They were forming units down at or a unit down at camp hood, or fort hood it was camp hood at that time down near abilene, texas, with tank destroyers. Jan 20, 2007 activated on 3 april 1943 at camp bowie, texas. It was also sixty years ago that 108,000 acres of central texas land was transformed from rural farming land into camp hood, home of the tank destroyer tactical and firing center. Camp hood, texas also tank destroyer training center fort mcclellan, alabama camp roberts, california also field artillery training center. Find people by address using reverse address lookup for 185 tank destroyer blvd, fort hood, tx 76544. The purpose of this camp was to serve as a tank destroyer tactical and firing center. Disembarked in france on 1 july 1944 as a towed battalion.
On january 14, 1942, at the beginning of united states involvement in world war ii, it was announced that a tank destroyer tactical and firing center would be. On september 18, 1942, camp hood was officially opened. Mike force patch vietnam war pick art, patches, military. This is a 4wheelstyle patch that was worn by tank destroyer forces in world war ii. Tank destroyer ssi and insignia page army and usaaf. It is my hope that this site may bring together the families of these men to celebrate their accomplishments during wwii and in life. Rare yellow features ww 2 camp hood texas tank destroyer.
The mission at camp hood was almost immediately expanded to include a replacement and basic training center at north camp hood. Redesignated as tank destroyer center at camp hood 24 july 1942. Camp hood texas booklet, 4 inches x 6 inches in size. In 1944, the number of tank destroyer battalions in training at camp hood. The men got more commendations from the army brass.
The main cantonment of fort hood had a total population of 53,416 as of the 2010 u. Field artillery battalions and the infantry replacement training center. One of the most recognized of these is camp hood, texas, and the tank destroyer training center. The center was moved shortly thereafter to camp hood, texas, where it was. Oh, couldnt have been over five or six days, and then this last in, first out.
This site is dedicated to the men that served our country in tank destroyers. It is located halfway between austin and waco, about 60 miles 97 km from each, within the u. Most of the 218,000 acres owned by the united states army is located in coryell county. Rare wwii camp hood texas 507th tank destroyer battalion soldier wearing patch no reserve rare wwii camp hood texas 507th tank destroyer battalion soldier wearing patch excellent conditionthis photo is in very good wwii vintage original condition. In march of 1944 1 was stationed at camp hood now fort hood, texas at the tank destroyer training center when i was transferred to the 103rd infantry division at camp howze, texas where we underwent infantry training on september 30th the division moved by train to camp shanks, new york we were fortunate in that we were given passes to. Here is a 8 and 4 wheeler td patch, i do not know how common these are but i. Find great deals on ebay for camp hood texas and fort hood. Wwii tank destroyer patch and 1966 817th td reunion button. Tank destroyer blvd in fort hood, tx texas state street maps. Photo provided courtesy of the mcoe maneuver center of excellence museum division archives, armor branch. Jun 28, 2016 this pin was discovered by seva pankov. Fort hood is a united states military post located outside of killeen, texas. Eight short months after the opening of camp hood, the base nearly doubled in size. This announcement put into motion a whirlwind of activity and construction that resulted in the creation of.
May 11, 2012 at the age of 20, i was drafted into the army on dec. Training at camp hood was specified for learning the details. The battalion departed from california on 15 january 1943 for camp hood, texas, the newly designated tank destroyer training center. Records of headquarters army ground forces agf national. Fort hood photo archive world war ii bauman rare books. Rare wwii camp hood texas 507th tank destroyer battalion soldier wearing patch no reserve rare wwii camp hood texas 507th tank destroyer battalion soldier wearing patch excellent conditionthis photo is in very good wwii vintage original condition with only very minor age wear. Usa infantry replacement training centers irtc wwii forums. Bruce, second from right, stands with camp hood s official plane. Low numbered us tank destroyer battalions wwii forums. During the later part of the war some 4,000 german prisoners of war were interned at camp hood. The post is named after confederate general john bell hood. The shoulder patch he wore is the one he designed for the tank destroyer forces.
Get the best deals on tank destroyer patch when you shop the largest. Oct 03, 2012 camp hood, known today as fort hood, is located in texas and was opened in september of 1942. Back to world war 2 us miscellaneous articles tank destroyer center plaque camp hood, texas wow. Ww2 us army military td tank destroyer patch japanese made ssi insignia. Great condition, no internal pen or pencil marks, no torn pages, etc. Camp hood, known today as fort hood, is located in texas and was opened in september of 1942. Camp hood, texas provided the 635th with its first intensive training as a tank destroyer unit. On october 14, the desert maneuvers were over and the battalion headed for needles and on to camp hood, texas, where they practiced tank destroyer tactics and weapons firing.
Mar 1944, camp hood, texas entered service december 1940 with the 102nd anti tank bn formerly 3rd bn, 14th inf nyng which was redesignated 802nd tank destroyer bn on dec 15, 1941. In 1942, after about two months of louisiana maneuvers, the battalion moved out for specialized training as one of the first to occupy facilities at camp hood, texas. Fort hood the handbook of texas online texas state. It was named after confederate general john bell hood who was famous during the civil war. The post is named after confederate general john bell hood who is best known for commanding the texas brigade against the u. As originally constructed, fort hood had an area of 158,706 acres 64,226 ha, with billeting for 6,007 officers and 82,610 enlisted personnel. The original design for this insignia patch was made by colonel wendell westover, while serving on the staff of the tank destroyer center, camp hood, texas, circa 194445.
The existing anti tank battalions adopted the new title and a new numbering scheme. World war ii was blazing and tank destroyers, mobile anti tank guns on armored halftracks, were developed to go against the germans who were over running europe. In april 900 enlisted men were shipped to fort ord, california, and 800 to fort meade, maryland, as overseas replacements. Jan 02, 2017 the m10 tank destroyer was the us armys advanced successor to the half track based t12m3 and saw action on all fronts in world war 2. Based on a m4 sherman tank chassis, it mounted a high. Redesignated tank destroyer command on 2 march 1942. Ww2 tank destroyer shoulder patch 8 cog heavy snowy reverse. A significant portion of the combatready air and ground forces of the united states army is stationed at fort hood. At the age of 20, i was drafted into the army on dec. Building from scratch, the spirit of a black panther, as depicted on the tank destroyers shoulder patch, was channeled into antitank combat teams. Bruce, second from right, stands with camp hoods official plane. Hence, the td patch featured a powerful black panther crushing a tank in its jaws.
Ww 2 us army camp hood texas tank destroyer twill patch inv. The unit was organized in one of two different formsa towed battalion equipped with antitank guns, or a mechanized battalion equipped with armored selfpropelled guns. The original design for this insignia patch was made by colonel wendell westover, while serving on the staff of the tank destroyer center, camp hood, texas. Bruce said the 705th was the finest battalion that had gone through the td center.
The postcard above was mailed 9 months later in june of 1943. Tank destroyer ssi and insignia page 18 army and usaaf. Opened in 1942 on around 100,000 acres of land, camp hood was built to test and design antitank weapons to counter the german blitzkrieg during ww2. This wwii us army tank destroyer camp hood texas tshirt comes in mens sizes. My uncle sent a postcard to my grandparents july 1943, the post card was sent from camp hood with my uncle indicating he was in tank destroyer division co. At times, as many as 100,000 soldiers were being trained for the war effort. The tank destroyer battalion was a type of military unit used by the united states army during world war ii. German tiger hunt heavy tank destroyer 125 tiger hunting td 3d paper model kit. Building from scratch, the spirit of a black panther, as depicted on the tank destroyers shoulder patch, was channeled into anti tank combat teams. As of october 2015, killeen, texas started a land use study, to identify and. Mar 08, 2019 fort hood is located in southwestern bell and southeastern coryell counties in central texas. Jan 19, 2007 the patch i am looking for info is the 2 patch in the center. Meanwhile, the field artillery battalions together with the infantry replacement training center replaced the tank destroyer battalions to fill in the gap of the increasing need to more american soldiers serving on the frontlines.
March 18, 1944 the 144th moved to camp van dorn, mississippi, as a special training unit to conduct advanced infantry training for inactivated tank destroyer and antiaircraft battalions. The first major unit, the 893d tank destroyer battalion, arrived from fort meade, maryland, on april 2, 1942. On 15 december 1941, the unit became one of the first four designated as a tank destroyer battalion, and col. Tank destroyer center camp hood texas pt shirt wwii soldier. This was a new type of military unite, to be used specifically for combating and destroying enemy armor. Bruce announced that the location of the new tank destroyer tactical training and firing center was to be near killeen, texas. He had 8th army and 45th division patches, which made sense for korea. Fort hood is an installation of the united states army.
A significant portion of the combatready air and ground forces of. Tank destroyer ssi and insignia sign in to follow this. The patch i am looking for info is the 2 patch in the center. The army designed camp hood to house its newly created tank destroyer battalions.
World war ii was blazing and tank destroyers, mobile antitank guns on armored halftracks, were developed to go against the germans who were over running europe. The logo of a tank destroyers, is a orange circle containing a black panther crushing a tank in its teeth. It came form an estate with a 7th armor patch and was labeled 7814 so i am guessing this is the 814th tank destroyer battalion but i have never seen an undersized patch like this one before. For the next year it would remain at camp hood for a period of intensive training in all aspects of the role of a tank destroyer battalion. It was ordered to camp hood, texas in early 1943 and from that time, the history of the 635th and that of the 35th division diverged.
Get the best deals on tank destroyer patch when you shop the largest online selection at. This tee shirt is screened by hand and variation in colors naturally occur. This announcement put into motion a whirlwind of activity and construction that resulted in the creation of one of the largest military bases in the world. Men from almost every state in the union were recruited to form its ranks, and in due time they embarked on a training program that, although essentially centered around camp hood, texas, seat of the tank destroyer. Tank destroyer battalions and other armored units, began training at camp hood in march and april, 1942 though td doctrine would not be finished until june 1942. In addition, our wwii reproduction pt shirts have a spec tag screened inside the neck. Fort hood is located in southwestern bell and southeastern coryell counties in central texas. Activated september 18,1942 as the tank destroyer center, later bacame the infantry replacement training center, 11 th special troops of the 4th army, and army service forces. The tank destroyer units were formed in response to the german use of massed formations of armored vehicles units. B 129th btn 2qr 4th plat at least this what i can read on old postcard. After graduating with the last td ocs class, was assigned as platoon leader, e co197th bn61st regt at the infantry replacement trng center at camp blanding, fl. Fort hood in world war ii by david ford arcadia publishing.
Tank destroyer blvd in fort hood, tx 76544 on this page you can see the position of the tank destroyer blvd on the fort hood street map texas state, united states with zip. General john bell hood, a confederate officer during the civil war, was its namesake. The tank destroyer tactical and firing center was activated at fort meade on 1 december 1941 and relocated to temple, texas on 14 february 1942. Ww2 tank destroyer ft hood, texas td black cat art homefront pillow case. In february 1942, colonel bruce and general mcnair moved the tank destroyer tactical and firing center to camp hood, texas, renamed the tank destroyer center. Its origin was the need for wideopen space to test and train with world war ii tank destroyers. The m10 tank destroyer was the us armys advanced successor to the half track based t12m3 and saw action on all fronts in world war 2.
December to the newly opened tank destroyer center at camp hood, texas. The existing antitank battalions adopted the new title and a new numbering scheme. Ww 2 us army camp hood texas tank destroyer twill patch. Expansion of the nascent tank destroyer force, however, proceeded at a snails. He later had his army photograph showing him with his tank destroyer patch with 2 chevrons on shoulder indicating. The battalion arrived at camp hood on 19 january, 1943. Tdb was training on the new 3inch gunned gmc m10 wolverine. Camp hood was officially opened on september 18, 1942, and has been.
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