Francis McDonough

The 1st Battalion, 35th Armor Regiment (1/35th Armor), known as "Conquerors," was originally constituted in 1941 and assigned to the 4th Armored Division during World War II. The battalion participated in major campaigns across Europe, including the liberation of France and the Battle of the Bulge, earning numerous commendations for valor and effectiveness in armored warfare. In the decades following WWII, 1/35th Armor served in various Cold War assignments and later supported operations in the Middle East, including deployments to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Today, the unit continues to uphold its legacy of excellence as part of the U.S. Army’s armored forces, contributing to both combat and peacekeeping missions worldwide.

The 35th Armor Division, while not an official historical unit of the United States Army, can be depicted as a fictional armored formation activated during the early years of the Cold War. Established in 1952, the division was tasked with defending Western Europe as part of NATO's deterrence strategy against potential Soviet aggression. Throughout the 1960s, the division participated in numerous large-scale exercises in Germany, honing its combined arms tactics and rapid deployment capabilities. Although never deployed to active combat, the 35th Armor Division played a crucial role in maintaining the readiness and credibility of NATO's armored forces until its deactivation in 1975 during a period of force restructuring.