Spearheading with the Third Armored Division

ORDER OF BATTLE

Beyond the "sacred river" lay victory. There was no doubting the fact. There was no other alternative. Massed allied armies waited for the word which would send them in to finish the Nazi war machine. In Cologne, the steel spearhead of the VII Corps was poised like a javelin aimed at the enemy's heart.

At this point it may be well to pause for a moment and examine the order of battle - to meet the leaders of this triumphant armored division on the eve of its greatest victory. These men had to be good because their troops were veterans of total war. They were, from Major General Maurice Rose, the immaculate, ruthless killer of Germans, to each of the separate battalion commanders, men who had been toughened in the flame of armored action over half a continent.

Major General Rose, who was later killed in the magnificent drive to Paderborn, must have felt great pride in his organization during those early days in March when the 3rd paused and prepared to strike the final blow. His staff and forward echelon were smoothly efficient. His subordinate commanders had proven themselves time and again. The division was truly at a peak of greatness.

Colonel John A. Smith, Jr, Chief of Staff: Lt. Colonel Jack A. Boulger, G-1: Lt. Colonel Andrew Barr, G-2: Lt.Colonel Wesley A. Sweat, G-3: and Lt. Colonel Eugene C. Orth, Jr, G-4: were men whose reputations had been well established in that dashing advance across Normandy and France to Germany and the Rhine. These, together with the other staff members of the forward CP, were not only well versed in special duties, but had often proven their worth as fighters too. Forward Echelon, dubbed "Combat Command Smith", by General Rose, had been frequently cut off by enemy pockets of resistance in France and Belgium: just as frequently defended against, or attacked these hostile troops.

Captain William L. Rodman, commanding Headquarters Company, Forward Echelon, had been with his troops in that heroic action at Mons, Belgium, in September, 1944, which won a presidential citation for the unit. Also recipient of that high honor was Lt. Colonel George V. Bussey, and members of his 143rd Signal Company. Captain John E. Casey had commanded the Division Service Company throughout the entire drive.

There was no lack of ability in the combat commands. Brig. General Doyle O. Hickey, commanding CC "A", and Brig. General Truman E. Boudinot, commanding CC "B" (first into Germany), were famous for their frontline leadership in armored battle. Colonel Robert L. Howze, Jr., commanding CC "R" had a long and impressive string of victories to his credit.

It was the same in the spearhead tank outfits. Colonel Leander L. Doan's 32nd Armored Regiment, the first into Cologne and the first on many a spectacular drive during the great summer offensive of 1944, stood ready to lead the attack again. His crack battalions, the 1st led by Lt. Colonel Matthew W. Kane, the 2nd by Lt. Colonel Clifford L. Miller, and the 3rd by Lt. Colonel Walter B. Richardson, felt that no German force could halt them for long after the Rhine had been crossed.

In the 33rd Armored Regiment, commanded by Colonel John C. Welborn, the feeling was the same. These troops were veterans who had beaten Jerry time and again: they knew that they could do it once more. The 33rd had been the first allied unit to enter Germany in this war - at Roetgen, in the Siegfried Line on September 12, 1944. Welborn's three battle-wise battalions were commanded by Lt. Colonel Elwyn W. Blanchard, Lt. Colonel William B. Lovelady, and Lt. Colonel Samuel M. Hogan.

Another force to be reckoned with, and one which maintained a high reputation for valor among friend and foe alike, was Colonel Robert L. Howze, Jr.'s "Blitz Doughs", the 36th Armored Infantry Regiment. These were the soldiers who made victory certain by holding the ground until it was secure. The 1st Battalion, which held a presidential citation for its part in breaching the Siegfried line, was commanded by Lt. Colonel William R. Orr: the 2nd by Lt. Colonel Thomas J. Moran, and the 3rd Battalion by Major Gordon F. Thomas.

Among the highly maneuverable elements of this big steel striking force, division artillery had played, and was yet to play, a decisive role in each succeeding victory. Colonel Frederick J. Brown, division artillery officer, whose business was the coordination of all artillery under "Spearhead" control, contributed much to the irresistable power of the 3rd. Under his command, the 67th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, ordinarily supporting CC "A", and commanded by Lt. Colonel Edward S. Berry: the 391st Armored Field Artillery Battalion, usually supporting CC "B", and commanded by Lt. Colonel George G. Garton: and the 54th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, ordinarily supporting CC "R", and commanded by Lt. Colonel Mont Hubbard, were part of every 3rd Armored Division operation. The 991st Armored Field Artillery Battalion, although not an integral unit of the 3rd, had been attached almost continuously. Therefore, Major William E. Whalen, and his men had reason to feel themselves part of the "Spearhead." So also did the pilots of the "Spearhead Stukas", those artillery liason men who rode Piper Cubs over the raging front line. They, along with ground observers, were the eyes of the division's big guns.

Those tanks which escaped the deadly accuracy of Colonel Brown's artillery were usually smashed to ruin by Lt. Colonel Wilbur E. Showalter's big M-36 tank destroyers. The 703rd Tank Destroyer Battalion had been a potent factor in reducing strong points and pill boxes as well as in the liquidation of Nazi armor.

Actually, the enemy faced a veteran unit in every category. The 486th Armored Anti-Aircraft Battalion, commanded by Lt. Colonel Raymond E. Dunnington, had long been nicknamed the "Anti-Anything" battalion because of its propensity for taking on any kind of enemy material, from planes to trains!

Lt. Colonel Lawrence G. Foster's 23rd Armored Engineer Battalion was a veteran element of "Spearhead" campaigning. His men had fought as infantry, had removed thousands of German mines under direct fire, de-loused booby-trapped areas, built bridges, and otherwise made themselves extremely obnoxious - to the enemy.

Lt. Colonel Prentice E. Yeomans' 83rd Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, heroes of the "Bulge" and, along with the 33rd Armored Regiment of CC "B", the first invaders of Germany since Napoleonic times, strained at the leash. The 83rd had led General Courtney Hodges heavyweight First Army to the Rhine. Later in the campaign they were to spearhead the most amazing armored dash in history, the drive to encircle the Ruhr. Colonel Yeomans himself was destined to be killed in action during the last hours of western combat. Men of the 83rd were no amateurs at the business of war.

Catering to these battle-hardened front-line troops of the "Spearhead" were the division trains elements under Colonel Carl J. Rohsenberger. The Supply Battalion, commanded by Major Rodney J. Banta, had performed a series of miraculous drives to service front-fighting elements. They were to surpass an already glowing record in the new attack.

In the same class was the maintenance Battalion, commanded by Lt. Colonel Rager J. McCarthy. These men who were supposed to be rear echelon troops more often than not found themselves defending their lives against fanatic German rear guards.

Another element which deserved unlimited praise was the 45th Armored Medical Battalion, commanded by Lt. Colonel Charles Steyaart. The "Spearhead" medics had been in every battle, rendering first aid to the wounded and saving countless lives. Their presence in the most critical of situations had been a constant morale builder to the troops who were fighting.

On this eve of the last great push in Europe, the 3rd Armored "Spearhead" Division was a perfectly oiled and balanced machine. Its power was soon to be demonstrated to a startled and admiring world.

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[Appendix 1 - Units Referenced in this Document]
[Appendix 2 - Soldiers Referenced in this Document]
[Appendix 3 - Sites Referenced in this Document]

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