I had a great time and intend to go again next year. Webmaster, Sadly, Anne and Sherry Lipsius, wife and daughter, notified us on September 6, 2015 that our intrepid Webmaster, Joe Lipsius, passed away peacefully that morning. The unit's combat actions earned the Presidential Unit Citation and the Navy Unit Commendation. Non-Commissioned Officers were also called. B Company elements engaged units of the 18th and 22nd NVA Regiments, as well as the 2nd VC Main Force Regiment in heavy combat between 10 and 25 April in the area of Ky Son, killing over 100 enemy. Company A was attached to the 1st Cavalry Division until October, 1967. The unit, along with many others, was deactivated in 1946 following the end of the Second World War. The battalion was based primarily at FOB Brassfield-Mora,[3] Patrol Base Uvanni,[4] and Patrol Base Olsen. It was eventually absorbed on 10 July 1945 by the 69th Amphibian Tractor Battalion (the 69th Amphibian Tractor Battalion was concurrently relieved from assignment to the 6th Armored Division). 69th Tank Battalion, 6th Armored Division | American Battle Monuments Commission Cemeteries & Memorials Burial Search Education About Us News Data Multimedia Contact Us 69th Tank Battalion, 6th Armored Division Home 69th Tank Battalion, 6th Armored Division Legacy ID 19993 Legacy Alias /db-abmc-burial-unit/69th-tank-battalion-6th-armored-division We now have the room block reserved and you can make your reservations, more event details will follow, just follow this link: Click here for 2012 Norfolk Reunion Photos! It was temporarily stopped south of the Karbala Gap due to intense sandstorms and a need to wait for logistical support. The battalion played an important role by providing security assistance during the crucial Iraqi national elections in March 2010. The 69th Infantry Division arrived in England, 12 December 1944, where it continued its training. New Apr 2020 "814th Tank Destroyer Battalion: December 1944: (Attached to 7th Armored Division) Combat Interviews, After Action Report, Morning Reports" by Wesley Johnston.Maj. The Battalion displaced its forward headquarters in March, from Hwy 14S to Camp Radcliff in An Khe, under the operational control of the 173rd Airborne Brigade and was again involved in fighting along the coastal plain near Bong Son. Operations were based in the Chalis Qada area. [2], A Company was committed within two hours of its disembarking from LSTs in Saigon, as a reaction force to combat in the Filhol Rubber Plantation west of Saigon. The 69th Infantry Division was originally scheduled for activation before the end of World War I, but Armistice Day, November 11, 1918, halted this. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Hq., Cn. A Company completed its mission with the 1st Cavalry in October, 1967 and returned to Camp Enari with Battalion HQ. 3/69 Armor similarly operated with the 24th Division during this massive assault. In March 2007, 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor was deployed as part of the Baghdad "surge." Once again it assigned to the 6th Armored Division, where it served until it was stood down in 1956, ending its assignment to the 6th Armored Division. The Battalion played an important role by providing security assistance during the crucial Iraqi national elections in March 2010. In January 2005, the Speed and Power Battalion deployed again under the command of LTC Mark Wald[2] in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom III. We will never forget! In January 2005,Deploying to FOB Scunion (adjacent to FOB Warhorse) the partial Battalion again deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Soldiers from Task Force 369 deployed in December 2009 in support of OIF VII to northeast Baghdad as the main effort of the 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team-Augmented. [2] LTC Fairfield was promoted and subsequently reassigned as command of 1/69 Armor passed to LTC Clyde O. Clark. [2], 1/69 Armor played a critical role in the defense of Pleiku, Kontum, Dak To and Highway 19 during the Jan/Feb. We would be glad to add photos of your item to this section. [2], LTC Fairfield was promoted and subsequently reassigned as command of 1/69 Armor passed to LTC Clyde O. Clark. It was a wonderful moment that we will both remember for the rest of our lives, and we owe it to VetFriends. [2], The battalion continued operations west of Pleiku and along the coastal plain during 1969 with both the 4th Division and the 173rd Airborne Brigade. Joe's certainly was a life well lived. I called the number ans wow he was blown away when he found out who I was. Justbeforethe 69th departed the USA for Europe, Major General Emil F. Reinhardt took division command. 3/69 Armor has also deployed to Kosovo as part of KFOR and peace keeping operations in the former Yugoslav republics. Meanwhile, B and C Companies were placed OPCON to the Republic of Korea's 'Tiger' Division, headquartered at Camp Thunderbolt near Qui Nhon to support Operation Maeng Ho 11. Armored. List of battleships of the United States Navy, List of aircraft of the Malaysian Armed Forces, The Institute of Heraldry - 69th Armor Regiment, Articles incorporating text from public domain works of the United States Government, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, Armored regiments of the United States Army, Military units and formations established in 1940, 2 Combined Arms Battalions, no Regimental HQ, LTC Ricardo Sanchez, during Operation Desert Storm 90-91, LTC Jeffery R. Sanderson, May 2002 - June, 2004, LTC Robert R. Roggeman, June 2004 - June 2006, LTC Robert Ashe, July 2008 - January 2011, LTC Jessie L. Robinson, 27 July 2008 - October 2009, LTC Jeff Denius, October 2009 - October 2011, LTC Orestees "Bo" T. Davenport, October 2011 October 2013, LTC Harry "Zan" Hornbuckle, October 2013 Present. find my friend." Moreover, it now boasted a V12 Continental Diesel engine which more than doubled the tank's combat range and significantly reduced the hazard of fire. [2], As part of the 197th Brigade (Separate), 2d Battalion, 69th Armor led the assault of the 24th Infantry Division into Iraq during Operation Desert Storm in February 1991. The Presidential Unit Citations (Navy) were awarded for service in the Pacific during World War II and the Korean War. B Company was given the mission of reaction force and route security between Dak To and the besieged Special Forces border camp of Ben Het. ". This original assignment did not last for long. This deactivation came to an end when the unit was re-designated as the 69th Medium Tank Battalion in August 1950. He said we were like brothers and then all of a sudden, we lost all contact. Eilenburg fell, 23 April, and the east bank of the Mulde River was secured. E/203 SB was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation. The 69th Armor Regiment is part of the U.S. Army Regimental System with only two battalions, the 2nd and 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, existing in separate brigades and representing the regiment as a whole. Click here to read about Joe's: EARLY LIFE | MILITARY CAREER 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, was originally constituted on 15 July 1940 in the Regular Army as Company C, 69th Armored Regiment, an element of the 1st Armored Division. The 52 ton M48A3 more than earned its stripes during this initial two week blooding and the unit set the example for future tactical employment of Armor in Vietnam. Part of the 2nd Battalion was redesignated the 109th Amphibious Tank Battalion and also participated in key amphibious operations in the PTO distinguishing itself at Saipan and Tinian and was also awarded the Navy Presidential Unit Citation. By January 1943 or earlier, the widening WWII and its troop demands brought these plans out again. Moreover, it now boasted a V12 Continental Diesel engine which more than doubled the tank's combat range and significantly reduced the hazard of fire. The Battalion displaced its forward headquarters in March, from Hwy 14S to Camp Radcliff in An Khe, under the operational control of the 173rd Airborne Brigade and was again involved in fighting along the coastal plain near Bong Son. It was reassigned to the 6th Armored Division in February, 1942 where it remained until September of 1943 when elements of the Regiment were broken up and reassigned. Plus, its a place where wives, children, grandchildren and friends to learn about the wartime service of their loved ones in the Unit histories, Company Photos and the post-war bulletins now being placed online in a Google-searchable format. This deployment was part of the transition from Operation Iraqi Freedom to Operation New Dawn. Obviously surprised by the presence of the U.S. tanks, the enemy fled the field after the B Company M48s destroyed several of the assaulting PT 76b tanks and BTR50 fighting vehicles. The battalion then redeployed to Fort Benning, Georgia in October 2010 and was awarded the Meritorious Unit Award. . 6th AD was formed under the 1942 Table of Organization and Equipment. 11 April: Patrolled vicinity of Mulhausen. Joe Lipsius, 272nd Inf. It reactivated on 15 February 1942 at Fort Knox, KY, ( the 69th Armored Regiment was concurrently relieved from assignment to the 1st Armored Division and assigned to the 6th Armored Division). It activated on 31 July 1940 at Fort Knox, KY, and inactivated there on 10 January 1942. These routes were notorious for ambush actions dating back to the French Indochina War of the 1950s. You are visitor number: Copyright 1946-2020. The bumper number reads "B31", as in Bravo Company, 3rd Platoon, 1 track (platoon leader's tank). Being always alert, the black variety of panther is considered the most dangerous of all the feline family. [2], A Company was charged with the security of Highway 19 between An Khe and Mang Yang Pass, and on 10 April, routed a regimental size ambush attempt on a convoy by the 95B Regiment killing 45 VC and capturing seven crew-served weapons; U.S. losses were one killed. The 9th Armored, which was activated in 1942, was late in getting overseas. In 2013, 3rd Battalion was deployed to eastern Afghanistan in Wardak, Nangarhar, & Ghazni Provinces. The panther is symbolic of the tremendous power and striking ability of the Regiment. 3-69 AR was the first conventional US unit to enter Iraq in 2003, and among the first units to serve four tours in Iraq. In July, 1994, a monument was erected and dedicated to the tank Soldiers of the 69th Armor Regiment, from all battalions, in Armor Memorial Park at Fort Knox, Kentucky. During the defense of St. Vith, he commanded an ad hoc CCB task force from a foxhole at the base of the Pruemerberg hillside at the . We will try to record some of the many outstanding feats of our Division and to recognize the thousands who trained in the 69th but were sent out as replacements to other units, including reinforcements to the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944. Meanwhile, B and C Companies were placed OPCON to the Republic of Korea's 'Tiger' Division, headquartered near Qui Nhon at Camp Townes to support Operation Maeng Ho 11. This operation proved the value of armor in reducing friendly casualties while significantly increasing losses to the enemy. C/2-69 AR, along with additional attachments, remained in Chalis Qada to serve with the Iraqi Army in that area. Obviously surprised by the presence of the U.S. tanks, the enemy fled the field after the B Company M48s destroyed 2 of the assaulting PT 76 tanks and a BTR50 fighting vehicle.