The 4th Armored Division landed across Utah Beach on July 13, 1944, entered combat four days later, and quickly became one of Third Army's principal exploitation forces. Combat Command B took Coutances on July 28, pushed into Avranches on July 30, and secured the See crossings that opened the route into Brittany. The division then drove through the Avranches corridor, reached Vannes on August 5, invested Lorient, entered evacuated Nantes, and turned east; Combat Command A took Orleans on August 16 and reached the Meuse at Commercy and Pont-sur-Meuse by the end of the month.

Campaign map image

World War II Campaign Map of the 4th Armored Division. Map courtesy of HistoryShots.

Purchase at HistoryShots →

The pursuit ended in Lorraine. In mid-September CCB crossed the Moselle near Lorey while CCA entered the Dieulouard bridgehead, then CCB forced the Marne-Rhine Canal at Crevic and Maixe and CCR moved into Luneville. Around Arracourt, from September 19 through 29, the division fought repeated German armored counterattacks. The battle included sharp reverses: CCA lines were overrun on September 25, Vic-sur-Seille and Moncourt were lost, and Hill 318 cost heavily. But the German attempt to retake Arracourt failed. After a short rehabilitation, the division returned to the Saar fighting in November, taking Fonteny, Dieuze, Rodalbe, Baerendorf, Wolfskirchen, and fighting at Bining before relief on December 7.

The Ardennes offensive brought the division north in a 150-mile movement to the Arlon-Luxembourg area. It took Martelange on December 22, fought at Chaumont and Bigonville, and on December 26 Combat Command R pushed through Assenois to reach Bastogne. The corridor still had to be held: CCA opened the Arlon-Bastogne highway on December 29, the division supported the 35th Infantry Division around Lutrebois, and it continued fighting toward Noville, Bourcy, and Hosdorf into February.

In 1945 the division crossed the Pruem, Nims, and Kyll approaches, reached the Rhine on March 8, crossed at Worms on March 24, and drove through Hanau, Darmstadt, Grossauheim, Creuzburg, Gotha, and Jena. It crossed the Saale on April 12, established bridgeheads over the Zwickau Mulde near Wolkenburg on April 13, went into reserve, then attacked through the Regen and Freyung passes into Czechoslovakia on May 6. Forward elements were at Pisek when hostilities ended on May 7.