Battalion symbol and tank names
The tanks used by the 1st Corps (Medium) Tank Battalion were the first medium tanks (M4A2s - see technical manual) used in combat by the Marine Corps. The fourteen tanks of C Company of this battalion were used during the invasion of Betio. They were shared between one section and three platoons: one Headquarters (HQ) section and three line platoons, numbered from first to third.
Two tanks formed the HQ Section while the three other platoons were composed by four tanks each.
Each tank was identified by a non-official name, starting with the letter designating the company. It was painted on the front sides of the tank's hull and was a common practice used by many tank crews during WWII.
The following diagram shows the tank names and their platoon.
Two tanks formed the HQ Section while the three other platoons were composed by four tanks each.
Each tank was identified by a non-official name, starting with the letter designating the company. It was painted on the front sides of the tank's hull and was a common practice used by many tank crews during WWII.
The following diagram shows the tank names and their platoon.
Above the name was a symbol, an elephant. It was “one of the most distinctive of the war” (Gilbert).
The elephant with one foot upraised wears a red blanket on his back and fires a cannon ball with his trunk. If you look carefully at each tank, you will note that a stencil was used and each elephant was identical.
Hall of fame of C Co. I Corps Medium Tank Battalion on Tarawa is available here:
The origin of this symbol is unknown, as is the artist. The symbol reminds us of the war elephants that were the armored weapons of Hannibal who crossed the Alps to attack Rome in 218BC.
As Dr. Gilbert has noted, the symbol is very similar to the symbol used by the sports team of the University of Alabama, the Crimson Tide, during the 1930s.
Perhaps the artist studied there or was otherwise familiar with the symbol before joining the Marines. However the powerful elephant is a natural symbol for the tank, so there may be some other origin.
Later in the war, this symbol was re-used by the tanks of the 3rd Tank Battalion in 1944 and 1945.
Some of the fourteen tanks were re-used after Tarawa by the 2nd Separate Tank Company in the Marshall Islands in February 1944: see here.
The elephant with one foot upraised wears a red blanket on his back and fires a cannon ball with his trunk. If you look carefully at each tank, you will note that a stencil was used and each elephant was identical.
Hall of fame of C Co. I Corps Medium Tank Battalion on Tarawa is available here:
The origin of this symbol is unknown, as is the artist. The symbol reminds us of the war elephants that were the armored weapons of Hannibal who crossed the Alps to attack Rome in 218BC.
As Dr. Gilbert has noted, the symbol is very similar to the symbol used by the sports team of the University of Alabama, the Crimson Tide, during the 1930s.
Perhaps the artist studied there or was otherwise familiar with the symbol before joining the Marines. However the powerful elephant is a natural symbol for the tank, so there may be some other origin.
Later in the war, this symbol was re-used by the tanks of the 3rd Tank Battalion in 1944 and 1945.
Some of the fourteen tanks were re-used after Tarawa by the 2nd Separate Tank Company in the Marshall Islands in February 1944: see here.
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