It was reorganized and re-designated on 20 September 1943 as Company C, 69th Tank Battalion. Shield: The shield is in the green and white of the Armored Force. Anne & Sherry Lipsius' address: 6314 Deerings Hollow, Norcross, GA 30092-1800, annejoelip@bellsouth.net. The battalion served first under 2nd BCT, 2ID and later under 4th BCT, 10th MTN DIV while detached from the rest of the 3rd HBCT. The unit's combat actions earned the Presidential Unit Citation and the Navy Unit Commendation. 1968 TET offensive. The battalion was tasked with taking the Baghdad International Airport. . The unit, along with many others, was deactivated in 1946 following the end of the Second World War. Up until five weeks ago, Joe was still emailing about website business. $10.95 + $3.95 shipping. 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. We will miss him. It was re-designated on 14 January 1957 as Company C, 69th Tank Battalion (the 69th Medium Tank Battalion was relieved on 1 February 1957 from assignment to the 6th Armored Division), and on 15 February 1957 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Medium Tank Battalion, 69th Armor. The 9th Armored Division was cited for extraordinary heroism and gallantry in combat in the vicinity of Waldbillig and Savelborn, Luxembourg from 16-22 December 1944 during which they repulsed constant and determined attacks by an entire German division. At a glance. Bulletins thru the years - training, combat, reunion & photos of buddies and you. In January 2003, 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor deployed to Kuwait awaiting orders to begin combat operations. The 6th Armored Division was created February 15, 1942 at Fort Knox, The 1st Battalion was alerted to begin preparations for deployment to the Republic of Vietnam in December of 1965. KIA. The 6th Armored Division was one of General George S. Patton's famous Third Army divisions during World War II in Europe. Wisely, peacetime conscription started in September 1940, with the Selective Training and Service Act. [2], LTCs Leo M. Brandt, Donald J. Pagel and MAJ George Latturner each commanded the Battalion for short periods, from April to December, 1969. The Division was activated May 15, 1943. In July, 1994, a monument was erected and dedicated to the tank Soldiers of the 69th Armor Regiment, from all battalions, in Armor Memorial Park at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Earlier, in September, the Battalion, along with the other elements of the 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division became part of the 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division in a swap of brigades in place. A Company was charged with the security of Hwy 19E between An Khe and Mang Jiang Pass, and on 10 April, routed a regimental size ambush attempt on a convoy which effectively destroyed the NVA 95B battalion as a fighting force. Two days later, Division patrols in the area between the Elbe and the Mulde Rivers contacted Russian troops in the vicinity of Riesa and again at Torgau. Also during this period, a provisional detachment of tanks taken from each line company, was detailed to support elements of the 101st Airborne Division and the 44th ARVN Regiment in the Phan Thiet-Song Mao area. Personal experience as a member of the Heavy Mortar Platoon, CSC (later HHC) 2/69th AR, Fort Benning, GA from August 1984 December 1985; US War Casualties Afghanistan (by date), http://www.benning.army.mil/armor/eARMOR/content/issues/1988/JAN_FEB/ArmorJanuaryFebruary1988web.pdf, The Institute of Heraldry 69th Armor Regiment, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=69th_Armor_Regiment&oldid=1100734449. [2] Both received the Superior Unit Award. We would be glad to add photos of your item to this section. The 1st Battalion was alerted to begin preparations for deployment to South Vietnam in December 1965. Div. This fifteen-month deployment was part of the General Petraeus "surge" of force. find my friend." MILITARY UNITS - 69th Armored Division VetFriends Veteran ID Card Quick Links. The Battalion served under Multi-National Division Baghdad on the Karada Peninsula as well as the Al Muthana and Al Jedidah regions of Eastern Baghdad. Obviously surprised by the presence of the U.S. tanks, the enemy fled the field after the B Company M48s destroyed 2 of the assaulting PT 76 tanks and a BTR50 fighting vehicle. The 89th Medium Tank Battalion returned to Hawaii with the 25th Infantry Division where it remained until deactivation in 1957. Joe did not want us to forget what each and every brave man and woman of the Fighting 69th did for their families, their country, and the world. It reactivated on 15 February 1942 at Fort Knox, KY, ( the 69th Armored Regiment was concurrently relieved from assignment to the 1st Armored Division and assigned to the 6th Armored Division). Operations were based in the Chalis Qada area. During the defense of St. Vith, he commanded an ad hoc CCB task force from a foxhole at the base of the Pruemerberg hillside at the . Following the outbreak of hostilities on the Korean peninsula, the 708th Tank Battalion was subsequently restructured and re-designated the 89th Medium Tank Battalion. Many document need the free Adobe Reader to view. U.S. In July 2003, following the downfall of the regime under Saddam Hussein. Our prayers and sympathies go out to the Lipsius family. The 69th Armor Regiment was constituted on 15 July, 1940, at Fort Knox, Kentucky, in the Regular Army and initially assigned to the 1st Armor Division. It is an interlocked. It was redesignated for the 69th Amphibian Tractor Battalion on 8 January 1946. [2], A Company completed its mission with the 1st Cavalry in October 1967 and returned to Camp Enari with Battalion HQ. I'm the first to ever contact him. On April 19, 1945, the Division captured Leipzig. 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. 10 April: Reported to White Battalion, 273rd Infantry Regiment, 69th Division, and formed part of the advance guard for Combat Command A, 9th Armored Division. The Division went over to the attack, 27 February, capturing the high ridge east of Prether to facilitate use of the Hellenthal-Hollerath highway. 2,951,373. The bumper number reads "B31", as in Bravo Company, 3rd Platoon, 1 track (platoon leader's tank). 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. the 1st Battalion 69th Armor distinguished itself in fierce combat in all areas of its operations during over four years of deployment in the Republic of Vietnam. Excerpts from the second English version of a book in German by historian Karl-Heinz Lange were used for this link at first, but a 2005 updated translation from German is now linked here. 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. Unit troops discovered Leipzig-Thekla concentration camp, a subcamp of Buchenwald. It was reassigned to the 6th Armored Division in February, 1942 where it remained until September of 1943 when elements of the Regiment were broken up and reassigned. 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor served with the 42nd ID, a National Guard Division based in NY. Plus, its a place where wives, children, grandchildren and friends to learn about the wartime service of their loved ones in the Unit histories, Company Photos and the post-war bulletins now being placed online in a Google-searchable format. The 4th Battalion was reactivated in 1972 at 1st Brigade HHC 8th Infantry Division at Robert E. Lee Barracks in Mainz Gonsenheim Germany. 3-69 AR was the first conventional US unit to enter Iraq in 2003, and among the first units to serve four tours in Iraq. Up until five weeks ago, Joe was still emailing about website business. Click here to read: Tributes to Joe Lipsius, We endeavor in these pages to remember the heroic service of the men of The Fighting 69th Infantry Division during World War II. The former Company C, 69th Tank Battalion, was reconstituted on 21 August 1950 in the Regular Army as Company C, 69th Medium Tank Battalion, an element of the 6th Armored Division. The panther is symbolic of the tremendous power and striking ability of the Regiment. Donald P. Boyer was the S-3 (Operations) Officer of 38th Armored Infantry Battalion. [2], LTC (MG Retired) Stan R. Sheridan assumed command of 1/69 Armor in September, 1968 as the Battalion forward HQ again moved, this time west to the area of the Oasis, HQ of the 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division along QL 19W, conducting numerous reconnaissance-in-force operations north and east of Duc Co and along the Cambodian border. This operation proved the value of Armor in reducing the number of friendly casualties while significantly increasing losses to the enemy. We raced volkswagens on our time off and we'd go to the range and shoot all day. It activated on 31 July 1940 at Fort Knox, KY, and inactivated there on 10 January 1942. In July 2003, following the downfall of the regime under Saddam Hussein, the Battalion redeployed to Fort Benning, Georgia. The 69th Armor is an armored 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. I really hope some other people can find this service and get in touch with people like I did. The 69th Armor is an armored (tank) regiment of the United States Army. [5] This time the battalion served as the 1st Brigade Combat Team's and 42nd Infantry Division's main effort in Samarra, Iraq. [2], The Battalion continued operations west of Pleiku and along the coastal plain during 1969 with both the 4th Division and the 173rd Airborne Brigade. View our site visit statistics. [2], During a reaction force operation just prior to Tet in January, 1968, Sp5 Dwight Hal Johnson, gunner on B11, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry above and beyond the call of duty. 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. In 2013, 3rd Battalion was deployed to eastern Afghanistan in Wardak, Nangarhar, & Ghazni Provinces. If you have a tribute, please email it to Webmaster Michael McKibben at. In a rapid advance to the east, the 69th took Schmidtheim and Dahlem, 7 March. Each battalion had its own insignia. Also during this period, a provisional detachment of tanks taken from each line company, was detailed to support elements of the 101st Airborne Division and the 44th ARVN Regiment in the Phan Thiet-Song Mao area. The 69th Armored Regiment's history began on 15 July 1940 when it was formed and assigned to the 1st Armored Division. It was formed with a cadre from the 2nd Armored Division .