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Description

M3 Stuart Tank of the 192nd Tank Battalion, US Army, Philippines, January, 1942.

A forlorn hope is a band of soldiers or other combatants chosen to take the vanguard in a military operation, such as a suicidal assault through the kill zone of a defended position, where the risk of casualties is high.

Such was the fate of the 192nd and 194th Tank Battalions of the National Guard. These two national guard units were formed in 1941 from separate tank companies in Minnesota, Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois, California, Wisconsin and Ohio. They arrived in the Philippine Islands in the fall of 1941 expecting to do a year of active duty and then return their civilian lives. That all changed on 7 December 1941.

The two light tank battalions were engaged heavily with the Japanese within two weeks of the start of the war and remained in continuous combat until the surrender of US forces in Bataan on 9 April 1942. Surprisingly, they were able to keep many of their tanks operating with fuel and ammunition for the entire 4 month campaign and were one of the most effective of the Allied / US Army units. Their reputation among the Japanese was such that the tankers of the battalions removed all unit insignia associating them with the tank battalions before surrendering because of the expected extra harsh treatment singled out for tankers.

Of the over 1000 men assigned to the two tank battalions, less than half survived the Philippine campaign, torture and mistreatment at the hands of the Japanese Army, transport on Japanese "Hell Ships," and the disease and malnutrition that prevailed in the force labor and prison camps.

Both tank battalions were awarded Presidential Unit Citations, the highest US Army award to units in combat.

Rendered using a 3D model and over-painted with photoshop.

Description

M3 Stuart Tank of the 192nd Tank Battalion, US Army, Philippines, January, 1942.

A forlorn hope is a band of soldiers or other combatants chosen to take the vanguard in a military operation, such as a suicidal assault through the kill zone of a defended position, where the risk of casualties is high.

Such was the fate of the 192nd and 194th Tank Battalions of the National Guard. These two national guard units were formed in 1941 from separate tank companies in Minnesota, Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois, California, Wisconsin and Ohio. They arrived in the Philippine Islands in the fall of 1941 expecting to do a year of active duty and then return their civilian lives. That all changed on 7 December 1941.

The two light tank battalions were engaged heavily with the Japanese within two weeks of the start of the war and remained in continuous combat until the surrender of US forces in Bataan on 9 April 1942. Surprisingly, they were able to keep many of their tanks operating with fuel and ammunition for the entire 4 month campaign and were one of the most effective of the Allied / US Army units. Their reputation among the Japanese was such that the tankers of the battalions removed all unit insignia associating them with the tank battalions before surrendering because of the expected extra harsh treatment singled out for tankers.

Of the over 1000 men assigned to the two tank battalions, less than half survived the Philippine campaign, torture and mistreatment at the hands of the Japanese Army, transport on Japanese "Hell Ships," and the disease and malnutrition that prevailed in the force labor and prison camps.

Both tank battalions were awarded Presidential Unit Citations, the highest US Army award to units in combat.

Rendered using a 3D model and over-painted with photoshop.