The 756th Tank Battalion was an independent tank 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

World War II 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 ...

and, as the 73rd Tank Battalion, during the early

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

. It was later redesignated as the

73rd Armor Regiment 73rd may refer to: *73rd (Perthshire) Regiment of Foot also known as MacLeod's Highlanders after its founder John Mackenzie, Lord MacLeod *73rd Academy Awards honored the best films of 2000 and was held on March 25, 2001 *73rd Carnatic Infantry, an ...

, and is perpetuated today by the

73rd Cavalry Regiment The 73rd Cavalry Regiment is a Cavalry Regiment in the United States Army, first formed in 1941. Three squadrons of the 73rd Cavalry Regiment ("Airborne Thunder") provided reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition ( RSTA) to the Bri ...

World War II

It was formed in 1941 as a light tank battalion, originally as the 76th Tank Battalion and renumbered in May. It first saw combat in 1943, when it deployed to North Africa on 24 January and then into Italy following the

Salerno landings Operation Avalanche was the codename for the Allied landings near the port of Salerno, executed on 9 September 1943, part of the Allied invasion of Italy during World War II. The Italians withdrew from the war the day before the invasion, but ...

on 17 September. In 1944, two companies of the battalion were re-equipped with

DD tank DD or duplex drive tanks, nicknamed "Donald Duck tanks", were a type of amphibious vehicle, amphibious swimming tank developed by the British during the Second World War. The phrase is mostly used for the Duplex Drive variant of the M4 Sherman ...

s, specialised

M4 Sherman The M4 Sherman, officially medium tank, M4, was the medium tank most widely used by the United States and Western Allies in World War II. The M4 Sherman proved to be reliable, relatively cheap to produce, and available in great numbers. I ...

s designed for amphibious landings. On 15 August, it landed near St. Tropez as part of

Operation Dragoon Operation Dragoon (initially Operation Anvil), known as Débarquement de Provence in French ("Provence Landing"), was the code name for the landing operation of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Provence (Southern France) on 15Augu ...

, attached to the 3rd Infantry Division, and pushed north through France along the Rhone Valley. The division went into defensive positions on the Rhine after reaching Strasbourg on 26 November, and saw heavy fighting early in 1945 during the clearing of the

Colmar Pocket The Colmar Pocket (; ) was the area held in central Alsace, France, by the German Nineteenth Army from November 1944 to February 1945, against the U.S. 6th Army Group (6th AG) during World War II. It was formed when 6th AG liberated southern a ...

. It crossed the Rhine on 26 March, where its DD tanks were used as part of an amphibious assault, and then pushed into southern Germany with the 3rd Infantry. The battalion ended the war near

Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...

, in Austria. Two officers of the battalion were awarded the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

; Second Lieutenant Raymond Zussman and Second Lieutenant James L. Harris, both posthumously.

Cold War

The battalion was briefly inactivated following World War II in 1946 before being reformed as a heavy tank battalion, and in 1949 was renumbered the 73rd Heavy Tank Battalion, under which name it served in the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

, with M4 Sherman and M26 Pershing tanks. It would later be redesignated the

and was finally disbanded in 1996.3rd Battalion, 73rd Armor Regiment

References

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External links

Tank Battalion HistoriesThe 756th Tank Battalion
globalsecurity.org Military units and formations established in 1941 Tank battalions of the United States Army Battalions of the United States Army in World War II 1941 establishments in the United States Military units and formations disestablished in 1996