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Anybody who couldn’t understand the need for gas rationing late in 1944 and 1945 might stop and reflect for a minute on the combat career of the 7th Armored Division. During nine months of action, from August to May, the “Lucky 7th”—just one of 15 armored divisions that saw action in the European Theater of Operations—used up 3,127,151 gallons of fuel, well over 10,000 gallons a day. And at that it ran out of gas.
It was at Verdun that the 7th Armored had to halt and wait for its fuel to catch up with it. Landing in Normandy on August 10, it set out in the direction of Chartres and, before it stopped, had covered 620 miles in its first 21 days in Europe, passing through Reims, Melun and Château-Thierry on the way.
The Lucky 7th really got around. It traveled nearly 2,000 miles, and served under four armies and eight corps. After being refueled at Verdun, it headed for Metz, and battered away at the outlying fortifications of that stronghold along with Doughboys of the 5th Infantry Division. Then the 7th Armored was transferred up to Holland, under the British Second Army.
On December 16, the 7th Armored Division was at St.Vith, when the Germans launched their counteroffensive in the Ar-dennes. For the next month, it fought furiously in the Battle of the Bulge, first losing ground and then grimly battling its way back into its former positions. After the Germans were thrown back, the Division got a brief rest, and then, late in March, came back to the front and broke out into Germany after crossing the Rhine at Remagen, where the 9th Armored had seized the bridge. Roaming unchecked in enemy territory, the Lucky 7th was ultimately assigned to reducing the Ruhr pocket. The Germans tried to make the job as uncomfortable as possible, even turning flak guns primarily used for antiaircraft against the advancing 7th Armored. But the Division was not fazed by this, and had the last say when, on April 16, it forced an entire panzer corps to surrender to it.
From the Ruhr, the 7th Armored journeyed north again, re-joining the British north of the Elbe and pointing its tanks toward the Baltic Sea. It had made a specialty of collecting German cities—Giessen, Hemer, Menden, Grevesmuhlen and Dassow were among the ones it had taken—but now it began to specialize in collecting Germans. It began picking up so many prisoners that merely controlling the flow of its prisoner traffic became a problem, and at one time it had 51,000 in its camps. By the war’s end, the 7th Armored Division’s total bag of prisoners was computed at 113,042—not a bad return for the expenditure of fuel.
From Fighting Divisions, Kahn & McLemore, Infantry Journal Press, 1945-1946.
"Lucky Seventh"
Activated 1 Mar 42
Arrived ETO 13 Jun 44
Arrived Continent (D/65) 10 Aug 44
Entered Combat:
First Element 13 Aug 44
Entire Division 14 Aug 44
Days in Combat 172
Northern France
Ardennes
Rhineland
Central Europe
Headquarters Company
Reserve Command
Combat Command A
Combat Command B
17th Tank Bn
31st Tank Bn
40th Tank Bn
23d Armored Infantry Bn
38th Armored Infantry Bn
48th Armored Infantry Bn
87th Cavalry Rcn Sq (Mecz)
33d Armored Engineer Bn
147th Armored Signal Co
7th Armored Division Artillery
434th Armored Field Artillery Battalion
440th Armored Field Artillery Battalion
489th Armored Field Artillery Battalion
7th Armored Division Trains
129th Ordnance Maintenance Battalion
77th Armored Medical Battalion
Military Police Platoon
Band
13 Jun 1944 Maj Gen Lindsay M Silverster
1 Nov 1944 Brig Gen Robert W Hasbrouck
4 Jan 1945 Maj Gen Robert W Hasbrouck
13 Jun 1944 Col Orville W Martin
13 Jun 1944 Col George H Molony
15 Sep 1944 Col Andrew J Adams
13 Nov 1944 Col Church M Matthews
17 Dec 1944 Col John L Ryan Jr
13 Jun 1944 Lt Col John V Maxwell
24 Jan 1945 Maj Charles R Grant
1 Mar 1945 Lt Col Charles R Grant
13 Jun 1944 Lt Col Everett W Murray
13 Jun 1944 Lt Col Alvin L Mente Jr
2 Sep 1944 Lt Col Charles E Leydecker
13 Jun 1944 Maj Reginald H Hodgson
15 Jul 1944 Lt Col Reginald H Hodgson
27 Jun 1944 Maj Rex Thompson
6 Nov 1944 Lt Col Rex Thompson
13 Jun 1944 Maj Ralph R Carlin
2 Jul 1944 Maj Francis E Carr
19 Oct 1944 Lt Col Francis E Carr
13 Jun 1944 Col Dwight A Rosenbaum
11 Jan 1945 Col William S Triplet
27 Mar 1945 Col Andrew J Adams
6 Apr 1945 Col William S Triplet
13 Jun 1944 Brig Gen John B Thompson
11 Sep 1944 Brig Gen John M Devine
22 Sep 1944 Brig Gen Robert W Hasbrouck
1 Nov 1944 Col Bruce C Clarke
10 Nov 1944 Brig Gen Bruce C Clarke
9 Feb 1945 Col Joseph F Haskell
13 Jun 1944 Lt Col James W Newberry
4 Sep 1944 Col George H Molony
11 Sep 1944 Col Andrew J Adams
15 Sep 1944 Col Pete T Heffner Jr
20 Sep 1944 Lt Col William Fuller (Actg)
22 Sep 1944 Col John L Ryan Jr
17 Dec 1944 Lt Col Fred M Warren (Actg)
28 Dec 1944 Col Francis P Thompkins
203d AAA AW Bn (SP) 12 Aug 44-9 May 45
Br 4th Armd Brig (Br 7th Armd Div) 30 Oct 44-31 Oct 44
Combat Command B (9th Armd Div) 22 Dec 44-7 Jan 45
14th Cav Gp 18 Dec 44-1 Jan 45
300th Engr C Bn 25 Mar 45-17 Apr 45
774th FA Bn (4.5" Gun) 29 Sep 44-9 Nov 44
275th Armd FA Bn 18 Dec 44-20 Feb 45
591st FA Bn (106th Div) (105 How) 25 Dec 44-30 Dec 44
987th FA Bn (155 Gun) 18 Jan 45-29 Jan 45
26th FA Bn (9th Div) (105 How) 7 Mar 45-8 Mar 45
400th Armd FA Bn 25 Mar 45-17 Apr 45
809th FA Bn (155 How) 7 Apr 45-17 Apr 45
2d CT (5th Div) 10 Sep 44-15 Sep 44
Belg 1st Brig 8 Oct 44-31 Oct 44
Br 158th Brig (Br 53d Div) 30 Oct 44-31 Oct 44
424th CT (106th Div) 25 Dec 44-30 Dec 44
517th Prcht CT (Non-Div) 28 Dec 44-29 Dec 44
2d Bn 517th Prcht Inf (Non-Div) 11 Jan 45-27 Jan 45
509th Prcht Inf Bn 11 Jan 45-28 Jan 45
508th Prcht CT (Non-Div) 21 Jan 45-23 Jan 45
319th Glider FA Bn (82d Abn Div) 21 Jan 45-23 Jan 45
Co B 80th Abn AA Bn (82d Abn Div) 21 Jan 45-23 Jan 45
Co D 307th Abn AA Bn 21 Jan 45-23 Jan 45
424th CT (106th Div) 23 Jan 45-28 Jan 45
60th CT (-1st Bn) (9th Div) 8 Mar 45-9 Mar 45
39th Inf (9th Div) 8 Mar 45-19 Mar 45
3d Bn 395th Inf (99th Div) 4 Apr 45-14 Apr 45
1st Bn 11th Inf (5th Div) 15 Apr 45-17 Apr 45
814th TD Bn (SP) 13 Aug 44-9 May 45
820th TD Bn (SP) 25 Dec 44-30 Dec 44
