The Story of the 10th Armored Division cont.
This was the finish line for the Tiger Division; it was relieved April 30. Eight days later — May 8, 1945 — Victory-in-Europe Day was officially proclaimed.
These triumphant Tigers were tired. The last big push had been 69 days and nights of almost continuous contact with the enemy, of little sleep, of bone-jarring road marches, of battle-strained nerves, of rain, snow and cold. Now it was finished.
The 10th could relax and reflect on a brilliant combat record. Tigers spearheaded 600 miles through five foreign countries, seized 450 towns and cities, fought in three of America's four active Western Front Armies, taken 35,000 prisoners. Driving "Always Into the Enemy," the Tigers had met and beaten Germany's best.
At the end of Victory's trail, they paused, remembering comrades who had fallen in the blazing
trail. The resolve now was firm:
"..that these honored dead shall not have died in vain."
Teamwork is essential to any successful combat organization, but in a few instances does it surpass that found in the armored team. In the break-through type of fighting — mechanized warfare — tankmen and motorized infantry invariably are surrounded by the enemy. They advance swiftly, placing lives in the trust that engineers can clear and destroy a strongpoint, that signalmen can maintain communications, that ordinancemen can repair, replace damaged vehicles; that medics will care for the wounded.
The story of the Tenth Armored Division is the story of one such team — a winning team!