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The 784th Tank Battalion, was a 
Tank battalions of the United States Army
{{US-Army-stub
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 ...
segregated combat tank
A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engi ...
battalion
A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions a ...
during 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 ...
.
It was originally attached to the 5th US Tank Group that was based in Camp Claiborne
Camp Claiborne was a U.S. Army military camp in the 1930s continuing through World War II located in Rapides Parish in central Louisiana. The camp was under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Eighth Service Command, and included 23,000 acres (93 k ...
, Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
during 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 ...
. The 5th Tank Group also included the 758th Tank Battalion
The 758th Tank Battalion was a tank battalion of the United States Army that served during World War II. The first armored unit to consist of African-American soldiers, the 758th was formed in 1941 and served in Italy.
History
On 13 January 194 ...
, which saw action in Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
under the 92nd Division, and the most famous, the 761st Tank Battalion, which saw action in Northern Europe and saw extensive action during the Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...
. These three units were composed of African American personnel with African American junior officers and white senior officers.
The 784th went into action late December 1944. Landing in France on Christmas Day 1944, the battalion consisted of six companies: A (Able), B (Baker), C (Charlie), D (Dog), Headquarters and Service Company. A, B and C Companies had M4 and M4A3 Medium Tanks while D company had M5A1 Stuart Light Tanks. Headquarters Company had a 105 mm assault platoon, a reconnaissance platoon and 81 mm mortar platoon.
On 31 December 1944, the 784th began official combat operations with the 104th Infantry Division. They participated in actions along the Roer River
The Rur or Roer (german: Rur ; Dutch and li, Roer, , ; french: Rour) is a major river that flows through portions of Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. It is a right (eastern) tributary to the Meuse ( nl, links=no, Maas). About 90 perc ...
. On 3 February 1945, the 784th was released from duty with the 104th Division to the 35th Infantry Division. On 8 February 1945, the 784th joined the 35th Division in a major offensive. On 26 February 1945, Able Company of the 784th assisted elements of the 134th Infantry Regiment from the 35th Infantry Division in capturing the town of Hilfarth across the Roer River. The next day they captured the town of Wassenberg
Wassenberg (; li, Wasseberg ) is a town in the district Heinsberg, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated near the border with the Netherlands, on the river Rur, approx. 6 km north-east of Heinsberg and 15 km south-east of ...
. Baker Company along with the 137th Regiment(35th Div) took Golkrath, a village at Erkelenz
Erkelenz (, li, Erkelens ) is a town in the Rhineland in western Germany that lies southwest of Mönchengladbach on the northern edge of the Cologne Lowland, halfway between the Lower Rhine region and the Lower Meuse. It is a medium-sized town ...
.
Tank battalions of the United States Army
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