U.S. Army

Armor

From the M4 Shermans that broke out at Normandy to the M1 Abrams that destroyed the Republican Guard at 73 Easting, American armor has been the decisive weapon on every battlefield it has entered. The tank is speed, shock, and firepower combined into 70 tons of steel. Armored divisions carry the battle streamers. Cavalry regiments carry the lineage. Tankers carry the fight.

"Forge the Thunderbolt" Est. 1940

Armor Branch

EST. JULY 10, 1940

United States Army Armor

Fort Knox → Fort Moore

The Armored Force was born on July 10, 1940, when the Army finally separated tanks from the infantry and cavalry branches that had been fighting over them for twenty years. Fort Knox became the home of armor — where crews learned to fight buttoned up and commanders learned to think in speed, shock, and firepower. From the M4 Sherman to the M1 Abrams, the tank has been the decisive weapon on every battlefield it has entered. The Armor School moved to Fort Moore in 2011, but tankers still call themselves "tread heads." Read more

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World War II — The Armored Fist 1940 – 1945

1ST U.S. ARMORED DIV

1st Armored Division

Anzio · Po Valley

ARMORED DIVISION

The first armored division in United States Army history. Old Ironsides learned the hardest lesson of the war at Kasserine Pass — where Rommel's Afrika Korps shattered green American armor in February 1943. The division rebuilt, fought back across North Africa, then slugged through Italy at Anzio and up the Po Valley. Kasserine made them bleed. Everything after made them lethal. Read more

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PATTON'S FIRST COMMAND

2nd Armored Division

First Commander

George S. Patton's first armored command. He built the 2nd Armored Division from scratch, trained them at Fort Benning, and forged the doctrine that American armor would fight with. Hell on Wheels landed in North Africa, broke out at Normandy, crushed the Panzer Lehr Division at Saint-Lô, and drove to the Elbe River. The division Patton built fought the way Patton taught them — fast, violent, and without mercy. Read more

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HEAVIEST DIV IN ETO

3rd Armored Division

Breach Siegfried Line

Cathedral Tank Duel

CASUALTIES IN 1 MTH

The heaviest armored division in the European Theater — Spearhead carried more tanks than any other division in the Army. They were first through the Siegfried Line, first into Cologne, and fought the famous tank duel at the Cologne Cathedral — an M26 Pershing against a Panther, filmed by combat cameramen. The 3rd Armored took more casualties than any other armored division in the ETO. They earned every mile. Read more

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RELIEVED BASTOGNE

4th Armored Division

LTC Creighton Abrams

Relieved Dec 26

"BEST DIVISION"

Patton called them his best division. LTC Creighton Abrams — the future Army Chief of Staff and namesake of the M1 tank — commanded the 37th Tank Battalion that spearheaded the relief of Bastogne on December 26, 1944. The 4th Armored broke through the German encirclement and linked up with the 101st Airborne. Patton said of Abrams: "I'm supposed to be the best tank commander in the Army, but I have one peer — Abe Abrams." Read more

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ST. VITH · THE BULGE

7th Armored Division

BOUGHT FOR THE ARMY

When the Germans launched the Ardennes Offensive in December 1944, the 7th Armored Division was thrown into St. Vith — a critical road junction the Germans needed. For six days, outnumbered and surrounded, the Lucky Seventh held. Their defense at St. Vith bought the time that allowed the rest of the Army to stabilize the Bulge. They were ordered to withdraw only when their position became untenable. By then, the damage was done — to the Germans. Read more

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Cold War — Fulda Gap 1945 – 1991

V CORPS · VII CORPS

Armor in Europe

The Fulda Gap & REFORGER

Troops in Germany

ANNUAL EXERCISES

For forty-five years, American armor sat in Germany waiting for Soviet tank armies to pour through the Fulda Gap. V Corps and VII Corps trained for a war everyone prayed would never come — outnumbered, outgunned, planning to trade space for time against echelons of T-72s and T-80s. The annual REFORGER exercises rehearsed the rapid reinforcement of Europe. The M1 Abrams arrived in the 1980s and changed the math. The Soviets knew it. Read more

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Desert Storm — The Left Hook 1991

FEBRUARY 26, 1991

73 Easting & the 100-Hour War

The Most Lopsided Armored Victory in History

Corps Left Hook

Easting · 2nd ACR

Ridge · 1st AD

M1s LOST TO ENEMY

VII Corps swung the left hook — the largest armored maneuver since World War II. On February 26, 1991, the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment hit the Iraqi Republican Guard's Tawakalna Division at the 73 Easting in a sandstorm. In 23 minutes, Eagle Troop destroyed the enemy force. Hours later, 1st Armored Division shattered the Medina Division at Medina Ridge — the largest tank battle since Kursk. Not a single M1 Abrams was lost to enemy fire. The weapon that trained for the Fulda Gap had found its war. Read more

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Active Divisions Regular Army

1st Armored Division

MULTIPLE ROTATIONS

The oldest armored division in the Army — still in the fight. Old Ironsides destroyed the Medina Division of the Republican Guard at Medina Ridge in Desert Storm, then deployed to Iraq repeatedly during OIF and to Afghanistan. Based at Fort Bliss, Texas, the 1st Armored Division remains the Army's premier heavy division — three brigade combat teams of Abrams tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles ready to fight tonight. Read more

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FORT CAVAZOS, TX

1st Cavalry Division

LZ X-Ray · 1965

BAGHDAD · MOSUL

The First Team. Originally horse cavalry, converted to armored in WWII, then airmobile in Vietnam — where the 1st Cavalry Division fought the first major battle of the war at LZ X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley. "We Were Soldiers" was their story. Converted back to heavy armor, the 1st Cav fought in Desert Storm and led some of the heaviest fighting in OIF. Based at Fort Cavazos, the First Team fields three armored BCTs and carries the most recognized cavalry patch in the Army. Read more

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Deactivated Divisions Legacy

DEACTIVATED 1995

2nd Armored Division

Built This Division

Storm · Last Fight

From Patton's first command to the sands of Kuwait, Hell on Wheels served for 55 years across four wars. In Desert Storm, the 2nd Armored Division (Forward) — stationed in Germany — was among the first heavy units to deploy. Deactivated in 1995 as the Army downsized after the Cold War. The division Patton built died with the peace dividend. Read more

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DEACTIVATED 1992

3rd Armored Division

Storm Left Hook

Spearhead spent the Cold War in Germany — the division that would have met the Soviets first if they came through the Fulda Gap. In Desert Storm, the 3rd Armored Division was part of the VII Corps left hook that destroyed the Republican Guard. Then the Cold War ended and the Army didn't need two heavy divisions in Germany anymore. Deactivated in 1992. The last tankers to leave Frankfurt turned out the lights. Read more

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Storied Regiments Lineage & Honors

VILSECK, GERMANY

2nd Cavalry Regiment

Second Dragoons

Easting · 1991

Current Platform

FORWARD DEPLOYED

The oldest continuously serving mounted regiment in the United States Army. The Second Dragoons fought in the Mexican-American War, the Civil War, both World Wars, and Vietnam. At the Battle of 73 Easting in 1991, Eagle Troop of the 2nd ACR destroyed an Iraqi Republican Guard brigade in 23 minutes — the most celebrated small-unit armored action since WWII. Now a Stryker regiment forward-deployed to Vilseck, Germany. Read more

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FORT CAVAZOS, TX

3rd Cavalry Regiment

Earned the Name

Current Platform

TAL AFAR · MOSUL

"Brave Rifles! Veterans! You have been baptized in fire and blood and have come out steel!" — General Winfield Scott after the Battle of Chapultepec, 1847. The 3rd Cavalry has carried that name for 178 years. From the frontier wars to the Philippines, both World Wars, and Iraq — where the regiment's operations in Tal Afar became a model for counterinsurgency. Now a Stryker regiment at Fort Cavazos. Read more

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11th Armored Cavalry Regiment

NTC · Fort Irwin

UNIT TRAINS AGAINST

The Blackhorse Regiment fought in Vietnam with a ferocity that earned them a reputation as one of the most effective units in the war — running thunder runs through enemy territory in M551 Sheridans and ACAVs. Since 1994, the 11th ACR has served as the opposing force at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin — playing the enemy so well that they beat almost every unit that rotates through. Every brigade that deploys to combat trains against Blackhorse first. Read more

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37th Armor Regiment

LTC Abrams Commanded

PARENT DIVISION

The 37th Tank Battalion — now the 37th Armor Regiment — was LTC Creighton Abrams' command when he led the armored spearhead that relieved Bastogne in December 1944. The man the M1 tank is named after commanded this regiment. "Patton's Own" carried their lineage through the Cold War and into the modern Army as part of the 1st Armored Division. Read more

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63rd Armor Regiment

1st Infantry Division Armor

Sicily · Italy

The 63rd Armor Regiment has served as the Big Red One's organic armor since WWII — providing the tank battalions that gave the 1st Infantry Division its armored punch. From North Africa and Sicily through Desert Storm and OIF, the 63rd has been the steel fist inside the Big Red One's glove. Read more

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69th Armor Regiment

Run · Baghdad 2003

ROCK OF THE MARNE

The 69th Armor Regiment — "Speed and Power" — drove the Thunder Runs into Baghdad in April 2003 as part of the 3rd Infantry Division's assault on the Iraqi capital. Armored columns of M1 Abrams from the 69th punched straight through the city in the most aggressive armored raid since WWII. The regiment has served with the 3rd ID through Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, and OIF. Read more

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16

WWII Armored Divisions

30+

Armor & Cav Regiments

84

Years of Armor

M1

Abrams MBT