 Armor, giant tanks, massive self-propelled artillery, personnel carriers, steel-skinned juggernauts, awesome in their power, irresistible in their onslaught. Masses of armor composing one of the U.S. Army's finest fighting units, the Third Armored Division. The Third Armored Division was activated in April 1941. After three years of intensive training, it was committed to battle late in June 1944. It swiftly proved to be one of the most aggressive fighting units ever fielded by the United States Army. The Third gained its first battle experience in the Great Normandy Breakout at Saint-Lô. Then it plunged south in a long, slashing drive to liberate Marigny, Mortain. Then swung to Mayenne. At Bromenthal, it linked up with British armor to close the falle's Argentine gap. This smashing advance helped to destroy the elite German Seventh Army. By passing Paris, the division hurdled the Seine River, then raced across northern France to Moll, Belgium. Constantly in the forefront of the advance, the Third Armored was now given the nickname of the Speerhead Division. At Moll, the men of the Third Armored scored a major victory. Together with the First Infantry Division, they neutralized 30,000 German troops who were attempting a mass retreat to the Siegfried Line. 10,000 alone were taken prisoner. Moving on, the Speerhead Division swept through Belgium in one week. On September 12th, it roared across the German border into the town of Rittgen, the first American troops to enter Germany. The next morning, tanks and infantrymen moved up to assault the first barriers of the haunted Siegfried Line. Combat engineers did heroic work in blowing holes in the dragon's teeth fortification. Tank dozers followed to widen the many preaches in the Siegfried Line and smoothed the way for following armor. The German defenders fought back stubbornly, but American artillery went into action to back up the breakthrough. Tanks added their fires to smash the Nazi defenses. The formidable Siegfried Line was now an open portal to Germany, and U.S. forces came swarming through. The Third Armored was withdrawn for a much needed rep. A month later, the Speerhead Division was rolling again. Its armor flooded the countryside as it pushed deeper into Germany to the Ruhr River. Desperately, the Germans gambled their last reserves in a massive counter-attack that was to become famous as the Battle of the Bowl. The battle-wise Third Armored Division was swiftly redeployed to help contain the Nazi onslaught, and contain it they did, fighting in bitter cold ice and snow. Then the men of the Third Armored counter-punched. By the end of January 1945, the bulge was wiped out. Another brief rest, and the Speerhead Division jumped off again. This time to smash and pound its way to the historic city of Cologne, famous for its ancient cathedral. Machine gun and tank fire rained in the streets. The effect on the Nazi defenders was devastating. Behind the tanks moved the indomitable foot soldiers, rooting out the last of the resisting Germans. It was a stunning victory, but there was more to come. On March 25th, the division launched its final drive of the war across central Germany, taking one town after another. Thousands of Allied prisoners like these Russians were liberated as the prison camps were overrun. Soldiers of the collapsing German army were scooped up by the tens of thousands. The division swung north to Paderborn on March 29th, then swept on to the Elbe River. Only one sad event marked the triumph in advance, the death in action of its famed fighting commander, General Maurice Rose. On swept the tanks like a great storm. It truly seemed as though nothing could stop the Speerhead Division from reaching Berlin. But when it arrived at the town of Dessau on the Elbe River, it was ordered to halt and clean up pockets of resistance that had been left behind. Not long afterward, the war in Europe ended an unconditional surrender by the Germans. After a brief tour of occupation duty, the division was deactivated. It seemingly passed into history. But not for long. In 1947, it was reactivated as a training division. True to its tradition, it did a tremendous job training one-fourth of all the enlisted men who entered the army. But destiny was to call the Third Armored Division back to Europe. Reorganized as a tactical unit in 1955, it returned to Germany in 1956. It has been there ever since, engaged in an endless series of training exercises to keep it a hard-hitting combat-ready force worthy of its spectacular record in World War II. As part of NATO, the Third Armored must be ready to react with tremendous speed and power to protect the Fulda Gap. This is open-rolling country on the West German border that has been an historic route of invasion by aggressors from the East. The ability to react swiftly is kept sharp by means of practice alerts called without warning the year around. The tanks require only a few last-minute chores to make them fully operational. Artillery crews also make a quick check of their weapons before leaving. All Division 2 artillery is self-propelled. The artillerymen who plot the fire missions move out in their own vehicle, known as an M577A1. It will serve as a mobile fire direction center in the field. All infantrymen are mechanized in the modern U.S. Armored Division. They move to the battlefield in M113 armored personnel carriers, each of which holds a mechanized infantry squad. The time of departure of each unit is noted. The alert strives to simulate the urgency of combat. When the huge mass of armor reaches civilian territory, it must deal with the fact that it is operating under peacetime conditions in a foreign country. Thus disruption and delay of local traffic must be kept to a minimum. German police cooperate with the Third Armors MPs to speed the convoy. The spearhead men know they are on display. The good road discipline, precision, and smartness of movement are factors in good community relations. Out in the countryside, soldiers and farmers exchange looks of mutual curiosity. West Germany, although highly industrialized, still has thousands of small farms. Onrolls the convoy, heading for its pre-planned position. All vehicles deploy off the road as the alert nears its climax. The armor moves into positions where it can either take up defensive positions, or if called on, launch a counterattack. Every vehicle takes advantage of natural cover and concealment. The infantry ready for battle in their armored personnel carriers move to vantage points. Each unit is now on station, poised for action. The highly efficient performance of the armored soldiers during an alert is a testimonial to their intensive training the year around. Every tankman in the division's six tank battalions, each driver, gunner, loader, and tank commander, is exhaustively drilled in his individual job as a member of the crew. Maximum performance is the objective, whether a tank is operating on its own or together with other tanks. The infantryman's training is just as rigorous. He learns how to fight as a rifleman or as a member of a mechanized squad. Then, together with a tank crew, in the infantry tank team, other infantrymen learn the skills of armored reconnaissance to move boldly to seek out the enemy, to destroy his outposts, to carry him with fast-moving, hit-and-run stripes. Heavy weapon support must be right behind the attack. This would coil as rifle crew moves swiftly to put its Jeep-mounted 106 into firing position. The same rule of close-fire support is drilled into machine gunners. It is the credo of artillerymen who practice firing at long range via hip shoots. These are sudden orders to deploy their massive pieces off the road and set up firing positions at great speed. The combat readiness of the fighting units is tested and graded annually. For tankmen, these tests take place at Graffenbohr, Germany's largest maneuver training area. Each tank crew must be tested in the TCQC Tank Crew Qualification Course. Demulated combat situations test the tank commander's leadership, the swiftness of the crew's response, and the accuracy of its tank fire. Armored infantrymen go through a similar exacting test in a mechanized infantry squad proficiency course, known as Miss Pig for short. The squad is engaged in a variety of situations, which often call for the men to dismount and attack on foot. Here, too, the criteria for a good rating are teamwork and leadership. Similar checks are run on the dexterity and accuracy of the heavy mortar teams. The crews who man the artillery also face their annual moment of truth. The forward observer bears a heavy responsibility. His skill and judgment are vital to the success of the fire mission. The fire direction center plots the fire mission and relays it to the battery. The training routine is just as intensive for division support troops. They get used to operating in the field. Combat engineers put a scissors bridge into place. Signalmen work in mobile repair van. Maintenance mechanics change an engine far from home base. The effectiveness of individual and crew training is repeatedly checked out in rugged field exercises. Officers get precious tactical experience in maneuvering units from platoon to brigade sides. Every man in the field learns that teamwork is vital to success in battle. Armor and infantry depend on one another for mutual protection and support. And both receive assistance from the air cavalry troop when a tactical situation calls for it. All rely for fire support on the 4.2 mortar crews. Plus the big weapons of division artillery, Powitzers, and Honest John Rockets. Renewers give support troops intensive practical exercise in assisting the attack forces. In this instance, combat engineers overcome an obstacle to armored mobility. Two or more amphibious bridge units are launched into the water. Locked together to form a huge barge which is strong, stable, and self-propelled. This mobile amphibious bridge is capable of ferrying the heaviest equipment across deep, rough waters. Maneuvers help to season the medics who become adept at swift treatment of battlefield casualties. Signalmen develop expertise in installing communications facilities wherever and whenever they are needed. The problems of logistical support, always a critical factor in battle, are worked out. The supply and transportation battalion has the job, one of its many responsibilities, of making sure that adequate fuel is available no matter how far flung the operations are. Maintenancemen become used to being Johnny on the spot for a variety of needs. To recover a vehicle, to repair a piece of equipment, or to replace it. In truth, no support function is more vital to the 3rd Armored Division than that of its maintenance battalion. Without its skilled and dedicated mechanics and technicians, thousands of spearhead, wheeled and tracked vehicles would be immobilized. These men are versed in every repair technique, from welding to sewing. They can fix anything in a vehicle, its engine, generator, or ignition. There are many other types of equipment they may be called on to repair. Some extremely complex, like this ballistics computer, anything electrical or electronic, radios, teletype writers, radar, all battlefield items ranging from armaments, to searchlights. There are also facilities for maintaining division aviation, fixed wing planes, and the helicopters used by division headquarters or the air cavalry troop. The maintenance battalion workload is made heavier by the need to control the acquisition and movement of spare parts. There are over 9,000 items in active use, stocked in four warehouses. Automatic data processing techniques are used extensively to monitor the supply flow, fill requisitions, and keep stock inventories up to required levels. The 3rd Armored Division is truly a highly automated and mechanized fighting machine. It still takes men to run it. Soldiers have their own maintenance problems, emotional, psychological, and financial. They get help from staff agencies such as the chaplain's office, the judge advocate, the inspector general, and finance. In addition, command personnel of all ranks are encouraged to carry out a morale policy known as the open door. Now, with this open door policy, any individual in the battalion, regardless of his rank or his job, can come and see me, as you know, any time of the day or the night. If he has some emergency problem or grievance he wants to discuss with me, he can contact me anytime and I'll talk to him. So successful has this policy been that the 3rd Armored Division has maintained a consistently high re-enlistment rate. No less important for good troop morale is an ample program of off-duty recreation and entertainment. The spearhead division sees to it that its men have an enormous variety of facilities for sports. There are also well-stocked libraries for book lovers. Soldier shutterbugs have photo labs to develop their pictures. And for the gun hobbyist, there are indoor ranges to sharpen his pistol and rifle marksmanship. Those spearhead soldiers who want to use their spare time to upgrade their education can visit the local Army Education Center. Here they may take a rich variety of courses, several of which are high school and college accredited. In this class, a soldier teacher is drilling his students in German vocabulary. Then there is the mind-broadening activity and fun of sightseeing, where Germany is one of Europe's most scenic countries. Frankfurt, where division headquarters is located, is a handsome city with many buildings of old world charm. This tower, the Eschelweimer Turm, is a relic of the ancient city wall. But Frankfurt is also a modern metropolis, whose sleek glass skyscrapers are impressive symbols of West German prosperity. In ancient Gelnhausen, another town in the Third Armored Area, the 800-year-old Marienkirche dominates the skyline. There are palaces and castles galore. This is Castle Braunfels at Kirchgirchen. Friedberg's Renaissance Palace moded against an enemy that long ago vanished into history. It is ancient towns like this with the scattered units of the Third Armored Abase that are scenes of intensive efforts by the division to foster good community relations with the Germans. And we don't mean Boy Meets Girl. That's strictly an unofficial activity. In Hochheim, the Third Armored Military Band gives out with a brass for an appreciative audience. Not bad on the oompa for a bunch of yanks. The native music makers are not to be outdone. This is the Trakt and Capella Mainz-Finten Band. Friendly rivals combine their efforts, come to blows as it were in a noisy but cheerful way. German-American relations are also strengthened in a military sense. Both West Germany and the United States belong to NATO. Fifteen battalions of the Third Armored have sister units in the German Bundeswehr. They frequently have combined maneuvers and exchange visits to learn about each other's equipment and techniques. This training cooperation includes other NATO troops. Here, Third Armored Riflemen train with British infantrymen. This, then, is the Third Armored Division on peacetime alert in Europe. Mighty spearhead in World War II. Today, mightier than ever, faster, more mobile, superbly equipped and trained. By its formidable presence in West Germany, this great fighting machine serves warning on or to any would-be aggressor. Not to break the peace of Europe and thereby threaten the security of the United States.