192nd Tank Battalion The 192nd Tank Battalion of the United States Army was a federalized Army National Guard unit activated in November 1940 . Deployed to the Philippines , the battalion was engaged in combat during the Japanese invasion and the US retreat to the Bataan Peninsula ; being part of the force that surrendered to the Japanese there , it subsequently ceased to exist as an active unit . History . Activation and deployment . In 1941 , the US Army Chief of Staff , General George C . Marshall , directed that the army ' s new M3 Stuart light tanks , then just rolling off the assembly lines , were to have the highest priority in reinforcing General MacArthur ' s command in the Pacific . The activated Army National Guard 194th and 192nd Tank Battalions were each equipped with 54 of the newly manufactured " M3 Stuart " light tanks , along with 23 half - tracks per battalion . The federalized California Army Guard 194th Tank Battalion deployed from San Francisco on 8 September 1941 , arriving in the Philippines on 26 September . That deployment was followed by the 192nd Tank Battalion , which reached Manila in November . The 192nd Tank Battalion was composed of tank companies from : On 21 November 1941 the 192nd and 194th Tank Battalions were combined to form the " Provisional Tank Group " under the command of Colonel James R . N . Weaver . With the subsequent commencement of hostilities , and Japanese landings along the coastlines in December , the " Provisional Tank Group " was ordered to counter attack the landing forces , and to cover the allied retreat towards the Bataan Peninsula . America ' s first clash of armor . On 21 December 1941 , the 192nd Tank Battalion , under the command of Major Theodore F . Wickord , was ordered to move north . Major Wickord sent Company B , commanded by " Captain Donald Hanes " , ahead , most likely as an advanced guard . During B company ' s advance , they had planned to refuel their gasoline powered M3 ' s at Gerona and then again at Bauang . However , upon reaching Gerona , no fuel was available , and word reached Captain Hanes that the enemy was fast approaching Bauang . The US Army ' s last official US Horse Cavalry to see combat was the US 26th Cavalry ( Horse ) ( Philippine Scouts ) in 1942 . The 26th Cavalry had just recently been under enemy aerial attack , and was operating in the area currently being traversed by B company tanks . General Wainwright , commander of US / allied forces in the Philippines during its final period , received reports that the town of " Damortis " was fast being approached by mechanized elements of the Japanese Army ; and he ordered Captain Hanes to engage them . Since Hanes had not been able to re - fuel at Gerona , his " Stuarts " were nearly out of gas , so he had to consolidate the fuel from the whole company in order to " top - off " just one platoon of five light tanks . Hanes ordered the tank platoon , led by LT Ben R . Morin , to move north from the town of " Damortis " , where here on 22 December 1941 , the platoon of M3 Stuarts ran into Japanese Type 95 light tanks from the Imperial Japanese Army " 4th Tank Regiment " . In this , the first American tanks manned by US tank crewmen to engage enemy tanks during World War II , the M3 ' s of the 192nd Tank Battalion went up against the equally armed Type 95 light tank , which were armed with the 37mm cannon , but were equipped with diesel engines . The " Type 95 light tank " had been at the forefront of tank technology when it was fielded in 1935 . In the tank to tank battle that ensued , the lead 192nd tank immediately left the road to maneuver , but was instantly hit and caught fire . The remaining four " Stuarts " also received hits , but withdrew from the field , only to be destroyed by enemy aircraft later on . Lieutenant Morin was wounded , and he along with his crew were captured . Both the 192nd and the 194th Tank Battalions continued to skirmish with the 4th Tank Regiment , as they retreated towards Bataan . But tank losses during the fighting required the re - organization of some of the units . Consequently , tank companies were re - organized into 10 tank companies with 3 tank platoons , and 1 tank for the company commander . During the remaining struggle for Bataan , the two Tank Battalions tried to defend the beaches , the airfield , and provided support for the infantry , until 8 April 1942 , when the 192nd and 194th received orders to prepare to destroy their M3s , upon receiving the " code word " . The code word " Crash " was transmitted , and the US Army / allies on Bataan surrendered on 9 April 1942 . Overview . The activated Army National Guard 192nd Tank Battalion initially received training at Fort Knox , and Polk . The unit left San Francisco in October 1941 , arriving in the Philippines on 20 November 1941 . On 22 December 1941 , the 192nd Tank Battalion became the first American tank to engage enemy armor in tank to tank combat during World War II . The unit withdrew to the Bataan Peninsula as part of the general retreat , and ceased to exist on 9 April 1942 when the last surviving American and Philippine forces on the Bataan Peninsula surrendered . Some men went to Corregidor , while others escaped to the jungle . Those who remained , participated in the Bataan Death March . They remained prisoners of war until the close of the invasion of the Philippines . Some prisoners at Cabanatuan were rescued by US Army Rangers on 30 December 1944 . Others were sent to Japan or other parts of the Japanese empire as laborers . Of the 593 officers and men of the 192nd Tank Battalion who went to the Philippines in October 1941 , 328 did not survive the war .