U.S. 12th Armored Division
Encyclopedia
The 12th Armored Division was an armored division of the United States Army
in World War II
.
The 12th Armored Division landed at Liverpool
, England, 2 October 1944. It arrived at Le Havre
, France, 11 November 1944. Advance elements met the enemy near Weisslingen
, 5 December, and the entire division moved against the Maginot Line
fortifications 2 days later.
In its advance, Rohrbach
and the Bettviller
area were liberated by 12 December, and Utweiler, Germany, was seized 21 December. After a short period of rehabilitation and maintenance, the 12th rolled against the Rhine bridgehead at Herrlisheim
that the Germans had established as part of their Operation Nordwind
offensive. German defenders repulsed two division attacks in the most violent fighting in the history of the 12th, during 8 to 10 January and 16 to 17 January 1945. The division's attacks at Herrlisheim failed to use combined-arms tactics and were defeated in detail, resulting in two tank and two armored infantry battalions taking heavy losses. Poor tactics were compounded by terrain that was almost tabletop-flat, offering the German defenders excellent fields of fire. However, enemy counterattacks failed also, in part because of the firm leadership of the commander of Combat Command
B, Colonel Charles Bromley, who declared his headquarters expendable and ordered all personnel in the headquarters to prepare a hasty defense. The division was subsequently relieved by the U.S. 36th Infantry Division. After recovering from the bruising experience at Herrlisheim, the 12th went over to the offensive and attacked south from Colmar
. In a lightning drive, the 12th effected junction with French forces at Rouffach
, on 5 February, sealing the Colmar Pocket
and ending German resistance in the Vosges Mountains
. Except for elements acting as a protective screen, the division withdrew to the St. Avold area for rest and rehabilitation. The attack resumed, 18 March 1945.
In a quick drive to the Rhine, Ludwigshafen fell, 21 March, and two other important river cities, Speyer
and Germersheim
, were secured on the 24th, clearing the Saar Palatinate. Maintaining the rapid pace, the 12th crossed the Rhine River at Worms
, 28 March, advanced toward Würzburg
against light resistance, and captured that city. After assisting in the seizure of Schweinfurt
, the division continued toward Nürnberg, 13 April, taking Neustadt
, then shifted toward Munich
, 17 April. Elements of the 12th raced from Dinkelsbühl
to the Danube
, taking the bridge at Dillingen
before demolition men could wreck it. This bridge provided a vital artery for Allied troops flooding into southern Germany.
The division spearheaded the Seventh Army drive, securing Landsberg
, 29 April, clearing the area between the Ammer and Wurm Lakes on the 30th, and moving deeper into the "National Redoubt." The 12th Armored Division is recognized as a liberating element of the Kaufering concentration camp
s, arriving at several of the camps, on 27–28 April 1945.
Elements crossed the Inn River
and the Austrian border, 3 May. The 12th was relieved by the 36th Infantry Division, 4 May, and engaged in security duty until 22 November 1945, when it left Marseille
, France, for home. The 12th was nicknamed the "Hellcat Division" for its ferocious advance across Southern Germany.
It was deactivated on 3 December 1945 at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey.
Days of combat: 102
Distinguished Unit Citations
: 1.
Awards: Medal of Honor
-1
; DSC
-2 ; DSM
-1 ; SS
-225; LM
-8; DFC-4 ; SM-11 ; BSM
-1,453 ; AM-63.
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
History
The division was activated on 15 September 1942.The 12th Armored Division landed at Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, England, 2 October 1944. It arrived at Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
, France, 11 November 1944. Advance elements met the enemy near Weisslingen
Weisslingen
Weisslingen is a municipality in the district of Pfäffikon in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.-Geography:Weisslingen has an area of . Of this area, 45.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while 43.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 10.4% is settled and the remainder is non-productive...
, 5 December, and the entire division moved against the Maginot Line
Maginot Line
The Maginot Line , named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, artillery casemates, machine gun posts, and other defences, which France constructed along its borders with Germany and Italy, in light of its experience in World War I,...
fortifications 2 days later.
In its advance, Rohrbach
Rohrbach
Rohrbach can refer to:* Heidelberg-Rohrbach, a district of the city of Heidelberg in Germany* Rohrbach, Switzerland, in the canton of Bern*municipalities in Germany:**Rohrbach, Bavaria, in the district of Pfaffenhofen, Bavaria...
and the Bettviller
Bettviller
Bettviller is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.It is mentioned for the first time in 1157, in the forms "Bedebur" and "Bedeviller" in 1496 . The current village was built in XVIe century.-External links:*...
area were liberated by 12 December, and Utweiler, Germany, was seized 21 December. After a short period of rehabilitation and maintenance, the 12th rolled against the Rhine bridgehead at Herrlisheim
Herrlisheim
Herrlisheim is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.-Geography:Herrlisheim is positioned on the rich alluvial farmland to the west of the River Rhine, north of Strasbourg and a short distance to the east of the A35 Autoroute.-Economy:The local economy is based on...
that the Germans had established as part of their Operation Nordwind
Operation Nordwind
Operation North Wind was the last major German offensive of World War II on the Western Front. It began on 1 January 1945 in Alsace and Lorraine in northeastern France, and it ended on 25 January.-Objectives:...
offensive. German defenders repulsed two division attacks in the most violent fighting in the history of the 12th, during 8 to 10 January and 16 to 17 January 1945. The division's attacks at Herrlisheim failed to use combined-arms tactics and were defeated in detail, resulting in two tank and two armored infantry battalions taking heavy losses. Poor tactics were compounded by terrain that was almost tabletop-flat, offering the German defenders excellent fields of fire. However, enemy counterattacks failed also, in part because of the firm leadership of the commander of Combat Command
Combat command
A Combat Command was a combined-arms military organization of comparable size to a brigade or regiment employed by armored forces of the U.S. Army from 1942 until 1963...
B, Colonel Charles Bromley, who declared his headquarters expendable and ordered all personnel in the headquarters to prepare a hasty defense. The division was subsequently relieved by the U.S. 36th Infantry Division. After recovering from the bruising experience at Herrlisheim, the 12th went over to the offensive and attacked south from Colmar
Colmar
Colmar is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.It is the capital of the department. Colmar is also the seat of the highest jurisdiction in Alsace, the appellate court....
. In a lightning drive, the 12th effected junction with French forces at Rouffach
Rouffach
Rouffach is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.Rouffach lies along the Alsatian wine route ....
, on 5 February, sealing the Colmar Pocket
Colmar Pocket
The Colmar Pocket ; in Alsace, France, was the site of an operation during the Second World War, between 20 January and 9 February 1945, where the French First Army and the U.S...
and ending German resistance in the Vosges Mountains
Vosges mountains
For the department of France of the same name, see Vosges.The Vosges are a range of low mountains in eastern France, near its border with Germany. They extend along the west side of the Rhine valley in a northnortheast direction, mainly from Belfort to Saverne...
. Except for elements acting as a protective screen, the division withdrew to the St. Avold area for rest and rehabilitation. The attack resumed, 18 March 1945.
In a quick drive to the Rhine, Ludwigshafen fell, 21 March, and two other important river cities, Speyer
Speyer
Speyer is a city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located beside the river Rhine, Speyer is 25 km south of Ludwigshafen and Mannheim. Founded by the Romans, it is one of Germany's oldest cities...
and Germersheim
Germersheim
Germersheim is a town in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, of around 20,000 inhabitants. It is also the seat of the Germersheim district. The neighboring towns and cities are Speyer, Landau, Philippsburg, Karlsruhe and Wörth.-Coat of arms:...
, were secured on the 24th, clearing the Saar Palatinate. Maintaining the rapid pace, the 12th crossed the Rhine River at Worms
Worms, Germany
Worms is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Rhine River. At the end of 2004, it had 85,829 inhabitants.Established by the Celts, who called it Borbetomagus, Worms today remains embattled with the cities Trier and Cologne over the title of "Oldest City in Germany." Worms is the only...
, 28 March, advanced toward Würzburg
Würzburg
Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
against light resistance, and captured that city. After assisting in the seizure of Schweinfurt
Schweinfurt
Schweinfurt is a city in the Lower Franconia region of Bavaria in Germany on the right bank of the canalized Main, which is here spanned by several bridges, 27 km northeast of Würzburg.- History :...
, the division continued toward Nürnberg, 13 April, taking Neustadt
Neustadt an der Aisch
Neustadt an der Aisch is a small town in the northern part of Bavaria , within the Franconian administrative region Middle Franconia,...
, then shifted toward Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, 17 April. Elements of the 12th raced from Dinkelsbühl
Dinkelsbühl
Dinkelsbühl is a historic city in Bavaria, Germany and a former Free imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire. Now it belongs to the district of Ansbach, north of Aalen.-History:...
to the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
, taking the bridge at Dillingen
Dillingen, Bavaria
Dillingen, or Dillingen an der Donau is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is the administrative center of the district of Dillingen....
before demolition men could wreck it. This bridge provided a vital artery for Allied troops flooding into southern Germany.
The division spearheaded the Seventh Army drive, securing Landsberg
Landsberg
Landsberg may refer to:* Landsberg , Bavaria, Germany* Landsberg, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany* the Margraviate of Landsberg, Holy Roman Empire* Landsberg am Lech, Bavaria, Germany* Landsberg an der Warthe, German name of Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland...
, 29 April, clearing the area between the Ammer and Wurm Lakes on the 30th, and moving deeper into the "National Redoubt." The 12th Armored Division is recognized as a liberating element of the Kaufering concentration camp
Kaufering concentration camp
Kaufering concentration camps were a network of subsidiary camps of the Dachau concentration camp.With the intensification of the Allied air war against German industrial and military enterprises after 1943, the German Armaments Ministry and the Schutzstaffel agreed to accelerate construction of...
s, arriving at several of the camps, on 27–28 April 1945.
Elements crossed the Inn River
Inn River
The Inn is a river in Switzerland, Austria and Germany. It is a right tributary of the Danube and is approximately 500km long. The highest point of its drainage basin is the summit of Piz Bernina, at 4,049 metres.- Geography :...
and the Austrian border, 3 May. The 12th was relieved by the 36th Infantry Division, 4 May, and engaged in security duty until 22 November 1945, when it left Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, France, for home. The 12th was nicknamed the "Hellcat Division" for its ferocious advance across Southern Germany.
It was deactivated on 3 December 1945 at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey.
Order of battle
- 23rd Tank Battalion
- 43rd Tank Battalion
- 714th Tank Battalion
- 17th Armored Infantry Battalion
- 56th Armored Infantry Battalion
- 66th Armored Infantry Battalion
- 493rd Armored Field Artillery Battalion
- 494th Armored Field Artillery Battalion
- 495th Armored Field Artillery Battalion
- 92nd Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, Mechanized
- 119th Armored Engineer Battalion
- 82nd Medical Battalion, Armored
- 134th Armored Ordnance Maintenance Battalion
- 152nd Armored Signal Company
Awards
Campaigns: Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe.Days of combat: 102
Distinguished Unit Citations
Presidential Unit Citation
The Presidential Unit Citation is a senior unit award granted to military units which have performed an extremely meritorious or heroic act, usually in the face of an armed enemy...
: 1.
Awards: Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
-1
Edward A. Carter, Jr.
Edward Allen Carter, Jr. was United States Army Staff Sergeant who received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during March 1945 during World War II...
; DSC
Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree...
-2 ; DSM
Distinguished Service Medal (United States)
The Distinguished Service Medal is the highest non-valorous military and civilian decoration of the United States military which is issued for exceptionally meritorious service to the government of the United States in either a senior government service position or as a senior officer of the United...
-1 ; SS
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
-225; LM
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
-8; DFC-4 ; SM-11 ; BSM
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
-1,453 ; AM-63.
Commanders
- Maj. Gen. Carlos Brewer (September 1942 – August 1944)
- Maj. Gen. Douglass T. Greene (August–September 1944)
- Maj. Gen. Roderick R. Allen (September 1944 – July 1945)
- Brig. Gen. Willard Ames Holbrook, Jr.Willard Ames Holbrook, Jr.Willard Ames Holbrook, Jr. was a Brigadier General in the United States Army. He served as the commander of Combat Command A of the 11th Armored Division during World War II.-Biography:...
(July 1945 to inactivation)
External links
- Speed is the Password: The Story of the 12th Armored Division
- 12th Armored Museum a museum celebrating the division