Fort Benning Memorial Day Ceremony

COL (Ret) Bob French, 899th TD Bn, WWII and the 3rd Inf Div in Korea welcomed approximately fifty Rock of the Marne Men, their families and friends. French briefly spoke about the WWII Tank Destroyer Force - a separate Combat Arm of service of the United States Army, during World War Two.

COL (Ret) Bob French, 899th TD Bn
COL French said: “It is appropriate to ‘piggy-back’ on the 3rd Infantry Division ceremony. That’s the way it was during the war, with the doughboys riding into battle on the back of the tank destroyers. As a matter of fact, Audie Murphy climbed on a knocked-out, burning M-10, of the 601st TD Bn, and was firing the 50 Cal machine gun, stopping a German attack, when he earned the Medal of Honor.

We are here today to honor and commemorate the valiant men of the 601 TD Bn and the other 84 Tank Destroyer combat formations who gave their lives and the many who suffered wounds and severe hardships in victorious battle against the enemy in World War II. Tank Destroyer Battalions (36 TD’s per Bn) were attacked to each Infantry Division and Armored Division. The TD’s knocked out approximately 2,600 German Armored Track Vehicles (300 in the Battle of the Bulge), with an estimated sacrifice of 5,000 men killed in action.

In 1940 The War Department issued an order to establish the Armored Force at Fort Knox, Kentucky. The Armored Division as the main fighting unit, was organized to engage in fast moving offensive warfare; breakthrough to the enemy rear — using the combined arms concept — the explicit doctrine of General George Patton. However, the mission to destroy enemy tanks was left to division anti-tank unit, the field artillery and the Army Air Corps. Furthermore, there was a problem, the M4 Sherman, with its short barreled 75mm, general purpose field gun, was outmatched by the German panzer thick, sloped armor, high velocity, flat trajectory, long barreled 75mm and 88mm guns.

Audie Murphy

On November 21, 1941 General Marshall activated the Tank Destroyer Force.. developed by Army Ground Forces General McNair, and implemented by General Andrew Bruce at Camp Hood, Texas, .. . and charged with the mission to SEEK, STRIKE and DESTROY enemy tanks. We fought with the 3’ naval gun, and the 90mm anti-aircraft gun... with self-propelled track Vehicles, and towed 3’ guns.