"In September 1943, the Panthers moved to Camp Hood, Texas. There most of the battalion left the light, M-5 Stuart tank and moved to the M-4 medium Sherman tank. For the year they were at Camp Hood, the Panthers were the aggressor tanks for the tank destroyer units and worked to give those units the best possible combat training. Consistently the 761st outmaneuvered and defeated other units. It was the Panthers’ superior tactical proficiency and genuine pride in their accomplishments that led to their cockiness — real or perceived. This expertise and confidence proved crucial to their combat lethality. While at Camp Hood, the battalion came up with the ferocious black panther as its insignia. Its motto, 'Come out fighting,' was adopted from boxer Joe Louis. When asked how he planned to fight German Max Schmeling in 1938, Louis responded, 'I am going to come out fighting.'" [DiNicolo]
