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CONNECTICUT MEN 13Th and 20Th Armored Divisions AUGUST 1945 20Th ARM

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CONNECTICUT MEN 13Th and 20Th Armored Divisions AUGUST 1945 20Th ARM CONNECTICUT MEN 13th and 20th Armored Divisions AUGUST 1945 20th ARM. DIVISION FACTS Combat Highlights—In April, 1945, island attack. Two combat commands the 20th Armored Division was an• "attacked" and captured the mythical nounced as part of the Seventh Army in Isle of Campbell, a part of the camp's Europe, advancing in a drive on Munich. 105,000 acre range and training area. On May 4, practically the eve of peace, it While the water was simulated, there was was in an area north of Lake Chiem and nothing unreal about the combat problem in June, 1945, was at Traunstein, Ger• itself during the three days it lasted. many. One of the high spots of its brief Competent military observers called it combat career was the freeing of 50 Cana• one of the best maneuvers staged in the dian prisoners as the unit swept south middle west. of Munich to cut off German escape Commanding General — Maj. Gen. routes from the Reich's third largest city. Orlando Ward, Sept. 1944 to present. Previously the 20th had bagged a banner crop of high ranking Nazi officers when it smashed into Salzburg just a few mo• ments behind the leading elements of the SERVICEMEN'S COMMEMORATIVE BOOKLET 3d Infantry Division. This prize catch of prisoners of war included three Nazi Vol. 1 August 26, 1945 No. 11 lieutenant generals and one major general. CARLETON B. CLYMA, Editor Shoulder Patch—Regular Armored This booklet on the return of the 13th patch of triangular design, divided into and 20th Armored Divisions from the European war was prepared by the Office three areas, one in red (representing Field of The Governor, as an addition to the Artillery); one in yellow (representing souvenirs and memorabilia of those who Cavalry), and one in blue (representing participated in the defeat of the once great Infantry). Superimposed on the tri• German Wehrmacht. The courtesies and assistance of public angles, in black, are the track of a tank relations officers, at the ports and at the and a cannon. A bolt of lightning, in red, Fort Devens' Reception Station greatly is superimposed on these. facilitated the gathering of the material for this booklet. Some of the group pictures Army Ground Forces Training— are from Signal Corps photographs. Ship During its entire stay in this country the pictures are from The New York Daily News and Press Association. The factual 20th Armored Division was at Camp materials herein were prepared by the Campbell, Ky. It was successively under Office of Technical Information, A.G.F. the IV Armored Corps, Armored Com• A limited number of copies are available mand, XX Corps, XXII Corps and for distribution, to Connecticut men of the Divisions only. They can be secured by Second Army. For some time this di• written request to the Office of the Governor, vision was a training unit and sent large State Capitol, Hartford. numbers of armored replacements over• Reproduction of original material is seas. Highlight of its training period permissible only with written authorization. came in Dec. 1944, when it simulated an 2 13th ARM. DIVISION FACTS Combat Highlights — The 13th Army Ground Force Training — Armored Division joined Gen. Patton's Division went into training at Camp Beale, Third Army on the battlefront to partici• Calif., coming under the Army Ground pate in the closing stages of the Allied Forces and the II Armored Corps. It par• drive in southern Germany, a surge that ticipated in maneuvers with the IV Corps by-passed Berchtesgaden in the push to in Oregon from Sept. 13 to Nov. 6, 1943, link up with the Russians. On April 28, returning to Camp Beale on completion of 1945, the 13th was at Aiterhofen and maneuvering. It was then placed under shortly afterwards the division was across the Fourth Army, XVIII Corps. In Dec, the Danube River, east of Regensburg, 1943, the division was transferred to Camp at a point two miles southeast of Strauberg. Bowie, Tex. On May 2—less than a week before the Nazi capitulation—the 13th had ham• Left This Country — January, 1945 mered its way to Braunau, five miles from for European Theater of Operations. the Inn River. Commanding General — Maj. Gen. Nickname—Black Cat Division. John Millikin, April, 1945 to present. Shoulder Patch—Usual triangular Component Units — 496th, 497th, armored patch consisting of three small 498th Armored Field Artillery Battalions; triangles of red (representing Field 24th, 45th, 46th, Tank Battalions; 16th, Artillery), blue (representing Infantry), 59th, 67th Armored Infantry Battalions; and yellow (representing Cavalry). Super• Hq. & Hq. Battery; 124th Armored Eng. imposed are cannon, tracks and a bolt of Bn.; 135th Armored Ord. Mnt.; 13th lightning. In the upper yellow triangle M. P. Platoon; Hq. Co. Special Troops; is the number "13". 83rd Medical Bn.; and 193rd Ren. Sqd. 3 13th & 20th ARM. DIV. STORIES EDITOR'S NOTE: Memories of the European experience will blur with the passing of years. Accuracy will diminish. Details will become vague and half forgotten. To record, in black and white here and now, the mood, the impressions, the exciting events of the worst days, and the best is the purpose of these stories. Connecticut men of the 13th and 20th were asked for their own stories in their own words, and they are here so recorded: Alibrio, Salvatore T/5, Trp. C, 93rd be able to apply the lessons and knowledge Cav. Ren. Mech. Sqd., Hartford learned in Europe when, after the war, we "Going to Paris is one of the pleasant take part in public affairs and politics at experiences. I saw all the sights we have home." heard and read so much about — the Arc Bertaccini, Lincoln C, Pfc, Co. A., de Triomphe, Notre Dame Cathedral, the 45th Tank Bn., Bantam Eiffel Tower. I only had a one day pass, "I have been over six months — and I would have liked to have been there a that is six months too long. When I used week." to read about what the Germans did in the Beers, Henry O., Pfc, Co. B., 135th concentration camps, I thought it was all Arm. Ord. Mnt. Bn., Westport greatly exaggerated. But, I saw the camp "As for my impressions, aside from the at Ebenssey in Austria where they had girls, I was startled by the low standard of thousands of Belgians, Poles and Russians living in the European countries. I had for use as slave-laborers. I found out then thought that those countries were on a and there that there was no exaggeration. level compared with United States stand• In order to believe how bad it was, you ards. As for the war and our participation have to actually see it. Was it rough! in it, I hope we, who took part in it, will They fed them little or nothing and worked 4 them 15 hours a day. When we got there, Carotenuti, Louis, Pfc, Co. A., 45th they were dying at the rate of 200 a day, Tank Bn., Torrington until the Americans took it over." "What impressed me most was the results of our Air Corps bombing. The Boldi, Louis F., Cpl., Ren. Plat. 45th destruction of the railroads, right through Tk. Bn., East Hartford the Ruhr and Rhine areas to Nurnberg "The day I got my bronze star was the must have tied things up for awhile. roughest of the war for me. It was near Another thing that impressed me was the Wahn, Germany and we were in the lead speed with which our engineers erected element of a five tank group. I don't want Bailey and Pontoon Bridges across the to tell you about it but you can take it off rivers." the citation." Chicoine, George L., Pfc, Co. A., 45th Editor's Note — The citation read in Tk. Bn., Waterbury part: "Awarded for heroic achievement "The people of Europe are far behind . with complete disregard for personal those of the U.S. in every way. Some of the safety to render immeasurable aid to people of France are nice I guess. Some of lead tanks of a combat command ad• them welcomed us warmly but others were vance guard . overcoming sniper and out for the money." enemy machine guns and small arms fire, he displayed boldness and skill in Damiata, Sebastien E., Cpl., Hq. Co., preceding the drive of the combat com• 93rd Cav. Ren. Mech., Middletown mand and directing fire for the tanks." "When we got into it, we expected the 5 In the Ruhr Pocket we were advancing so fast with the Germans on the run ahead of us that we used to tell each other 'We will never be able to catch them to end the war'. When the war did end, we were at the Inn River. A couple of things I remember are the three days' celebration the French people of the Town of Dudeville put on, and Hitler's place at Berchtesgaden, where I sat up in his Crow's Nest and took pictures against the sky." Germans would put up a stiff fight but Page, Alfred O., Pfc, Co. F., 93rd Cav. they came out with white flags marching Ren. Mech., Hartford in columns to surrender to us. I never saw "In the Ruhr pocket our tank was fired so many prisoners as we took out of the by a shell from a bazooka which was Ruhr pocket. It got to a point where we handled by a German kid twelve years old. didn't bother to put a guard on them, just We thought we were all Kaput for a few waved them to the rear.
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