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After fifty years of honored service to the
nation, beginning in 1941, the 3rd Armored Division (3AD) was
deactivated, or retired, in 1992 following the end of the Cold
War. Budget cuts by the U.S. Defense Department did what no armed
enemy could ever do.
The 3AD, of course, was not the primary reason
for the U.S. victory in WWII in Europe, or in the Cold War and
Gulf War. In each case, the 3AD was a single cog in a vast and
complex U.S. military machine. But one tough and most special
cog it was.
Of the fifteen U.S. armored divisions in Europe
in World War II, the 3AD saw the most combat, inflicted the most
damage, and took the most casualties. During four decades of
the Cold War, the Division was NATO's primary point-guard for
the critical Fulda Gap in West Germany. And in 1990-91, the Division
left its German bases for action in the Persian Gulf War, attacking
deep into Iraq as a lead element of the U.S. 7th Corps.
Yet, is the 3AD really gone forever? Is the era permanently fading
for the massive, self-contained division with combined armor,
infantry, artillery, and aviation? No one can say for sure. But,
given the unexpected twists and turns of world geopolitics and
as yet unpredictable new military challenges, the Spearhead colors
stand ready to ride again -- in, no doubt, an even more powerful
and flexible, high-tech form.
The 3AD may be retired, but its enduring legacy and long colorful
history has few equals among all U.S. military units, past and
present. This foundation and website is dedicated to that legacy
and that history, and to the veterans who served with Spearhead
-- over 40,000 soldiers in WWII & early occupation of Germany;
over 220,000 in the Cold War with the defense of Western Europe;
and 22,533 during the Gulf War's Operation Desert Storm of 1991,
the largest U.S. division ever assembled.
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