Original tank destroyer patch my uncle was a driver on a tank destroyer during wwii see more. The m18 hellcat was a american tank destroyer of world war ii. The original concept called for battalions to be concentrated in tank destroyer brigades and groups for employment en masse against an armored threat. Armed with a 76 mm cannon, the vehicle was the fastest tracked, armored fighting vehicle during world war ii with a top speed up to. Im no expert on this, but from what ive read the large super destroyer leader types generally didnt seem particularly successful ships, such as the german zboats and the french contretorpilleurs.
I didnt have the opportunity to do a full video with the folks who own this m18 hellcat, but i did get some footage of it firing. Fifth army infantry patrol on m10 tank destroyer and jeeps cross bridge in rome, italy. Which selfpropelled gun was the most effective tank. Wick 899th tank destroyer battalion 07191945 private joe j. The shelter served as weather protection for the crew working on the vehicles, but above all as an air cover. Since future tank destroyer battalions would be numbered in the 600, 700 and 800 series, the 93rd, 94th, and 99th infantry antitank battalions became the 893rd, 894th, 899th tank destroyer battalions. Ww2 army unit records research the casualties suffered by a typical american infantry regiment serving in world war ii were horrendous. Rare ww2 fort hood 628 tank destroyer battalion patch. Entries are listed below in alphanumeric order 1toz. High quality tank destroyer inspired tshirts by independent artists and designers from around the world. Tank destroyer units were broken into three groups, brigades, groups and battalions. Jul 02, 2014 i didnt have the opportunity to do a full video with the folks who own this m18 hellcat, but i did get some footage of it firing. Heres the list of contracts for the previous batch of weapons and the corresponding dates theyll be available. 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.
Despite flaws in its doctrine and weapons developed to counter the panzer threat, the army was well on its way toward developing its tank destroyer force and several tank destroyer systems, including the m18 hellcat, by the time the united states entered world war ii. We dedicate the site to the men that served in the u. It looks like an underselling, angular tank, and it weighs 32 tons on the prowl. Since aaa units usually wore the patches of larger units to which they were attached the 225th wore both the insignia of the 9th usaaf and the 1st army, for example, such patches are both rare and colorful examples of unit pride. Tank destroyer intended to counter the the tank destroyer destroyers were not traditional antitank to the armor in antitahk expedient doctrine. I agree with mbecker01s comment that more smaller dds are preferable to fewer larger ones. There are a total of 42 ww2 tank destroyers 19391945 entries in the military factory.
Private fred wayt 814th tank destroyer battalion 10291944 private first class benjamin h. West 630th tank destroyer battalion 04161945 private richard a. The hellcat was an extremely deadly tank destroyer. Get the best deal for tank destroyer patch from the largest online selection at. Original tank destroyer patch my uncle was a driver on a tank destroyer during wwii during training in the united states, soldiers serving in tank destroyer units were authorized to wear the tank destroyer forces shoulder sleeve insignia. The newly formed provisional antitank battalion was not completely supplied with antitank weapons. As far back as 1938 the wehrmacht had realized that the panzer iii and panzer iv tank would need to get replaced by a modernday model a while later on. Tank destruction badge third reich army badges germany. Maybe one of the most curiously successful failures in u. There are a total of 42 ww2 tank destroyers 19391945 in the military factory. Aug 08, 2014 the m18 hellcat was a american tank destroyer of world war ii. From a theoretical point of view the most powerful should have been the jagdtiger his 128 mm pak 44 l55 main gun, capable of outranging and defe. Combat tanks providing the basis for dedicated tank destroyers of the war are also included in this list. All orders are custom made and most ship worldwide within 24 hours.
May 10, 2019 tiger tank of the 7th tank division were prepared at bjelgorod for operation citadel, the battle of kursk july 1943. When tested under a black light, it did not glow as modern made reproductions mel johnson served in the tank destroyer battalion in wwii. In ww2, at weapons of all types towed or sp were far more effective tank killers than tanks although their relative advantage decined as the war progressed and guns became ever larger and less mobile. Landed in italy in late october 1943, located in vicinity of pignataro in the migniano sector as of december. Ww2 us 76th infantry division patch white bar variant. The 100mm l60 gun was one of the best of the war in terms of penetration, barrel life, and design. Army developed a special weapon to counter the tanks of the german wehrmacht. The item up for bid is an original wwii 661st tank destroyer battalion patch.
This also gave the tank destroyer five more tons, adding up to 65 tons, making it one of the heaviest german tanks of wwii. The tank destroyer battalion was a type of unit used by the united states army during world war ii. Formally called the 3inch gun motor carriage, m10, it was the most important u. Thought i would show some variations of tank destroyer patches for my friend erwin. The m18 hellcat tank destroyer the campaign for the.
The casualties suffered by a typical american infantry regiment serving in world war ii were horrendous. The battalion, now wearing the distinctive tank destroyer patch, left camp hood on 16. Numerous prototypes were designed by a few german manufacturers, but none was put into manufacturing. But the ferdinand offered an integrated casemate and added 100 mm of armor to the existing 100 mm, thus making the tank almost impregnable on key points. This belonged to george mccary, a little guy from middle tennessee who served with the famous 628 tank destroyer battalion during world war two. Antiaircraft artillery patches of ww ii skylighters. Tank destroyer units world war ii missing in action. There is some traffic on the bay bridge, as well as the 101 northbound in foster city due to the stragglers heading into work late in san francisco. High quality army tank destroyer inspired tshirts by independent artists and designers from around the world. Defining which was the most effective assault gun is very subjective. A tank destroyer, tank hunter, or tank killer is a type of armoured fighting vehicle, armed with a directfire artillery gun or missile launcher, with limited operational capacities and designed specifically to engage enemy tanks. Our tank destroyer battalions, organized only a few months previous, with no historical prototype, equipped with an improvised weapon an almost unarmored halftrack mounting an entirely inadequate 75mm gun had been taught during their training that it was their duty to seek out and destroy enemy tanks.
This section contains uniforms and items connected to them such as patches, medals and insignia. Ww2 tank destroyer shoulder patch 4 cog snowy reverse out of. The following section provides individual pages for each unit and provides a short history along with everything we have on the unit, to this point. The m18 hellcat officially designated the 76 mm gun motor carriage m18 or m18 gmc was an american tank destroyer of world war ii, also used in the korean war. The m18 was the fastest armoured vehicle in ww2, it could go 60 mph on good roads, and even for 2 decades after the war. Churchill crocodile, covenanter, cromwell tanks, crusader iii, harry hopkins viii, humber armored car, m3 lee, matilda ii, matilda scorpion, tetrarch. He was awarded the bronze star for gallantry in action and fought in all five campaigns including normandy, northern france, rhineland, ardenneralsace. There are 112 soldiers of the tank destroyer units world war ii still listed as missing in action. Welcome up for no reserve auction is this guarenteed original and rare eight wheel ww2 fort hood 628 tank destroyer battalion patch.
Page 1 of 22 tank destroyer ssi and insignia posted in army and usaaf. By august 5, 1917, the kansas national guard was called into federal service, and martin was assigned to the 70th brigade as the commanding general of the 35th division element where he remained until his relief on september 21, 1918. Committed to battle 20 february 1943 at kasserine pass in tunisia. Uniform worn, wwii, tank destroyer patch featuring ferocious panther and designation. Stug iii widely distributed german selfpropelled gun which was often used in a tank destroyer role as the stuk 40 l48 allowed for. Wheeler 899th tank destroyer battalion 08161944 sergeant oren b. Even though the vehicle is quite high and vulnerable especially from automatic weapons from ground vehicles or from planes, the gun can deal with all the enemy tanks in this. This patch will be sold with all the other patches i recently purchased in about 10 patch albums. Speaking of late, weve added the remainder of wwii weapons to the loot pool today. The idea was that nondivisional assets, including tank battalions, could be attached in order to customize the division to task and environment it. This one is the patch used by the 819th tank destroyer battalion, though its uncertain whether it was actually worn by the unit late in world war ii. Weapons, firearms and equipment this section contains anything and everything relating to firearms and small weapons used by the men of tank destroyer.
For example, by the end of january, 1945, the 47 th infantry regiment which fought in france and germany had lost well over 100% of their strength to battle casualties, where men were either killed, wounded, missing, or taken as prisoner of war. Tank destroyer battalion patches flying tigers surplus. The m18 hellcat m18 gmc was an american tank destroyer of world war ii, used in the italian and european theatres. In practice, the realities of combat and the erosion of the german panzer force meant that the tank destroyers were usually attached individually to divisions. It shared the 3rd armored divisions wellearned sobriquet.
Su100 reliable and heavily armored for a tank destroyer. I think it was a sensible decision in 1942 but obsolete by 1944. The m18 gmc was a response to the problem to provide the tank destroyer force with a very fast tank destroyer. All the materials we receive are digitized and available to read online or download. A silver grade badge for singlehanded tank destruction. Were pleased to announce that the weather in the bay area is a sunny 66 degrees fahrenheit 19 degrees celsius. Get the best deals on tank destroyer patch when you shop the largest online selection at. The tank destroyer battalion was there in the dust and grime of that long attack. Tank destroyer battalion patches us army patches army unit patches and army regiment patches flying tigers surplus. Not engage in pointless tank battles unless they had to. Flag images indicative of country of origin and not necessarily primary operator. The tank destroyer units were formed in response to the german use of massed formations of armored vehicles.
World war 2 saw a dizzying array of tank destroyers deployed, some allnew designs while others were built from existing vehicles. Since future tank destroyer battalions would be numbered in the 600, 700 and 800 series, the 93rd, 94th, and 99th infantry anti tank battalions became the 893rd, 894th, 899th tank destroyer battalions. The m10 tank destroyer was a world war ii united states tank destroyer which was based on the chassis of the m4 sherman tank, it was fitted with the 3inch 76. Companys a and b were equipped with splittrail 75mm field pieces but company c did not have its weapons, forcing this company to simulate its mission. There are a total of 24 ww2 german tank destroyers 19391945 entries in the military factory. Jul 26, 2009 a very good tank destroyer for an attacking role. Genuine us army 819th tank destroyer battalion patch wwii.
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