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752nd
troops march past the barracks at Ft. Lewis, Washington in the spring
of 1942. Most of the initial cadre came from the Pacific Northwest
states. Men eventually joined from all 48 states, D.C., and even two
from Canada. However, analysis of a wartime roster indicates that the
Mountain and Pacific states contributed twice as heavily to the 752nd
as they did to the 1940 U.S. Census. The South was noticeably
under-represented, but still contributed 24% of the battalion's
strength. |
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Two
tanker recruits of the 752nd train on the water-cooled M1917A .30
caliber machine gun at Fort Lewis in late 1941. The tankers became
proficient on small arms weapons such as the rifle, carbine, grenades,
and both the .30 and .50 caliber machine gun. Note the sharp slant of
the tankers' hats over the left eye, which was characteristic of
armored troops. |
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An
overturned M3 of the 752nd at Fort Lewis. Things didn't always seem to
go so well for man or machine during armored training. "Sarge, they
just don't build bridges like they used to..." |
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A
line of 752nd M3's at Fort Lewis. The M3's high profile and the lack of
traversible main gun proved to be serious combat liabilities. The first
M3s to land in North Africa belonged to the 2nd Battalion of the 13th
Armored Regiment. This unit was commanded by Lt. Col. Hyman Bruss, who
later commanded the 752nd Tank Battalion. |
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Crew
of the "Donald Duck," an M3 tank of the pre-war 752nd. The M3s had a
six man crew, consisting of a tank commander, 37mm gunner, 37mm loader,
75mm gunner, driver, and radio operator. Crew size was reduced to five
men when the M4 Shermans were introduced. Private Ray Holt is front and
center. |
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A
troop train carrying Company B of the 752nd winds around a curve on its
way from Ft. Lewis to the Desert Training Center in Indio, CA in
mid-April 1942. Seventeen M3 tanks and several 2 ton trucks are loaded
on flatbed cars comprising this section of the train. |
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Camp
Young Desert Training Center at Indio, California. The 752nd trained
here from April through July 1942 in preparation for combat in North
Africa. The 752nd was trained under the direct supervision of General
George S. Patton, who was always on the prowl. |
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Corporal
Phillip Margherito of the 752nd HQ Company takes a drink from his
canteen at the Indio Desert Training Center 10 June 1942. Temperatures
inside the tanks could reach 130 degrees in the desert. Corporal
Margherito continued on with the 752 in Italy. (Official U.S. Signal
Corps photo). |
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Private
Raymond Holt poses in front of his camouflaged M3 "General Lee" tank at
the Desert Training Center, Indio, California, May 1942. Note the
extremely limited traverse of the 75mm gun -- a major liability of the
M3. |
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The
first overseas assignment for the 752nd was in England, where the unit
remained from August 1942 to January 1943. The battalion is shown here
in review at the Tidworth Barracks facility, located approximately 80
miles southwest of London. |
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752nd
battalion area in Tunisia. Due to a misinterpretation of War Department
policy, the 752nd was inactivated and reclassified as the 2642nd
Armored Replacement Battalion, which ran an Armored
Training School
in North Africa. After six months, the unit was reclassified as the
752nd Tank Battalion, but by that time combat in North Africa had
already ended. |
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Men
of the 752nd boarding LCIs (Landing Craft Infantry) at Bizerte Harbor
on 10 January 1944, enroute from North Africa to Italy. At least 5 LCIs
are known to have transported the battalion -- LCIs 37, 39, 47, 189,
and 190. The uneventful journey lasted 2 days in beautiful weather,
ending at Bagnoli (near Naples). The tanks were shipped on LSTs two
days later. Although not legible in this small web photo, the
Navy painted the initials "BIOYA" ("Blow It Our Your A..") on the side
of the LST as a "welcome aboard" to the tankers. |