Nicknames of United States Army Divisions - Armored Divisions

Armored Divisions

• 1st Armored Division – "Old Ironsides" (official, 1941); thought up by its first commander, Major General Bruce R. Magruder, after he saw a picture of the USS Constitution, which bears the same nickname
• 2nd Armored Division – "Hell on Wheels"; Brigadier General George S. Patton, while witnessing it on maneuvers in 1941, reportedly said the Division would be "Hell on Wheels" when it met the enemy
• 3rd Armored Division – "Spearhead"; in recognition of the division's role as the "spearhead" of many attacks during the liberation of France in 1944
• 4th Armored Division
  • "Breakthrough" – According to the Center of Military History, the 4th was "sometimes called the 'Breakthrough Division,' but the division never officially pursued the designation, preferring to be 'known by its deeds alone.'"
  • "Name Enough"
  • "Rolling Fourth"
• 5th Armored Division – "Victory"; probably from the Roman numeral 5, which is a "V" (for "victory").
• 6th Armored Division – "Super Sixth"
• 7th Armored Division – "Lucky Seventh"
• 8th Armored Division
  • "Thundering Herd"
  • "Iron Deuce"
  • "Iron Snake"
  • "Show Horse"
  • "Tornado"
• 9th Armored Division –
  • "Phantom"; so dubbed by the German army at the Battle of the Bulge because, according to the United States Holocaust Museum, the division "seemed, like a phantom, to be everywhere along the front."
  • "Remagen"; because the division captured intact the Ludendorf Bridge at Remagen, Germany; the first bridge across the Rhine River captured by the Allies.
• 10th Armored Division – "Tiger Division"; so named by Major General Paul Newgarden, the division's first commander, because a tiger has soldierly qualities, including being clean and neat and the ability to maneuever and surprise his prey.
• 11th Armored Division – "Thunderbolt"
• 12th Armored Division – "Hellcat"
• 13th Armored Division – "Black Cat"
• 14th Armored Division – "Liberators"; earned during the last days of World War II when it liberated some 200,000 Allied prisoners of war from German prison camps
• 20th Armored Division – "Armoraiders"; not official, but the division did associate itself with this nickname while in training at Camp Campbell during World War II
• 27th Armored Division – "Empire"; referring to the fact that it was a New York National Guard unit, after the state's nickname.
• 30th Armored Division – "Volunteers"; referring to the fact that it was a Tennessee National Guard unit, after the state's nickname.
• 40th Armored Division – "Grizzly"; referring to the fact that it was a California National Guard unit, after the state's nickname.
• 48th Armored Division – "Hurricane"
• 49th Armored Division – "Lone Star"; referring to its status as a Texas National Guard formation, after the state's nickname
• 50th Armored Division – "Jersey Blues"; referring to the fact that it was a New Jersey National Guard unit. This is today's 50th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.