805th Tank Destroyer Battalion

805th Tank Destroyer Battalion
Active	1941–1945
Country	United States
Allegiance	Army
Part of	Independent unit
Equipment	3" anti-tank guns M3 GMC M10 tank destroyer M18 Hellcat
Disbanded	1945

The 805th Tank Destroyer Battalion was a tank destroyer battalion of the United States Army active during the Second World War.

The battalion was formed from the 105th Antitank Battalion on 15 December 1941, in line with the reorganization of the anti-tank force. It was shipped to the United Kingdom in August 1942, and then deployed for the North African Campaign in January 1943, equipped with M3 GMC tank destroyers. It was attached briefly to the 34th Infantry Division, then attached to the 1st Armored Division on 20 February, just in time to see action at the Battle of the Kasserine Pass, where it took heavy losses. On 23 March, equipped with the new M10 tank destroyer, it fought at the Battle of El Guettar

In October 1943 it converted to a towed battalion equipped with 3" anti-tank guns, and was shipped to Italy, arriving in the Naples area on 25 October – the first 3" towed battalion to see combat. It was attached to the 34th Infantry Division in January 1944, and supported the division in fighting on the Bernhardt Line and at Monte Cassino, before being shipped to the Anzio beachhead in mid-March and attached to the 36th Infantry Division. In June, it was attached to the 1st Armored Division.

It re-equipped with M18 Hellcats in the summer of 1944, but continue to be used mainly for indirect-fire missions through the remainder of the war, attached to a variety of different units during the drive north. On 21 April 1945, they were attached to the 34th Infantry Division when it captured Bologna, and with the 88th Infantry Division when it reached the Brenner Pass in early May.

Tank Destroyer Battalion (SP) Structure - March 1944

References

Yeide, Harry (2007). The tank killers: a history of America's World War II tank destroyer force. Casemate. ISBN 978-1-932033-80-9.
US Tank and Tank Destroyer Battalions in the ETO 1944–45, by Steven J. Zaloga. Osprey Publishing, 2005. ISBN 1-84176-798-0
Tankdestroyer.net (Web based United States tank destroyer forces information resource) Tankdestroyer.net

United States Army tank destroyer battalions

601st 602nd 603rd 605th 606th 607th 608th 609th 610th 611th 612th 614th 626th 627th 628th 629th 630th 631st 632nd 633rd 634th 635th 636th 637th 638th 640th 641st 643rd 644th 645th 646th 647th 648th 649th 650th 651st 652nd 653rd 654th 655th 656th 657th 658th 659th 660th 661st 662nd 663rd 664th 665th 666th 667th 668th 669th 670th 671st 672nd 679th 691st 692nd 701st 702nd 703rd 704th 705th 706th 771st 772nd 773rd 774th 775th 776th 795th 801st 802nd 803rd 804th 805th 806th 807th 808th 809th 810th 811th 812th 813th 814th 815th 816th 817th 818th 819th 820th 821st 822nd 823rd 824th 825th 826th 827th 828th 829th 846th 893rd 894th 899th

Units in italics were formed but later disbanded, redesignated, or did not see overseas service

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