Operations were based in the Chalis Qada area. 3d Battalion, 69th Armor similarly operated with the 24th Division during war. A Company completed its mission with the 1st Cavalry in October, 1967 and returned to Camp Enari with Battalion HQ. As President Franklin D. Roosevelt watched, a blindfolded Secretary of War Henry C. Stimpson selected the first number in the draft lottery, drawing from a huge container filled with numbers assigned to registered young Americans aged 21 to 36. 69th Infantry Division US Army Divisions Infantry 1-65 1st Infantry 2nd Infantry 3rd Infantry 4th Infantry 5th Infantry 6th Infantry 7th Infantry 8th Infantry 9th Infantry 10th Mountain 23rd Infantry 24th Infantry 25th Infantry 26th Infantry 27th Infantry 28th Infantry 29th Infantry 30th Infantry 31st Infantry 32nd Infantry 33rd Infantry They suffered three casualties that year.[4]. In January 2005,Deploying to FOB Scunion (adjacent to FOB Warhorse) the partial Battalion again deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. [2], For actions during a reaction force operation just prior to Tet in January 1968, Sp5 Dwight Hal Johnson, gunner on B11, was awarded the Medal of Honor. Both battalions have transformed from tank pure battalions into Combined Arms Battalions (CAB), each comprising two mechanized infantry and two tank companies. The 1st Battalion was alerted to begin preparations for deployment to the Republic of Vietnam in December 1965. 11 April: Patrolled vicinity of Mulhausen. Company A was attached to the 1st Cavalry Division until October, 1967. The 1st Battalion was alerted to begin preparations for deployment to South Vietnam in December 1965. The 69th Infantry Division was originally scheduled for activation before the end of World War I, but Armistice Day, November 11, 1918, halted this. By January 1943 or earlier, the widening WWII and its troop demands brought these plans out again. Eilenburg fell, 23 April, and the east bank of the Mulde River was secured. Our prayers and sympathies go out to the Lipsius family. It was redesignated for the 69th Amphibian Tractor Battalion on 8 January 1946. 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. This operation proved the value of Armor in reducing the number of friendly casualties while significantly increasing losses to the enemy. The Division was activated May 15, 1943. 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. Co. & 69th Inf. [2], A Company completed its mission with the 1st Cavalry in October 1967 and returned to Camp Enari with Battalion HQ. The insignia was redesignated for the 69th Medium Tank Battalion on 25 February 1954. 10 April: Reported to White Battalion, 273rd Infantry Regiment, 69th Division, and formed part of the advance guard for Combat Command A, 9th Armored Division. But once on fighting soil it wasted no time. The 69th Tank Battalion, as part of the 6th Armored Division, was included in various European campaigns including Normandy, the Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace and Central Europe. The unit was deactivated in 1946. It was concurrently reassigned to the 25th Infantry Division, and activated to Hawaii (its organic elements concurrently constituted and activated). The Battalion played an important role by providing security assistance during the crucial Iraqi national elections in March 2010. 6th AD was formed under the 1942 Table of Organization and Equipment. Bravo Company's 1st Platoon, detailed to provide additional firepower to the SF camp, fought what was to be the only engagement between U.S. and NVA armor on the night of 3 and 4 March. Being always alert, the black variety of panther is considered the most dangerous of all the feline family. On this site we publish articles about the men wo fought so bravely. Maj . 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. 1/69 Armor played a critical role in the defense of Pleiku, Kontum, Dak To and Hwy 19 during the Jan/Feb. This original assignment did not last for long. The former Company C, 69th Tank Battalion, was reconstituted on 21 August 1950 in the Regular Army as Company C, 69th Medium Tank Battalion, an element of the 6th Armored Division. Online Archives of 69th Bulletins & Newsletters Needs Your Help. Company A was attached to the 1st Cavalry Division until October, 1967. This operation proved the value of armor in reducing friendly casualties while significantly increasing losses to the enemy. The Battalion was instrumental in keeping these vital roads open for re-supply of units heavily engaged with the North Vietnames during the heavy battles around Dak To and Kontum in November, 1967. A Company was charged with the security of Hwy 19E between An Khe and Mang Jiang Pass, and on 10 April, routed a regimental size ambush attempt on a convoy which effectively destroyed the NVA 95B battalion as a fighting force. [2], The battalion's first major combat operation took place in April 1966 in the tangled jungle growth of the Ho Bo Woods and along the trails of the Filhol Rubber plantation again, northwest of Saigon. General Reinhardt met Soviet 58th Guards General Rusakov on April 25, 1945. T he 6th Armored Division had three Tank Battalions: the 15th, the 68th and the 69th. [2], 1/69 Armor played a critical role in the defense of Pleiku, Kontum, Dak To and Hwy 19 during the Jan/Feb. These routes were notorious for ambush actions dating back to the French Indochina War of the 1950s. 69th Armor tankers learned on-the-job the importance of rear and flank security, the effect of canister in dense jungle, the exaggerated needs for constant maintenance halts and the value and down-sides of assorted OVM and equipment. It activated on 5 September 1950 at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. It was subsequently deactivated in late 1991 with the Regimental Colors returning to the 2nd Battalion at Fort Benning, Georgia. (Click for explanation of photos.) The Battalion redeployed in May 2008 to Fort Benning, Georgia and awarded the Valorous Unit Award. 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). 6th Armored Division. The 6th Armored Division ("Super Sixth") was an armored division of the United States Army during World War II. 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. Earlier, in September, the battalion, along with the other elements of the 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division became part of the 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division in a swap of brigades in place. 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. In February 1942 it was reassigned to the 6th Armored Division where it continued to serve until September 1943 when elements of the Regiment were divided and reassigned. By January 1943 or earlier, the widening WWII and its troop demands brought these plans out again. A large group of infantry and some supporting unit officers were called from the 96th Infantry Division training at Camp Adair, Oregon, to supply the cadre (nucleus) for The 69th Infantry Division, which trained at Camp Shelby, near Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The 69th Tank Battalion, as part of the 6th Armored Division, was included in various European campaigns including Normandy, the Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace and Central Europe. Click here to read: Tributes to Joe Lipsius, We endeavor in these pages to remember the heroic service of the men of The Fighting 69th Infantry Division during World War II. 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. 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. Anne & Sherry Lipsius' address: 6314 Deerings Hollow, Norcross, GA 30092-1800, annejoelip@bellsouth.net. In November, 1951, it was again redesignated as the 89th Medium Tank Battalion and assigned to the 25th Infantry Division. Armored. This original assignment did not last for long. Once the weather improved, the division resumed its advance, clearing the gap and turning north-east towards Baghdad. As part of the 197th Infantry Brigade (Separate), 2d Battalion, 69th Armor led the assault of the 24th Infantry Division into Iraq during Operation Desert Storm in February 1991. Archer 1/35 U.S. 69th, 71st, 95th, 98th, 106th Infantry Division Patches FG35035. [2], A Company completed its mission with the 1st Cavalry in October, 1967 and returned to Camp Enari with Battalion HQ. The former Company C, 69th Tank Battalion, was reconstituted on 21 August 1950 in the Regular Army as Company C, 69th Medium Tank Battalion, an element of the 6th Armored Division. the 1st Battalion 69th Armor distinguished itself in fierce combat in all areas of its operations during over four years of deployment in the Republic of Vietnam. At a glance. In March 2007, 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor was deployed as part of the Baghdad "surge." [2], LTC Fairfield was promoted and subsequently reassigned as command of 1/69 Armor passed to LTC Clyde O. Clark. [2], LTC James L. Marini took command in December 1969 and continued operations until the battalion stood down with the 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division and returned to the U.S. in mid-1970. The battalion continued to support the 4th Infantry Division along the Highway 19 corridor, from Qui Nhon to c C during the period, where it fought hot actions in and around LZ Schueller, An Khe, Plei Djereng and Plei Me. The unit, along with many others, was deactivated in 1946 following the end of the Second World War. 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). If you have a tribute, please email it to Webmaster Michael McKibben at.