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Home of the WWII 808th Tank Destroyer Battalion

Story of the WWII 808th Tank Destroyer Battalion

A synopsis of how the US became involved in WWII
The creation of Tank Destroyers is examined.
Training Tank Destroyers and the 808th TD Btn
A short history of the greatest army the world has ever known.
The 808th TD Btn was engaged in combat everyday they were online in Europe
      The 808 landed at Utah Beach in France
      The 808 goes into combat in Dieulouard, France
      Who the 808 fought with and what campaigns they were directly involved in.
      Headquarters for the 808th TD Btn in Europe
Victory in Europe
Every page in this section of the site is listed in outline form.
eagle background
Eagle flag

Utah Beach

The 808 TD land at Utah Beach

 
This is one of the few pictures available of Utah Beach taken in 1944, after D-Day.

Though the 808 TD did not arrive in the ETO until September they quickly caught up with the action and proceeded to seek, strike and destroy the enemy.

 

 

This is a contemporary picture of Utah Beach with a 60 year old amphibious vehicle still sitting there.

There were 2 LVTs sitting on Utah Beach until 2004. Now there is only one. It is being restored (2007) due to heavy rust. There is a plaque nearby which describes this LVT as a test vehicle. And you mean to tell me the Germans still lost? We were using untested vehicles when we arrived at Utah beach and they still let us in, heavy casualties yes but we knocked the enemy down and went on in.

LVTs were first designed by Donald Roebling for rescue work in Florida after a series of hurricanes in the 1920s and 1930s. The military became interested in 1938 but funds were not available at that time. Roebling used his own money to further development and the military finally became interested in 1940 as war seemed to be imminent. When the military did become involved the material for building the LVT changed to steel. The Ford Motor Company also became involved at this time to increase production.

The tracks on the LVT had spoon like scoops that allowed the vehicle to be self propelled in water as will as give it grip on the soft surfaces found on beaches. The scoops did not make the LVT viable for hard surfaces of dirt or pavement.


When 1944 is ancient history and few remember WWII it will be difficult to tell if the landscape was littered with mortar or meteors. (Not really, grass rarely grows where a meteor fell but it does grow where mortar exploded.)

This is the remains of a German bunker. I would have thought just our arrival on D-Day and the massacre they suffered against all odds would have given them the idea to give up and not continued on for so long trying to win a war they had no chance of winning.

 

Next - The 808 Enter Combat

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