69th Armored Regiment (United States)

The 69th Armor is an armored (tank) regiment of the United States Army. The 69th Armor Regiment is part of the U.S. Army Regimental System with only two battalions, the 2nd and 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, existing in separate brigades and representing the regiment as a whole. 2–69 AR is currently stationed at Fort Stewart, Georgia as part of the 2nd Armor Brigade Combat Team ("Spartans"), 3rd Infantry Division and 3–69 AR is stationed at Fort Stewart, Georgia as part of the 1st Armor Brigade Combat Team ("Raider"), 3rd Infantry Division. Both battalions have transformed from tank pure battalions into combined arms battalions (CAB), Each comprising two tank companies and one mechanized infantry company as of August 2019.

Heraldry

Distinctive unit insignia

* Description: A Silver color metal and enamel device 1 1/8 inches (2.86 cm) in height overall consisting of a shield blazoned: Per bend Argent and Vert on the first a panther passant on division line, head to chief Sable. Attached below and to the sides of the shield a Silver scroll inscribed “VITESSE ET PUISSANCE” in Black letters.
* Symbolism: The shield is in the green and white (silver) of the Armored Force. The panther is symbolic of the tremendous power and striking ability of the Regiment. Being always alert, the black variety of panther is considered the most dangerous of all the feline family. The motto translates to “Speed and Power.”
*Background: The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 69th Armored Regiment on 7 September 1942. It was redesignated for the 69th Tank Battalion on 4 November 1943. It was redesignated for the 69th Amphibian Tractor Battalion on 8 January 1946. The insignia was redesignated for the 69th Medium Tank Battalion on 25 February 1954. It was redesignated for the 69th Armor Regiment on 25 July 1958.
The Institute of Heraldry – 69th Armor Regiment.

Coat of arms

* Blazon:
** Shield: Per bend Argent and Vert on the first a panther passant on division line, head to chief sable.
** Crest: On a wreath of the colors Argent and Vert between two ruined towers Sable, the dexter charged with a fleur-de-lis Or and the sinister with an anchor of the like, a cubit arm in armor, the hand in a gauntlet Proper grasping two lightning flashes fesswise Gules.
** Motto: VITESSE ET PUISSANCE (Speed and Power).
* Symbolism:
** Shield: The shield is in the green and white of the Armored Force. The panther is symbolic of the tremendous power and striking ability of the Regiment. Being always alert, the black variety of panther is considered the most dangerous of all the feline family.
** Crest: The two ruined towers bearing a fleur-de-lis and an anchor allude to the two areas, Europe and the Pacific. An element of the former organization was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation for service in Europe. The Presidential Unit Citations (Navy) were awarded for service in the Pacific during World War II and the Korean War. The gauntlet and lightning flashes symbolize armor and striking power.
*Background: The coat of arms was originally approved for the 69th Armored Regiment on 7 September 1942. It was redesignated for the 69th Tank Battalion on 4 November 1943. It was redesignated for the 69th Amphibian Tractor Battalion on 8 January 1946. The insignia was redesignated for the 69th Medium Tank Battalion on 25 February 1954. It was redesignated for the 69th Armor Regiment on 25 July 1958. It was amended to add a crest on 18 May 1965. The insignia was amended to revise the symbolism of the crest on 29 October 1965.

World War II

The 69th Armored Regiment's history began on 15 July 1940 when it was formed and assigned to the 1st Armored Division (United States), 1st Armored Division. This original assignment did not last for long. In February 1942 it was reassigned to the 6th Armored Division where it continued to serve until September 1943 when elements of the Regiment were divided and reassigned. The Regimental HQ and 1st Battalion remained with the 6th Armored Division as the 69th Tank Battalion, while the 3rd Battalion was re-designated as 708th Amphibian Tank Battalion and was a participant in several critical amphibious campaigns and distinguished itself during the bloody fighting on Okinawa earning the battalion the Navy Presidential Unit Citation.

The 69th Tank Battalion, as part of the 6th Armored Division, was included in various European campaigns including Normandy, the Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace and Central Europe. The unit, along with many others, was deactivated in 1946 following the end of the Second World War. This deactivation came to an end when the unit was re-designated as the 69th Medium Tank Battalion in August 1950. Once again it assigned to the 6th Armored Division, where it served until it was stood down in 1956, ending its assignment to the 6th Armored Division.

Korean War

Following the outbreak of hostilities on the Korean peninsula, the 708th Amphibian Tank Battalion was subsequently restructured and re-designated the 89th Medium Tank Battalion. In November 1951, it was again reflagged the 89th Tank Battalion and assigned to the 25th Infantry Division. The unit's combat actions earned the Presidential Unit Citation and the Navy Unit Commendation.

The 89th Tank Battalion returned to Hawaii with the 25th Infantry Division where it remained until deactivation in 1957.

With the establishment of the regimental combat arms system, the formerly fragmented elements of the 2nd Battalion were remade into the 69th Armored Regiment. With the left over elements of the 69th and the 89th Tank Battalions, the 69th Armored Regiment was re-designated the 69th Armor, a parent regiment under the Regimental Combat Arms system.

Vietnam War

The 1st Battalion was alerted to begin preparations for deployment to South Vietnam in December 1965. Deployment commenced on 25 January 1966 with the Battalion laying over in Okinawa to take over 52 new M48A3 tanks and familiarize crews with the new series, AN-GRC 12 radios. Contrasting with the old battalion M48A2 vehicles, the new A3 models still featured the 90mm cannon, a M2HB cupola mounted .50 caliber machinegun and a 7.62mm, M72 coaxial machinegun. Moreover, it now boasted a V12 Continental Diesel engine which more than doubled the tank's combat range and significantly reduced the hazard of fire.
69th Armor Regiment Association Site.

The battalion shipped from Okinawa to Vietnam, and true to the policy at the time, was fragmented, with the battalion HQ, trains, A and C companies going to Củ Chi Base Camp, Củ Chi supporting the main elements of the 25th Infantry Division, while B Company joined the 3rd Brigade of the 25th Division in Pleiku.

A Company was committed within two hours of its disembarking from LSTs in Saigon as a reaction force to combat in the Filhol Rubber Plantation west of Saigon.

The battalion's first major combat operation took place in April 1966 in the tangled jungle growth of the Ho Bo Woods and along the trails of the Filhol Rubber plantation again, northwest of Saigon. This operation proved the value of armor in reducing friendly casualties while significantly increasing losses to the enemy. 69th Armor tankers learned on-the-job the importance of rear and flank security, the effect of canister in dense jungle, the exaggerated needs for constant maintenance halts and the value and down-sides of assorted OVM and equipment. The 52 ton M48A3 performed well during this initial two-week fight and the unit set an example for future tactical employment of armor in Vietnam.

Similarly, B Company's actions along the Plei Me

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