The 11th Armored Division was activated on August 15, 1942 at Camp Polk, La. It underwent combat training at Camp Polk and Camp Barkeley, Tex., desert maneuvers at Camp Ibis, Calif., and combat readiness training at Camp Cooke, Calif., until June 1944. The division embarked from Staten Island, N.Y., on September 27, 1944, and disembarked in England on October 12th. It landed in France on December 17, 1944, crossed into Belgium on December 29, and entered Germany on March 5, 1945. During the invasion of German-held Austria, the division liberated Mauthausen and Gusen, two of the largest concentration camps in the country, on May 5, 1945. Cavalry patrols linked up with Russian forces advancing from the east at Amstetten on May 8th, the day following the German surrender, ending the combat record of the Thunderbolt Division. In five months of combat, the division took a total of 76,229 prisoners, not including 10,000 who were turned over to supporting infantry units, and 34,125 who were returned to Soviet jurisdiction under the terms of surrender. The division engaged in occupation duties until it was disbanded in September 1945.
From the description of Cary Grant and Don Barclay : Camp Polk, Louisiana, 1943 Mar. 8-10. (Louisiana State University). WorldCat record id: 630655989
