Where can you find information on the 607th Armored Field Artillery Battalion?

Answer 1

My dad recently passed away and going through his papers discovered that he was in the 605th tank destroyer battalion. I now have a booklet of the history and roster of the 605.

MSL: My family for years have been trying to find more information about my Grandfathers duty in WWII. We knew very little but recently I found some discharge papers saying he was discharged from the 605. I would LOVE to have a copy of this booklet you say you have.. or know about it. I still know nothing of his military history. We really want this..

The 605th tank destroyer battalion was originally called the Provisional Antitank Battalion of the 5th Infantry Division. They were renamed in December, 1941. They remained in the US until 1944, when they were shipped to England. They saw action beginning in February 1945. One noted battle they took part in was the Bridge at Remagen, the only bridge over the Rhein in Germany to be captured intact. Another battle was the Ruhr Pocket. Later they were briefly assigned to the 82nd Airborne in the last few days of World War 2.

Answer 2

Here's a start: Converted in January from the 104th Infantry Antitank Battalion, 45th Infantry Division, at Camp San Luis Obispo, California. Arrived Belfast, Ireland, on 17 August 1942 and at Oran, Algeria, on 1 February 1943. Trained French troops on M10s in North Africa; only battalion observers went to front. Landed at Naples, Italy, on 8 February 1944, and moved Gustav Line along Garigliano River by 9 March. Entered Rome on 4 June. Carried doughs into Livorno on 18 July. Crossed Arno River in September, then supported attack on Gothic Line through October. Broke into Po River Valley in April 1945, crossed Po River on 27 April. Company C part of column that linked up with U.S. Seventh Army troops in Brenner Pass on 5 May. Attached to: 34th, 85th, 88th, 91st Infantry divisions. And you might find something here: http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1038015

Answer 3

The 671st Tank Destroyer Battalion served in the Pacific Theatre during World War II and was equipped with M18 tank destroyers. It landed in the Philippines in July 1945 but saw little combat during the final weeks of the war. You can find more information about this unit and others by visiting Google and typing in Tank Destroyer Society, a website that has much information about the Tank Destroyer Force in general and links to other websites that have information about the various tank destroyer battalions.

Answer 4

The 803rd was unit formed from Washington Army National Guardsmen as the 103rd Anti Tank infantry BN. After the WAr it was reformed and became the 303rd Armor.

Robert J. Parr

CSM Ret

Answer 5

There was not a 607th Armored Field Artillery Battalion in World War II. "Armored Field Artillery" was the designation usually given to the artillery organic to an armored division, but none of the 16 US Armored Divisions of the war had a 607th AFA. There were also a few "independent" AFA battalions, equipped with self-propelled 105MM howitzers. There were sixteen of these in Europe when the war ended, and two more in Italy, and three in the Pacific. None was the 607th.

There was, however, a 607th Field Artillery Battalion. Every US Infantry Division had three infantry regiments and four artillery battalions as its main combat elements. Three of the artillery battalions were 105MM howitzers, and the fourth was a 155MM howitzer battalion. All this divisional artillery was towed, pulled behind trucks when being transported. The 607th FA Bn was an organic element of the 71st Infantry Division. The 71st ID arrived in the ETO in the spring of 1945 and its members were credited with participation in two campaigns. After its initial introduction to combat with the US 15th Army, containing Germans isolated in French ports which had been submarine bases, the 71st ID spent its first active campaigning time with the US 7th Army (commanded by Alexander "Sandy" Patch), as part of the 6th Army Group (General Jacob Devers). The 6th Army Group was the 7th US Army and the 1st French Army. It was the southernmost of the three Allied army groups in Europe, and had entered France in the "second D-Day" landings, August 15, 1944, on the Riviera. In late March 1945 the Division, as part of the US VI Corps was moved in to the US 3rd Army (George S. Patton, Jr.) in the 12th Army Group (Omar Bradley), the central of the three Allied Army groups. The Division finished the war in the 3rd Army.

Copy and paste these links into your browser window for more details:

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Valley/4020/71st.html
http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/cbtchron/cc/071id.htm

There is also a Wikipedia article on the 71st ID.

There was a 607th Tank Destroyer Battalion in WWII, which also served in Europe. A tank destroyer was a large gun mounted on a tracked chassis, so it looked something like a tank or a self-propelled artillery piece. I think its more likely you're looking for the 607th FA which was part of the 71st Infantry Division.

Answer 6

The 772nd Tank Destroyer Battalion (Towed), as its designation indicates, was not self-propelled, tracked vehicles mounting guns. They towed their weapons behind half-tracks until they put them into position to fight. They had three companies, each with twelve guns. The guns were three inch (or 76.2MM) cannon. The battalion Table of Organization and Equipment also called for 71 bazookas, 25 .50 caliber machine guns, 50 .30 caliber machine guns, 4 M8 Armored Cars, 10 M10 Armored Cars, and 36 M3 half-tracks to pull the guns.

The 772nd TD Bn (T) entered combat in France in December 1944.

The 772nd TD Bn (T) was attached to the 75th Infantry Division from December 22, 1944 to April 6, 1945. December 22 was at the height of the German attack in the Battle of the Bulge. Any good history of the Battle ought to have information of the 75th ID, and the history of the 772nd TD Bn would be substantially the same as that of the division. The 75th ID was a new division, just arrived in France, and entered combat for the first time on December 23, along with the new 772nd TD Bn (T). This was in the vicinity of Liege, Belgium.

http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/cbtchron/cc/075id.htm

Answer 7

An "Order of Battle" on US Army Forces in Europe (ETO) would contain that information.