The 14th Armored Division was an armored division

Division (military)

A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...

 of the United States Army

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...

. It remains on the permanent rolls of the Regular Army as an inactive division, and is eligible for reactivation should the need ever arise. The division is officially nicknamed the LIBERATORS.

History

The 14th Armored Division was constituted and added to the rolls of the US Army on 28 Aug 1942 and activated on 15 Nov 1942 in a ceremony at Camp Chaffee, Ark. Organized initially as a heavy division with 2 Armored Regiments (the 47th and 48th) and 1 Armored Infantry Regiment the 62nd. Reorganized from a heavy division to a light division on 20 Sep 1943.

Departed Camp Chaffee, Ark, in Nov 1943 to participate in the 2nd Army maneuvers in Tennessee from 17 Nov 1943 till 10 Jan 1944. At the conclusion of the exercise, the division was assigned to Camp Campbell, Ky. The division remained at Camp Campbell until late Sep 1944 when alerted for movement to the ETO and Camp Shanks,NY for final processing.Units departing Camp Campbell on 1 Oct 1944 and completed their arrival at Camp Shanks on 6 Oct 1944. After completing their processing, the division boarded transports for deployment on 13 Oct 1944 aboard four transports.

Southern France & Alsatian Plain

The 14th Armored Division landed at 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, 29 October 1944. Within 2 weeks some of its elements were in combat, maintaining defensive positions along the Franco-Italian frontier. The division was assigned to U.S. 6th Army Group on 1 November. On 10 November, the division was assigned to U.S. Seventh Army. On 12 November 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...

 Reserve was detached, and ordered to the Maritime Alps by 6th Army Group to relieve units in defensive positions there. On 15 November, Combat Command A moved north from the area of Marseilles to Epinal to take part in the VI Corps drive through 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...

, and was followed by Combat Command B five days later. Hard fighting at Gertwiller

Gertwiller

Gertwiller is a French commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.Positioned in the heart of the Alsace wine growing region, Gertwiller specialises in the manufacture of pain d'épices, a traditional sweet spicey confection not dissimilar from ginger bread...

, Benfeld

Benfeld

Benfeld is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.The handsome 1846 synagogue survived the Nazi occupation.-References:*...

, and Barr

Barr, Bas-Rhin

Barr is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.-History:Barr was originally an imperial property, but in 1522 the Habsburgs leased it to Nicolas Ziegler, and a few years later give him the freehold. Ziegler's sons sold Barr to the city of Strasbourg...

 helped VI Corps crack the German defenses, and the division was on the Alsatian Plain early in December. On 17 December the division attacked across the Lauter River into Germany itself, and along with the other units of VI Corps fought its way into a heavily defended portion of the German Westwall. Due to the growing crisis in the Ardennes, General Eisenhower ordered Seventh Army to stop its attack and withdraw from the Westwall, where its units assumed positions south of the Lauter River. The order was poorly timed as elements of the 14th Armored Division had penetrated deep into the German defenses, and were poised to break out into the enemy's rear.

Task Force Hudelson

On 25 December 1944 VI Corps ordered the division's Combat Command R, commanded by Col. Daniel Hudelson, to assemble a regimental sized task force (TF Hudelson) to establish defensive positions along a 10-mile section of the Seventh Army line linking XV and VI Corps, was located in the rugged Vosges Mountains in the area of Banstein, southeast of Bitche

Bitche

Bitche is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.It is known for its large citadel. The surrounding territory is known as le Pays de Bitche in French and Bitscherland in German.-Geography:...

. The balance of the division was placed in Corps Reserve to protect against a Saar Valley penetration by the Germans. Additiionally, it was ordered to be prepared to move to the vicinity Phalsbourg as a counter -attacking force to stop and prevent a break through in the XV Corps area.

TF Hudelson consisted of the division's 62nd Armored Infantry Battalion, 94th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, and one company of the 125th Armored Engineer Battalion. TF Hudelson was further reinforced by two VI Corps units, the 117th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron and the 1st Battalion, 540th Combat Engineers. Just before midnight on New Year's Eve, 1944 the German Army Group G launched 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:...

, the last major German counter-offensive of the war. The advancing German units were from the XC and LXXXIX Coprs, attacking through the Low Vosges. TF Hudleson held only a thin line of strong points and screens. During the night and day of 1 January, TF Hudelson found itself engaged by elements of 5 enemy divisions,the 256th, 257th, 361st and 559th Volksgrenadier Division. The troops of TF Hudelson took the brunt of the German advance which had penetrated to Bannstein by day break. The Task Force was soon overrun or bypassed the German divisions but they managed to delay and slow the German advance until substantial reinforcements could arrive and stem the German advance. The the fourth day of the German advance they had advanced 10 miles. With pressure building during the first day of the attack, aerial observation reported a strong regimental size element moving towards Bannstein. Reinforcements were sent to Baerenthal to reinforce the VI Corps left flank and the 14th Armored Division was ordered to establish blocking positions. On the 2nd Januar, the 45th Division along with the attached Task Force herren, occupied positions to block any further penetrationby the Germans. This allowed for the relief of Task Force Hudelson and its return to division control.

The major fighting between 1 and 8 January occurred in the Vosges Mountains, and two combat commands of the division were in almost continuous action defending against the German attacks. With the failure of his attack in the Vosges, the enemy attempted to break through to Hagenau and threaten Strasbourg

Strasbourg

Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...

 and the Saverne Gap by attacks at Hatten

Hatten

Hatten is a municipality in Oldenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated southeast of Oldenburg, on the North-West edge of the Wildeshausen Geest Nature Park. Apart from the aesthetically and ecologically attractive countryside it exhibits, the municipality is modern and future-oriented...

 and Rittershoffen

Rittershoffen

Rittershoffen is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.-References:*...

, two small villages located side by side on the Alsatian Plain. However, this, the strongest attack of Operation Nordwind, was halted by the 14th Armored in the fierce defensive Battle of Hatten-Rittershoffen which raged from 9 to 21 January 1945.

Hatten and Rittershoffen

As the fighting in the VI Corps sector intensified, the Germans committed the 21st Panzer Division and the 25th Panzer Grenadier Division to the attack with a breakthrough to Hagenau. On the 9th of January, German armor was able to penetrate the center of the VI Corps sector. This caused Brooks the Corps commander to commitment his final reserve force, the 14th Armored in an effort to stop the German XXXIX Panzer Corps advance. Ordered to take up positions in the vicinity of Hatten and Rittershoffen, the 14th assumed commander and control of units from the 242nd Infantry Regiment and the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 315th Infantry Regiments. With the heavy fighting in and around the towns, success was measured in how many buildings were controlled by each side as the Americans controlled the western half of the towns and the Germans the eastern half. On the 15th of January, the Germans reinforced the forces in both towns with elements of the 20th Parachute Regiment from the 7th Parachute Division, and the 104th Infantry Regiment from the 47th Volksgrenadier Division. As the fighting raged, the 14th Armored found itself increasingly on the defense. The resupply of the division was becoming very difficult due to the constant reorganizing of forces, the evacuation of wounded, and the shrinking perimeter. But the divisions 11 day stand at Hatten and Rittershoffen allowed the VI Corps and Seventh Army to withdraw to prepared defensive positions. On 21 January, after the rest of Seventh Army had withdrawn to new defensive positions on the south bank of the Moder River

Moder River

The Moder is a long river in northeastern France, left tributary of the river Rhine. Its source is near the hamlet Moderfeld, in the commune of Zittersheim. It joins the Rhine near the Iffezheim Lock, in Germany.- Notes :...

, the 14th and its supporting units withdrew from Hatten and Rittershoffen and moved south to join the rest of the army.

Following the battle the division G-4 reported to the commanding officer that the division was still short 62 medium tanks despite having received over 60 replacement tanks during the month of January. Even more astounding was the 136th Ordnance Battalion's maintenance report for the month in which it listed approximately 150 medium tanks that had been knocked out in combat, repaired, and returned to the division's tank battalions. An example of this is seen on the operational reports of the 47th and 48th Tank Battalions. At the height of the fighting the 47th reported that it had a total of 17 operational medium tanks out of an authorized strength of 50, and all were committed to holding its portion of the line. The 48th Tank Battalion report for the same period included the comment that its medium tank companies were now of approximately squad strength. Lt. General Jacob L. Devers, commanding general, 6th Army Group later commented that the Battle of Hatten-Rittershoffen "was one of the greatest defensive battles of the war." The 14th Armored Division was nominated for four Presidential Unit Citation

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...

s for its actions at Hatten-Rittershofen. Of these, two were awarded. Col. Hans von Luck, who commanded the 21st Panzer Division at Hatten-Rittershoffen wrote in his memoirs "Panzer Commander" that the battle ".... was one of the hardest and most costly battles that had ever raged on the western front." These are strong, telling words from a professional German panzer officer who fought with Rommel's famed Afrika Korps

Afrika Korps

The German Africa Corps , or the Afrika Korps as it was popularly called, was the German expeditionary force in Libya and Tunisia during the North African Campaign of World War II...

 in North Africa, served two tours of duty on the Eastern Front, and led the only armored counter-attack to be attempted against the Allied beachhead in Normandy. A veteran officer who served on the staff of Army Group G during the battle wrote after the war that the American defense of the town against overwhelming odds were "heroic."

After rest, rehabilitation, and defensive missions during February and early March, the division returned to the offensive, 15 March 1945, drove across the Moder River

Moder River

The Moder is a long river in northeastern France, left tributary of the river Rhine. Its source is near the hamlet Moderfeld, in the commune of Zittersheim. It joins the Rhine near the Iffezheim Lock, in Germany.- Notes :...

, cracked through the Siegfried Line

Siegfried Line

The original Siegfried line was a line of defensive forts and tank defences built by Germany as a section of the Hindenburg Line 1916–1917 in northern France during World War I...

, and by the end of the month, had captured 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:...

 on the Rhine. On Easter Sunday, 1 April 1945, the 14th moved across the Rhine near 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...

 and protecting the long left flank of Seventh Army advance against moderate to heavy opposition through Lohr

Lohr

Lohr am Main is a town in the Main-Spessart district in the Regierungsbezirk of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany and the seat of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft of Lohr am Main.- Location :The town lies on the Main in the Spessart about halfway between Würzburg and...

, Gemunden

Gemünden

Gemünden may refer to several places in Germany:*Gemünden am Main, a town in Bavaria*Gemünden , a town in Hesse*Gemünden , a municipality in Hesse*Gemünden, Rhein-Hunsrück, a municipality in Rhineland-Palatinate...

, Neustadt

Neustadt am Main

Neustadt am Main is a community in the Main-Spessart district in the Regierungsbezirk of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany and a member of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft of Lohr am Main.- Location :Neustadt am Main lies in the Würzburg Region.The community has the following Gemarkungen...

, and Hammelburg

Hammelburg

Hammelburg is a town in the district of Bad Kissingen, in Lower Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the river Franconian Saale, 25 km west of Schweinfurt...

 where, on 6 April, Combat Command B liberated Stalag XIIIC and the more famous Oflag XIII-B

OFLAG XIII-B

Oflag XIII-B was a German Army World War II Prisoner-of-war camp camp for officers, originally in Langwasser near Nuremberg. In 1943 it was moved to 3 km south of Hammelburg, Lower Franconia, Bavaria, Germany....

.

Liberation of Oflag XIIIB and Stalag XIIIC

After erecting a pontoon bridge near Worms to cross the Rhine River on 1 April, the 14th attacked to the northeast with CCB in the lead. The initial task of CCB was to break through the Spessart Forest and break into the rear of the German forces. The command advanced 75 miles on the first day with the lead elements reaching the town of Lohr. Approaching the town, the leading elements began to receive heavy small arms fire. As the infantry dismounted to clear the resistance, they and the tanks of the 47th Tank battalion experienced heavy antitank fire from Panzerfaust. The 47th lost 3 tanks due to the Panzerfaust.

Clearing the town of resistance, CCB continued its advance along the Main River

Main river

Main rivers are a statutory type of watercourse in England and Wales, usually larger streams and rivers, but also include some smaller watercourses. A main river is defined as a watercourse marked as such on a main river map, and can include any structure or appliance for controlling or regulating...

 through Sackenbach, Nantenbach and Gemunden. As the columns continued along this route, they continued to receive heavy machine gun and mortar fire. On 6 April 1945, CCCB's objective was the military lager south of Hammelburg

Hammelburg

Hammelburg is a town in the district of Bad Kissingen, in Lower Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the river Franconian Saale, 25 km west of Schweinfurt...

 and the POW comps to the south. The operational plan called for the 47th Tank battalion to advance from the north and the 19th Armored Infantry battalion to block and secure the roads to the south and east of the camps. As the units approached the camps, they received sporadic fire from German guns and machine guns. Entering the German lager, the infantrymen of the 19th found the prison gates and forced an opening into OFLAG XIIIB where they found a large contingent of Serbian officers and some American officers.

Elements of the 47th Tank battalion and the 94th Armored Reconnaissance battalion continued to the south and liberated Stalag XIIIC which held a large contingent of Allied enlisted men - American, Australians, British and others.

Liberation of Stalag VII-A

Following the Battle of Nuremberg, the division raced to the Danube, crossing the river at Ingolstadt

Ingolstadt

Ingolstadt is a city in the Free State of Bavaria, in the Federal Republic of Germany. It is located along the banks of the Danube River, in the center of Bavaria. As at 31 March 2011, Ingolstadt had 125.407 residents...

,passing through the 86th Infantry Division. It's mission to secure crossings sites on the Isar River and to push on to Moosburg

Moosburg

Moosburg an der Isar is a town in the Landkreis Freising of Bavaria, Germany.The oldest town between Regensburg and Italy, it lies on the river Isar at an altitude of 421 m . It has 17,275 inhabitants and covers an area of 44 km². It is easily reached by the A 92 autobahn and regional trains on...

 and Landshut

Landshut

Landshut is a city in Bavaria in the south-east of Germany, belonging to both Eastern and Southern Bavaria. Situated on the banks of the River Isar, Landshut is the capital of Lower Bavaria, one of the seven administrative regions of the Free State of Bavaria. It is also the seat of the...

. Advancing on a south easterly axis, CCA was on the division right with CCR on the left and CCB in reserve. Facing the division were remnants of the 17 SS Panzer Grenadiers and the 719th Infantry Divisions. After fighting their way across the Isar and into Moosburg, CCA on 29 April entered the town and approached Stalag VII-A and took the surrender of the camp garrison of over 200 men. Initial reports had listed the number of prisoners liberated as 27,000, this was wrong there where over 130,000 Allied prisoners liberated from Stalag VII-A

Stalag VII-A

During World War II, Stalag VII-A was Germany's largest prisoner-of-war camp, located just north of the town of Moosburg in southern Bavaria. The camp covered an area of 35 ha. . It served also as a transit camp through which prisoners, including officers, were processed on their way to other camps...

, the largest prisoner of war camp in Germany. The division rapidly moved eastward to the area of Mulhdorf an Inn where it established two strong bridgeheads across the Inn River before being ordered to halt by III Corps. The division fired its last rounds, 2 May 1945, and was processing prisoners of war, and patrolling its area when the war in Europe ended on 8 May,

Liberation of Forced Labor and Concentration Camps

During the divisions advance into southern Germany, on 2 and 3 May, the 14th liberated several sub camps of the Dachau

Dachau

Dachau is a town in Upper Bavaria, in the southern part of Germany. It is a major district town—a Große Kreisstadt—of the administrative region of Upper Bavaria, about 20 km north-west of Munich. It is now a popular residential area for people working in Munich with roughly 40,000 inhabitants...

 concentration camp. Upon entering the towns of Muldorf and Ampfing, units of the division discovered three large forced labor camps containing thousands of Polish and Soviet civilians. Units also liberated two additional camps nearby holding Jewish prisoners.

CCR Rifle Company

As a result of the shortage of infantry replacements which the European Theater was facing in late 1944, a call for volunteers was distributed throughout the communication zone for those willing to retrain as infantry replacements. This call was accepted by over 4,000 African American soldiers serving in support units throughout the communication zone. By 1 February 1945, 2,800 of these volunteers received orders to report to the retraining center where they received basic instruction in infantry skills and tactics. In March 1945, the first contingent of soldiers, organized into 12 platoons, were assigned to the 7th Army which organized them into 3 companies of 4 platoons each. They were organized as 7th Army Provisional Rifle Companies 1, 2 and 3 and then assigned to the 12th Armored Division. In late March, the last contingent of 4 additional platoons were assigned to 7th Army which organized them as 7th Army Provisional Rifle Company 4 and then assigned them to the 14th Armored Division.

This 240 man company was assigned to the division without a command and control element, which the division was required to staff, and without weapons and equipment. The division with the assistance of Corps and Army support was able to equip the company with the basic needs for future operations. Initially the company was attached to the 19th Armored Infantry Battalion but was then reassigned to CCR where they became known as the CCR Rifle Company. CCR Rifle company was mainly employed as an attachment to the 25th Tank Battalion. The company's first combat engagement took place near Lichtenfels but it was near Bayreuth that the company received the accolade of approval from those they fought with in the 14th Armored Division. In small platoon size actions, CCR Rifle fought their way into Gottsfeld and Creussen helping to secure the towns. The company when employed in less than company size, performed well. When employed as a company, the results were less satisfactory. This was a result of the way in which the companies were formed and trained, as platoons and not as a company. The company remained with the division when it was reassigned to 3rd Army and ended the war with the 14th Armored and was disbanded on June 4, 1945.

"LIBERATORS" is the official nickname of the U.S. 14th Armored Division. The division became known by its nickname during the last days of WW-II when it liberated some 200,000 Allied prisoners of war from German prison camps. Among those liberated were approximately 20,000 American soldiers, sailors, and airmen, as well as an estimated 40,000 troops from the UK and Commonwealth. The division's nickname is officially recognized by the US Army and the division is carried on the permanent rolls of the Army as the "LIBERATORS."

The 14th Armored Division was inactivated on 16 September 1945 at Camp Patrick Henry, VA.

Organization

The division was organized and activated as a heavy division in 1942. Early in 1943, the Army Ground Force began a series of studies to reorganize the various divisions with in the Army. After reviewing the tables of organization and after allowing the various commands to review and comment on the proposed restructure, the divisional strength of the 14 organized armored divisions was reduced from 14,630 men to 10,937. The restructure removed the Armored Regiment and Infantry Regiment from the table of organization and replaced them with 3 Tank Battalions and 3 Armored Infantry Battalions. Both Combat Commands, A and B remained but an additional Command (CCR)was added to the organization. This was a small headquarter element of 10 personnel tasked with the command and control of the division rear area. The 125th Engineer Battalion lost its bridge company the engineer line companies were reduce to 3 companies. The 94th Cavalry Recon Squadron was increased in size to include a HQ Troop, 4 line troops, an assault gun troop (with 4 platoons), and a light tank company. Within the division trains, the division lost its support battalion and the division supply company.

Heavy Division Organization

• Division HHC
• CCA
• CCB
• 47th Armored Regiment
• 48th Armored Regiment
• 62nd Armored Infantry Regiment
• 94th Cavalry Recon Squandrom (Mech)
• 125th Armored Engineer Battalion
• 154th Armored Signal Company
• Service Company
• HHB Division Artillery
• 499th Armored Field Artillery Battalion
• 500th Armored Field Artillery Battalion
• 501st Armored Field Artillery Battalion
• Division Trains
• HHC
• 84th Armored Medical Battalion
• 136th Armored Maintenance Battalion
• Supply Battalion

Light Division

• Division
• HHC
• CCA
• CCB
• CCR
• 25th Tank Battalion
• 47th Tank Battalion
• 48th Tank Battalion
• 19th Armored Infantry Battalion
• 62nd Armored Infantry Battalion
• 68th Armored Infantry Battalion
• 94th Cavalry Recon Squadron (Mech)
• 125th Armored Engineer Battalion
• 154th Armored Signal Company
• HHB Division Artillery
• 499th Armored Field Artillery Battalion
• 500th Armored Field Artillery Battalion
• 501st Armored Field Artillery Battalion
• Division Trains
• HHC
• 84th Armored Medical Battalion
• 136th Armored Maintenance Battalion
• MP Platoon
• Division Band
• 514th CIC Detachment
• CCR Rifle Company (Mar 1945- June 1945)

Attachments

• 398th AAA AW Battalion (SP) (15 Nov 1944 - 12 May 1945)
• 395th Quartermaster Truck Company
• 636th Tank Destroyer Battalion (SP) (28 Mar 1945 - 23 April 1945)

Comanders

• MG Vernon Prichard (Aug 1942 - Sep 1944)
• MG Albert C. Smith (Sep 1944 to Inactivation)

Distingushed Unit citations - 2

• 3rd Platton, Troop C,& Troop E, 94th Armored Recon Sqd
• 1st Platton, Company A, 48th Tank Battalion

External links and further reading

• Official Website of the 14th Armored Division
• See: Clarke and Smith, From The Riviera To The Rhine and The Seventh Army Report of Operations in France and Germany, 1944–1945 for a definitive description of 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:...
  
  and the 14th Armored Division's actions.