of the battalion was awarded the Medal of Honor in October 1944. During the move into southern Germany, on 26 January 1945, two tank destroyers of the battalion participated in the engagement for which Lieutenant Audie Murphy was awarded the Medal of Honor. It saw heavy action at the Colmar Pocket, destroying 18 enemy tanks and receiving a second Presidential Unit Citation, and was re-equipped with the M36 tank destroyer after this. It crossed the Rhine in March, fought in the capture of Nuremberg in April, and finished the war in Bavaria. Demobilization During demobilization, the tank destroyer battalions were deemed surplus to the requirements of the post-war Army, and the 601st was no exception; it was inactivated on 18 October 1945. It was reformed in the Army Reserve in 1949 and designated the 332d Heavy Tank Battalion, then the 601st Tank Battalion. The battalion was activated in 2004 and designated as the 61st Cavalry Regiment, part of the Regular Army, which now maintains the lineage of the 601st. References 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry History History of 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment Tankdestroyer.net (Web based United States tank destroyer forces information resource) Tankdestroyer.net Further reading American Knights, Victor Failmezger, The Untold Story of The Men of The Legendary 601st Tank Destroyer Battalion. ; Osprey Publishing Tank destroyer battalions of the United States Army Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 Military units and formations established in 1941