The 628th Tank Destroyer Battalion was a
tank destroyer battalion of the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
active during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. It was redesignated the
628th Tank Battalion after the end of the war, and today exists as the
103rd Armor Regiment.
Early service
What would become the battalion was formed on 10 July 1941 as the
28th Infantry Division Provisional Antitank Battalion, and on 15 December was redesignated as the 628th Tank Destroyer Battalion (constituted 3 December 1941 in the Army of the United States), in line with the reorganization of the anti-tank force. On 7 March 1942, the battalion was redesignated as a National Guard unit and allotted to the Pennsylvania National Guard. During training, in 1943, the battalion provided a cadre to form the nucleus of the
648th Tank Destroyer Battalion
The 648th Tank Destroyer Battalion was a tank destroyer battalion of the United States Army active during the Second World War.
The battalion was activated at Camp Bowie on 6 March 1943,Yeide, p. 266 formed around a cadre drawn from the 628th T ...
. The 628th remained in the United States until January 1944, when it was shipped to the United Kingdom aboard the
''Aquitania''. From 11 April to 5 July, it operated three marshaling camps in southern England, providing accommodation and administration for combat troops of the
1st
First most commonly refers to:
* First, the ordinal form of the number 1
First or 1st may also refer to:
Acronyms
* Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array
* Far Infrared a ...
and the
29th Divisions being prepared for the Normandy landings.
France

The battalion landed in Normandy on 30 July, equipped with
M10 tank destroyer
The M10 tank destroyer, formally known as 3-inch gun motor carriage M10 or M10 BBC, 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 t ...
s. After a brief period in camp, it was attached to the newly arrived
5th Armored Division, and began operations on 2 August, with first contact with an enemy force on 4 August. In order to co-operate more closely with the 5th Armored, the battalion was split up, with one company going to each of the division's
Combat Command
A combat command was a Combined arms, combined-arms military organization of comparable size to a brigade or regiment employed by armored forces of the United States Army from 1942 until 1963. The structure of combat commands was task-organized ...
s.
The force moved south through
Avranches
Avranches (; ) is a commune in the Manche department, and the region of Normandy, northwestern France. It is a subprefecture of the department. The inhabitants are called ''Avranchinais''.
History Middle Ages
By the end of the Roman period, th ...
and then southwest to
Le Mans
Le Mans (; ) is a Communes of France, city in Northwestern France on the Sarthe (river), Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the Provinces of France, province of Maine (province), Maine, it is now the capital of ...
, before pushing north on 10 August to help close the
Falaise Pocket
The Falaise pocket or battle of the Falaise pocket (; 12–21 August 1944) was the decisive engagement of the Battle of Normandy in the Second World War. Allied forces formed a pocket around Falaise, Calvados, in which German Army Group B, c ...
. On 11 August a
Panzer IV
The IV (Pz.Kpfw. IV), commonly known as the Panzer IV, is a German medium tank developed in the late 1930s and used extensively during the Second World War. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz. 161.
The Panzer IV was the most numer ...
was destroyed, the first of the battalion's tank kills, and the same night, the rearguard of Company A encountered a German column, and in a close-range action accounted for eight vehicles and 240 enemy troops; a sergeant of the company received both the
Silver Star
The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against a ...
and the
Croix de Guerre
The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...
for this action, giving the battalion its first tank kill and its first combat decoration on the same day.
The battalion headed eastwards on 15 August, briefly crossing the
Eure River on the 17th. The commanding officer, Lt. Col. Hernandez, was killed on 20 August whilst observing indirect fire, and succeeded by his executive officer, Major Gallagher; in the same action, two
Panzer V tanks were destroyed for the loss of one M10, the first tank destroyer lost in action by the battalion. After operating along the Seine for several days, the battalion withdrew southeast to rest on the 25th.
On 27 August, 5th Armored was detached from the
XV Corps and ordered to drive east to the Belgian border; the battalion left camp on the 30th and, passing through Paris, arrived on the border late on the night of 2 September. The battalion was reorganized and attached in its entirety to Combat Command R, before the division moved south to
Sedan and eastwards to
Luxembourg
Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
, crossing the border on 9 September and arriving at the German border on the 11th.
Siegfried Line

On the 13th, the division began to push against the
Siegfried Line
The Siegfried Line, known in German as the ''Westwall (= western bulwark)'', was a German defensive line built during the late 1930s. Started in 1936, opposite the French Maginot Line, it stretched more than from Kleve on the border with the ...
fortifications around
Wallendorf, aiming to push through to
Bitburg
Bitburg (; ; ) is a city in Germany, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate approximately 25 km (16 mi.) northwest of Trier and 50 km (31 mi.) northeast of Luxembourg (city), Luxembourg city. The American Spangdahlem Air Base i ...
. The first elements of the battalion crossed onto German soil on the 13th, with the remainder of the battalion crossing on the 15th and establishing a command post six miles inside Germany. The battalion came under a strong counter-attack on the 17th, with Lt. Rennbaum of B Company receiving the
Distinguished Service Cross for his work in evacuating his platoon under heavy fire.
The 19th saw further intensification of the fighting, with artillery fire rising to the point where it was decided to withdraw all units back across the river into Luxembourg; the last element of the battalion left Germany at 5 am on the 20th. In this final day of combat, eleven German tanks were definitely destroyed by the battalion, with a further seven probably destroyed but not confirmed.
Through October and November 1944, the battalion remained in defensive positions, moving northwards to
Faymonville
Faymonville (; , ) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Waimes, located in the province of Liège, Belgium.
Nickname
Its inhabitants are nicknamed the "Turks" by the neighbouring towns and villages.
It is believed ...
in eastern Belgium in early October. Throughout this time, it mostly carried out indirect fire missions; Company C, attached to Combat Command B, was deployed for the attack on
Aachen
Aachen is the List of cities in North Rhine-Westphalia by population, 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, 27th-largest city of Germany, with around 261,000 inhabitants.
Aachen is locat ...
, but not committed to combat. The battalion moved eastwards into Germany, billeted near
Kalterherberg, in late October; shortly thereafter, on 1 November, the battalion was re-equipped with new
M36 tank destroyer
The M36 tank destroyer, formally 90 mm Gun Motor Carriage, M36, was an American tank destroyer used during World War II. The M36 combined the hull of the M10 tank destroyer, which used the M4 Sherman, M4 Sherman's reliable chassis and drive ...
s.
In late November, Combat Command R, along with Company C, was detached from the 5th Armored to provide support to the
8th Infantry Division in the
Battle of Hurtgen Forest
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force c ...
; on 3 December, Combat Command A, with Company A, was likewise attached to the
4th Infantry, with both very heavy fighting – at one point, Company C was reduced to only one M-36 out of twelve able to operate. The battalion was strafed by
Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a monoplane fighter aircraft that was designed and initially produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW). Together with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the Bf 109 formed the backbone of the ...
s on the 3rd; two were downed by anti-aircraft fire, the first aircraft the battalion had destroyed. On the 8th, plans were made to pull the battalion out of the line to prepare for a crossing of the
Roer River
The Roer (, ) or Rur (; ) is a major river that flows through portions of Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. It is a right (eastern) tributary to the Meuse (). About 90 percent of the river's course is in Germany.
It is not to be conf ...
, with companies B and C remaining in action for the time being.
Battle of the Bulge
On 17 December, the scale of the
German offensive in the Ardennes was becoming clear; the battalion was immediately ordered to provide anti-paratroop patrols along the divisional supply lines, and on the 19th was detached from the 5th Armored and attached to the
78th Infantry Division in
XIX Corps, north of the main offensive area.
On 23 December, when it became apparent that the line north of the "bulge" was stable, the battalion was detached from the 78th Division and attached to
3rd Armored Division in
VII Corps 7th Corps, Seventh Corps, or VII Corps may refer to:
* VII Corps (Grande Armée), a corps of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars
* VII Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World War I
* VII ...
, deployed on the northern side of the German salient; it arrived in place in the early afternoon of the 24th, and took up defensive positions. After a brief encounter with German infantry on the 24th, combat began in the early hours of Christmas Day; a tank destroyer of Company B knocked out two
Panther tank
The Panther tank, officially ''Panzerkampfwagen V Panther'' (abbreviated Pz.Kpfw. V) with Sonderkraftfahrzeug, ordnance inventory designation: ''Sd.Kfz.'' 171, is a German medium tank of World War II. It was used in most European theatre of ...
s at 25 yards range, causing the opposing force to withdraw and avoid the area. The battalion remained on the defensive until the 3rd Armored was withdrawn into reserve, and on 1 January was attached to the
82nd Airborne Division
The 82nd Airborne Division is an Airborne forces, airborne infantry division (military), division of the United States Army specializing in Paratrooper, parachute assault operations into hostile areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops ...
for eleven days to help clear the area west of the
Salm River; during this period, the battalion lost four M36s and fourteen men, destroying six tanks – including two
Tiger II
The Tiger II was a Nazi Germany, German heavy tank of the World War II, Second World War. The final official German designation was ''Panzerkampfwagen'' Tiger ''Ausf''. B, often shortened to Tiger B.Jentz and Doyle 1993, p. 16. The ordnance inve ...
tanks.
Advance into Germany
On 11 January the battalion was attached to the
75th Infantry Division, but left them on the 16th, without having made contact with the enemy, and moved into
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 force, rapid deployment anywhere in the world and is r ...
Reserve.
On 27 January the battalion was once again attached to its old partner, the
5th Armored Division, and joined them to rest and prepare for a crossing of the
Roer River
The Roer (, ) or Rur (; ) is a major river that flows through portions of Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. It is a right (eastern) tributary to the Meuse (). About 90 percent of the river's course is in Germany.
It is not to be conf ...
; Company A was detached to join the divisional artillery, and during the four weeks of preparations fired two thousand rounds of indirect fire. On 23 February the attack began, with Company B crossing the Roer at
Linnich
Linnich is a town in the district of Düren in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the River Rur (Roer river), approx. 10 km north-west of Jülich.
Economy
Linnich is the home of SIG Combibloc, the specialist fo ...
on the 25th, and the remainder of the battalion following the next day. The division then swung northwards through the
Rhineland
The Rhineland ( ; ; ; ) is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly Middle Rhine, its middle section. It is the main industrial heartland of Germany because of its many factories, and it has historic ties to the Holy ...
, reaching the west bank of the
Rhine
The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...
on 10 March. From the 13th to the 29th, the battalion fired 1500 rounds of harassing fire at targets in the
Ruhr
The Ruhr ( ; , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr Area, sometimes Ruhr District, Ruhr Region, or Ruhr Valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 1,160/km2 and a populati ...
, on the far bank.
On 30 March the companies were assigned to combat commands in preparation for offensive operations, and crossed the river on the 31st, over a pontoon bridge at
Wesel
Wesel () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, in western Germany. It is the capital of the Wesel (district), Wesel district.
Geography
Wesel is situated at the confluence of the Lippe River and the Rhine.
Division of the city
Suburbs of Wesel i ...
; the final breakout had begun. On 2 April, the division bypassed
Münster
Münster (; ) is an independent city#Germany, independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a ...
, arriving at the
Wesser River
The Weser () is a river of Lower Saxony in north-west Germany. It begins at Hannoversch Münden through the confluence of the Werra and Fulda. It passes through the Hanseatic city of Bremen. Its mouth is further north against the ports of Br ...
shortly thereafter and pausing until 8 April, when the river was crossed at
Hamelin
Hameln ( ; ) is a town on the river Weser in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Hameln-Pyrmont and has a population of roughly 57,000. Hamelin is best known for the tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin.
History
Hameln ...
. The division moved north-east, passing to the south of
Hannover
Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...
and reaching the
River Elbe
The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Republic), then Ge ...
on the 11th.
Whilst the division was consolidating its position on the west bank, intelligence reports suggested that the
''Clausewitz'' Panzer Division had broken out from the Berlin area, and was heading south in order to cut American supply lines and join up with other units in the
Harz Mountains
The Harz (), also called the Harz Mountains, is a Mittelgebirge, highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The nam ...
. In order to counter this threat, the division moved west, leaving Combat Command A (with Company A) to cover the Elbe. A divisional supply train was ambushed on the 16th, losing several vehicles; among them was a truck from the battalion, carrying the
unit standard. This, however, was recaptured the next day. On the 23rd, a
Panzer V tank was knocked out, the fifty-sixth and final tank destroyed by the battalion.
After two weeks of mopping-up operations, the region was deemed clear, and the companies reverted to battalion command on 25 April; the following day, the battalion moved to take up occupation duties in the
Peine region of
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...
, where it was located at
the end of the war
''The End of War'' () is a 1984 Yugoslav war film directed by Dragan Kresoja. The film was selected as the Yugoslav entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Best Foreign Language Film at the 57th Academy Awards, but was not ac ...
.
By the end of the war, the Battalion had accounted for 60 tanks and self-propelled guns, as well as 30 pieces of artillery and over a hundred other vehicles, with over 1200 enemy killed and 1500 prisoners taken.
Later service
The battalion was inactivated on 14 November 1945. In May 1946 it was reactivated and redesignated as the
628th Tank Battalion, under which title it saw service in Europe for three years during the 1950s. In 1959 it joined with elements of the
110th Infantry Regiment and the
108th and
166th Field Artillery Battalions to form the
103rd Armor Regiment, a
parent regiment
The Combat Arms Regimental System (CARS), was the method of assigning unit designations to units of some of the combat arms branches of the
United States Army, including Infantry, Special Forces, Field Artillery, and Armor, from 1957 to 1981. A ...
in the
Combat Arms Regimental System
The Combat Arms Regimental System (CARS), was the method of assigning unit designations to units of some of the combat arms branches of the
United States Army, including Infantry, Special Forces, Field Artillery, and Armor, from 1957 to 1981. A ...
.
References
* From The Command Car : Untold stories of the 628th Tank Destroyer Battalion by TEC 5 Sgt. Charles A. Libby
Author – Steve Hunter (http://fromthecommandcar.com) ()
*
*''Victory TD: the history of the 628th Tank Destroyer Battalion'', ed. Elmer V. Sparks. 1945
Online copy*''Armor-Cavalry Regiments: Army National Guard Lineage'', by Jeffrey Lynn Pope & Leonid E. Kondratiuk. DIANE Publishing. 1995.
Online copy* 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