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The 741st Tank Battalion was an independent tank battalion that participated in the European Theater of Operations with the United States Army in World War II. The battalion participated in combat operations throughout northern Europe until V-E Day. It was one of five tank battalions (all independent) that landed in Normandy on D-Day (6 June 1944). It landed on Omaha Beach supporting the 1st Infantry Division, but was attached to 2d Infantry Division on 15 June 1944, which it supported for most of the reminder of the war. The battalion played a key role in blunting the northern flank of the German attack during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944. The 741st Tank Battalion advanced as far as Plzeň, Czechoslovakia by the end of the war. The battalion was inactivated in October 1945, then briefly reactivated in 1949 as a reserve unit assigned to the 96th Infantry Division. It was withdrawn from the 96th Infantry Division and inactivated in 1952.〔Sawicki, pp. 315–316〕 ==Activation and deployment== The 741st Tank Battalion was activated at Fort Meade, Maryland, on 15 March 1942. Its initial cadre was formed from members of the 751st Tank Battalion and complemented by draftees.〔Vitamin Baker, 1〕 The battalion criss-crossed the country as it moved from one training station to another developing its maneuver and gunnery skills. Training camps included Camp Young, California, Camp Polk, Louisiana, Camp Pickett, Virginia, and Camp Wellfleet, Massachusetts.〔Vitamin Baker, 3–6〕 At Camp Bradford, Virginia, it also began practicing amphibious training, including loading and unloading aboard Navy craft, and practice assault landings at Little Creek, Virginia and Solomons Island, Maryland.〔Vitamin Baker, 6〕 Finally, in August 1943, the battalion arrived at Fort Dix, New Jersey, to make final pre-embarkations preparations. From there, the battalion moved to the embarkation station at Camp Shanks, and boarded the ''Capetown Castle'',〔Vitamin Baker, 7〕 departing New York on 20 October 1943 and arriving at Liverpool, England〔Vitamin Baker, 11〕 on 2 November 1943.〔Unit Journal 741st Tank Bn, 2〕 The battalion continued its training in England, where it was selected to become part of the D-Day assault force. Training first with British Valentine tanks specially equipped with the duplex drive amphibious propulsion system beginning in January 1944, they later received similarly equipped M4s with which to continue training.〔Vitamin Baker, 10–15〕 The units loaded out their equipment in late May and waited in port for the final order for the assault landings.〔Vitamin Baker, 17,23〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「741st Tank Battalion (United States)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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