3rd Armored Division:
Spearhead.
The 3rd Armored Division was activated on April 15th, 1941,
with Headquarters at Camp Beauregard, Louisiana, and was
initially organized with a cadre of personnel drawn from the
2nd Armored Division. After three changes of station and
participation in 1942 maneuvers at the Desert Training Center
in California, the Division began embarking for the
European Theater in August of 1943
The Division got its nickname while serving with the First
Army in France. Time after time, VII Corps battle plans read,
"the 3rd Armored Division will spearhead the attack."
Campaigns:
World War II
(Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace,
Central Europe),
Armed Forces Expeditions (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait).
Decorations:
Presidential Unit Citation World War II
(streamer embroidered Mons),
French Croix de Guerre with Palm
(streamer embroidered Mons),
Belgian Fourragere 1940, cited in
the Order of the Day of the Belgian
Army for action in Belgium
and action in the Ardennes.