The 8th Armored Division was activated at Fort Knox, Kentucky, on April 1 1943 then was sent to Camp Polk, Louisiana on March 5 1943 then to the Fourth Army #6 Louisiana Maneuvres on February 2 1944.
The 8-AD returned to Camp Polk, Louisiana on April 26 1944, staged at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, on November 2 1944 until it departed the New York POE on November 6 and arrived in England on November 19 1944.
The 8th Armored Division landed in France on January 5 1945, crossed into Holland on February 5 1945 and entered in Germany on March 2 1945.
Wen the job was over, the 8-AD was sent back to Hampton Roads POE on November 13 1945 and was inactivated at the same date at Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia.
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The 6th Armored Division was activated on Feb 15 1942 at Fort Knox, Kentucky then moved to Camp Chaffee, Arkansas on March 15 to participate (Aug 25 1942) to the VIII Corps Louisiana Maneuvers.
The 5th Armored Division was activated at Fort Knox Kentucky Oct 1 1941 and was moved on Feb 16 1942 to Camp Cooke in California. On Aug 14 1942, it participated in the Desert Training Center Armored Corps California Maneuvers and returned to Camp Cooke Nov 19 1942. On Mar 17 1942, the Division moved to the 2nd Army #1 Tennessee Maneuvers and arrived at Pine Camp New York Jun 24 1943. It moved then to Indian town Gap Mil Res Pennsylvania Dec 8 1943; staged at Camp Kilmer New Jersey during Feb 1944 until departed New York POE on Feb 11 1944 and arrived in England on Feb 24 1944. The 5th Armored Division landed in France Jul 25 1944, crossed into Luxembourg Sep 2 1944 and into Belgium Oct 5 1944. The Division, finally, entered Germany Dec 1 1944, returned to Belgium Dec 24, to Holland Feb 5 1945 and re-entered Germany Feb 25 1945. Sent back to USA, the 5th Armored landed in New York Oct 10 1945 and was inactivated at Camp Kilmer New Jersey Oct 11 1945.
Colonel Daniel Van Voorhis took a cadre of 175 Officers and Enlisted Men from Fort Eustis to Fort Knox in February 1932 and established a Provisional Armored Car Platoon. This was based on an earlier effort, but was predicated on a new Cavalry Regiment which was published that year. Also published, but never implemented, was a Cavalry Division which reflected the – then – unnatural assimilation of machines into the Horse Cavalry. Van Voorhis’s cadre and platoon became the kernel for the 7th Cavalry Brigade, which went active on March 1, 1932 at Fort Knox. At first, it was nothing more than a headquarters detachment and the Armored Car Platoon. On Jan 3, 1933, the 1st Cavalry Regiment was relieved from assignment to the 1st Cavalry Division, and was moved from Fort A D Russell to Fort Knox. The earlier Mechanized Platoon was incorporated into the new Regimental TO & E (Table of Organization & Equipment), and the result was the 1st Cavalry Regiment (Mechanized), which went active on January 16, 1933.
