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Spearheading with the Third Armored Division
Finished 14 February 1999
Following is a transcript of a pamphlet titled Spearheading with the Third Armored Division. It contains no date or copyright notice, though Rod Thomas, webmaster of the Third Armored Division web site, tells me it was written in 1945. I have preserved the original spelling and punctuation. My own notes are contained within square brackets ( [ ] ).
I have encountered some confusion among visitors between the Third Army (of General Patton fame) and the 3rd Armored Division. Rod Thomas comments:
"...U.S. Army unit identification protocol stipulated, and still does, that Armies (Third US Army, Fifth US Army, etc.) are written English numerals spelled out in the plain...To this day, the World War II veterans of the Division still seeth with anger about being confused with Patton's Third Army...and for good reason. They created the confusion with the incorrect division identification not only on their histories but in their association name as well. Interesting to see one more example of this."
Front Cover
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[Inside Front Cover]
In saluting the victorious men of our Third Armored "Spearhead" Division I repeat the last sentence of General Rose's greetings in the first edition of our history "Call Me Spearhead", "With divine assistance, little can delay and nothing can stop us."
In exemplifying this belief he paid the supreme sacrifice while leading us on to another objective. In tribute to his memory, his great leadership, his high ideals as a soldier and as a man; and to our other brave dead I dedicate this, our second "Spearhead" booklet.
Those of you who are "oldtimers" and remember Omaha Beach, Isigny, Villers Fossard, Monpichon, Fromental and so on; and those of you who later became "Spearheaders" at Stolberg, "The Bulge", Cologne or Paderborn, all have tirelessly and bravely carried on in the tradition of our great division. Your rewards are the thanks of a grateful people and the knowledge of a job well done.
[signed] Doyle O. Hickey
Brigadier General, Commanding
[Below the text is an area for the owners name, battle actions, citations, etc... In red text are the words "Passed by Censor For Mailing Home." Presumably, this booklet was distributed in the field.]
Forward
Stolberg to
the Roer
Ardennes
Winter Campaign
Drive
to the Rhine
Order
of Battle
Meet
the Combat Leaders
(image)
Seven
Long Months Spearheading
(image)
More
Images
For
the Record
The
Ruhr-Rose Pocket
Drive
to the Elbe
Closing
Images
Back
Cover
[Appendix 1 - Units Referenced
in this Document]
[Appendix 2 - Soldiers Referenced in this Document]
[Appendix 3 - Sites Referenced in this Document]
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