This raises a number of questions, such as (1) whether Maj. Lohse had temporarily taken command of one of the D/31 light tanks (since the only tanks allocated to 31 Tank Bn were in D/31) for that specific mission or if he had been allocated one of the D/31 light tanks by Col. Erlenbusch on a continuing basis and (2) who all the men of the tank crew were. So this web page is also intended to give an understanding of that aspect of the battle. Foster, Robert 91st Bomb Group 265. W. Heitrak, Netherlands on October 28, 1944 23d Armored Infantry Battalion. The division had no official name although it did associate itself with the nickname "Armoraiders" while in training at Camp Campbell. On June 5, 2008, news media in France and around the world covered the story of the recovery of a tank of the 31st Tank Battalion (US 7th Armored Division) from where it had been buried for 64 years under the rue des Perriers in the southern part of Chartres, France. 1st Lt. Leon J. Minvielle, Jr. Journalists do not usually make good historians. The M4 Sherman was the main tank for the Americans during WW2 serving on all fronts during its military career. Capt. S-2 officers (Intelligence) of the Battalion were: 40d-1944-09-07: Company D, 40th Tank Battalion, 7th Armored Division MIA near Maizieres-les-Metz, France 7 September 1944 2020-10-05 - New web page 40b-1944-09-09 : Company B, 40th Tank Battalion, 7th Armored Division 3 KIA Just North of Maizieres-les-Metz, France 9 September 1944 S-5 officers (Civilian Affairs) of the Battalion were: Roger Joly has documented that the penetration went deeply, but it is now clear that the penetration went deeply in strength. The division order of battle was as follows: Combat Command "A" Combat Command "B" Combat Command "R" 17th Tank Bn. So here are corrections of some of the most glaring errors that appeared in the various news media accounts of the recovery of the buried tank. They arrived in England June 1944 to begin their World War II combat assignments. 31st Tank Bn. 7TH ARMORED DIVISION Hq & Hq CITEDCo, 7th Armd Div Combat Command A, Hq & Hq Co Combat Command B, Hq & Hq Co Reserve Command, Hq 6 Hq Co 17th Tank Battalion 23d Armd Inf Bn 31st Tank Battalion 33d Armd Engr Bn 38th Armd Inf Bn 40th amongTank Battalion 46th sions,Armd Inf Bn 87th Cav Ren Vith,Sq (Mecz) 147th Signal Co January, 1945, opened with the 7th Armored Division as Corps reserve of the XVIII Corps (Airborne) in an assembly area near AYWAILLE, Belgium. In addition, the Germans stopped Force #2 west of the area where the buried tank was recovered. Link to full-size photo: M4A3(76)W of the 7th Armored Division, 31st Tank Battalion, Germany Site statistics: Photos of World War II: over 26800 Lohse said too that he stayed with his men 3 days near a german staff. 40th Tank Battalion. 17th Tank Battalion 31st Tank Battalion 40th Tank Battalion. S-3 Officers UNITS OF THE 31ST TANK BATTALION: The 31st Tank Battalion consisted of the following units The 20th Armored Division was an armored division of the United States Army that fought in World War II.It was activated on 15 March 1943 at Camp Campbell in Kentucky.. 434th Armored Field Artillery Battalion 440th Armored Field Artillery Battalion Henry W. Quackenbush (?? Locals Testimonies said the crew of the M5 would arrived to the Church of Le Coudray. 5.0 out of 5 stars 1. Recent News (November 2009): "After the Battle" magazine issue 145 (which came out in October 2009) had an excellent article ("The Liberation of Chartres ... and a Tank" by Jean-Paul Pallud that definitely ties the tank to Maj. Lohse at the time it was stopped in Chartres. 87th Cavalry Rcn Sq (Mechanized) 33rd Armored Engineer Battalion 147th Armored Signal Company. Throughout most of its existence the 7th Armored Division was commanded by Major General Lindsay McDonald Silvester, an infantryman who had distinguished himself in World War I. Then in the evening Force #1 launched an attack into Chartres, which succeeded in breaching the German defenses in the northwest part of the city. Here are links to some of the news media accounts. Combat Command B, 7th Armored Division 31st Tank Battalion (Medium) 23d Armored Infantry Battalion 434th Armored Field Artillery Battalion (105-mm. 48th Armored Infantry Battalion. Subscribe to 31st Tank Battalion, 7th Armored Division Footer menu. Active overview of all pages at the 7th Armored Division web site. During the early morning hours of 18 December preparation was completed for the attack on Schönberg by the 31st Tank Battalion and the 23d Armored Infantry Battalion, now brigaded under CCB. Published at 1350 × 1758 px. 31st Tank Battalion. Books and Research Materials Specifically about the 31st Tank Battalion Many things have prevented me from following up on this web page. - 1 Aug 44 - ??) Battalion-Level Officers of the Battalion This book contains the 8 interviews of 31st Tank Battalion officers and men after their December 1944 combat in the Battle of the Bulge. Capt. FREE Shipping by Amazon. Foushee, James C. 313th Infantry Regiment, 79th Infantry Division 452. - 1 Aug 44 - ??) The 9th Armored Division (the "Phantom Division") was an armored division of the United States Army during World War II.In honor of their World War II service, the 9th was officially nicknamed the "Phantom Division." The 7th Armored counterattack from St. Vith to relieve the two trapped regiments of the 106th Division had been postponed on the 17th, not canceled. The only light tanks in the 31st Tank Battalion were in Company D. Company D of 31st Tank Battalion was attached to Force #1 (23rd Armored Infantry Battalion, minus companies B and C, plus company D of 31st Tank Battalion). On the night of 15-16 August 1944, he was acting battalion commander and led Force #2 which attacked Luisant, in the southwest part of the Chartres metropolitan area. The tank that was recovered was definitely an M5 light tank. - 1 Aug 44 - ??) The Division landed on Omaha Beach and Utah Beach in August 1944, being assigned to the U.S. Howitzer, Self-Propelled) Company B, 814th Tank Destroyer Battalion (Self-Propelled) Company B, 33d Armored Engineer Battalion In Support of 5th Division. For now, here is a very brief summary of the results of research in the 7th Armored Division records and also in Roger Joly's 1994 book La Libération de Chartres. The 110 or so combat interviews of the 7th Armored Division are preserved at the National Archives in Record Group 407 (Adjutant General). Combat Interviews of the 31st Tank Battalion, 7th Armored Division: The St. Vith Salient, Belgium, December 17-23, 1944. by W. Wesley Johnston | Oct 25, 2014. Foster, Robert 31st Tank Battalion, 7th Armored Division 557. 17th Tank Battalion. On June 5, 2008, news media in France and around the world covered the story of the recovery of a tank of the 31st Tank Battalion (US 7th Armored Division) from where it had been buried for 64 years under the rue des Perriers in the southern part of Chartres, France. M4A1, 7th Armored Division, 31st Tank Battalion, August 1944 M4A1 w/T-34 Calliope, 14th Armored Division, 40th Tank Battalion, March 1945 (this unit does not match the unit description in Concord's US Armored Funnies by Zaloga) 7th Armored Division: "Lucky Seventh." Woods (?? Helped 83d Infantry Division protect Patton’s right in September. 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron (Mecanized) 33d Armored Engineer Battalion. - 1 Aug 44 - Dec 44 at St. Vith - ??) (?? The fact that the tank was stopped (which is documented on page 65 and in a photo on page 111 of Roger Joly's book) at rue des Perriers, where it was later pushed into a shell hole and buried, is undeniable proof that the tank had made it from the northwestern part of the city all the way through the city to the southeastern sector. The 31st Tank Battalion had the only tanks that were in Chartres on the night of 15-16 August 1944. Lt. Col. Robert C. Erlenbusch (States - 1 Aug 44 - Dec 44 at St. Vith - ??) 5th April 1945 Maj. Leslie A. Lohse (?? 17th Tank Battalion: 00.00.0000-00.00.0000: 31st Tank Battalion: 00.00.0000-00.00.0000: 40th Tank Battalion: 00.00.0000-00.00.0000 Maj. Leslie A. Lohse (?? Add tags Comment Rate. M4 Sherman of the 745th Tank Battalion supports 1st Infantry Division in Aachen, 1944 M4A3(105) of the 736th Tank Battalion Neuss 3 March 1945 M4A3(76)W of the 7th Armored Division, 31st Tank Battalion, Germany - 1 Aug 44 - ??) The 7the Armored Division was activated on 1 March 1942. - 20 Sep 44, evacuated with heart trouble) To link to this object, paste this link in email, IM or document To embed this object, paste this HTML in website. - 1 Aug 44 - ??) At the end of august 15, Force 2 had to cross the town West to East (Luce - Le Coudray). - 1 Aug 44 - ??) W. Heitrak, Netherlands; Last Duty Location: 1 mi. The 7th Armored Division arrived in England in June 1944. Paperback $26.78 $ 26. All sorts of hoopla and errors permeated these journalistic accounts. S-1 officers (Adjutant / Personnel) of the Battalion were: 7th Armored Division in World War II. Elton G. Wright (?? One platoon of the D coy made some pow's near Lèves but didn't cross the city of Chartres. On 10 September 1943, the 4th Armored Division including the 37th Armored Regiment was reorganized in a new table of organization and equipment for most U.S. armored divisions. ★ M4A3(76) “Sherman” tank of the 31st Tank Battalion, US 7th Armored Division in Germany, c. February 1945. Units of the Battalion 31st Tank Battalion Overseas Deaths in World War II Adkins, Pfc. I am not agree with these idea in your site : Correction of News Media Errors about the Tank, Penetration in Strength of 7AD Force #1 on Night of 15-16 August 1944. Details of Death Killed in Action - Somewhere between Melun and Verdun, France. 31st Tank Battalion Overseas Deaths in World War II Or you can see an active overview of all pages at the 7th Armored Division web site. See also 7th Armored Division Artillery, for interviews of Forward Observers supporting 31st Tank Battalion and 33rd Armored Engineer Battalion (next book below) for Engineers attached to B/31 and C/31. Commander, Company A , 31st Tank Battalion, 7th Armored Division Awards/Citations Silver Star, Purple Heart, Croix de Guerre with Silver Gilt Star. The 7th Armored Division trained at Camp Coxcomb in California. This web page is intended to give accurate information about this tank. 23rd Armored Infantry Battalion 38th Armored Infantry Battalion 48th Armored Infantry Battalion. 7th Engineer Combat Battalion 737th Tank Battalion 654th TD Battalion, 22–25 December 803rd TD Battalion, from 25 December 807th TD Battalion, 17–21 December 818th TD Battalion, 13 July – 20 December 449th AAA AW Battalion 10th Armored Division "Tiger" MG William H.H. Books That Mention the 31st Tank Battalion Return to top of 31st Tank Bn page, Active overview of all pages at the 7th Armored Division web site, Battalion-Level Officers of the Battalion, Books and Research Materials Specifically about the 31st Tank Battalion, Books That Mention the 31st Tank Battalion, 31st Tank Battalion Overseas Deaths in World War II, active overview of all pages at the 7th Armored Division web site, 31st Tank Battalion Morning Report Stations (Locations) and Record of Events, 7th Armored Division Association Home Page, 2 Nov 44: transferred from B Company [source: B/31 MR 4 Nov 44], 1 Sep 44: Seriously wounded in action at or near Thierville, France [source: A/31 MR 1 Sep 44], 22 Dec 44: lightly wounded at St. Vith, Belgium and sent to 56th General Hospital (MOS 1203) [source: B/31 MR 22 Dec 44], 22 Dec 44: assumes command when Capt. Force 1 with the D coy didn't take part to the attack and didn't lost any M5 that night. His thoughts are important and deserve to be here. Capt. Assistant S-3 Officers “Blackcat” battalion activated on 20 September 1943 at Fort Benning, Georgia, from 1st Battalion, 31st Armored Regiment, 7th Armored Division, under command of Lt. Col. N. K. Markle Jr. Force #1 attacked Lèves, France (just northwest of Chartres) earlier in the day on 15 August. Arrived in Scotland on 12 July 1944; disembarked at Utah Beach on 24 August. Lt. Col. Robert C. Erlenbusch, Commanding Officer of 31st Tank Battalion (13 pages, 5 maps) A/31: Lt. John J. Dunn (Acting CO) (7 pages, 2 maps) S-3 officers (Operations) of the Battalion were: 17th Tank Bn; 31st Tank Bn; 40th Tank Bn; 23d Armored Infantry Bn; 38th Armored Infantry Bn; 48th Armored Infantry Bn; 87th Cavalry Rcn Sq (Mecz) 33d Armored Engineer Bn; 147th Armored Signal Co; 7th Armored Division Artillery; 434th Armored Field Artillery Battalion; 440th Armored Field Artillery Battalion; 489th Armored Field Artillery Battalion The presence of this tank showed that the penetration of one of the two forces of 7th Armored Division that attacked into Chartres on the night of 15-16 August 1944 penetrated in strength far more deeply into the city than had previously been realized. Garland wounded and evacuated [source: B/31 MR 22 Dec 44], 22 Dec 44: assumes command of Company when Capt. 38th Armored Infantry Battalion. I am not going to be able to follow up on this any time soon. Maj. Lohse was the Operations Officer (S-3) of the 31st Tank Battalion. The 7th Armored Division landed in France on August 11 1944, crossed into Belgium on September 26 and into Holland on October 8 1944. Creator: Crossett, Dick Print shows the Coats of Arms and Badges of the units of the 7th Armored Division as organized during World War II plus two battalions that were attached to the division during combat in the European Theater of Operations. - had been B/31 CO Or you can see an active overview of all pages at the 7th Armored Division web site. Cemeteries & Memorials; Burial Search; About Us; Education; Facebook; Twitter; YouTube; Instagram; ABMC Headquarters 2300 Clarendon Blvd, Suite 500 Arlington, VA 22201 Phone: 703-584-1501. All sorts of hoopla and errors permeated these journalistic accounts. Commanding officers (CO's) of the Battalion were: The job of a journalist is to take the events he or she is seeing in his or her immediate area and attempt to elevate them to being the most important thing that happened in the universe that day, so that their article and not someone else's will be printed or posted on the web. Technician Fifth Grade Leonard C. Amerson 17th Tank Battalion 10/05/1945 : Private First Class William Andrako 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron 10/27/1944 : Corporal Harry M. Aukerman 707th Tank Battalion 12/17/1944 : Private First Class Joe W. Bailey 48th Infantry Battalion 12/24/1944 : Private Bobby J. Barker 38th Infantry Battalion 12/22/1945 Garland wounded and evacuated [source: B/31 MR 22 Dec 44], 9 Nov 44: assigned and joined from 18th Replacement Depot (date of rank 1 Feb 42; MOS 1203) [source: B/31 MR 11 Nov 44], 16 Aug 44: lightly wounded with shrapnel in right shoulder 3/4 miles NE of Bonvile, France and remained on duty [source: B/31 MR 4 Nov 44], 2 Nov 44: transferred to HQ Company [source: B/31 MR 4 Nov 44], 21 Dec 44: lightly wounded at St. Vith, Belgium and sent to 106th clearing station and then to unknown hospital [all on 22 Dec 44] (MOS 1203) [source: B/31 MR 21 Dec 44 & 25 Dec 44], 9 Nov 44: assigned and joined from 18th Replacement Depot (date of rank 21 Aug 43; MOS 0800) [source: B/31 MR 11 Nov 44, B/31 MR 5 Dec 44 corrects MOS from 1203 to 0800], 9 Nov 44: assigned and joined from 18th Replacement Depot (date of rank 13 Feb 43; MOS 1203) [source: B/31 MR 11 Nov 44], Official Records of the 38th Armored Infantry Battalion: After Action Reports, Journals and more. 31st Tank Battalion Overseas Deaths in World War II Major Lohse belonged to Staff of 31st Tank Bn and not to A B or Coys, so that he could take one of the M5 to the Staff or the Headquartet Coy. 1st Lt. James E. Kiley (?? However, Eric Santain sent the following in an e-mail on August 17, 2008. Capt Claude Garland, Jr (20 Sep 44 - ??) the_ww2_memoirs A M4A3 Sherman tank belonging to the 31st Tank Battalion, 7th Armored Division, slowly burns on a road after being knocked out during the fighting for Oberkirchen, North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany, April 5th, 1945. S-3 Air Officers The tank was NOT the tank of Maj. Leslie Lohse. Contents of this web page (which is very much under construction). There is still more to do in this, but the following seem well established. This page contains: Date of Death Aug 28, 1944. And the following are links to other pages about 31st Tank Bn: Maj. William F. Beatty (?? S-4 officers (Supply) of the Battalion were: - 1 Aug 44 - ??) Home Posters and Prints 7th Armored Division : "Lucky Seventh" Reference URL Share . (?? Thus the penetration in strength into the city by Force #1 went much deeper than has been previously recognized. (The area was not then part of the city proper, as it is now.). The 37th Regiment's Headquarters and Headquarters Company and its 1st Battalion and 2nd Battalion (less Company D) were redesignated as the 37th Tank Battalion.. 78 $30.00 $30.00. Burial Details All of the tanks with Force #2 were medium tanks and not light tanks. Or you can see an active overview of all pages at the 7th Armored Division web site. Major Lohse made a reconnaissance before the attack. Due to the lack of snow anywhere, we think this would be sometime after the 7th Armored attacked and retook St. Vith, Belgium on January 23rd ★ Note the soldier in the driver's seat has captain rank Mar 12, 2017 - M4A3 (76mm) Sherman tank of the 31st Tank Battalion, 7th Armored Division knocked out during the fighting for Oberkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. 40th Tank Bn. The division was activated on 1 March 1942 out of "surplus" elements of the reorganized 3rd and 5th Armored Divisions, itself reorganized on 20 September 1943. Get it as soon as Wed, Jan 6. The division arrived at Hampton Roads POE on October 9 1945 and was inactivated at Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia the same day. John O. It returned to Belgium on December 28 1944 and entered Germany March 15 1945. Executive officers of the Battalion were: US Army Armored School Research and Evaluation Division. This journalistic fact of life does not lend itself to accuracy. John Clifton, Jr. (35872700) - Company A Died: October 28, 1944 - 1 mi. Altes, A. Kornthals and N. K. C. A. in't Veld.