Operation Enduring Freedom 4th Battalion. Operation Iraqi Freedom. It was constituted as the 70th Tank Battalion in July , an independent tank battalion intended to provide close support to infantry units.
In this role, it saw action in the Mediterranean and European Theater of Operations , making assault landings and fighting with the 9th Infantry Division in North Africa, and with the 1st Infantry Division in Sicily. The 70th Tank Battalion was one of the first three tank battalions to deploy to Korea in the Korean War, where it saw significant action, primarily with the 1st Cavalry Division. Although there is no regimental headquarters, battalions of the 70th Armor Regiment have since served in various theaters and campaigns.
On 9 October , the last active battalion of the 70th Armor Regiment, the 4th Battalion, 70th Armor Regiment was inactivated along with its parent headquarters, the th Infantry Brigade Separate in Baumholder , Germany.
With 13 unit awards and 22 campaign streamers, the 70th Armor Regiment is the most decorated armor unit in the United States Army. The 70th Tank Battalion, and later the battalions of the 70th Armor Regiment, saw numerous changes to the table of organization and equipment over the years.
The battalion was initially formed as a light tank battalion, then converted to a standard tank battalion configuration during World War II. After the war, it was redesignated a heavy tank battalion, in which guise it fought in the Korean War. When reactivated in the early s, the battalions were reorganized again. They saw active service with relatively minor changes until the s when they were reorganized again as modernized tank battalions.
