The Symbol of Armor

Armor, the combined arms force, is the spearhead of the attack, and the shoulder patch worn by its members proudly reflects that battle role. The three-colored triangle patch, with its superimposed track, gun, and lightning bolt, says it all. The triangle is an ancient heraldic armoral design known as a “Pile”, literally, a spearhead. The three colors represent the combined arms and Armor’s basic elements - blue for infantry, red for artillery, and yellow for cavalry. Superimposed in black upon the tricolor triangle are the representations of Armor’s prime assets: mobility, firepower, and shock. The track symbolizes mobility; the cannon shows firepower; and the lightning bolt represents shock. These are the assets and the functions of Armor, the combat arm of decision. The Tank Corps of the American Expeditionary Force was formed in France in January 1918, and Colonel S. D. Rockenbach was its chief. Rockenbach understood that the newly founded corps needed an insignia, something that its members could wear with pride to show who they were and what they did on the battlefield - much the same as the infantry’s divisional shoulder patches. He assigned Lieutenant Wharton, a member of his staff, the responsibility of designing a suitable insignia for the fledgling corps. The lieutenant followed accepted heraldic armorial practices when he designed the Tank Corps’ insignia. He used a silver shield for the background and superimposed upon it the charge (a three-colored triangle) and added a silver dragon (the charge on the coat-of-arms of the 1st Cavalry) as the crest above the shield. The laurel leaves represented valor on the battlefield and were an ancient symbol of military prowess. It was not until 1940, however, that the present Armor shoulder patch evolved. I n that year, the Armored Force was formed with Major General Adna R. Chaffee as its chief, and the shoulderpatch of the 7th Cavalry Brigade (Mechanized) was combined with the Tank Corps patch to make today’s Armor insignia. The 7th Cavalry Brigade (Mechanized) had been specifically formed to train for mechanized warfare. Its parent units had been the 1st Cavalry. Regiment, the 13th Cavalry Regiment, and the 68th Field Artillery Regiment. PFC Linthwaite (later colonel) and Major Robert W. Grow (later majorgeneral) had designed the 7th Cavalry Brigade’s patch, and Colonel Van Voorhis (later general) authorized its superimposition on the Tank Corps’ patch. The amalgamation of the Tank Corps’patch with the 7th Cavalry Brigade’s patch resulted in today’s Armor Force shoulder patch and cemented the link between the new and the old in Armor. Later, the function of the shield of the Tank Corps’ patch that had once borne the charge (the triangle) was taken over by the charge itself, and the shield was deleted. The present-day patch was approved by the War Department in November 1940. This successful union of three separate combat arms into a single viable strike force is visibleproof of the efficacy of American combined arms and their commitment to success on the battlefield. Mobility, firepower, and shock. Cavalry, artillery, and infantry. Armor. Forge the Thunderbolt! 46 ARMOR: The Magazine of Mobile Warfare