Hobby Master Archive

The 70th Tank Battalion operated during WW II and Korea. During WW II they fought in North Africa where they earned the name “Soixante-Dix” from the French forces. Next they were in Sicily and then back to England to prepare for D-Day. This is when the battalion adopted the mascot “Joe Peckerwood the “Truculent Turtle holding a tank shell and standing on top of the world. The 70th was sent to Korea at the onset of the conflict. They were equipped with M26 Pershing tanks that they gathered from the training facility and every tank they could by removing monument tanks. They were sent to Pusan, South Korea and took part in the Pusan breakout. After several battles and suffering some heavy losses in a couple of them the 70th ended up moving south to defend Seoul and took part in “Operation Commando” that established the present dividing line between North and South Korea.