| 607th Tank Destroyer Battalion | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1941–1945 |
| Country | United States |
| Allegiance | Army |
| Part of | Independent unit |
| Equipment | 3" anti-tank guns M36 Jackson |
| Disbanded | 1945 |
The 607th Tank Destroyer Battalion was a tank destroyer battalion of the United States Army active during the Second World War.
Contents |
The battalion was activated on 15 December 1941 with personnel from the 7th Infantry Division Provisional Antitank Battalion. On 15 December 1943, it was reorganized, changing from a self-propelled to a towed battalion equipped with the 3in Gun M5 and the Reconnaissance Company being inactivated. Except for four and one half months training at the Tank Destroyer Center at Camp Hood, Texas, the battalion received all of its precombat training in California at Sunnyvale, Hunter Liggett Military Reservation, Camp San Luis Obispo, Lost Hills Desert Training Center and Camp Cooke. The unit deployed to the United Kingdom in April 1944, sailing on the USS Wakefield (AP-21).
Two companies (Headquarters and A) landed in Normandy on the early morning of 17 June (D+11)at Utah Beach. Company A was committed to action in the Battle of Cherbourg on arrival, attached to the 9th Infantry Division. The battalion was relieved from attachment to the VII Corps and attached to VIII Corps on 19 June, with Company A attached to the 82nd Airborne Division until 4 July and the battalion, less Co A, to the 90th Infantry Division. The remaining two companies (B and C) landed on 23 June and joined the 90th Division. During the period of 7 to 27 July, the division advanced very slowly, especially in the areas around Foret De Monte Castro on Hill 122, on the approaches to the island at Seves and at Beau Coudray. Following the bombing from St. Lo to the southwest toward Periers and the exploitation of the forced breakthrough, the enemy withdrew from the division front on the night of 27 July.
Task Force Weaver, consisting of the 357th Infantry Regiment, 712th Tank Battalion, 344th and 345th Field Artillery Battalions and Co. A of the 607th, was organized and given the mission of securing the crossing of the Mayenne River, at Mayenne, and then proceed to Le Mans. On 5 August, the task force left La Condonniere, moving towards Mayenne and meeting light resistance. On the 6th they proceeded to Le Mans.
The battalion moved south during the Operation Cobra breakout at the end of that month, and fought on the southern side of the pincer which closed the Falaise pocket. The battalion continued to support the infantry of the 90th Division, and helped repel several armoured and infantry attacks; between 15 and 21 August, they accounted for thirty-four tanks, twenty-three self-propelled guns, nine halftracks and sixteen artillery pieces destroyed or captured, with over five hundred prisoners taken and fifteen men awarded Silver Stars.
The 90th Division, with the 607th still attached, continued to push through France. On 26 August, the battalion, along with the 90th, marched to Fontainbleau, a distance of 171 miles. Between 27 August and 1 September, the various companies in support of the 357th and 359th IR's moved to Ft. de Brimont, a distance of 135 miles from Fontainbleau. On 8 Sept., the unit participated in fending off a counterattack by Panzer Regiment 106 which was attacking in the Mairy/Trieux/Briey area. By the 13th, the battalion, continuing to support the infantry regiments, had closed up to the Moselle River near Thionville. On this date, a gun from the 2nd platoon, located 200 yards west of Basse Parth, fired ten rounds into Germany, targeting the church steeple in Perl. These were the first rounds fired by the 90th into Germany, first rounds fired by the XX Corps into Germany and it is believed to have been the first fire to fall into Germany from the Third Army. During the remainder of Sept. and through Oct., the battalion continued to support the infantry regiments as they closed on Metz, France. The 95th Infantry Division began to relieve the 90th on 1 Nov. and effective 2 Nov., the 607th was attached to the 95th ID. Attacks toward Metz continued. During the week of 12–19 Nov., the battalion re-equipped with M36 Jackson tank destroyers, armed with the 90mm gun, and returned to combat just in time for the final attack on the city. Lt. Col. Harald S. Sundt, battalion commander, received the Oak Leaf Cluster to the Silver Star for his success in directing the Battalion in artillery and anti-tank support of the 95th Division from 8 to 20 November in the attack on Metz.
Through December, it pushed towards the Saar and fought on the Siegfried Line. It was pulled out and sent to the Ardennes in January 1945, but returned to the Siegfried Line in February as part of the 87th Infantry Division, fought at Koblenz in March, and finally crossed the Rhine on 25 March. It pushed through central Germany, reaching the Czech border in mid-April, where it ended the war.
|
||||||||