81st Armor Regiment ( United States ) The 81st Armor Regiment currently has two active battalions , the 1st and 3rd , both of which are assigned to the 194th Armor Brigade , US Army Armor Center , Fort Knox , KY . They are responsible for training enlisted armor crewman for the US Army and US Marines on armored warfare vehicles such as the M1A1 / M1A2 and Stryker platform . History and lineage of 1st Battalion and Regiment . The 81st Armor Regiment was activated on 1 October 1941 at Fort Knox , Kentucky . In early 1942 , the 81st Armor was moved to California with orders to defend against possible Japanese attacks . While stationed there , it was redesignated as the 81st Tank Battalion in 1943 . Shortly after their service in California , the 81st Tank Battalion headed to Europe in July 1944 to participate in the battles for Normandy and Northern France . The 2nd Battalion was reformed as Company B , 81st Armor and was successful in liberating Luxembourg City on 10 September 1944 . As December 1944 crept closer , the battalion entered the Huertgen Forest in the Alsace Region of France . The battalion then rested and refitted for the final push into Germany . The unit spearheaded the 5th Armored Division ’ s drive to the Rhine River and became the first unit to cross the Siegfried Line into the Rhineland , crossing the Rhine in March 1945 . It then drove to the Elbe , 45 miles from Berlin , and was engaged in mopping up German resistance in the Ninth Army sector . Upon returning from the battlefields of Europe , the battalion was deactivated in the fall of 1945 . Except for seven months in 1950 , it was active from 1948 – 1956 with the 5th Armored Division at Fort Chaffee , Arkansas . In 1962 , the 81st and the 94th Tank Battalions and the 505th Replacement Company were redesignated as the 81st Armor under the Combat Arms Regimental System . The 1st and 2nd Battalions were assigned to the 1st Armored Division in February of that year . The 2nd battalion was deactivated in 1971 and reactivated in 1972 in West Germany . It was then deactivated again in 1989 . The 2nd Battalion was once again reactivated in January 1996 as a part of the 1st Armored Training Brigade at Fort Knox , Kentucky . History and lineage of 3rd Battalion . Following America ’ s entry into the Second World War , on 20 September 1943 , the 3rd battalion was re - designated as the 707th Tank Battalion , where it saw combat as part of both the 5th and 7th Armored Divisions . As part of the drive through Europe , the 707th participated in the campaigns of Normandy , Northern France , Rhineland , Ardennes - Alsace , and Central Europe . The 707th was awarded the Luxembourg Croix de Guerre , World War II streamer , for its outstanding wartime service . Following its successful campaigns in Europe , the 707th was inactivated at Boston , Massachusetts , on 8 October 1945 . In the early months of the Korean War the battalion was re - designated as the 94th Medium Tank Battalion , 7th Armored Division and reactivated again on 24 November 1950 , at Camp Roberts , California , where it remained until inactivated on 15 November 1953 . On 3 February 1962 , the battalion was relieved from assignment to the 7th Armored Division and re - designated as the 3d Battalion , 81st Armor Regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System . The battalion was reassigned to the 5th Armored Division . On 25 March 1987 , the battalion was relieved from assignment to the 5th Armored Division and re - designated at Fort Knox , Kentucky as a training battalion . On 1 October 1991 , the battalion was again deactivated . The current mission of the battalion begins with the creation , on 20 July 1965 , of Committee Group . This unit was activated at Fort Knox with the mission of providing training support to Initial Entry Training Soldiers . On 2 March 1986 , Committee Group was re - designated as Training Group . On 2 March 1986 , the battalion was placed under the operational control of the 4th Training Brigade . On 30 July 1993 , Training Group was re - designated 3d Battalion , 81st Armor Regiment and attached to the 1st Armor Training Brigade . A Gold color metal and enamel device 1 1 / 8 inches ( 2 . 86 cm ) in height overall consisting of a shield blazoned : Per fess enhanced Or and Sable , a chevron in point embowed between two fleurs - de - lis Vert and in base a battle - axe and key in saltire of the first . Attached below and to the sides of the shield is a Gold scroll inscribed “ SUPERO OMNIA ” in Black letters . The gold of the shield is the color for Armor . The fleurs - de - lis symbolize the organization ’ s Normandy and Northern France campaigns . The chevron “ in point embowed ” recalls the Battle of the Bulge , the Ardennes - Alsace campaign . The key , occurring frequently in the civic arms of the towns of Rheinprovinz ( the province in which the Rhine River crossing was made and the Siegfried line breached ) , symbolizes the Rhineland campaign . Symbolical of the important successes of this campaign , it allegorically represents the “ Key to Victory ” in Europe . The battle - axe , a favorite Teutonic weapon and heraldic charge throughout the entire medieval period , signifies the Central Europe campaign . The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 81st Medium Tank Battalion on 18 April 1953 . It was amended to correct the spelling of the Latin motto on 19 April 1954 . The insignia was redesignated for the 81st Armor Regiment on 31 January 1962 . Per fess enhanced Or and Sable , in chief a chevron in point embowed between two fleurs - de - lis Vert and in base a battle - axe and key in saltire of the first . Coat Of Arms . Blazon . Crest On a wreath Argent and Vert between two branches of oak Proper a tower Or charged with an escutcheon per pale Tenné and Azure and surmounted with a lion ’ s head erased Gules . Motto SUPERO OMNIA ( To Surpass All ) . The gold of the shield is the color for Armor . The fleurs - de - lis symbolize the organization ’ s Normandy and Northern France campaigns . The chevron “ in point embowed ” recalls the Battle of the Bulge , the Ardennes - Alsace campaign . The key , occurring frequently in the civic arms of the towns of Rheinprovinz ( the province in which the Rhine River crossing was made and the Siegfried line breached ) , symbolizes the Rhineland campaign . Symbolical of the important successes of this campaign , it allegorically represents the “ Key to Victory ” in Europe . The battle - axe , a favorite Teutonic weapon and heraldic charge throughout the entire medieval period , signifies the Central Europe campaign . The red lion ’ s head is adapted from the Arms of the Duchy of Luxembourg and the gold tower alludes to the successful accomplishment of the unit ’ s mission in that area in World War II . The oak leaves symbolize honor , victory and valor and the shield , in the colors of the Luxembourg Croix de Guerre , alludes to the award of that decoration to the 81st Armor . Background . The coat of arms was originally approved for the 81st Medium Tank Battalion on 18 April 1953 . It was amended to correct the spelling of the Latin motto on 19 April 1954 . It was redesignated for the 81st Armor Regiment on 31 January 1962 . The insignia was amended to add a crest on 25 November 1964 . It was amended to correct the wording in the blazon of the crest on 29 October 1965 . References . Requesting additional information for the history of the 2nd Battalion .