3rd Armored Division (United States)

3rd Armored Division
The 3rd Armored Division's shoulder sleeve insignia.
Active	1941–1945 1947–1992
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army
Type	Armor
Role	Armored warfare
Size	Typically 15,000+
Nickname(s)	"Spearhead"[1]
March	Spearhead March
Engagements	World War II Operation Overlord Normandy landings Liberation of France Siegfried Line campaign Battle of the Bulge Western Allied invasion of Germany Gulf War
Commanders
Notable commanders	MG Maurice Rose MG Gordon B. Rogers MG Creighton Abrams
Insignia
Flag
NATO Map Symbol	3

The 3rd Armored Division (also known as "Spearhead", 3rd Armored, and 3AD) was an armored division of the United States Army. Unofficially nicknamed the "Third Herd", the division was first activated in 1941 and was active in the European Theater of World War II. The division was stationed in West Germany for much of the Cold War and also participated in the Persian Gulf War. On 17 January 1992, still in Germany, the division ceased operations. In October 1992, it was formally inactivated as part of a general drawing down of U.S. military forces at the end of the Cold War.^[3]