13th Armored Division (United States)

13th Armored Division
13th Armored Division shoulder sleeve insignia
Active	15 October 1942 – 15 November 1945 1947–52
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army
Type	Armor
Role	Armored warfare
Size	Division
Nickname(s)	"The Black Cats"
Engagements	World War II Rhineland Central Europe
Commanders
Notable commanders	MG John B. Wogan (1942–45) MG John Millikin (1945)

The division was constituted in the Army of the United States on 9 June 1942 and activated on 15 October 1942 at Camp Beale, east of Marysville, California. Durng training, the division adopted the nickname "Black Cats." The division landed at Le Havre, France, 29 January 1945. After performing occupation duties, the division moved to Homberg near Kassel to prepare for combat under the Third Army, 5 April. At Altenkirchen, it was attached to the XVIII Airborne Corps and prepared for the Ruhr Pocket operation. The attack jumped off at Honnef, 10 April. After crossing the river Sieg at Siegburg, the 13th pushed north to Bergisch Gladbach, then toward Duisburg and Mettmann by 18 April.

Shifting south to Eschenau, the division prepared for Bavarian operations. Starting from Parsberg, 26 April, the 13th crossed the Regen river, then the Danube at Matting and secured the area near Dünzling. On the 28th, elements closed in at Plattling and crossed the Isar River. Moderate to heavy resistance was met during this drive through southern Germany. The division smashed into Braunau am Inn, Austria, 2 May, and the command post was set up in the house where Adolf Hitler was born. A bridgehead across the Inn was established at Marktl, but the river was not crossed as orders came to reassemble north of Inn River, 2 May.

Preparations were made for further advances when the war in Europe ended. The 13th remained in Germany until 25 June and left Le Havre, France, for home, 14 July 1945.

The division moved to Camp Cooke, California, after returning to the United States. It commenced training in amphibious operations, and the men were aware that it was an open secret that they were likely to participate in the invasion of mainland Japan. After the Japanese surrender, it was inactivated on 15 November 1945.

On 20 August 1947, the 13th Armored Division was allotted to the Organized Reserve (redesignated 25 March 1948 as the Organized Reserve Corps, and redesignated 9 July 1952 as the Army Reserve) and activated by reflagging it from the 19th Armored Division, which had been allotted to the Sixth Army area of the Organized Reserve, specifically California, Oregon, and Arizona. The 13th Armored Division was inactivated on 1 March 1952, and withdrawn from the Army Reserve and allotted to the Regular Army on 25 February 1953.^[1] In 1947, the 19th Armored Division was reflagged as the 13th Armored Division at California's request.^[2] In 1952, the division was reflagged as the 63rd Infantry Division in Los Angeles, California, and thus the 13th Armored Division was finally inactivated.

13th Armored Division (United States)

History and combat chronicle

Composition

Statistics

Casualties

Awards

References

External links

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