2nd Armored Division ( United States ) The 2nd Armored Division ( " Hell on Wheels " ) was an armored division of the United States Army . The division played an important role during World War II in the invasions of North Africa and Sicily and the liberation of France , Belgium , and the Netherlands and the invasion of Germany . During the Cold War , the division was primarily based at Fort Hood , Texas , and had a reinforced brigade forward stationed in West Germany . After participation in the Persian Gulf War , the division was inactivated in 1995 . Its units were later transferred to the 4th Infantry Division . World War II . The 2nd Armored was formed at Fort Benning , Georgia on 15 July 1940 . It was originally commanded by Major General Charles L . Scott , with Colonel George S . Patton in charge of training . Scott was promoted to command the I Armored Corps in November of that year , which put Patton , now a brigadier general , in command of the division . The Division served with the First , Seventh , and Ninth Armies . The 2nd Armored was organized as a " heavy " armored division , having two armored regiments of four medium tank and two light tank battalions of three companies each . Along with the 3rd Armored Division , it retained its organization throughout World War II - the 14 other U . S . armored divisions were reorganized as " light " armored divisions , having three tank battalions , each consisting of three medium tank companies and one light tank company . Both types had an infantry component of three mechanized battalions , although the heavy divisions maintained an " armored infantry regiment " organization . The core units of the 2AD were the 41st Armored Infantry Regiment , the 66th Armored Regiment , the 67th Armor Regiment , the 17th Armored Engineer Battalion , the 82nd Armored Reconnaissance Battalion , and the 142nd Armored Signal Company . The 2nd Armored had three artillery battalions : ( the 14th , 78th , and 92nd ) . The Division also had support units , including the 2nd Ordnance Maintenance Battalion , a Supply Battalion , the 48th Armored Medical Battalion , and a Band and Military Police Platoon . The Military Police and Band were tasked with headquarters defense of base operations under the banner of the 502d Adjutant General Company ( 502d AG ) . Opened front in North Africa . Elements of the division were among the first U . S . military to engage in offensive ground combat operations in the European and Mediterranean theater during World War II . The 2nd served in North Africa along with her " sister " division , the 1st Armored . The remainder of Torch ' s American component were infantry divisions , the 1st , 3rd , 9th and 34th Infantry Divisions . They were part of the Western Task Force of Operation Torch , which landed at Casablanca on 8 November 1942 . Invasion of Sicily . As the reserve force of the Western Task Force of Operation Husky , the division landed on 10 July 1943 in support of the 1st Infantry Division at the Battle of Gela . Afterwards , the division next went into action in the second landing at Licata , Sicily on 21 July following the 3rd Infantry Division ' s better - known earlier landing on 10 July . The division then fought through to Palermo . Normandy invasion . The division then landed in Normandy on 9 June 1944 under the command of then Major General Edward H . Brooks , operated in the Cotentin Peninsula and later formed the right flank of the Operation Cobra assault . It blunted the German attack on Avranches , then raced across France with the rest of the Third Army , reaching the Albert Canal in Belgium on 8 September . It crossed the German border near Sittard , 18 September to take up defensive positions near Geilenkirchen . On 3 October , the division launched an attack on the Siegfried Line from Marienberg , broke through , crossed the Wurm River and seized Puffendorf 16 November and Barmen 28 November . Rhine campaign . The Division was holding positions on the Roer when it was ordered to help contain the German Ardennes offensive . The Division fought in eastern Belgium , blunting the German Fifth Panzer Army ' s penetration of American lines . The Division helped reduce the Bulge in January , fighting in the Ardennes forest in deep snow , and cleared the area from Houffalize to the Ourthe River of the enemy . After a rest in February , the division drove on across the Rhine 27 March , and was the first American Division to reach the Elbe at Schonebeck on 11 April . It was halted on the Elbe , 20 April , on orders . In July the division entered Berlin - the first American unit to enter the German capital city . During World War II , the 2nd Armored Division took 94 , 151 prisoners - of - war , liberated 22 , 538 Allied prisoners of war , shot down or damaged on the ground 266 enemy aircraft , and destroyed or captured uncountable thousands of enemy tanks and other equipment and supplies . In 238 battle days , the 2nd Armored suffered 7 , 348 casualties , including 1 , 160 killed in action . The division was recognized for distinguished service and bravery with 9 , 369 individual awards , including two Medals of Honor , twenty - three Distinguished Service Crosses , and 2 , 302 Silver Star s as well as nearly 6 , 000 Purple Hearts ; among those receiving the silver star were Douglas MacArthur , Bill Bowerman , Hugh Armagio , Stan Aniol and William L . Giblin . The division was twice cited by the Belgian Government and division soldiers for the next 50 years proudly wore the fourragere of the Belgian Croix de Guerre . Cold War Service . After a brief period of occupation duty , the division returned to Fort Hood , Texas , in 1946 to retrain and rebuild . The 2nd Armored Division returned to Germany to serve as part of NATO from 1951 to 1957 . Several of the division ' s battalions participated in the Vietnam War . However , the majority of the division would spend much of the next 35 years at Fort Hood . The division included the " Fort Hood Three " , a group of three enlisted men who refused to ship out when ordered to deploy to Vietnam in 1966 . The division remained on active service during the Cold War . Its primary mission was to prepare to conduct heavy armored combat against Warsaw Pact forces in defense of NATO . The division formed a key component of the U . S . military ' s plan to move ' ten divisions in ten days " to Europe in the event of a Soviet threat to NATO . The division practiced this task numerous times during Exercise Reforger from 1967 to 1988 . To build and maintain combat skills , the division ' s maneuver brigades deployed almost annually to the National Training Center to face an opposing force modeling Soviet military weapons and tactics . However , with the end of the Cold War , the U . S . military began to draw down its combat units . The 2nd Armored Division was scheduled to inactivate in the spring of 1990 . 2nd Armored Division ( Forward ) . In 1978 , the 2nd Armored Division ' s third brigade forward deployed to West Germany and was assigned to NATO ' s Northern Army Group . The brigade received additional aviation , engineer , military intelligence , medical , and logistics support units and was re - designated 2nd Armored Division ( Forward ) . The unit ' s primary mission in case of conflict with the Warsaw Pact was to either secure airfields and staging areas for the deployment of III Corps from the United States , or to deploy directly to the Inter - German Border ( IGB ) and establish a blocking position as part of a NATO combat force . 2nd Armored Division ( Forward ) was based at a new military facility near the village of Garlstedt just north of the city of Bremen . The facilities cost nearly $ 140 million to construct , half of which was paid for by the Federal Republic of Germany . The brigade had approximately 3 , 500 soldiers and another approximately 2 , 500 family dependents and civilian employees . The German government constructed family housing in the nearby city of Osterholz - Scharmbeck . In addition to troop barracks , motor pools , an indoor firing range , repair and logistics facilities , and a local training area , facilities at Garlstedt included a troop medical clinic , post exchange , library , movie theater , and a combined officer / non - commissioned officer / enlisted club . In April 1986 , a Burger King restaurant opened on the kaserne . The brigade was officially designated as 2nd Armored Division ( Forward ) during ceremonies at Grafenwöhr , FRG on 25 July 1978 . The Garlstedt facilities were officially turned over to the United States by the German government in October . At that time the Garlstedt kaserne ( camp ) was named after General Lucius D . Clay , revered by the German people for his role as the American military commander following World War II . His son , a retired U . S . Army major general , attended the ceremony . The brigadier general in charge of 2nd Armored Division ( Forward ) had a unique command . In addition to command of the heavy brigade , he also functioned as the Commander , III Corps ( Forward ) , headquartered in Maastricht , Netherlands , and as commander of all US Army forces in Northern Germany , including the military communities of Garlstedt and Bremerhaven . In the event of the deployment of III Corps and / or the 2nd Armored Division from the United States , the division commander would revert to his job as assistant division commander for operations of 2nd Armored Division . This contingency was practised during REFORGER exercises in 1980 and 1987 . As a result of this varied and demanding job , command of the 2nd Armored Division ( Forward ) was considered a plum assignment for armor branch brigadier generals , on par with perhaps only the Berlin Brigade for high visibility and potential for advancement to higher rank . Brigadier generals who held the position included James E . Armstrong , George R . Stotser , Thomas H . Tait , James M . Streeter , John C . Heldstab , and Jerry R . Rutherford . The brigade ' s subordinate combat units initially consisted of the 3rd Battalion of the 41st Infantry Regiment , 2nd Battalion of the 50th Infantry Regiment , 2nd Battalion , 66th Armored Regiment ( Iron Knights ) , 1st Battalion , 14th Field Artillery Regiment , and C Troop , 2nd Squadron , 1st Cavalry Regiment . In 1983 , as part of the army ' s regimental alignment program , 2 – 50 Infantry was redesignated as 4 – 41 Infantry and 1 – 14 Field Artillery as 4 - 3 Field Artillery . Other brigade subordinate units eventually included the 498th Support Battalion , D Company , 17th Engineer Battalion , and the 588th Military Intelligence Company . The brigade also had a military police platoon and an aviation detachment . In 1986 , under the army ' s COHORT unit manning and retention plan , 3 – 41st Infantry returned to Fort Hood and was replaced by 1 – 41st Infantry . In 1988 , 4 – 41st Infantry returned to Fort Hood , Texas and was replaced by 3 – 66th Armor ( Burt ' s Knights , named for Captain James M . Burt who was awarded the Medal of Honor as a company commander in the 66th Armored Regiment in the Battle of Aachen during World War II ) . Now an armor - heavy brigade , 2nd Armored Division ( Forward ) fielded 116 M - 1A1 Abrams tanks and nearly 70 M2 / 3 Bradley Fighting Vehicles . The brigade deployed to Germany with the M60 Patton tank and the M113 armored personnel carrier . 4 - 3rd Field Artillery had the M109 155 mm self - propelled howitzer . In 1984 , 2 – 66th AR transitioned to the M1 Abrams main battle tank . In 1985 , 3 – 41st IN and 4 – 41st IN transitioned to the M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle ; also , C / 2 - 1 Cavalry was replaced by an air cavalry troop , D / 2 - 1 Cavalry , armed with AH - 1 S Cobra attack helicopters . The division participated in numerous major NATO training exercises , including " Trutzige Sachsen " ( 1985 ) , " Crossed Swords " ( 1986 ) and the " Return of Forces to Germany " ( REFORGER ) ( 1980 and 1987 ) . Division subordinate units used the NATO training area at Bergen - Hohne for gunnery and maneuver training and each year the division as a whole deployed south to Grafenwöhr and Hohenfels ( both in Bavaria ) training areas for annual crew and unit gunnery and maneuver qualification . 2nd Armored Division ( Forward ) developed a reputation for excellence during these deployments , particularly in tank crew gunnery . Tank companies from 2 – 66th , and later 3 – 66th , Armor competed in the bi - annual NATO tank gunnery competition , the Canadian Army Trophy . C Company , 2 – 66th contested for the trophy in 1985 and D Company , 2 – 66th in 1987 . In 1989 , C Company , 3 – 66th Armor won the competition outright . The division had a formal partnership with Panzergrenadierbrigade 32 , a Federal Republic of Germany Bundeswehr a mechanized infantry brigade headquartered in nearby Schwanewede . The division also had informal relationships with Dutch , Belgian , and British NORTHAG forces , often conducting joint training activities at Bergen - Hohne . The Gulf War . The invasion of Kuwait by Saddam Hussein in August 1990 caught the division in the midst of the post - Cold War drawdown of the U . S . military . The division ' s 2nd Brigade could not be deployed as it was in the middle of deactivating . The division ' s 1st brigade , the Tiger Brigade for the war and commanded by Colonel John B . Sylvester , deployed to Saudi Arabia independently and participated in Operation Desert Storm by providing heavy armor for USMC forces in their attack into Kuwait . It was credited with destroying or capturing 181 enemy tanks , 148 APCs , 40 artillery pieces , 27 AA emplacements , and 263 Iraqi soldiers dead with an additional 4 , 051 captured . The division ' s 3rd brigade , the 2nd Armored Division ( Forward ) based in Germany , deployed to Saudi Arabia in the fall of 1990 and conducted combat operations as the third maneuver brigade of the 1st Infantry Division from Fort Riley , KS . The division destroyed 60 Iraqi tanks and 35 infantry vehicles along the IPSA pipeline . By dawn of the third day of the ground campaign , the 2nd Armored Division ( Forward ) had a hand in the destruction of four Iraqi tank and mechanized brigades . Between the cease - fire and the official end of the war in April 1991 , 2nd Armored Division ( Forward ) took part in security operations to ensure peace in Kuwait . The Division then redeployed to Saudi Arabia , where some of its soldiers established and ran three refugee camps near Raffia , Saudi Arabia . Division relief workers processed over 22 , 000 Iraqi refugees between 15 April and 10 May . After turning the camps over to the Saudi Arabian government , the unit redeployed to Germany . The Division ’ s attack aircraft battalion , 1st Battalion , 3rd Aviation Regiment deployed from Fort Hood to Saudi Arabia in the fall of 1990 attached to and with support from the 1st Cavalry ( also based at Ft . Hood ) . The battalion was equipped with the AH64 - A1 Apache Attack Helicopters , which had a main armament of 8 to 16 Hellfire laser guided antitank missiles . For smaller targets with less armor , the Apache was armed with a 30mm cannon firing high explosive rounds . An alternate weapon to Hellfire missiles was the 2 . 75 inch rocket , which had several types of warhead . The battalion participated in many air strikes along the border region during the air portion of the campaign . The unit provided covering missions when the ground forces advanced into Iraq . 1st Battalion , 3rd Aviation Regiment was pulled back in to Saudi Arabia after the cease fire , with two squads staging in Kuwait to proved refueling and rearming services for battalion aircraft if hostilities resumed . The unit returned to Ft . Hood Texas in May 1991 and continued the deactivation that was interrupted when Iraq invaded Kuwait . The unit was deactivated in July 1991 and the Regimental flag transferred to sister unit 3rd Battalion , 3rd Aviation Regiment based in Germany . The unit was transferred as a whole to Ft . Campbell KY in July / August 1991 and became the 2nd Battalion of the 101st Aviation Regiment ( part of the 101st Airborne Division ) . Inactivation . The fate of the division after the Gulf War is a confusing series of deactivations and redesignations . Due to the restructuring of the U . S . Army after the end of the Cold War , the division was ordered off the active duty rolls , ending more than 50 years of continuous service . On return to Fort Hood in 1991 , the Tiger Brigade and 1st Battalion of the 3rd Aviation Regiment , all that remained of the U . S . - based division , were redesignated as the 3rd Brigade , 1st Cavalry Division , and the 2nd Battalion , 101st Aviation Regiment respectively . On 1 September 1991 , 2nd Armored Division ( Forward ) , in Germany , officially became 2nd Armored Division ( - ) after main elements of 2nd Armored Division at Fort Hood inactivated . SGT Michael L . Anderson was the last member of the 2nd Armored Division . He was a 74F who was in charge of cutting orders for all remaining members of 2nd Armored Division HQ . On 1 September 1991 , he cut the final orders for himself and his commanding officer . Over the summer and fall of 1992 , 2nd Armored Division ( - ) was inactivated . Lucius D . Clay Kaserne was turned back over to the German government and was later to become home of the German Army Logistics and Supply School ( " Logistikschule der Bundeswehr " ) as well as the seat of " General der Nachschubtruppe " . In December 1992 , the 5th Infantry Division ( Mechanized ) at Fort Polk , Louisiana , was redesignated as the 2nd Armored Division . In 1993 , the unit moved to Fort Hood . In December 1995 , the 2nd Armored Division was again redesignated , this time as the 4th Infantry Division ( Mechanized ) , stationed at Fort Carson , CO . This formally ended the 2nd Armored Division ' s 55 - year history . Several units historically associated with the 2nd Armored Division , including battalions from the 66th Armored Regiment and the 41st Infantry Regiment , currently serve as part of the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson , Colorado , the 1st Armored Division at Fort Bliss , Texas , and the 172nd Infantry Brigade at Grafenwöhr , Germany . Lucius D . Clay ' s name was later reused for the Wiesbaden Army Airfield .