3rd Armored Division

3rd Armored Division Patch

It was activated on April 15, 1941. It served on the Western Front, arriving on September 15, 1943 and stationed around Bristol and Liverpool. It was commanded by Major-General Maurice Rose from August 1944 until his death on March 31, 1945, it landed in Normandy on July 9, 1944 and campaigned with the 1st Army (United States). It was engaged during the Battle of the Hedges, the Battle of Saint-Lô, the Falaise Pocket. In Belgium, on September 2, 1944, it participated in the Battle of the Hürtgen Forest then in the Battle of the Bulge. It crossed the Rhine on February 7, 1945, going as far as Cologne before participating in the reduction of the Ruhr Pocket in March. Arriving towards the Elbe, it discovered the Dora concentration camp on April 11, its last major fight was for the liberation of Dessau before being withdrawn to Sangerhausen where it remained until November 10, 1945. In total, its members were awarded 17 Distinguished Service Crosses, 23 Legion of Merit, 885 Silver Stars, 32 Soldier's Medals, 3,884 Bronze Stars, 10,500 Purple Hearts, 138 Air Medals and 3 Distinguished Flying Crosses.