last few years, and finally we were able to meet in El Paso, TX for a short visit. Deployment commenced on 25 January 1966 with the Battalion laying over in Okinawa to take over 52 new M48A3 tanks and familiarize crews with the new series, AN-GRC 12 radios. B/2-69 AR and E/2-69 AR were awarded the Meritorious Unit Citation. The Division went over to the attack, 27 February, capturing the high ridge east of Prether to facilitate use of the Hellenthal-Hollerath highway. After a successful tour, Task Force 369 AR redeployed to Fort Stewart in January 2006. The 9th Armored Division was cited for extraordinary heroism and gallantry in combat in the vicinity of Waldbillig and Savelborn, Luxembourg from 16-22 December 1944 during which they repulsed constant and determined attacks by an entire German division. With the establishment of the regimental combat arms system, the formerly fragmented elements of the 2nd Battalion were remade into the 69th Armored Regiment. These routes were notorious for ambush actions dating back to the First Indochina War of the 1950s. It landed in Le Havre, France, 24 January 1945, and moved to Belgium to relieve the 99th Division, 12 February, and hold defensive positions in the Siegfried Line. The 69th Armor Regiment was constituted on 15 July, 1940, at Fort Knox, Kentucky, in the Regular Army and initially assigned to the 1st Armor Division. Motto: VITESSE ET PUISSANCE (Speed and Power). It moved to Camp Chaffee on 15 March 1942 to make way for other Armor units, and then completed . Personal experience as a member of the Heavy Mortar Platoon, CSC (later HHC) 2/69th AR, Fort Benning, GA from August 1984 December 1985; US War Casualties Afghanistan (by date), http://www.benning.army.mil/armor/eARMOR/content/issues/1988/JAN_FEB/ArmorJanuaryFebruary1988web.pdf, The Institute of Heraldry 69th Armor Regiment, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=69th_Armor_Regiment&oldid=1100734449. [2], As part of the 197th Brigade (Separate), 2d Battalion, 69th Armor led the assault of the 24th Infantry Division into Iraq during Operation Desert Storm in February 1991. Two days later, Division patrols in the area between the Elbe and the Mulde Rivers contacted Russian troops in the vicinity of Riesa and again at Torgau. Veteran C. Young, After 30 years and learning the computer and finding VetFriends, I went to my first reunion of the USS Navasota AO-106. The battalion served first under 2nd BCT, 2ID and later under 4th BCT, 10th MTN DIV while detached from the rest of the 3rd HBCT. Earlier, in September, the Battalion, along with the other elements of the 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division became part of the 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division in a swap of brigades in place. For its actions and the extraordinary heroism of its soldiers, A Company was awarded the Valorous Unit Citation. The bumper number reads "B31", as in Bravo Company, 3rd Platoon, 1 track (platoon leader's tank). An element of the former organization was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation for service in Europe. Thank you so much again for helping me During the defense of St. Vith, he commanded an ad hoc CCB task force from a foxhole at the base of the Pruemerberg hillside at the . The first address you sent me is my buddy. [2], A Company was charged with the security of Hwy 19E between An Khe and Mang Jiang Pass, and on 10 April, routed a regimental size ambush attempt on a convoy which effectively destroyed the NVA 95B battalion as a fighting force. During this period Alpha Company supported the three Sky Trooper brigades in heavy combat operations along the South China Sea coast, distinguishing itself in savage fighting against Main Force Viet Cong, for countless fortified village complexes in Binh Dinh province and the Bong Son plain area. Further, we want these pages to be a gateway for 69ers to locate and contact "buddies" and obtain service information from the military. [2], LTC (MG Retired) Stan R. Sheridan assumed command of 1/69 Armor in September, 1968 as the Battalion forward HQ again moved, this time west to the area of the Oasis, HQ of the 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division along QL 19W, conducting numerous reconnaissance-in-force operations north and east of Duc Co and along the Cambodian border. Lineage and Honors Information as of 16 May 2012, Robert J. DalessandroDirector, Center of Military History, Constituted 15 July 1940 in the Regular Army as Company B, 69th Armored Regiment, an element of the 1st Armored Division, Activated 31 July 1940 at Fort Knox, Kentucky, Inactivated 10 January 1942 at Fort Knox, Kentucky, Activated 15 February 1942 at Fort Knox, Kentucky (69th Armored Regiment concurrently relieved from assignment to the 1st Armored Division and assigned to the 6th Armored Division), Reorganized and redesignated 20 September 1943 as Company B, 69th Tank Battalion, Reorganized and redesignated 10 July 1945 as Company B, 69th Amphibian Tractor Battalion (69th Tank Battalion concurrently relieved from assignment to the 6th Armored Division), Inactivated 8 March 1946 at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, Redesignated 21 August 1950 as Company B, 69th Medium Tank Battalion, an element of the 6th Armored Division, Activated 5 September 1950 at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, Inactivated 16 March 1956 at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, (69th Medium Tank Battalion relieved 1 February 1957 from assignment to the 6th Armored DIvision), Redesignated 1 July 1957 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2d Medium Tank Battalion, 69th Armor (organic elements concurrently constituted), Battalion assigned 8 July 1957 to the 10th Infantry Division and activated in Germany, Relieved 14 June 1958 from assignment to the 10th Infantry Division and assigned to the 2d Infantry Division, Inactivated 1 March 1963 at Fort Benning, Georgia, and relieved from assignment to the 2d Infantry Division, Redesignated 21 March 1973 as the 2d Battalion, 69th Armor, assigned to the 197th Infantry Brigade, and activated at Fort Benning, Georgia, Relieved 16 October 1991 from assignment to the 197th Infantry Brigade and assigned to the 24th Infantry Division, Relieved 16 February 1996 from assignment to the 24th Infantry Division and assigned to the 3d Infantry Division, Relieved 16 March 2004 from assignment to the 3d Infantry Division and assigned to the 3d Brigade Combat Team, 3d Infantry Division, Redesignated 1 October 2005 as the 2d Battalion, 69th Armored Regiment, *Presidential Unit Citation (Army), Streamer embroidered IRAQ 2003, Presidential Unit Citation (Navy), Streamer embroidered SAIPAN AND TINIAN, Presidential Unit Citation (Navy), Streamer embroidered OKINAWA, Presidential Unit Citation (Navy), Streamer embroidered WONJU-HWACHON, *Valorous Unit Award, Streamer embroidered BAGHDAD, *Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army), Streamer embroidered IRAQ 2009-2010, Navy Unit Commendation, Streamer embroidered PANMUNJOM, *Army Superior Unit Award, Streamer embroidered 1994, Valorous Unit Award, Streamer embroidered YUSUFIYAH, IRAQ. It was temporarily stopped south of the Karbala Gap due to intense sandstorms and a need to wait for logistical support. We will be posting a tribute and the family's eulogy. Following the outbreak of hostilities on the Korean peninsula, the 708th Amphibian Tank Battalion was subsequently restructured and re-designated the 89th Medium Tank Battalion. As President Franklin D. Roosevelt watched, a blindfolded Secretary of War Henry C. Stimpson selected the first number in the draft lottery, drawing from a huge container filled with numbers assigned to registered young Americans aged 21 to 36. The 6th Armored Division was one of General George S. Patton's famous Third Army divisions during World War II in Europe. In February 1942 it was reassigned to the 6th Armored Division where it continued to serve until September 1943 when elements of the Regiment were divided and reassigned. The battalion played an important role by providing security assistance during the crucial Iraqi national elections in March 2010. As part of the 197th Brigade (Separate), 2/69 Armor spearheaded the assault of the 24th Infantry Division and the 18th Airborne Corps into Iraq during Operation Desert Storm in February, 1991. The 1st Battalion was alerted to begin preparations for deployment to the Republic of Vietnam in December 1965. The Battalion's first major combat operation took place in April, 1966 in the tangled jungle growth of the Hobo Woods and along the trails of the Filhol Rubber plantation again, northwest of Saigon. Symbolism: The shield is in the green and white (silver) of the Armored Force. The 6th Armored Division was created February 15, 1942 at Fort Knox, The 1st Battalion was again reactivated and assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division in Germany in 1975. Both Battalions have had subsequent deployments to the Kuwait desert in support of Coalition forces. With the left over elements of the 69th and the 89th Tank Battalions, the 69th Armored Regiment was re-designated the 69th Armor, a parent regiment under the Regimental Combat Arms system. Colonel Bedford H. Forrest was killed in action in France November 26, according, to word received by his mother Mrs. Mattie S Forrest of Saluda. Search input Search [2], LTC (MG Retired) Stan R. Sheridan assumed command of 1/69 Armor in September 1968 as the battalion forward HQ again moved, this time west to the area of Landing Zone Oasis, HQ of the 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division along QL 19W, conducting numerous reconnaissance-in-force operations north and east of c C and along the Cambodian border.