20th Armored Division (United States)
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| 20th Armored Division | |
|---|---|
 Shoulder sleeve patch of the United States Army 20th Armored Division |
|
| Active | 1943-1946 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | U.S. Army |
| Type | Armored division |
| Nickname | Armoraiders |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Orlando Ward |
| U.S. Armored Divisions | |
|---|---|
| Previous | Next |
| 16th Armored Division (Inactive) | 40th Armored Division (Inactive) |
The 20th Armored Division was an armored division of the United States Army in World War II. It was activated on 15 March 1943 at Camp Campbell in Kentucky. The Division has no real nickname although it did associate itself with the nickname "Armoraiders" while in training at Camp Campbell. (Nickname information taken from the 18 March 1944 issue of the Camp Campbell Newspaper, Retreat to Taps.)
[edit] History
The 20th Armored Division departed Boston on 5 February and arrived at Le Havre, France, 18 February 1945. On its arrival, SHAEF discovered that the division required an unprecedented amount of additional training before being ready for combat. It was sent to Buchy for a month of training before being deemed acceptable for combat duty. It then moved through, Belgium to Langendernbach, Germany, 10 April. After giving serious thought to breaking up the new division to provide replacements for the veteran armored divisions under his 12th U.S. Army Group, General Omar N. Bradley, sent the unit to Marktbreit, where the division was attached to the III Corps; 20 April. Three days later, it was detached and reassigned to the XV Corps, Seventh Army, at Würzburg, Germany.
Elements of the division first saw action as Task Force Campbell when a false surrender by the enemy resulted in fighting in the town of Dorf, 25 April. The division assembled near Deiningen and reconnoitered for routes to the Danube. The Danube was crossed, 28 April, the 20th meeting sporadic, light resistance. Elements seized the bridge over the Paar river at Schrobenhausen and secured crossings over the Ilm River. The only element of the 20th to participate in a serious engagement was the 27th Tank Battalion. The 27th Tank was attached to the veteran 42nd Infantry Division during its attack on Munich, April 29-30. The rest of the 20th had been ordered off the roads leading into Munich on 28 April to allow the 42nd and 45th Infantry Divisions to attack Munich.[1] The division crossed the Inn River at Wasserburg on 3 May, entered Traunstein, 4 May, and was moving toward Salzburg when it received word that hostilities would cease in Europe. The division is credited with only eight days in combat losing only 46 men killed in action and 134 wounded.[2] The division returned to the U.S. in August 1945 and was slated to invade Japan, but after the atomic bombs were dropped it was inactivated 2 April 1946 at Camp Hood in Texas.
Peanuts creator Charles Schulz rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant while a member of the division. Elements of the 20th Division participated in the liberation of Dachau concentration camp. Schulz's unit was near but did not actually enter the camp.[3]
[edit] Notes
- ^ Order of Battle, ETO, 1945; Seventh U.S. Army: Report of Operations in France and Germany, 1944-1945
- ^ Michaelis 2007, p. 150
- ^ Michaelis 2007, pp. 146–147
[edit] References
- Michaelis, David (2007), Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography, New York: Harper, ISBN 0066213932
