20. obrněná divize [1943-1946]

The division was set up 15. march 1943 in kentuckém Camp Campbell. Initially, the division was intended to the training of new members of the armored units, who had to replace losses in the existing panzer divisions.

The vessel with 20. armored division sailed from Boston 5. February and to Le Havre arrived 16. February (thus D+220 from the landing in Normandy) straight from the USA. It turned out that the division is not ready for combat deployment, and therefore has undergone additional training in Buchy. That lasted about a month and the division was then moved through Belgium to the German Langendernbachu, where she arrived 10. April 1945. General Bradley considered the distribution division and allocation of each component to the already existing armored divisions to zacelily suffered losses. However finally decided to the division left in the unit and move it to Marktbreit, where it was subordinated to the III. corps. Already three days later the division was přepodřízena XV. corps and moved to Würzburg.

As the first in the fighting involved the divisional artillery, and it has already 4. April. 412., 413. and 414. armored field artillery battalion and part of 33. riding reconnaissance eskadrony moved to the west bank of the Rhine, to support the 101. airborne division for Delhovenu and 82. airborne division for Hitdorfu. Other parts of the division for the first time in the fighting engage 25. April in Dorfu. The division will then gather at the Deiningenu and headed to the Danube, which exceeded the 28. April. Met only with a slight resistance from the enemy. In Schrobenhausenu managed to secure the bridge over the river Paar and transitions across the river Ilm.

27. tank battalion was 23. April temporarily assigned to 42. infantry division and led its attack to Donauwörth for a day or two later with the aim of securing crossings over the Danube. In the days 29.-30. April, podoběn as other components of the division, participated in the attack on the Munich. 3. may exceeded the division in Wasserburg the Inn river and the following day entered into the Traunsteinu. From there continued towards Salzburg. where it caught the end of the war.

In August 1945 the division returned to the United states and was preparing to participate in the invasion of the japanese parent islands. Rozformována was 2. April 1946 in texas Camp Hood.



Sources:
Zaloga, Steven J.: US Armored Divisions. The European Theater of Operations, 1944-1945, Osprey Publishing Ltd., Oxford 2004
en.wikipedia.org
www.ushmm.org
www.history.army.mil.