DUANE
Duane's take
Well, the marker tells it this way, and I'm just the voice carryin' it down the road. The Second Armored Division, United States Army — better known by the name Gen. George S.
Patton, Jr. gave them in 1941: Hell on Wheels. That name alone ought to tell you something about what was coming. But let's back up, because this story has deep roots.
Among the units folded into this division is Battery A, 1st Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery — a force that has been in service since 1778. Seventeen seventy-eight. Before the nation was hardly a nation at all.
That battery carried its long history straight into the age of mechanized combat, into lightning mobility and massive firepower, into a world that had changed almost beyond recognition. Now, picture the year 1940. German panzers are overran France — rolling through it like it wasn't even there.
The United States Congress looks at that and decides something has to be done. So they created the 1st and 2nd American Armored Divisions. The 2nd was organized on July 15, 1940, at Fort Benning, Georgia, by Gen.
Charles L. Scott. Not even a full year old when Patton looked at what they were becomin' and decided Hell on Wheels was the only name that fit.
When World War II came, Hell on Wheels made history before most outfits even got their boots muddy. They were the first U.S. armored force in combat in that war. On November 8, 1942, they landed in North Africa.
And then the victories started stacking up — Safi, Casablanca, the assault on Sicily, the 1944 Normandy invasion, the Battle of the Bulge, and campaigns beyond those. Eleven thousand, seven hundred and two miles of combat advance. Let that number sit with you a moment.
Along those miles, the 2nd earned seven French Croix de Guerres and nineteen Distinguished Unit citations. And here's a distinction that stands alone in the history books: they were the first foreign division ever awarded the Fourragere of Belgium. Ever.
After the fighting, they weren't done with history just yet. The 2nd Armored Division provided the Honor Guard for President Harry S. Truman at the Potsdam peace conference.
And when the world finally settled into something resembling peace, the division found its permanent home. Since 1945, that home has been Fort Hood, right here in Bell County, Texas. Hell on Wheels — born in Georgia, forged across three continents, and resting its boots in Texas.
Seems about right.
What the marker says
Gen. Patton's "Hell on Wheels," the 2nd Armored Division, United States Army Formed to meet 20th century challenges, this force includes Battery A, 1st Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery, which has been in service since 1778. That battery and other veteran units have found new capabilities in this age of mechanized combat involving lightning mobility and massive firepower. In 1940, as German panzers overran France, the United States Congress created the 1st and 2nd American Armored Divisions. The 2nd was organized July 15, 1940, at Fort Benning, Ga., by Gen. Charles L. Scott, and received its "Hell on Wheels" name in 1941 from Gen. George S. Patton, Jr. First U.S. armored force in combat in World War II, "Hell on Wheels" landed in North Africa on Nov. 8, 1942. It won great victories at Safi and Casablanca, in the assault on Sicily, the 1944 Normandy invasion, the Battle of the Bulge, and other campaigns. Along 11,702 miles of combat advance, the 2nd won 7 French Croix de Guerres, 19 Distinguished Unit citations, and was first foreign division ever given the Fourragere of Belgium. The 2nd provided Honor Guard for President Harry S. Truman at the Potsdam peace conference. Since 1945 Fort Hood has been 2nd's permanent base. (1975)