United States World War II Tank Destroyer Battalion March 1944 Structure

The 805th Tank Destroyer Battalion was a

tank destroyer battalion The tank destroyer battalion was a type of military unit used by the United States Army during World War II. The unit was organized in one of two different forms—a towed battalion equipped with anti-tank guns, or a mechanized battalion equipp ...

of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

active during the

Second World War 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 opposin ...

. The battalion was formed from the 105th Antitank Battalion on 15 December 1941, in line with the reorganization of the anti-tank force. It was shipped to the United Kingdom in August 1942, and then deployed for the North African campaign in January 1943, equipped with

M3 GMC The M3 Gun Motor Carriage (GMC) was a United States Army tank destroyer equipped with a 75 mm M1897A4 gun, which was built by the Autocar Company during World War II. After observing the new and often decisive, uses of armored vehicles o ...

tank destroyers. It was attached briefly to the 34th Infantry Division, then attached to the 1st Armored Division on 20 February, just in time to see action at the

Battle of the Kasserine Pass The Battle of Kasserine Pass was a series of battles of the Tunisian campaign of World War II that took place in February 1943 at Kasserine Pass, a gap in the Grand Dorsal chain of the Atlas Mountains in west central Tunisia. The Axis forces, ...

, where it took heavy losses. On 23 March, equipped with the new

M10 tank destroyer The M10 tank destroyer was an American tank destroyer of World War II. After US entry into World War II and the formation of the Tank Destroyer Force, a suitable vehicle was needed to equip the new battalions. By November 1941, the Army requeste ...

, it fought at the

Battle of El Guettar The Battle of El Guettar was a battle that took place during the Tunisia Campaign of World War II, fought between elements of the Army Group Africa under General Hans-Jürgen von Arnim, along with Italian First Army under General Giovanni Messe ...

. In October 1943 it converted to a towed battalion equipped with 3" anti-tank guns, and was shipped to Italy, arriving in the

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

area on 25 October—the first 3" towed battalion to see combat. It was attached to the 34th Infantry Division in January 1944, and supported the division in fighting on the

Bernhardt Line The Bernhardt Line (or Reinhard Line) was a German defensive line in Italy during the Italian Campaign of World War II. Having reached the Bernhardt Line at the start of December 1943, it took until mid-January 1944 for the U.S. Fifth Army to fi ...

and at

Monte Cassino Monte Cassino (today usually spelled Montecassino) is a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, in the Latin Valley, Italy, west of Cassino and at an elevation of . Site of the Roman town of Casinum, it is widely known for its abbey, the first h ...

, before being shipped to the

Anzio Anzio (, also , ) is a town and ''comune'' on the coast of the Lazio region of Italy, about south of Rome. Well known for its seaside harbour setting, it is a Port, fishing port and a departure point for ferries and hydroplanes to the Pontine I ...

beachhead in mid-March and attached to the 36th Infantry Division. In June, it was attached to the 1st Armored Division. It re-equipped with

M18 Hellcat The M18 Hellcat (officially designated the 76 mm Gun Motor Carriage M18 or M18 GMC) is a tank destroyer that was used by the United States Army in World War II and the Korean War. A top speed of up to was attained by keeping armor to a minim ...

s in the summer of 1944, but continued to be used mainly for indirect-fire missions through the remainder of the war, attached to a variety of different units during the drive north. On 21 April 1945, they were attached to the 34th Infantry Division when it captured Bologna, and with the 88th Infantry Division when it reached the

Brenner Pass The Brenner Pass (german: link=no, Brennerpass , shortly ; it, Passo del Brennero ) is a mountain pass through the Alps which forms the border between Italy and Austria. It is one of the principal passes of the Eastern Alpine range and has ...

in early May.

References

* *''US Tank and Tank Destroyer Battalions in the ETO 1944–45'', by Steven J. Zaloga. Osprey Publishing, 2005. * Tankdestroyer.net (Web based United States tank destroyer forces information resource
Tankdestroyer.net
{{US tank destroyer battalions Tank destroyer battalions of the United States Army Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 Military units and formations established in 1941