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3rd Battalion - 81st Armor Regiment
"Royal Lions"

The 3rd Battalion, 81st Armor, provides to standard: instruction, training support, and Heavy Equipment Truck Transportation (HETT) for 1st ATB, the Armor School, ROTC/USMA, Reserve Component (6 states), USMC, and permanent party soldiers. The Fort Knox proponent for NBC defense course and CO CDR/1SG course.

The "Royal Lions" battalion was constituted on 28 August, 1941, as Company C, 81st Armor Regiment and activated at Fort Knox, Kentucky, on 1 October of that year. Following America's entry into the Second World War, on 20 September, 1943, the battalion was re-designated as the 707th Tank Battalion, where it saw combat as part of both the 5th and 7th Armored Divisions. As part of the drive through Europe the 707th participated in the campaigns of Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe. The 707th was awarded the Luxembourg Croix de Guerre, World War II streamer, for its outstanding wartime service. Following its successful campaigns in Europe, the 707th was inactivated at Boston, Massachusetts, on 8 October, 1945.

In the early months of the Korean War the battalion was re-designated as the 94th Medium Tank Battalion, 7th Armored Division and reactivated again on 24 November, 1950, at Camp Roberts, California, where it remained until inactivated on 15 November, 1953.

On 3 February, 1962, the battalion was relieved from assignment to the 7th Armored Division and re-designated as the 3d battalion, 81st Armor Regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System. The battalion was reassigned to the 5th Armored Division. On 25 March, 1987, the battalion was relieved from assignment to the 5th Armored Division and re-designated at Fort Knox, Kentucky as a training battalion. On 1 October, 1991, the battalion was again deactivated. The current mission of the battalion begins with the creation, on 20 July, 1965, of Committee Group. This unit was activated at Fort Knox with the mission of providing training support to Initial Entry Training soldiers. On 2 March, 1986, Committee Group was re-designated as Training Group, and was placed under the operational control of the 4th Training Brigade. On 30 July, 1993, Training Group was re-designated 3d Battalion, 81st Armor Regiment and attached to the 1st Armor Training Brigade.

On 15 September, 1997, the battalion accepted the attachment of the 233d Transportation Company (FORSCOM) from the 19th Engineer Battalion.

The mission of Alpha Company is to provide instruction training, and support in First Aid, Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defense, land navigation and Military Communications to soldiers/units at USAARMC and Fort Knox; and provide communications-electronic maintenance support to 1st Armor Training Brigade.

The mission of Bravo company is to provide Combat Indoctrination and U.S. Weapons training and support to individuals / units at United States Army Armor Center and Fort Knox.

The mission of the C Company is to provide Basic Rifle and Pistol Marksmanship training and support to enhance the training of individuals and units of the United States Army Armor Center and Fort Knox.

The mission of the 223rd Truck Company is to provide motor transportation support to:

• The United States Army Armor Center, Fort Knox, Kentucky
• The United States Army Infantry School, Fort Benning, Georgia
• 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Georgia
• 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Georgia

On order, the 223rd Truck Company deploys and provides combat heavy equipment transportation support to forward deployed armored and mechanized divisions.