By virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United
Armed Forces of the United States, I have today awarded
THE PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION (ARMY)
FOR EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM
TO THE
761st TANK BATTALION, UNITED STATES ARMY
The 761st Tank Battalion distinguished itself by extraordinary gallantry,
courage, professionalism and high esprit de corps displayed in the accomplishment
of unusually difficult and hazardous operations in the European Theater
of Operations from 31 October 1944 to 6 May 1945. During 183 days in combat,
elements of the 761st - the first United States Army tank battalion committed
to battle comprised of black soldiers - were responsible for inflicting
thousands of enemy casualties and for capturing, destroying, or aiding
in the liberation of more than 30 major towns, 4 airfields, 3 ammunition
supply dumps, 461 wheeled vehicles, 34 tanks, 113 large guns, 1 radio station,
and numerous individual and crew- served weapons. This was accomplished
while enduring an overall casualty rate approaching 50 percent, the loss
of 71 tanks, and in spite of extremely adverse weather conditions, very
difficult terrain not suited to armor operations, heavily fortified enemy
positions and units, and extreme shortages of replacement personnel and
equipment. The accomplishments are outstanding examples of the indomitable
spirit and heroism displayed by the tank crews of the 761st. In one of
the first major combat actions of the 761st, in the vicinity of Vic-sur-Seille
and Morville-les- Vic, France, the battalion faced a reinforced enemy division.
Despite the overwhelming superiority of enemy forces, elements of the battalion
initiated a furious and persistent atttack which caused defending enemy
elements to withdraw. While pursuing the enemy, tanks of the 761st were
immobilized before an anti-tank ditch. Savage fire from enemy bazooka and
rocket launcher teams, positioned 50 yards beyond the ditch, disabled many
of the vehicles. Crewmen dismounted the disabled tanks, resulted in the
elimination of many of the positions and virtually destroyed two enemy
companies while permitting the escape of other tanks and crews and eventual
completion of the mission. From 5 January 1945 to 9 January 1945, the 761st
engaged the 15th Panzer Division in the vicinity of Tillet, Belgium. Suffering
severe casualties and damage to their tanks, the 761st attacked and counter-attacked
throughout the five-day period against a numerically superior force in
both personnel and equipment , and on 9 January 1945 the men of the 761st
routed the enemy from Tillet and captured the town. This action was significant
in that the enemy was prevented from further supply of its forces encircling
Bastogne, and the United States troops there, because of the closing of
the Brussels-Bastogne highway by the men of the 761st. One of the most
significant accomplishments of the 761st began 20 March 1945 when, acting
as the armor spearhead, the unit broke through the Seigfried Line into
the Rhine plain, allowing units of the 4th Armored Division to move through
to the Rhine River. During the period 20 March 1945 to 23 March 1945 the
battalion, after operating far in advance of friendly artillery, encountered
the fiercest of enemy resistance in the most heavily defended area of the
war theater. Throughout the 72-hour period of the attack, elements of the
761st assaulted and destroyed enemy fortifications with a speed and intensity
that enabled the capture or destruction of 7 Siegfried towns, 31 pill-boxes,
49 machine gun emplacements, 61 anti-tank guns, 451 vehicles, 11 ammunition
trucks, 4 self-propelled guns, one 170mm artillery piece, 200 horses, and
one ammunition dump. Enemy casualties totaled over 4,100 and of those captured
it was determined that the 761st in its Siegfried Line attack had faced
elements of 14 different German divisions. The accomplishments of the 761st
in the Siegfried area were truly magnificent as the successful crossing
of the Rhine River into Germany was totally dependent upon the accomplishment
of their mission. The men of the 761st Tank Battalion, while serving as
a separate battalion with the 26th, 71st, 79th, 87th, 95th and 103d Infantry
Divisions, the 17th Airborne Division, and 3d, 7th, and 9th Armies in 183
continuous days in battle, fought major engagements in six European countries,
participated in four major allied campaigns, and on 6 May 1945, as the
easternmost American soldiers in Austria, ended their combat missions by
joining with the First Ukrainian Army (Russian) at the Enn River, Steyr,
Austria. Throughout this period of combat, the courageous and professional
actions of the members of the "Black Panther" battalion, coupled with their
indomitable fighting spirit and devotion to duty, reflect great credit
on the 761st Tank Battalion, the United States Army, and this Nation.
