44th Tank Battalion

From 82nd Airborne Division – Special Troops 1952 Yearbook, Ft. Bragg, NC

 
This is a story of men – men from 48 states of the union, who were called together to sweat, train, fight and die. Their names were never spread across front pages, but there were and are heroes among them. They didn’t win the war single-handedly, but they knew that their efforts did much to bring the final victory. Whenever and wherever called upon they responded with vigor as the tributes of other men and outfits testify. 

The 44th Tank Battalion was born on a cold morning, 11 November 1943 near Watertown, TN just after completion of maneuvers. Though a new organization, most of the men were experienced tankers with one year of training as Second Battalion, 44th Armored Regiment, 12th Armored Division. The men moved to Camp Barkley for their training. 

The 44th was alerted on 25 January 1944 with a readiness shipment date of 20 Feb. 1944 and embarked 22 March aboard the US AT Kota Baroe, a Dutch vessel bound for an unknown destination in the Southwest Pacific. After a rough crossing, they reached Oro Bay, then Camp Washington Casual Camp, Finschafen, New Guinea. It was the first tank battalion back in the Southwest Pacific and the first tank battalion in General Walter Krueger’s Sixth Army. Throughout 1944, it played a major part in routing the Japanese, ending the year in the Tunga area.  After Christmas, the 44th was alerted by the Sixth Army and attached to the 13th Armored Group.  

On Jan. 3, 1945, the 44th TB was ready to move again to enter Luzon. The China Sea was the roughest yet, especially riding the flat-bottomed LSTs. On 11 Jan. they churned up the shore of Lingayen Gulf. The tankers kept advancing through San Fernando and on into Manila. It was good to be near civilization again, and travel on better roads. There were quite a few snipers in Manila. Each tanker remembers the part he played in the liberation of the Pearl of the Orient, and the Allied internees at Santo Tomas Internment Camp. 

“B” Company was the first to enter and liberate Tacloban – the capital city of Leyte, and also the first troops to enter Manila. On 3 Feb. they fought their way to Santo Tomas University, where 3768 American and Allied Civilians were interned. The tanks literally broke through the gates and walls to let the infantrymen through.  

Bitter resistance was encountered at Grace Park. The tanks were hampered by being road bound by rice paddies. They finally rescued the Manila Reservoir in Rosario Heights. On 22 Feb. 1945, the 44th ended its fighting in Manila. 

In March, the 44th received a letter of gratitude and thanks from the internees at Santo Tomas, for the part they played in their liberation. They were awarded a Victory Cup, inscribed with the following: “44th Tank Battalion, in Heartfelt Gratitude for Your Heroic Rescue of US Santo Tomas Internees, February 3, 1945. Manila, PI. Awarded to the First Troops to Enter Santo Tomas, Company “B”, 44th Tank Battalion.” 

The 44th covered 12,300 miles on the Pacific and spent three months on water travel to various destinations during its assignment. The men are eligible for 4 battle stars, covering activities in New Guinea, The Bismark Archipelago, Southern Philippines, and Northern Philippines. For establishing beachheads on Leyte and Luzon, the men wear the Bronze Arrowhead.

 

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