4:73rd Armor

• Origins in World War II: The lineage of the 4th Battalion, 73rd Armor Regiment traces back to the 756th Tank Battalion, activated in 1941, which saw combat in North Africa and Italy. • Cold War Armor: The 73rd Armor Regiment became an important armored force during the Cold War, equipped with M48 Patton and later M60 tanks stationed in Germany as part of NATO’s frontline defense. • Vietnam War Service: Elements of the 73rd Armor fought in Vietnam, providing armored support and security for infantry operations, including convoy protection and fire support. • Airborne Armor Innovation: The 4th Battalion, 73rd Armor was reactivated in the 1980s as an airborne unit, becoming one of the only battalions to combine parachute operations with armored reconnaissance. • Unique Armored Reconnaissance: The 4/73rd Armor was equipped with the M551 Sheridan, a light airborne tank capable of being air-dropped, making it one of the few tank units to regularly conduct parachute jumps. • Assignment to the 82nd Airborne: The battalion became the reconnaissance squadron for the 82nd Airborne Division, providing critical armored support to America’s premier rapid deployment force. • Panama and Desert Storm: 4/73rd Armor participated in Operation Just Cause (Panama, 1989) and Operation Desert Storm (Iraq, 1991), conducting reconnaissance and armored operations under combat conditions. • The Last Sheridan Jump: 4/73rd Armor conducted the last operational parachute drop of an M551 Sheridan tank, marking the end of an era for airborne armored vehicles. • Inactivation and Legacy: The battalion was inactivated in the late 1990s, but its legacy lives on in the reconnaissance and combined arms capabilities of modern airborne units. • Honors and Decorations: The 4/73rd Armor and its predecessors earned numerous awards, including Presidential Unit Citations and foreign decorations, for bravery and distinguished service in multiple conflicts.