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| World War II |
| Normandy - Northern France- Ardennes- Rhineland- Central Europe |
| FIRST ARMY |
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| 7TH CORPS |
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| 9 TH INFANTRY DIVISION |
DEDICATION
The 746th Tank Battalion hit the shores of France on D-Day(
click here)
. One of those 750 men was my uncle, PFC Miriam A. Laperouse from
St.
Martinville, Louisiana. He was a young man who answered the call of his
country;
and left his young wife of 11 days, to journey to a foreign land and
rid
it of a blight. In his memory, and to remember those he
fought
with, and died with, this web page is dedicated.
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| click here citation |
PFC MIRIAM A. LAPEROUSE KIA 27 NOV 1944, GERMANY |
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BATTALION HISTORY
The history of a separate fighting unit like the 746th is a difficult task to write because of the structure of warfare that existed during World War II. Units were shifted from one Division to another depending on the necessities of the moment. Constantly shifting priorities mandated these separate units move to support infantry, fighting side- by- side to eliminate a stubborn foe. Often these separate units lost their identities to the larger and more publicize Armor and Infantry divisions.
The 746th Tank Battalion was activated on August 20, 1942 at Camp Rucker, Alabama. The initial activating officers came from an existing unit, the 760th Tank Battalion; and the initial cadre of enlisted men came from the existing 70th Tank Battalion.
In time, the Battalion grew to its assigned strength of 750 men through assignments of new personnel from the Armor School at Fort Knox, Kentucky and from various units throughout the country. ( Many of the young recruits were drawn from Texas and Louisiana). The 746th underwent extensive training at Camp Rucker, Alabama until late summer of 1943. It then moved to Camp Pickett, Virginia for final preparations for embarkation overseas.
At the end of January 1944, the Battalion boarded the U.S.S Acquantia and sailed from New York to England. There it was assigned to Headquarters, European Theater of Operations (ETO). It was further assigned to the United States First Army and was based in Fairford, England. At Fairford, the Battalion received advanced training for what everyone expected to be an assault on the European continent.
The 746th Tank Battalion was committed into action with an assault landing in Normandy, France (Utah Beach) on D-Day, the 6th of June 1944. The Battalion landed on Utah Beach between 0900 and 1100 hours. As part of the 4th Infantry Division, it played and immediate role in the initial breakout to secure a beachhead. Moving inland, the Unit teamed up with the 82nd Airborne, who had parachuted into Normandy during the night, and was instrumental in securing the town of St. Mere Eglise ( click here to see map ) .
During the remainder of June and most of July, the Battalion fought its way through Normandy. As was the case with most separate Tank Battalions during World War II, the 746th was attached to various front-line divisions to support infantry units. During mid -June through early July, the Battalion was assigned to the 9th Infantry Division and participated in cutting off the Cotentin (Normandy) peninsula, thus entrapping all the German troops above the line at Barneville-sur-mer ( click here to see map ). Turning northward on the Peninsula, the 746th with infantry support, had a direct role in the capture of the great port city of Cherbourgh. As part of the 9th, during the attack on Cherbough from 22- 26 June 1944, the Battalion fought side-by -side with elements of the 47th, 60th and 39th Infantry Regiments until the capture of Cherbough on 27 June 1944.
From the 5th July - 16th July 1944, the Battalion was attached to the 83rd Infantry Division. After the 16th of July, the Battalion, with its companies, platoons and service company, was permanently assigned to the 9th Infantry Division; which it supported during the remainder of the War in Europe. The month of July was a difficult time for the 746th as evidenced from the official combat tank loses: 44 tanks were destroyed that month.
The Battalion participated in the St. Lo (France) breakout; after which, with the 9th Infantry Division, made a rapid pace drive across France and into Belgium. The Battalion earned a Special Belgium Order of The Day Citation for its actions during the 3rd - 13th September, in crossing the Meuse River at Dinant on the Belgium border; thereby liberating Belgium territory in that zone.
Some elements of the Battalion, with the 47th Combat Regiment, liberated the Belgium town of Liege on the 9th of September before crossing the Seigfried Line on the 14th of September 1944, near the German frontier town of Roetgen.
The weather during October was the enemy of both sides. Rainy weather mired down jeeps, tanks and the legs of men on the line. The Battalion found itself stretched along a line from Mausback, northeast to Schevenhuette and turning south to the forest areas east of Roetgen and Lammersdorf.
In late October 1944, orders were issued to relieve the 9th from front line duty and to proceed to Camp Elsenborn, Belgium for a well deserved rest, less the 47th Combat Regiment. At the same time the 9th became attached to the V Corps, while the 47th stayed with the VII Corps and continued the northern push into the Huertgen Forest area. The composition of the 47th Combat Regiment (C.R.) at this time consisted of the following:
47th Infantry Regiment
84th Field Artillery
Battery
Co B 9th Medical
Battalion
Co C 899th Tank
Destroyer
Battalion
Co A 746th Tank Battalion
Co D 87th Mortar
Battalion
9th Signal Company
D battery 376th AAA .
During early November, as part of the 47th Combat Regiment, Co A of the 746th Tank Battalion participated in a coordinated offensive with the 104th Infantry Division to secure the Northern tip of the Huertgen Forest. This resulted in the capture of the towns of Schevenhuette, Gressenich , Huecheln, Langerwehe and the great fortress Castle of Frenzerberg, located east of the town of Weisweiler, by the 28 of November (click here to see map ) .
Winter was already bearing down on the soldiers and equipment and
there
was anticipation in the air that something was about to change.
On
the 16th of December 1944, the Germans launched the counteroffensive
action later known as the "Battle of the Bulge" (click
here to see map
). The Battalion had an
active
part in the Ardennes since they were positioned on the northern flank
of
the German penetration with the mission of containing the advance. This
would
also prevent an expansion of the movement toward the Meuse
River
and on to Brussels. Elements of the Battalion assigned to
the
47th Combat Regiment together with a host of other units were cast in
the
role of defending the Monschau-Elsenbron area against Germany's
best.
The Battalion, for its role during the period from 20th December to
26th
January 1945, in defending and repelling the German offensive, was
awarded
its second Special Belgium Order of The Day Citation
by
the Belgium Government.
January and February 1945 were spent in Germany primarily in the battles of the Huertgen Forest, the capture of the famous Schammapuel (Schmidt) Dam, and the Roer River crossing. This was all part of a giant pincer movement to close the Ruhr pocket aimed at closing down the German industrial capabilities and trapping thousands of enemy troops.
In early March, the 47th Combat Regiment, with elements of the 746th Tank Battalion, was attached to the 9th Armor Division preparatory to moving south and across the Rhine. The crossing of the Rhine occurred at the Ludendoff bridge(click here to see ) near the small town of Remagen. Thus, the Battalion became the first separate Tank Battalion to cross the Rhine and help establish a bridgehead. For this action, Co. A of the Battalion won a Distinguish Unit Citation.
There was still heavy fighting ahead as the Germans were being
pressed from the East as well as the West.
But as April drew to a close, the fighting eased, and on May 8th the
Germans
signed the unconditional terms of surrender. The Battalion was
just
a few miles from Berlin at that point in time.
Shortly after the end of the war, the 746th was moved to Bavaria in Southern Germany. There it performed occupation duty until October, at which time it returned to the United States. On 26th of October 1945, the 746th Tank Battalion was inactivated at Camp Shanks, New York marking 38 months of proud and distinguished service to its country.
CAMPAIGN STREAMERS
World War II
Normandy (with
arrowhead)
Northern France
Rhineland
Ardennes-Alsace
Central Europe
DECORATIONS
Presidential Unit Citation
(Army), Streamer embroidered REMAGEN BRIDGEHEAD (Co A, 746th Tank Bn
cited for period 8-19 Mar 1945)
Meritorious Unit Commendation,
Streamer embroidered EUROPEAN THEATER (Service Co, 746th Tank Bn
cited for period 6 June-31 Aug
1944)
Special Order of the Day of the
Belgium Army Citation for action along the MEUSE RIVER (746th Tank
Bn
cited for period 3-13 Sept 1944)
Special Order of the Day of the
Belgium Army Citation for action in the ARDENNES (746th Tank Bn
cited
for period 20 Dec 1944- 26 Jan
1945)
LINKS TO RELATED SITES
PICTURES
INFORMATION
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BOOK
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Tracks
The tracks your tanks left on the continent of Europe can still be seen today by the freedom-loving peoples of Europe you liberated 59 years ago. Your bravery, your courage, your warrior skills in combat defeated a stubborn foe and liberated millions of people subjected to the tyranical rule of nazi occupation for five years. You were, as young warriors, greeted with open arms by the peoples you liberated. Now, the history you made by your scarifices, your suffering, your living and your dying can be shared with the rest of the world through your record in your book. It gives me great pleasure to have
recorded
your history. May it forever stand to honor you and enlighten you
about your contributions to this great country you so admirably served.
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OUR LIBERATORS:
The Combat History of the
746th Tank
Battalion During World War II
second edition
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Author:
W.J. Blanchard, Jr.
Publisher: Fenestra Books
ISBN # 9781587368103 (hardcover) Price: 36.95 USD hardcover , 16.95 USD papercover (click here for summary) |
| Updated 17 Feb 08 |
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| If you have any comments and would like send me an E-mail, click on the letter |  |
| My thanks to Mr. Robert Hamilton of the 746th Tank Battalion Association for providing information on the unit. Other sources include: |
| 1. Mittleman, J.B., Eight Stars to Victory, 1948 |
| 2. American Forces in Action Series, Utah Beach to Cherbough , Reprint, 1984: U.S. Government Printing Office |
| 3. Private communication with R. Hamilton |
| 4. Private communication with James P. Alford |
| 5. Letters, PFC Laperouse |
visitors since 31 May 99
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