| 741st Tank Battalion | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1942 – 45; 1949 – 52 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Type | Tank/armor |
| Size | Battalion |
| Part of | Independent unit |
| Motto(s) | Strenue et Audactor (Strenuously and Bravely) |
| Equipment | M4 Sherman, M5 Stuart |
| Campaign credit | World War II
|
| Insignia | |
| Distinctive unit insignia | &sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:741st_Tank_Bn_Coat_of_Arms.jpg) |
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 remainder 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 It was withdrawn from the 96th Infantry Division and inactivated in 1952.[1]
- ^ Sawicki, pp. 315–316