3AD — 3rd Armored Division
The U.S. Army’s 3rd Armored Division—nicknamed Spearhead—was activated in 1941 and forged a combat legacy from the hedgerows of Normandy to the deserts of the Gulf War.
In World War II, 3AD landed in Europe after D-Day and drove through Normandy, Northern France, the Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace (Battle of the Bulge), and Central Europe. During the Cold War, the division was forward-deployed in West Germany as part of NATO’s deterrent. In 1990–91, it fought with VII Corps in Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm, conducting rapid armored thrusts that helped liberate Kuwait. The division was inactivated in 1992, but its veterans and museums preserve the Spearhead story.
- Activated: 1941 • Nickname: “Spearhead”
- WWII: Normandy breakout, Battle of the Bulge, push into Germany
- Cold War: Forward-based in West Germany
- Gulf War: Key armored operations in 1991
- Inactivated: 1992 • Legacy honored by veterans & museums
