The3rd Tank Battalion(3rd Tanks) was an armor battalion of theUnited States Marine Corps.It was formed during World War II and played a part in several Pacific island battles, most notablyIwo Jima,where its flame tanks played a key role in securing the island. After the war, the battalion was based atCamp Pendletonbut remained inactive until the outbreak of theKorean War,eventually moving toOkinawa.Along with the1st Tank Battalion,3rd Tanks was involved in major combat operations inSouth Vietnamfrom 1965 to 1969. Afterwards it concentrated on desert warfare and fought in the firstGulf Warin 1991. It was deactivated for the last time in 1992.
| 3rd Marine Tank Battalion | |
|---|---|
 3rd Tank Battalion insignia | |
| Active | 16 September 1942 – 7 January 1946 5 March 1952 – 1 June 1992 |
| Country |  United States of America |
| Branch |  United States Marine Corps |
| Type | Armored |
| Role | Armor protected firepower and shock action. |
| Size | Battalion |
| Nickname(s) | 3rd Tanks |
| Motto(s) | Shock, Mobility, Firepower! |
| Engagements | World War II Operation Desert Storm |
History
editWorld War II
editThe 3rd Tank Battalion was formed during World War II on 16 September 1942. Each of the threeregimental combat teamsof the3rd Marine Divisionhad their own tank company and ascout carplatoon. The9th Marinestank company became Company A,21st Marinescompany became Company B, and the23rd Marines(later redesigned Third Marines) company became Company C.
When the battalion was formed it absorbed the three companies; aHeadquarters and Service Company,Company D, and Company E (aScout and Sniper Company). Company E (Scouts) was a combined arms reconnaissance (CAR) unit that had three scout platoons. They were formed from a group of reassigned reconnaissance scouts from the Scout and Sniper companies within the 3rd Marine Division.[1]They became the forerunner of theMarine Division Reconnaissanceassets used by the Marine divisions today.[2]For greater mobility and firepower, the division commander equipped his scout company withlight tanksto reinforce his regimental infantry units; especially useful forreconnaissance in force(RIF) tasks.[3]Its mechanized armor uses are also in effect today. During the 1980s, theLight Armored Reconnaissancebattalions were formed, revitalizing the same methods used during World War II.
In January–February 1943, they deployed toAuckland,New Zealand.[1]
They participated in theBattle of Bougainville,Battle of Guamand theBattle of Iwo Jima.For Guam the battalion received six M4A2 Sherman's with E4-5 auxiliaryflamethrowersin place of their 30 cal. bow guns. Arriving onIwo Jimaon 20 February 1945, the battalion brought its flame tanks and played an important role in the capture of the island. From Iwo Jima the battalion returned to the US via Guam. In Guam the battalion received 18 upgraded tanks produced by theSeabeesthat had been intended for the Army's 713th flame tank Battalion on Okinawa. The battalion embarked forSan Diegoin December 1945 and on 7 January 1946 was deactivated at Camp Pendleton. The Marine Corps would store the POA-CWS-H5 Flametanks the battalion received in Guam at Camp Pendleton and Hawaii. They would see action inKorea.
- The battalion received aPresidential Unit Citationfor its actions on Iwo Jima.
Korean War
editWith the outbreak of theKorean Warthe battalion was reactivated atCamp Pendletonon 5 March 1952. In August 1953, the battalion sailed forYokohama,Japan for service with the 3rd Marine Division atCamp Fuji.In February 1956, the 3d Tank Battalion was relocated toOkinawaand the following year moved toCamp Hansen,Okinawa.
Vietnam War
editOn 3 March 1965 SSgt John Downey, 3rd platoon, Company B, 3rd US Marine Corps 3rd Tank Battalion, drove hisM48A3 Patton tankoff the landing craft onto Red Beach 2 inI Corps,South Vietnam. SSgt Downey's USMCPattontank became the first US tank to enter the Vietnam War.[4]The 3rd Tank Battalion conducted combat operations inSouth Vietnamfrom 1965 to 1969 and set up a command post atDa Nang.In 1965 the 3rd Tanks engaged the Viet Cong 1st Regiment southwest of Da Nang, pushing them into the sea, and killing over 700 men.[5]However, after the two-day battle, seven of the 3rd Tank Battalion's M48s had suffered hits, three of which were hit so badly they could no longer traverse their turrets, and one of the three was so damaged that it had to be destroyed by a demolition team.[5]
Eventually two full battalions, consisting of the USMC 1st and 3rd Tank Battalions, would end up conducting combat operations in northern I Corps, South Vietnam. They participated in combat actions againstcommunistforces during theTet Offensiveof 1968, and during the re-taking of the city ofHuế,and thesiegeofKhe Sanhduring that same enemy offensive.[5]Until theirre-deploymentin November 1969, the 3rd Tanks served as an armored defense at theDMZalong the 17th Parallel.
Post Vietnam
editThis was a period of desert tactical doctrine development for the Marine Corps and the 3rd Tank Battalion played a major role developing the concept of the tank battalion as a maneuver element in extended inland warfare during a multitude of Combined Arms Exercises (CAX) and the 1981/82 joint training operation, Gallant Eagle.
Around the time of the Iran-U.S. Hostage Crisis (1979-1981) the US Department of Defense developed a concept for rapid deployment of forces which became theRapid Deployment Joint Task Force(RDJTF). The 3rd Tank Battalion (-) Reinforced, along with an infantry battalion and an artillery battalion all collocated atMarine Corps Air Ground Combat Center(MCAGCC), Marine Corps Base29 Palms,Californiabecame the combat power of the newly reformed 27th Marine Regiment in the newly formed 7th Marine Amphibious Brigade (MAB). The two headquarters for the 27th Marines and the 7th MAB received NavyMeritorious Unit Citationsfor the period May 1980 - Aug 1983.
Gulf War I
editThe battalion joined the1st Marine Divisionupon that unit's arrival inSaudi Arabiaon 15 August 1990, with the 3rd Tank Battalion mainly usingM60A1s.[6]They remained in support of the7th Marine Regimentknown as Task Force "Ripper." Alpha company was attached to 1/7 during the war. DuringOperation Desert Storm,the battalion fought a four-day ground campaign from 24 to 28 February 1991, and returned to the United States in April 1991. 3rd Tank Battalion and all of its subordinate companies were awarded theNavy Unit Citationfor the period 14 Aug 1990 – 16 Apr 1991.[7]The battalion was deactivated on 1 June 1992.[8]
Unit awards
editA unit citation or commendation is an award bestowed upon an organization for the action cited. Members of the unit who participated in said actions are allowed to wear on their uniforms the awarded unit citation. 3rd Tanks was presented with the following awards:
  |
Presidential Unit Citationwith 1bronze star |
 |
Navy Unit Commendation |
 |
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medalwith 4 bronze stars |
 |
World War II Victory Medal |
 |
National Defense Service Medalwith 2 bronze stars |
 |
Korean Service Medal |
 |
Southwest Asia Service Medalwith 2 bronze stars |
  |
Vietnam Service Medalwith 2silver starsand 1 bronze star |
 |
Vietnam Cross of Gallantrywith Palm Streamer |
 |
Kuwait Liberation Medal |
Insignia
editThe coat of arms of the 3rd Tank Battalion is that of the 3rd Marine Division, differenced by surmounting the caltrop with a M4A3 Sherman tank, as used on Iwo Jima during WWII and stenciled with a number "3" on the turret and "USMC" on the hull in gold, all above a Marine Corps emblem of gold. A gold banner above the shield is inscribed "Third Tank Battalion" and another below the shield has "Shock, Mobility, Firepower" in scarlet. Subsequent insignia and devices are variations of this original insignia, typically changing the tank to a more modern version.
See also
editReferences
edit- Notes
- ^ab3rd Marine Division,Two Score and Ten: History,(United States Marine Corps: Turner Publishing Company, 1992).
- ^Bruce F. Meyers,Swift, Silent, and Deadly: Marine Amphibious Units in the Pacific, 1942—1945,(Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Press Institute, 2004).
- ^Robert Aurthur and Kenneth Cohlmia,The Third Marine Division,ed. Robert T. Vance (Wash, DC: Infantry Journal Press, 1948)
- ^Starry p. 52 and 53
- ^abcStarry p. 54
- ^"The M60's Last Hurrah".National Museum of the Marine Corps.24 February 2021.Retrieved2 July2024.
- ^NAVMC 2922Department of the Navy, HQ USMC
- ^"The M60's Last Hurrah".National Museum of the Marine Corps.24 February 2021.Retrieved4 July2024.
- Bibliography
- Rottman, Gordon L. (2002).U.S. Marine Corps World War II Order of Battle - Ground and Air Units in the Pacific War, 1939 - 1945s.Greenwood Press.ISBN0-313-31906-5.
- Starry, Donn A.,General.Mounted Combat in Vietnam.Vietnam Studies; 1978.Department of the Army.