![]() ![]() The Battalion received its men and moved to Camp Bowie, Texas, on 4 December 1942, where they received basic training. The logo was widely used at Camp Hood where tank destroyer forces were trained, on uniforms, equipment, and official U.S. All of the tank destroyer battalions used the same logo, that of a panther eating a caterpillar tread. The cadre of two officers and seventy-three enlisted men were from the 631st Tank Destroyer Battalion. The 612th Tank Destroyer Battalion was activated as a light battalion at Camp Swift, Texas, on 25 June 1942, under the command of Lt. In December, 1944, the twelve 3-inch guns of Company A were integrated into the defensive positions of the 395th Infantry Regiment and were key to keeping the attacking Sixth Panzer Army from gaining essential objectives in the first days of the offensive. The specialized tank destroyer unit was attached to various organizations during the war. It played an instrumental role in defending Hofen during the Battle of the Bulge. armies split the final remnants of the German army in two, hastening an end to World War II in Europe.The 612th Tank Destroyer Battalion was a unit of the United States Army during World War II. On April 26 th, 1945, the 761 st rendezvoused with the Red Army in Steyr, Austria. battalions to meet up with Soviet forces. The 761 st helped break out and rescue the encircled American army in the town of Bastogne.īy the end of April 1945, the 761 st would be one of the first U.S. The battalion would play a major role in the infamous Battle of the Bulge as they successfully countered the German's last-ditch offensive. From the time they entered combat until the end of the war in Europe, the men of the 761 st received seven Silver Stars, 246 Purple Hearts and 1 Congressional Medal of Honor. As they fought their way into Germany, the 761 st would participate in four major campaigns through six countries, all the while earning several battlefield commendations and honors. Patton, himself a skeptic of African American tankers in combat, would wind up welcoming the 761 st into his Third Army and motivated them with a rousing speech right before they set out to engage German forces. ![]() Upon arriving in Normandy, France in late 1944, the 761 st was assigned to Patton's Third Army. A tank crew from the 761st sit in their M24 Chaffee tank in a snowy field around Bastogne, waiting to engage German forces during the Battle of the Bulge. ![]()
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