Samuel Hogan

Samuel Mason Hogan (November 9, 1915 – May 3, 2005) was a career United States Army officer, serving from 1938 to 1968. In World War II Hogan would serve as commander of the 3rd Armored Division's 3rd Battalion, 33rd Armored Regiment also known as Task Force Hogan. At 28 years old, he was purportedly the youngest American tank battalion commander during WWII and would rise to colonel during his service.

In early 1941 he was assigned to Troop F, 13th Armored Regiment, 1st Armored Division, at the embryonic Armored Center, Ft. Knox, KY. There, he commanded a basic training company. In April 1941 he moved to Camp Beauregard, LA, as assistant S-3 of the 33rd Armored Regiment in the newly formed 3rd Armored Division. In December 1941 he was promoted to captain and commanded the Regimental Recon Company. Promoted to major in 1942, he became 3rd Battalion commander before moving to the Desert Training Center, what is now Fort Irwin, CA. Promoted to lieutenant colonel, he trained at Indiantown Gap, PA, before shipping off with his unit to the Midlands, England. responsible for the welfare, lives and mission accomplishment of 500 soldiers operating 54 Sherman tanks and assorted other vehicles.

Hogan's Task Force, deployed on a ridge near the hamlet of Chérencé-le-Roussel, fought off a probe by enemy Mark IV tanks destroying six of them. The enemy tanks were the first wave of Operation Luttich in that sector. For this action, Sam Hogan received the Silver Star for gallantry in action.

In the city of Mortain, the main German spearheads began encircling the US infantry unit within, the 120th Regiment from the 30th Infantry Division. For the following five days, Task Force Hogan fought to relieve the US 120th Infantry Regiment encircled in the hilltop redoubt of Mortain as they held off the German advance to Avranches. In the face of heavy German attacks by SS regiments, artillery of all types and several Luftwaffe sorties, they held their ground and kept pressure off the surrounded GIs of the 30th Infantry Division until 12 August, when Hitler gave his exhausted troops permission to discontinue the attack.

After helping defeat Operation Luttich, Task Force Hogan helped close the Falaise Pocket as the First Army unit on the flank of the 2nd French Armored Division. Throughout the dash through France Sam Hogan's Sherman or Jeep always flew a Texas Flag from the radio antenna, to show his soldiers he was always out front with them. The Stars and Stripes reported on this morale quirk and local Frenchmen welcoming their liberators reacted with wide-eyed looks and smiles to Sam's remark that it was “the flag of the free Americans”.

From Falaise, they went on to liberate Mons and help net another pocket of 8000 German troops thereby destroying much of the equipment and combat power that could’ve stopped the allies at the German border fortifications of the Siegfried Line-just ahead on the far end of the small Belgian nation. After liberating Liege, they crossed into Germany proper where heavy battles secured the industrial towns around Stolberg, helping isolate Aachen, the first major German city in the allies’ path. Task Force Hogan was attached to 1st Infantry Division where tank-infantry tactics in urban terrain were perfected between Hogan's tanks and GIs of the 26th Infantry Regiment “Blue Spaders”. Their efforts paid off with the capture of the first major German city to fall to the allies in WWII-the old imperial capital of Aachen.

After Aachen, First Army needed to await the massive buildup of supplies and reinforcements necessary to take the bridges on the Rhine and then fight to the next objective- the industrial Ruhr region. But Adolf Hitler had another card up his sleeve.

The second time the unit would find itself in the way of a German offensive was at the Battle of the Bulge. On 19 December 1944, the only First Army units available to react to the German offensive through the Ardennes were the 82nd Airborne Division and one Combat Command of the 3rd Armored Division. Task Force Hogan was ordered to leave their advanced positions in Germany and double back to Belgium with the objective Houffalize. The Task Force was down to 1/3 of their available tanks and received zero intelligence about enemy strength or intentions.

After an all-night march towards the objective, with V-1 flying bombs pulsing overhead on the way to destroy allied supply dumps in Antwerp, they arrived at La Roche with fuel tanks half full and no planned resupply. A morning leaders recon left the command group cut off after running into a column of Germans dressed as Americans. Samuel Hogan, his Operations Officer, Major Travis Brown and the Recon Platoon Leader, Lieutenant Clark Worrell escaped into the woods as the enemy looted their disabled jeeps. They rejoined the Task Force after spending 12 hours evading German patrols in the Ardennes forests. For the next six days Task Force Hogan fought skilled delaying actions from hilltop town to hilltop town until surrounded and cut off by the 116th Panzer (Greyhound) and 246th Infantry Divisions.

On Christmas Night “Hogan's 400” marched 12 miles through enemy held woods back to US lines. It was a Christmas miracle that made the news back home including in Cinema reels, local newspaper stories and the Stars and Stripes-the periodical for deployed soldiers.

[Hogan's 400 — Memorial website dedicated to Task Force Hogan

and the encirclement of Marcouray, December 1944]

The Battle of the Bulge ended any further thoughts of a US advance towards the Rhine in 1944.

Samuel_M_Hogan

After their daring escape on Christmas Day, the Task Force rested for five days until they could receive new tanks, wheeled vehicles and small arms. On 3 January 1945 they participated in the counteroffensive to eliminate the bulge and push the Germans back to their starting point of 16 December 1944. After heavy fighting the final German units were driven back to their starting positions on 25 January 1945. The Bulge was the largest battle ever fought by the US Army. Spearhead sustained battle losses of 125 medium tanks, 38 light tanks, and 1,473 casualties, including 187 killed in action.

It was almost the end of January 1945, but Spearhead still had many more days of combat in front of them. After more refitting, including being among the first to employ the new M26 Pershing, Task Force Hogan pushed on deeper into Germany.

In retirement, Hogan stayed active running a wildlife safari company in the Amazon basin and Andean highlands. He was also a tireless advocate for animal welfare, equal rights and the environment. In 2002, he was made honorary colonel of the 26th Infantry Regiment, a rare honor for a non-infantry officer. Hogan died from complications resulting from a fall in May 2005 at the age of 89.

Family

Hogan lost his wife Gina to cancer in 1963. He remarried and in total raised 4 children. His eldest son Patrick served honorably in the Vietnam War as a Military Intelligence combat cameraman and image interpretation specialist. His youngest children, William and Mary, served as officers in the active duty army with multiple deployments and overseas tours.

Awards and decorations

Colonel Hogan's individual awards and decorations include the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit medals, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, and the Army Commendation Medal. The American Defense Service Medal, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with five campaign stars, the World War II Victory Medal, Army of Occupation Medal with "Germany" clasp, the World War II French Croix De Guerre Medal with Silver Star (for mention in dispatches at the Division level), the Belgian fourragere and the Republic of Ecuador Order of Abdon Calderon.

BadgesArmy Staff Identification BadgeOffice of the Secretary of Defense Identification Badge