US Army Training Center - Yearbook (Fort Chaffee, AR)

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American . arm , fonhnue yheirorarolls info fhe ,ow DW and 1 P'd adv of Dr 15 he roqd - MCB few ,eUX. Fra Aug.,-14, IS strewn with :,::ckZgrrEeIT:'e sgfgie agffltainmericang e disfinguished iiself in ihe Eure-Seine Campaign, winning a commendaiion from 'rhe XV Corps Commander. Sepiember I944 found 'The 5+h, now shif+ed To 'rhe Firs+ Army, ready +o s+ar+ a l30-mile push from Paris norih +o Belgium. On +his operaiion, fhe division cu'r 'rhrough fhe Compiegne Forest crossed +he rivers Oise, Aisne, and Somme. The uni? was Then seni racing anoiher IOO miles 'io The Meuse River. Pushing onward, ihe 5'rh fook par? in +he liberaiion of Luxembourg. On ll Sepiember I944 Germany was peneiraied: +he Our River was crossed, in +he viciniiy of S+alzembourg. The 5+h ihen parficipafed in 'rhe firsf crossing of fhe Moselle in November I944. The mos'I' biHer 'fighiing experienced by The division occured in December during 'rhe baHle of +he Hurigen Foresi and +he approaches 'ro fhe Roer River. The weaiher was as biHer as +he figh+ing. The savage fighiing ai Hurigen broke +he German spirih never again did +he enemy figh+ wiih such feroci+y and +enaciousness. The 5+h last ve 'C - Qhe face 0 . 1 nk was fha F nce. In Aug., knocked ou, Tiqmhi irom Arqeniamihdiiown. Francik. 20 This ' their iliq . h iiberaied Germani ' - an assault whic ierriiic Amen: dn .3 han rmor. Dreux' pmncgf 5 ihe h' le abandoned i ihe

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The 5+h Armored Division's hisfory is filled wi'rh accoun+s of iradifion, ac+ion, and glory. Acfivafed on I Oc+ober I94I, 'rhe Division was assigned +o For+ Knox, Kenfucky, for fraining as a parf of ihe Armored Force. ln March I942 ii' was 'iransferred +o Camp Cooke, California. Ai 'rhis +ime 'ihe Division was commanded by Maior General Jack W. Heard. From Augus+ +o Ociober i942 ihe 5+h was aciively engaged in ihe maneuvers in 'rhe Deserf Training Cenfer Area. In February I943, Major General Lunsford E. Olive? assumed command. He was +o remain wi+h +he Division +hrough +he remaining years of +he warg +o irain, lead, and figh+ wi+h +l1e Division. In March I943 'rhe 5+h Armored parficipaied in +he Second Army maneu- vers in Tennessee. In July 1943 i'I' fransferred +o Pine Camp, New York, preparaiory fo embarking for overseas. Embarking for 'rhe European Theafer of Operalions in February I944, +he division 'frained a+ Camp Chiseldon, Ogbourne, S+. George and Tidworih-Perham Downes in Wilishire, England. As 'Phe U.S. Firsi Army embarked for +he invasion of France, ihe 5'rh Armored operaied hundreds of camps, servicing +he invasion uni'rs. Augusi' I944 'found 'lhe Vic'l'ory Division in +he ihick of +he Normandy campaign and rapidly moving up on LeMans. As par+ of General PaHon's Third Army, 1'he division iumped-off on a 300-mile exploifaiion behind ihe lines of 'rhe German Sevenih Army. Af+er ihe fall of LeMans, 'rhe 5+h pursued +he enemy fo fhe Seine, wrecking fheir armor and inflicfing high casualfies. Following -This drive 'io 'Phe Seine, 'rhe 5+h Armored Division

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K vuuw- Armofeo an attac nce 1 r I44. Qin fiend 20 M9 greeied I945 by confinuing 'I'o advance, and by hard fighling during ihe Bulge period. A+ Coblenz 'lhe division wiped ouf all enemy resisfance. Spring of I945 'Found fhe division a par? of 'lhe Ninih Army, and in May ii' reached 'I'he Elbe and fanned ou+ in 'rhe viciniiy of Tangermunde. As if crossed 'lhe Elbe River, fhe 5+h Armored was 'lhe nearesl U.S. unil' +o Berlin, iusl prior 'lo VE day. The division embarked for home on 2 Ocfober I945 and was inac+iva+ed on ll Ocfober l945 al' Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. . ln addi'I'ion +o fhe division commendaiion received from 'lhe XV Corps, Troop A, 85+h Reconnaisance BaH'alion lfhen 85'rh Cavalry Rcn Squadronl was awarded a Presiclenlial Uni+ Ci'I'a+ion for oufsfanding performance of duly in ac+ion from I5 +o 20 December I944g Companies B and C, 47+h Armored ln'Fan+ry BaHalion, received a Presideniial Uni+ Cifafion 'For ou+s+anding performance of clufy in aciion on 4-5 Sepfember I944. The A--, 5 ,,.mw,ssfm,W.,mWwww.,,W,,.., ,,,. , X. v,s. .. , .l.,.,., ,.. ..,,, ,.