5:33rd Armor

The 5th Battalion, 33rd Armor (5/33rd Armor) traces its lineage to the activation of the 33rd Armor Regiment in 1941, which saw distinguished service in World War II as part of the 3rd Armored Division, advancing across France and Germany. The 5th Battalion was constituted during Cold War reorganization, serving primarily in Europe as a key element of NATO’s forward defense posture. Throughout the Cold War, 5/33rd Armor engaged in extensive training and readiness exercises to deter Warsaw Pact aggression. Following post-Cold War restructuring, the battalion was eventually inactivated, but its veterans remember it for fostering esprit de corps and operational excellence.