Operational History

Activated on 15 Apr 1941 at Camp Beauregard (Louisiana, USA).
1941 - US: Camp Beauregard (Louisiana); Camp Polk (Louisiana).
1942 - US: California (desert training); Virginia.
1943 - US: Pennsylvania (training); New York (transit); UK: (training).
1944 - ETO: landed on Omaha Beach (France) on 23 Jun;
1944 - ETO: Normandy; Northern France; Rhineland; Ardennes-Alsace.
1945 - ETO: Ruhr pocket (southern pincer); Central Europe;
1944 - ETO: reached Dessau (Germany) at the end of the war.
Fate : occupation duty in Darmstadt (Germany) after the war;
inactivated on 9 Nov 1945 in Germany.

Order of Battle

1944-45 European Theatre of Operations

HQ 3rd Armored Division
· 32nd Armored Regiment
· 1st Tank Battalion (Light)
· 2nd Tank Battalion (Medium)
· 3rd Tank Battalion (Medium)
· 33rd Armored Regiment
· 1st Tank Battalion (Light)
· 2nd Tank Battalion (Medium)
· 3rd Tank Battalion (Medium)
· 36th Armored Infantry Regiment
· 1st Armored Infantry Battalion
· 2nd Armored Infantry Battalion
· 3rd Armored Infantry Battalion

· Divisional Artillery
· 54th Armored Field Artillery Battalion
· 67th Armored Field Artillery Battalion
· 391st Armored Field Artillery Battalion

· Divisional Troops
· 143rd Armored Signals Company
· 83rd Armored Reconnaissance Battalion
· 23rd Armored Engineer Battalion
· Divisional Trains
· Divisional Admin Troops