The 68th Armor Regiment is an armored regiment of the United States Army. It was first activated in 1933 in the Regular Army as the 68th Infantry Regiment (Light Tanks).

Lineage

World War I

The regiment was originally constituted on 9 July 1918 in the Regular Army as the 68th Infantry Regiment, and assigned to the 9th Division. It was organized in July 1918 at Camp Sheridan, Alabama, from personnel of the 46th Infantry Regiment. It did not go overseas before the end of the war, and was relieved from the 9th Division and demobilized 15 February 1919 at Camp Sheridan. During World War I in France as part of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF), the 326th, 327th, and 328th Battalions, Tank Corps and the 1st Tank Center were established between April and June 1918. In September 1918, the 326th and 327th Battalions were redesignated the 344th and 345th Battalions respectively, and they fought in the St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne campaigns. The 345th was the predecessor lineage to the 1st, 2nd, and 7th Tank Companies, and Company B of the 344th became the 5th Tank Company. The 328th Battalion, formed in the U.S., became the 3rd, 4th, and 6th Tank Companies.

Interwar period

The 68th Infantry was reconstituted on 1 October 1933 in the Regular Army as the 68th Infantry (Light Tanks) and absorbed the lineage of the Tank Companies. The 68th Infantry (Light Tanks) was allotted to the 6th Corps Area, and activated as a "Regular Army Inactive" (RAI) unit at Peoria, Illinois, manned with Organized Reserve personnel. On 7 April 1937, the headquarters location was changed to Chicago, Illinois. The 1st and 2nd Battalions were activated on 1 January 1940 at Fort Benning, Georgia, less Reserve personnel, by redesignation of the 1st through 7th Tank Companies (organized in 1918) of the 1st through 7th Divisions. The inactive elements of the regiment were withdrawn from the Sixth Corps Area and allotted to the Fourth Corps Area. On 30 May 1940, the 2nd Battalion was transferred to Fort Lewis, Washington. On 30 June 1940, the 1st Battalion was inactivated at Fort Benning. On 15 July 1940, the remaining active elements of the regiment were redesignated as the 68th Armored Regiment and assigned to the 2nd Armored Brigade of the 2nd Armored Division. The regiment (less the 2nd Battalion which was already active) was activated 1 August 1940 at Fort Benning, Georgia. When the structure of U.S. armored divisions was reorganized marly in 1942, the regiment was inactivated on 8 January 1942 at Fort Benning and relieved from assignment to the 2nd Armored Division. The 68th Armored Regiment was assigned on 15 February 1942 to the new 6th Armored Division and reactivated at Fort Knox, Kentucky.

1st Tank Company

2nd Tank Company

3rd Tank Company

4th Tank Company

5th and 6th Tank Companies

7th Tank Company

Company G, 68th Infantry Regiment (Light Tanks)

Company H, 68th Infantry Regiment (Light Tanks)

Armored regiment

Triangulation

World War II

Troop D, 86th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron

15th Tank Battalion

68th Tank Battalion

773rd Tank Battalion

Reconsolidation

Post Combat Arms Regimental System (1957) Consolidation

Honors

Campaign participation credit

Decorations

History of the Silver Lions

The 'Silver Lions" of 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, were the only armor battalion located on Fort Carson, with 48 M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks, 32 Armored Personnel Carriers, Over 50 Tactical Wheeled vehicles, 5 Tracked Maintenance/Recovery vehicles and over 600 personnel. 1–68 Armor had 4 Companies (HHC, A, B, and C), with 14 M1A1 Main Battle Tanks in each Line Company (A, B, and C). To Support the 3 line Companies there was Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC), the largest of the four Companies with over 300 personnel. Located in HHC were platoons of Cavalry Reconnaissance, Mortar, Maintenance, Headquarters, Signal, Supply, Intelligence, Cooks, Chemical, Administration and Medics for the Battalion. Before the Force XXI Concept, 1st Battalion, 68th Armor had 5 companies (HHC, A, B, C and D). On 13 April 2000, A Company was deactivated, turning all 14 tanks to the Mississippi National Guard. D Company was deactivated on 14 April 2000 and re-flagged as A Company, leaving the battalion with the standard four companies, rather than five.

Current organization of 1–68

Upon return from deployment to OIF 1, the 4th Infantry Division immediately began reorganization into the "modular brigade" structure of the new U.S. Army. 4th Infantry Division was again deployed to OIF in late 2005, replacing 3rd ID in Baghdad. The 3rd Brigade was attached to the 101st and the 1–68 was sent to Baqubah, Iraq. After being reorganized under the modular concept, the 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment became known as the 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment. HHC, known as Hatchet, with scouts, snipers, mortars, medics and staff positions. Alpha, known as Attack, and Bravo, known as Blackhawk, were designated as infantry companies with M2A3 Bradley fighting vehicles. Charlie company known as Cold Steel, and Delta, known as Destroyer, were set up as tank companies with 14 M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks each. Echo Company, known as Exile company, as an engineering company. Fox company, known as Forerunner, was attached from 64th Brigade Support Battalion to provide mess support, maintenance/recovery, and a supply distribution platoon. The final company is Golf Company, which is the rear-detachment company for the battalion when it is deployed. The battalion's last Iraq deployment was to Basra, as a part of OIF 10–11.

Notable Members

Sources