2ND ARMORED DIVISION (FORWARD) HISTORY
(Source: 2nd Armd Div (Fwd) Welcome Pamphlet, early 1980s.)
The 2nd Armored Division (Forward), formerly the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Armored Division, is derived from the 41st Armored Infantry Regiment, which was constituted on 15 May 1917, and organized on 20 June 1917, at Fort Snelling, Minnesota. The 41st Infantry was inactivated on 22 September 1921, at Camp Meade, Maryland. Twenty years later the 41st Infantry Regiment (Armored) was assigned to the 2nd Armored Division. Subsequent redesignations were:
Headquarters, Reserve Command, in 1946;
Headquarters Company, Combat Command C in 1949; and
Headquarters Company, 3rd Brigade in 1963.
In 1942, the first combat credited to the Regiment was for elements that participated in the North Africa invasion. The Regiment then assaulted the beach of Gela, Sicily on 10 July 1943. Normandy was the next scene of action for the fighting 41st in June, 1944. Following this action, the 41st participated in such battles as Caretain, Saint Lo, Aachen Siegfried Line, Ardennes, Houffalize, Roer Valley, and Magdeburg.
In all, the 41st Infantry earned six campaign streamers with an arrowhead for the Sicily Streamer.
For a short period after the war, the 41st remained in Europe. By March 1946, the Division was settled at Fort Hood, Texas. In May 1951, the 2nd Armored Division was again sent to Europe with the then Combat Command stationed at Baumholder, Germany. In January 1958, the unit was returned to Fort Hood, Texas. In October and November 1963, the 3rd Brigade earned high praise during the NATO exercise "Big Lift." In 1964, the Brigade maneuvered in the large scale U.S. exercise "Desert Strike" and in 1965, participated in the Joint Task Farce exercise "Silverhand."
During the years of the Vietnam War, the Brigade acted as a training base for replacements. In 1972, the Brigade participated in the Joint Task Force exercise "Gallant Hand 72."
In January and February 1973, the Brigade was airlifted to Germany to participate in exercise "REFORGER IV." In April 1973, the Brigade participated in exercise "Gallant Hand 73."
Beginning in March 1975, the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Armored Division, was stationed at Grafenwoehr-FRG, and rotated 29 battalions, 19 separa companies, a total of over 21,000 soldiers, to FRG, as part of "Brigade 75." In July 1978 in ceremonies conducted in Grafenwoehr the 3rd Brigade was redesignated as the 2nd Armored Division (Forward). During Autumn Forge '78 the Division Forward participated in exercise "Saxon Drive" in northern Germany.
On October 1978, in ceremonies conducted at newly named and constructed Lucius D. Clay Kaserne, Minister of Defense of FRG, Dr. Hans Apel turned over the Kaserne to U.S. Secretary of Defense, Dr. Harold Brown. In a phased deployment, members of the 2nd Armored Division (Forward) moved to the Kaserne from October 1978 to 14 March 1979.
In September 1979 the Division (Forward) participated in the 1st German Corps FTX "Harte Faust." During REFORGER 80 the 2nd Armored Division (Forward) briefly reverted to its prior designation of the 3rd Brigade of the 2nd Armored Division.
A I British Corps FTX saw the 2nd Armored Division from Fort Hood, Texas join it's forward deployed unit which made the "Hell on Wheels" division complete for the first time since 1975.
Two Clay Kaserne units adopt to the Army's new regimental system:
(Source: Forward Edge insert, Port Reporter, Sept 30, 1983)
The colors of 1st Bn, 14th Field Arty and 2nd Bn, 50th Inf will be formally retired during ceremonies on Sept. 30 and Oct 6. As part of the Regimental Manning System these units will become 4th Bn, 3rd Field Arty and 4th Bn, 41st Inf.
When 2-50th becomes 4-41st, it will become a sister unit to Garlstedt's 3-41st, and both units will be based in Fort Hood, Texas. The home base regiment for 4-3rd (formerly 1-14th) will also be in Fort Hood.
2AD ends 52 year history at LDCK
(Source: 2AD Dispatch, Final Issue, June 12, 1992)
By Staff Sgt. John Brooks
Assistant Editor
The history of 2nd Armored Division (Forward) is rather short when compared to some unit histories, but is a significant part of the larger legacy of 2AD, the longest continuously active armored division in the U.S. Army.
In 1975, in a move to strengthen the NATO alliance, soldiers from the 2nd Armored Division at Ft. Hood, Texas, were organized into a rotational brigade, known as Brigade '75. With the exception of the headquarters company and support battalion, each unit was to serve in Germany for six months, after which they would rotate back to Ft. Hood and be replaced with fresh 2AD troops. The new brigade was stationed in Grafenwoehr, Germany, through 1976 when it was stationed in Osterholz county and designated as 2AD (FWD), a new member of the Northern Army Group.
The kaserne 2AD (FWD) called home, Lucius D. Clay Kaserne in Garlstedt, was constructed from 1977 to 1979 as a joint effort of the German and U.S. governments. When completed, rotation of the units from Ft. Hood stopped and 2AD (FWD) moved to its permanent home. Stationing of 2AD (FWD) at the new kaserne was completed in 1979.
In 1983, 2AD (FWD) joined in the conversion to Division '86 and the regimental system. The 2nd Battalion, 50th Infantry and 1st Battalion, 14th Field Artillery were redesignated as 4th Battalion, 41st Infantry and 4th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery, respectively, joining 2nd Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment and 3rd Battalion, 41st Infantry in their regimental affiliation to 2AD at Ft. Hood, Texas.
The command gained air power when its ground cavalry troop was replaced by Delta Troop, 2-1 Cavalry (Air), in 1984.
COHORT rotations began
Another first for 2AD (FWD) was the battalion rotation in June, 1986. The division was the first European unit to participate in battalion COHORT rotations when 3-41 INF departed for Ft. Hood and 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment joined 2AD (FWD). The division's second and final battalion level COHORT brought 3rd Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment to LDCK and sent 4-41 to Ft. Hood. The 588th Military Intelligence Company was another recent addition to 2AD (FWD) in 1987.
When Delta Troop, 2-1 CAV was inactivated in October, 1990, 2AD (FWD) was equipped with a new set of eyes and ears: the brigade scout platoon. The brigade scout platoon is a light-fighting unit made mobile through the use of ballistic-armed HMMWVs, the only mobile scout platoon in the U.S. Army.
On November 8th, 1990, 2AD (FWD) was identified as one of the units from Europe that would comprise VII Corps and move to Saudi Arabia to take part in the liberation of Kuwait. Between the latter part of November, 1990, and early January, 1991, the unit deployed to Southwest Asia; its equipment transported mainly by ship, and the majority of its soldiers by air.
In late January, 1997, 2AD (FWD) became the 3rd brigade of the 1st Infantry Division and moved across Saudi Arabia and attacked through Iraq and into Kuwait where the 100-hour war ended. HHC 2AD (FWD) Military Policemen were the first U.S. MP unit to cross into Iraq, entering enemy territory during the Battle of Norfolk, and the last to leave after the 100 hours of the war. Lacking sufficient support of any kind, the 22 MPs processed and held over 600 prisoners during their first 24 hours in Iraq.
Assisted in Provide Comfort
Between the cease-fire and the official end of the war in April, 2AD (FWD) took part in security operations to ensure peace in Kuwait.
The Division then redeployed to Saudi Arabia where some of its soldiers established and ran three refugee camps near Raffia, Saudi Arabia. 2AD (FWD) relief workers processed over 22,000 Iraqi refugees between April 15 and May 10. After turning the camps over to the Saudi Arabian government, 2AD (FWD) continued redeployment to Germany. Completing the mission, 2AD (FWD) soldiers returned to Garlstedt to stand ready as part of the United States Army, Europe.
On September 1, 1991, 2AD (FWD) officially became 2AD (-) after 2AD at Ft. Hood was inactivated. Currently, 2AD(-) is in the process of fulfilling its final mission; drawdown. Due to the restructuring of the U.S. Army, both here and at Ft. Hood, 2AD has been ordered off the active duty roles, ending more than 50 years of continuous active service.
Hell on Wheels!
Soldiers in 2nd Armored Division often ask where the nickname "Hell on Wheels" originated.
The 2AD nickname came from Haynes W. Dugan, a 2AD public affairs officer at Fort Benning, Ga., who used "Hell on Wheels" in a story about 2AD's participation in a parade in 1941. Patton then selected it for wearing under the division patch.
After several years of wearing it, Army officials decided in 1954 that "Hell on Wheels" on the uniform was not in good taste. The division commander at that time argued that "hell is not in itself necessarily a profane word, nor is its use in poor taste, except with improper connotations, neither of which, it is believed, are applicable in the case of the motto ..Hell on Wheels'."
The nickname battle continued until April 1963, when Department of the Army finally gave approval for soldiers to wear the "Hell on Wheels" patch on their uniforms.
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