825th Tank Destroyer Battalion The 825th Tank Destroyer Battalion was a tank destroyer battalion of the United States Army active during the Second World War . It was organized as a towed battalion , with 3 " anti - tank guns , and initially saw service during the Battle of Normandy as a rear - area security unit . Parts of the unit were sent into combat as part of an ad hoc task force on 16 December 1944 , on the northern flank of the Ardennes Offensive , where it defended Amblève river bridges at Malmedy and Stavelot . It returned to security duties at the end of January 1945 , and served in rear areas for the remainder of the war . Early service . The battalion was activated in August 1942 , and organized as a " towed " battalion with 3 " anti - tank guns in July 1943 . It sailed for the United Kingdom in May 1944 aboard the " Queen Elizabeth " , landed at Utah Beach on 29 July 1944 , and was assigned to guarding rear areas of Third Army in the Cotentin Peninsula . After the breakout in August , it continued security duties , but with the start of the Ardennes Offensive in December it was moved to the front and committed to combat . Ardennes . On December 18 , 1944 , Company A of the battalion was placed under the command of Task Force Hansen , an ad hoc force built around the 99th Infantry Battalion and the 526th Armored Infantry Battalion , both independent battalions held in First Army reserve . The 99th was an unusual unit ; it was composed mostly of first or second - generation Norwegian - Americans , or Norwegian nationals who had made their way to America after the occupation of Norway . The task force was assigned to defend the town of Malmedy and the downstream crossings over the Amblève river at Stavelot and Trois - Ponts . Roads through Malmedy and Stavelot ran north to Spa , where the First Army headquarters were based along with large supply dumps , while roads through Trois - Ponts , and Stavelot , led westward towards the Meuse river , a strategic objective of the German advance . The first platoon of Company A from the 825th , with four 3 - inch anti - tank guns , was attached to Company A of the 526th and assigned to defend Stavelot , while the second and third platoons accompanied another company of the 526th to block the roads into Malmedy from the south . The German 1st SS Panzer Division had been assigned to break out to the west towards the Meuse , via Trois - Points , while the 12th SS Panzer Division was to push north over the Amblève via Malmedy . The German commanders were unaware of the fuel dumps at Spa , but believed there were fuel supplies in Stavelot , making it a critical target for 1st SS Panzer . The lead units of the division skirted Malmedy on 17 December and pushed towards Stavelot , but fighting in Ligneuville , along the line of march , delayed them and they did not arrive at the town until nightfall . At this point , the town was almost entirely undefended ; it contained a small squad of engineers , who had laid a minefield near the bridge . However , it was filled with traffic moving westwards from the supply dumps , and this gave the impression of a strong force being present ; when three German tanks probed towards the bridge and encountered the minefield , they pulled back in the belief the town was heavily defended . The 825th and the infantry they were supporting arrived that night , and took up positions around dawn on the 18th . The force was split , with half on the south bank of the river and half on the north . As the southern force was attempting to deploy , firing broke out as they met the advancing point of the 1st SS . Both 3 inch guns and their half - tracks were knocked out but some of the personnel were able to retreat across the bridge . During the attack into the town , a gun from the 825th engaged a Tiger II heavy tank of SS Heavy Panzer Battalion 101 ; the shell hit the turret and did little damage , but caused the vehicle to reverse into a building in an attempt to escape . The building collapsed , trapping the tank underneath the rubble and putting it out of action . The force in the town held off the attack for several hours , but eventually , around midday , was forced to retreat towards Malmedy . The German force pushed through Stavelot and advanced towards Trois - Ponts ; in the belief that an infantry division was following closely behind them , they left only a light guard in the town . It was attacked that evening by elements of the 30th Infantry Division , and after fighting through the night and into the next morning , was securely in American hands . On 21 December , elements of the battalion were engaged outside Malmedy , when a German force from Panzer Brigade 150 using captured American vehicles attempted to break towards the town ; three tanks , two M4 Sherman s and a Panzer IV , were destroyed and a number of prisoners taken . This appears to have been the last action fought by the 825th as part of Task Force Hansen . Around this point , twelve men were detached to guard a signal station which linked 12th Army Group to the forces in the Ardennes . After several days operation near the enemy lines , the station was attacked and shut down on 24 December ; the detachment of the 825th covered the retreat of the signallers with their equipment , successfully falling back to their own lines . Later service . From 12 to 16 January 1945 , Company A of the 825th was attached to 30th Infantry Division . Following this , the battalion was withdrawn from combat and assigned to rear - area security duties . Whilst in the rear area , it was re - equipped with M10 GMC tank destroyers .