vocabulary when they hit the beaches. Procurement of combat vehicles was handled through Corps and
Army where allocations had to be made and frequently a considerable difficulty was encountered in
obtaining enough tanks to keep rolling. When the race across France was at its peak, the supply
situation became increasingly critical. A gasoline shortage threatened the advance of the 712th and the
tanks stopped in their tracks near RHEIMS while the vital fluid was flown in by air. Curtailment of
ammunition was first felt before METZ when artillery rounds were rationed. At this time the battalion
was firing indirectly and special allocations had to be procured to fulfill missions. All maintenance parts
were secured by the battalion maintenance who kept the tanks rolling most efficiently. Possibly the
most difficult operation for supply was near WINTERSPELT, Germany, where roads had to be
completely rebuilt throughout the entire sector; and in spite of the fact that the battalion operated at one
time with a shortage of fifteen trucks, business as usual was the rule. Often it was necessary for the
battalion to be re-supplied with all classes of equipment when tanks were lost with all equipment inside.
Although radio parts were often difficult to procure, all radios were constantly maintained to a high
degree of working order by the Battalion Maintenance Signal Section. In the final phase of the war a
convoy of seven trucks enroute to a gas dump was ambushed by the enemy, resulting in one driver’s
death and the capture of several others. Eventual annihilation of the enemy forces ensued shortly, and
the captives were behind the wheel when V-E Day was proclaimed.
The Medical Detachment of the 712th Tank Battalion worked with the collecting companies of
the 315th Medical Battalion and the 8th Medical Battalion during the bitter hedgerow fighting in
Normandy, often within range of small arms fire. Here, medical personnel worked sedulously, with the
recognized red cross as their only weapon. A vehicle and three enlisted men were always attached to a
Task Force and not infrequently reconnaissance troops intercepted ambulances or litter “peeps” coming
from enemy held territory to obtain information. On the march to Le Mans, the Detachment acted as a
mobile aid station for the infantry as well as the tankers. Medical treatment and evacuation of casualties
on the move presented great difficulties, requiring personnel to work for more than thirty-six hours
without rest. Evacuation meant “bucking” columns of vehicles in extreme blackout conditions through
enemy held territory, sometimes as much as twenty miles back from the scene of action. Nor was the
administering of aid to casualties confined to military personnel; numerous civilians were treated as
well. The Detachment always carried enough medical supplies for a five-day period at least.
Replenishments were secured from collecting companies along with the blanket and litter exchange. At
the Falaise Gap the greater part of the medical personnel worked with the collecting companies of the
315th Medical Battalion, which handled over 300 patients per company in a 24-hour period; however,
practically all of these casualties were enemy troops. At St. Marie-aux-Chenes and Kirschnaumen,
France, the importance of immunizations necessitated the giving of serum to the men on the front lines
where the procedure was periodically interrupted by enemy fire. The health of the battalion attests to the
importance of the serum. The detachment received the well-deserved combat medical badge for
superior work.
The responsibility of maintaining all vehicles in a working condition rested upon the
maintenance crews who applied their skills daily in keeping the tanks and other vehicles operating with
maximum efficiency. Alert minds and nimble fingers worked in coordination to minimize the number
of “deadlined” vehicles. Disabled tanks were retrieved by crews of intrepid recovery personnel, in the
face of withering enemy fire. Long, arduous hours of repair work inconvenienced by extreme blackout
conditions were performed irrespective of the weather, however inclement. Never was there time-out
for the maintenance crews, as poor roads and rough terrain took their toll of vehicles even as enemy fire.
And what Headquarters and Service Companies accomplished on a large scale was duplicated at
Company level for each of the line Companies. Here, too, the administrative, supply, maintenance and
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