The 13th Armored Division was an armored

division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

History and combat chronicle

The division was activated on 15 October 1942 at Camp Beale, east of

Marysville, California Marysville is a city and the county seat of Yuba County, California, located in the Gold Country region of Northern California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 12,072, reflecting a decrease of 196 from the 12,268 counted ...

. The 13th Armored, known as the Black Cats, landed at

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very ...

, France, 29 January 1945. After performing occupation duties, the Division moved to Homberg near Kassel to prepare for combat under the Third Army, 5 April. At

Altenkirchen Altenkirchen () is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, capital of the district of Altenkirchen. It is located approximately 40 km east of Bonn and 50 km north of Koblenz. Altenkirchen is the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("co ...

, it was attached to the

XVIII Airborne Corps The XVIII Airborne Corps is a corps of the United States Army that has been in existence since 1942 and saw extensive service during World War II. The corps is designed for rapid deployment anywhere in the world and is referred to as "America ...

and prepared for the Ruhr Pocket operation. The attack jumped off at Honnef, 10 April. After crossing the river

Sieg The Sieg is a river in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a right tributary of the Rhine. The river is named after the Sicambri. It is in length. The source is located in the Rothaargebirge mountains. From h ...

Siegburg Siegburg (i.e. '' fort on the Sieg river''; Ripuarian: ''Sieburch'') is a city in the district of Rhein-Sieg-Kreis in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the banks of the rivers Sieg and Agger, 10 kilometres from the former seat ...

, the 13th pushed north to Bergisch Gladbach, then toward

Duisburg Duisburg () is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruhr Region, Duisburg is the 5th largest city in No ...

and

Mettmann Mettmann () is a town in the northern part of the Bergisches Land, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Mettmann, Germany's most densely populated rural district. The town lies east of Düsseldorf ...

by 18 April. Shifting south to Eschenau, the Division prepared for Bavarian operations. Starting from Parsberg, 26 April, the 13th crossed the

Regen river The Regen (; ) is a river in Bavaria, Germany, and a left tributary of the Danube, at Regensburg, Germany. The source of its main headstream, the Great Regen (''Großer Regen''), is in the Bohemian Forest on the territory of the Czech Republic, ne ...

, then the

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , p ...

at Matting and secured the area near Dünzling. On the 28th, elements closed in at

Plattling Plattling is a town in the district of Deggendorf, Bavaria, Germany, on the river Isar, 9 km southwest of Deggendorf, just before it enters the Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roma ...

and crossed the

Isar River The Isar is a river in Tyrol, Austria, and Bavaria, Germany, which is not navigable for watercraft above raft size. Its source is in the Karwendel range of the Alps in Tyrol; it enters Germany near Mittenwald and flows through Bad Tölz, Munic ...

. Moderate to heavy resistance was met during this drive through southern Germany. The Division smashed into

Braunau am Inn Braunau am Inn (; German for "Braunau on the Inn") is a town in Upper Austria on the border with Germany. It is known for being the birthplace of Adolf Hitler. Geography The town is on the lower river Inn below its confluence with the Salzach, ...

, Austria, 2 May, and the command post was set up in the house where

Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

was born. A bridgehead across the Inn was established at Marktl, but the river was not crossed as orders came to reassemble north of

Inn Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway; before the advent of motorized transportation they also provided accommo ...

River, 2 May. Preparations were made for further advances when the war in Europe ended. The 13th remained in Germany until 25 June and left Le Havre, France, for home, 14 July 1945. The division moved to Camp Cook, California after returning to the United States. It was training in amphibious operations at the time of the Japanese surrender. The men were aware that it was an open secret that they were likely to participate in the invasion of Japan. It was inactivated on 15 November 1945. The division was reactivated in 1947, reflagged from the 19th Armored Division, which had been "placed on rolls", but not actually activated, during

. The 19th Armored Division was eventually activated just after the war, and allotted to the Sixth Army area of the Organized Reserves (specifically California, Oregon, and Arizona). In 1947, the 19th Armored Division was reflagged as the 13th Armored Division at California's request. In 1952, the division was reflagged as the 63rd Infantry Division in Los Angeles, California, and thus the 13th Armored Division was finally inactivated.

Composition

The division was composed of the following units: * Headquarters Company * Combat Command A * Combat Command B * Reserve Command * 24th Tank Battalion * 45th Tank Battalion * 46th Tank Battalion * 16th Armored Infantry Battalion * 59th Armored Infantry Battalion * 67th Armored Infantry Battalion * 93rd Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron (Mechanized) * 124th Armored Engineer Battalion * 153rd Armored Signal Company * 13th Armored Division Artillery ** 496th Armored Field Artillery Battalion ** 497th Armored Field Artillery Battalion ** 498th Armored Field Artillery Battalion * 13th Armored Division Trains ** 135th Armored Ordnance Maintenance Battalion ** 83rd Armored Medical Battalion ** Military Police Platoon ** Band

Statistics

Casualties

*Total battle casualties: 1,176 *Killed in action: 214 *Wounded in action: 912 *Missing in action: 16 *Prisoner of war: 34Army Battle Casualties and Nonbattle Deaths, Final Report (Statistics and Accounting Branch, Office of the Adjutant General, 1 June 1953)

Awards

Campaigns *Rhineland *Central Europe Individual Awards * Distinguished Service Cross: 2 * Silver Star: 6 *

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

: 102

References

External links

13th Armored Division Association

13th Armored Division Association Facebook Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:013 13th Armored Division, U.S. Armored Division, U.S. 13th Military units and formations established in 1942 1942 establishments in the United States Military units and formations disestablished in 1952 1942 establishments in California