The Battle History of the 1st Armored Division "Old Ironsides"

The Battle History of the 1st Armored Division "Old Ironsides"

by George F. Howe

Combat Forces Press, Washington, D.C., 1954

A history of the 1st Armored Division must be a biography of a being rather than a chronicle of events. During the second World War, the United States Army prepared 90 divisions for combat, activated 2 others, and committed 88 divisions to battle. Of the 92, 16 were armored divisions. This history is an account of the life of the first of them, described once as “Old Ironsides, the first of the mighty Armored Force, the pioneer in the art and science of armor, the father of other divisions, the first armored division overseas, the first to land on African soil, the first to engage German troops in World War II, the instructor of others entering combat, the first into Rome, and the first of the armored divisions in days of actual field service during World War II.”

The Division was a great combination of subordinate units united among themselves for one great job, but each having particular jobs to do and special ways of doing them, and therefore each having an important life of its own. The Division was a large reservoir of armored power. Its capabilities permitted multiple actions. Sometimes it released units to support operations of units outside the Division; often its own missions could be executed by a temporary combination of subordinate units. Its history is therefore more like that of a family than of an individual. It is not confined to what all elements undertook as a single task but applies to the performances of its different parts.

Short on recognition, but always long on achievement, the men of Old Ironsides doggedly and in the face of a tenacious enemy wrote a combat record second to none across the battlefields of Africa and Italy. If, then, this book has a primary mission, it is to preserve the battle chronicle of brave men and, at long last, to acclaim their valor in the true perspective of their accomplishments.

Once the publication of this history became possible, the goal to be set was clear. The story had to be told accurately and objectively, yet with that true flavor of combat that all who wore the ist Armored insignia in combat remember so well. Moreover, in trying realistically to relate the course of battle, anything short of the truth or anything that attempted to stretch credulity must not tarnish the finished product. This was the broad directive for this volume.

The task of completing this book-much like the long struggle of the Division itself—has been enormous. It has taken four arduous years to finish the job. If one pauses to reflect upon the great length of time that the Division was in combat, the time it has taken to complete such a project becomes less surprising. But nothing really worthwhile comes easily, and those who have waited so patiently for this work should feel amply rewarded.

Space does not permit even listing the scores of capable men who assisted in the publication of this chronicle. At the risk of breaking one of our own rules concerning the justice of recognition, in behalf of all of them let tribute be paid to Alfred K. Lee, one of our own members, whose foresight made this book a financial possibility; to Dr. George F. Howe, the author, who as a historical technician is unexcelled; to the staff of Combat Forces Press, our publisher, whose never-ending patience and cooperation will remain indelibly embossed on these pages; and last, but equally important, to the 1st Armored Division Association, a postwar organization of 1st Armored members dedicated to the perpetuation of our battle comradeship and heartfelt loyalty to one another.

In conclusion—but not to be construed as an apology—perhaps it should be explained that this history is somewhat of a compromise. To detail the record of each of the Division’s units would have required several volumes. Hence, the real hero of this story must necessarily remain the Division itself with enough reference to units to provide proper balance. While each of us is intensely proud of his own outfit, the Division insignia embodies the composite of that pride.

And so, these chapters are respectfully dedicated to the men of the 1st Armored Division—the men whose fiber and courage may be remembered more vividly by their foes than by their own countrymen. Be that as it may, the most valuable recognition of all lies in the conscience of each man who served with this great Division, for he is secure in the knowledge of a job well done. May this book stand in humble dignity as a memorial to such noble deeds.

Robert E. Bard, Historian, 1st Armored Division

Contents

• To the Veterans of Old Ironsides
• Origins of the 1st Armored Division
• The United Kingdom and Preparation for “Torch”
• The Capture of Oran
• The Advance into Tunisia
• The First Allied Advance Is Stopped
• The Enemy Retains Tunis in December
• Reunion in Tunisia
• Beginning: Maknassy, Sened Station, and Faid Pass
• The Enemy Takes and Holds Sidi-bou-Zid
• Sbeitla and Kasserine Pass
• The Offensive in South Central Tunisia
• The Fight in Tunisia Ends
• The Shift to Italy
• Anzio: The First Month
• Anzio: The Long Wait
• The Advance to Rome
• From Rome to the Arno
• Breaking Through the Gothic Line
• The Last Offensive Opens
• The End of the War in Italy
• Appendixes
• I Effective Strength, 30 April 1945
• II Awards and Decorations
• Ill Data on U.S. and German Armor
• Bibliographical Note
• Index

40 maps

120 photos/illustrations