The 3rd Armored Division History Foundation
3AD.com - an online archive of the U.S. Army's famous
"Spearhead" Division of WW II, Cold War, and Gulf War I - Desert Storm

Click for: Introduction to the Division

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New 3AD book Spearhead now available
Released in February 2019 and available on www.Amazon.com - $28.00 hardcover

Book cover & Amazon review: From Adam Makos, the New York Times bestselling author of A Higher Call, comes the riveting true World War II story of an American tank gunner's journey into the heart of the Third Reich, where he will meet destiny in an iconic armor duel - and forge an enduring bond with his enemy. When Clarence Smoyer is assigned to the gunner's seat of his Sherman tank, his crewmates discover that the gentle giant from Pennsylvania has a hidden talent: He's a natural-born sharp-shooting gunner. At first, Clarence and his fellow crews in the legendary 3rd Armored "Spearhead" Division thought their tanks were invincible. Then they met the German Panther, with a gun so murderous it could shoot through one Sherman and into the next. Soon a pattern: The lead tank always gets hit. After Clarence sees his friends cut down breaching the West Wall and holding the line in the Battle of the Bulge, he and his crew are given a weapon with the power to avenge their fallen brothers: the Pershing, a state-of-the-art "super tank," one of only twenty in the European theater. But with it comes a harrowing new responsibility: Now they will spearhead every attack. That's how Clarence, the corporal from coal country, finds himself leading the U.S. Army into its largest urban battle of the European war, the fight for Cologne, the "Fortress City" of Germany. (cont. >)

Battling through the ruins, Clarence will engage the fearsome Panther in a duel immortalized by an Army movie photographer. And he will square off with Gustav Schaefer, a teenager behind the trigger in a Panzer IV tank, whose crew has been sent on a suicide mission to stop the Americans.

Fort Benning, GA, November 17, 2018 - Over 200 soldiers, veterans, and friends attended a dedication ceremony for the all-era 3rd Armored Division "Spearhead" Monument at the National Infantry Museum Memorial, Patton Park. Held in conjunction with an annual reunion of the Association of 3d Armored Division Veterans (A3ADV), the dedication was the culmination of a 3-year project by the Association to design, fund, and have built a unique, imposing monument and to include sections for engraved paver stones. The site honors all Spearhead soldiers who served during the Division's famed 50-year history (1941 - 1992) that included WWII in Europe, the Cold War in Europe, and Gulf War I - Operation Desert Storm in Iraq. (Army photo by Markeith Horace of the Ft. Benning Maneuver Center of Excellence)

The Memorial and its location has been approved by Congress and President Trump
(March 2017) to be built by 2021 with private funds on the National Mall in DC.

Desert Storm Memorial project - Learn More

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Continue to scroll down this page to view
a sampling from the website's collections.

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Three memorable newsletters
of the 3rd Armored Division (WWII) Association
available for online viewing



Download and View

... the final three annual issues of the Newsletter (2010, 2011, and 2012)
including coverage of the WWII Association's final national reunion.

UPDATE: Massive 2018 Veterans Day Military Parade - CANCELED

Set for Washington, DC, on Nov. 11, 2018, it was canceled on August 16, 2018, as agreed upon by both President Trump and the Dept. of Defense. An estimated cost approaching $100 million was reportedly the primary reason.

Washington, D.C., June 8, 1991: A battalion-size formation of 3AD troops is shown in the Gulf War Victory Parade that remains to this day the largest and most impressive U.S. military parade since the celebratory aftermath of WWII in 1945. At the lead in this photo is Maj. Gen. Jerry R. Rutherford (third from right) who had taken over command of the 3AD from Maj. Gen. Paul E. Funk in Kuwait after Desert Storm. The above Spearhead troops had flown from West Germany for the event and are shown after crossing D.C.'s Memorial Bridge. Over 10,000 marching and riding personnel from all service branches took part in the parade that included marching bands, aircraft flyovers, armored vehicles, missiles, and other military hardware. Search YouTube.com for excellent videos of the parade.

At a WWll 3rd Armored Division Association informal get-together held Aug. 16-20, 2017, in Philadelphia, three Spearhead WWII veterans shared stories and answered questions from friends and families. Each was a tank crewman in the thick of combat in France, Belgium, and into Germany. Left to right: Joe Caserta, age 95; Walt Stitt, 93; and Clarence Smoyer, 94. (Photo by Gary Edmondson)

Photo montage by 3AD.com

Left to right:

Gen. Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: Served as Executive Officer (XO) of 3AD's 3rd Brigade in Operation Desert Storm. Full service in 3AD was 1988-1991, also including XO of 4/67 Armor. Gen. Raymond Odierno, Chief of Staff of the Army: Served as XO of 3AD's 2nd Bn, 3rd Field Artillery in late Cold War, then as XO of Division Artillery in Operation Desert Storm. During 2008-2010, Odierno was Commanding General of U.S. forces in Iraq. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, Vice Chief of Staff of the Army: Served in the 3AD during 1985-88, including 1/33 Armor and as Bn S-3 of the 4-8 Cav where he was considered the behind-the-scene "brains" of Spearhead's historic victory (by D-4-8 Cav) at NATO's 1987 CAT tank gunnery competition.

3AD.com VIDEO SECTIONS

3AD in World War II		Gulf War I & Desert Storm
3AD in Cold War		Interviews of WWII Vets

Much anticipated additional book about the 3AD Yet another unexplained delay of release date! It's now June, 2020.

Written by Bradley Gericke, Phd and military historian, and author of David Petraeus: A Biography, this narrative history of the 3AD covers its activation in 1941 until its flag folded in 1992. Gericke earned a commission in armor from West Point in 1988 and rose to Brig. Gen. before retirement. The book provides a detailed campaign narrative of the Division in WWll that highlights its accomplishments in the breakout of Normandy, the fighting in northern France and Belgium, and the pursuit across Germany. It explains the historical development of the U.S. armored force as well as artillery and other weapons systems, including tactical nuclear. The book presents interesting leader capsules and vignettes of small unit actions. It includes coverage of the 3AD's preparation, deployment, and battlefield conduct during the Persian Gulf War. The U.S. Army's Third Armored Division in Battle will be available in hardcover from Amazon. com and others for about $48.00 plus shipping.

3rd Armored Shermans firing 75mm high-explosive rounds as artillery southeast of Stolberg, Germany, on Nov. 16, 1944. This was the furthest advance into Germany by any Allied force at that point in the war.

3AD Cold War Training in the Defense of Western Europe

Cold War exercise at Hohenfels Training Area, West Germany, in the 1980's. These 3AD soldiers (2 photos above) and their specific unit(s) were unfortunately not identified in available records. Anyone with that information, or other details, please contact the webmaster.

The Major General Maurice Rose
Armed Forces Reserve Center
Middletown, Connecticut

Named for 3rd Armored Division's WWII Commander
Dedication and Ribbon-cuttings was held on December 10, 2011

3AD Desert Storm scenes in Iraq in February, 1991

President John F. Kennedy inspects the 3AD at Hanau, West Germany, in 1963
Life Magazine photo

The 280mm Atomic Cannon that was de facto attached to the 3rd Armored in West Germany during much of the late 1950's and early '60's for purposes of the cannon's security and shared artillery field exercises. However it remained under direct operational control by a special V Corps nuclear crew. Pictured above as part of a public weapons display near Frankfurt, the cannon could fire 550-pound nuclear and conventional shells up to 20 miles with great accuracy. The photo, a Kodachrome slide, was located by Jim MacClay of 3AD.com staff in 2016. (Photo copyright by Merritt Nesin)

Elvis received his draft notice at age 23 in Memphis, TN, and was inducted on March 24, 1958, After 6 months at basic and advanced training at Ft, Hood, TX, he was assigned to the 3rd Armored Division's 1st Battalion, 32nd Armor Regiment, Ray Barracks, Friedberg, West Germany. Elvis served with the Division from 10/1/58 to 3/1/60 with an MOS of 133.60: Armor Intelligence Specialist, or "Scout", and by all accounts he was a first-rate soldier. Shortly before his discharge, he was promoted to Sgt. E-5. (Presley photo montage above © 3rd Armored Division History Foundation)

Much more about Elvis and the 3rd Armored Division is in our "At Ease" section