[Webmaster Note: The following division information is reproduced
from the public domain publication, The Army Almanac: A Book of
Facts Concerning the Army of the United States, U.S. Government Printing Office,
1950. Portions of the information may be out of date. Only minor formatting changes and
typographical corrections have been made.]
World War II
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Activated: 15 July 1940.
Overseas: May 1942.
Major Operations: Tunisia, Naples-Foggia, Rome-Arno, North Apennines, Po Valley.
Distinguished Unit Citations: 3.
Awards: DSC-1; DSM-1; SS-794; LM-2; SM-35; BSM-1,602; AM-3.
Commanders: Maj. Gen. Bruce Magruder (July 1940-March 1942),
Maj. Gen. Orlando Ward (March 1942-April 1943),
Maj. Gen. E. N. Harmon (April 1943-July 1944),
Maj. Gen. V. E. Prichard (July 1944-September 1945),
Maj. Gen. Roderick R. Allen (September 1945-January 1946),
Maj. Gen. Hobart R. Gay (February 1946 to inactivation).
Returned to U.S.: 24 April 1946.
Inactivated: 26 April 1946.
Combat Chronicle
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Elements of the 1st Armored Division first went into action in the North African
invasion, landing at Oran 8 November 1942 and taking the city. The Division fought
numerous actions in North Africa, at Maknassy, El Guettar, Gafsa, and Kasserine
Pass, and engaged in the final campaign to reduce enemy resistance in Tunisia,
occupying Mateur 3 May 1943. The Division was then reorganized in French
Morocco. Elements took part in the initial landings at Salerno and Paestum,
Italy, 9 September 1943, while other elements took part in the fighting near
the Rapido River in mid-December 1943. Units under a Task Force Allen attacked
and seized Mount Porchia, 4-9 January 1944, suffering heavy casualties. The
Division was then switched to the Anzio beachhead, first elements landing
24 January 1944, where they repulsed heavy counterattacks and maintained
defensive positions for 4 months, building up for the final break-through
23 May 1944. The Division drove through and north of Rome, moving 200 miles
in 5 days. It continued to fight its way northward through successive
defensive and offensive actions, crossed the Arno 1 September 1944 and
engaged in the slow, bitter advance through the Apennines. The Division broke
through into the Po Valley in April 1945, took Milan 30 April, and was driving
north to Cigliano when German forces in Italy capitulated 2 May 1945. The
Division thereupon engaged in occupational duties and became part of the
Army of Occupation until 16 April 1946, when it sailed for home.
General
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Shoulder patch: Triangular design divided into three areas: red, blue,
and yellow. Superimposed, in black, are the track of a tank
and a cannon; a bolt of red lightning is superimposed on
these. The Division's number appears in the upper portion.
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