264th Signals Battalions . During the relay of firing commands, included were terms such as Up 15 or Down 5, from the zero. The latter part of my stay there, I met a German family whom lived in Allendorf, through Sabine & Greg, the Stockhauses. That is what I had when I arrived and a year later what I had when I left. There were instance after the Bulge were survivors who were in units wiped in the battle were farmed out to other battalions until their original units were reformed or the war was over. Using the vernacular of today, they could be described as a heavy weapons company on steroids. 1,557 of these records are those of soldiers whose bodies were missing, and not recovered. about practically any U.S.Army unit contact: jcontrovich@comcast.net. Arriving at the 264th in Bad Kreuznach I started one of the best experience and times of my life. We saw a huge convoy approaching us in the passing lane and someone saw that it was the same outfit that Elvis was in. Click here to open 'USArmyGermany' After 1st formation we had about a half hour to do section chores. The wide dispersal of an exploding shell, which could be more than 50 yards, gave the gunners room to be off a little bit. In this request, the assistant adjutant commented that the FSM had been discharged as a master sergeant to accept a battlefield commission as a second lieutenant. Looking through the sight once again to determine that he was still lined up with the aiming stakes, his last task would be to level the bubble and shout Ready! This told the Section Chief that the gun was ready to fire; he then held up his right arm as a signal to the gun crew. After the rocket leaves the launcher the crewmen rapidly march order the section. My father was with the 662nd FA Battalion in Europe in WWII. I left out a lot, but that's the easy synopsis. The projectile is fuzed and placed on the loading tray, and power rammed into the breech recess. Our problem was Moses had rotated to the US so we were down to one pitcher, Capt. We bowled, played softball, went to the library or just tried to look busy. CJ Kelly (author) from the PNW on May 17, 2020: I might have some contacts for you, when you have a minute, just email me. This included self-propelled units such as the 275th Armored Field Artillery, who were positioned just north of the 106th. I really appreciate it. I remember going to Grafenwoehr for some sort of Family weekend and my Dad was wearing his .45 cal Colt M1911A1 and ear plugs. I believe the 15th FAB has a Facebook page too. Thx. Since I sent you the first e-mail, I have had a chance to read some of the other emails on your site. Looking for more information from military/civilian Estimates of the number of German forces left behind in these pockets ran from fifty to one hundred thousand. I remember, in Giessen, we had to have two weeks worth of rations ready at home in case the Russians came in and we (dependents) had to bug out. There are pictures of convoys, survey crew at work, trips to London, Paris and Amsterdam, scenes of Germany during our surveying, and of BK. Can you help me to find anything about where they went and what they did? He drove by with a smile and gave us a sweeping Hi and a wink. Arriving in England in February 1944, the 333rd and 969th battalions shipped over to Normandy in July and provided vital artillery support to American forces through months of hard fighting, including at the siege of Brest, France. Thank you for any other sources that I can be directed to. CJ Kelly (author) from the PNW on January 20, 2018: Hi Mr. Mercadante, glad to hear about your project. NEW ! He also said that his unit was emplaced for a couple weeks around Kassel, Germany during the Rhineland Campaign as he got strafed by German fighters. I remember one of the Lieutenants (a company commander?) I cannot find either a towed 155mm Howitzer or Long Tom 155mm battalion (non-divisional) designated as the 274th. Or did the units adjust while in the field during Korea? The Battalion was awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC). I'm also available on Google + or Twitter. (4) 11 Oct 56 to 27 May 57: Battalion S-1 and Adjutant (3) 7Jun 56 to 11 Oct 56: Gun Platoon Commander, A Battery (2nd Gun Platoon) On an HE round, the ammunition crews could set it for either point detonating (PD) or time superquick (TSQ). Thanks for the quick response and that would be amazing if you could turn up something to add to our story. It was very common for the men to be reassigned to other units after the end of hostilities, as some units were rotated home as well as individual personnel based on points. Battalions were usually headed by a lieutenant colonel with an executive officer who was usually a major. One or more of the battalions of a group might be attached for direct support to an individual division. hey just reminding you it is past the first week in dec thanks. The sergeant in the middle is instructing the soldier on attaching the shell (top part) to the casing below after it has been packed with ammo bags. My dad was with the 268th FA during the Bulge. I read that the first guns got there in Oct and not Novas I remembered it. The 406th was probably sent home first as the 196th did occupation duty for a couple of months. CJ Kelly (author) from the PNW on September 28, 2017: Hi Mr. Burr. Does anyone have suggestions on where to look or find roster of the unit, or unit picture? It seems there was a DP camp over the hill from our position. Type in 83rd Infantry Division. And I didn't really think about how the army wouldn't stop practicing, because my father's section, at least, thought they were going on to Japan. My father, LTC Henry Ewell (Hank) Strickland, Jr. (deceased 12/20/2012) was commander of 6th Battalion, 9th Artillery (175 mm Self-Propelled howitzers) which was at Rivers Barracks in Giessen, Germany. who does research at the Library of Congress, did a search on my father for me. There were 1,098 battle casualties and 849 non-battle casualties. I am hoping to find any information about my Dad's service and whether my Dad could entitled to this award plus the Army of Occupation Medal. If you would like to send a photo, that would be great. Then during the Civil War, the artillery branch began the practice of having red stripes down the side of their pants to distinguish from the infantry (who still wear blue). In January 2017, the World War I commemorative program expanded when ABMC acquired its 26th cemetery, the Lafayette Escadrille Memorial Cemetery near Paris. Each Nike missile battery is divided into three principal areas: The administrative area, the fire control area, and the launching area. 264th Field Artillery Battalion 401st Field Artillery Group 187th Field Artillery Battalion 809th Field Artillery Battalion 7th Armored Division: Brigadier General R.W.Hasbrouck CCA CCB CCR 23rd Armored Infantry Battalion 38th Armored Infantry Battalion 48th Armored Infantry Battalion . 555th Field Artillery Bn (105MM) (The Triple Nickel) 674th Field Artillery Bn (105MM) 187th RCT . There was a lot of pressure to Buy Bonds. Until I figured it out, I thought it was strange that so many people were concerned about my savings plans. The two assistant gunners and three other cannoneers in the section were responsible for packing the shells with powder bags, setting the fuses according to the mission specifics, and loading. 264th Infantry Regiment; History of Leopoldville; Temporary Cemetery; Glossary; External links. Each battalion had three firing batteries (4 guns each), a Headquarters battery (the CO and his staff along with the fire direction personnel, communications center, etc. Thank you, Mr. Kelly. Thx. My Father was a Pvt with Btry B of the 221st Field Artillery Battalion with the Americals in WWII. Personnel within this platoon are also equipped to perform organizational maintenance on missiles and associated firing and test equipment. The picture is small so I can't be sure. The 666th was a non divisional battalion which frequently moved to different groups so wondering if this battalion was made up of field artillery replacements. He apparently has a lot pics, etc. We then did a half hour of PT followed by a half hour of DD. and were ambushed by SS. There was no place to hide. John Gatens, U.S. Army Ret., Personal interview, October 17, 2011. It was a 155mm howitzer battalion and did fight in the Bulge and in '45. We would go to Rivers Barracks every Sunday for mass. TACTICAL USAGE Thank You for your quick response. For the larger caliber units and the armored field artillery, the number of guns per battalion differed from those of the standard infantry division artillery. I'm very rarely stymied, but in this case, hard case. All us kids were issued dog-tags with our name and my Dad's serial number on them) instead of Army ID cards, which we were used to having back in the States. Artillery, Regimentat Combat Team. 419th CSB Sponsorship; 406th Army Field Assistance Trupp. I will check the 20th Corps order of battle just to confirm. For example, if the setting sleeve was turned parallel to the shell, it was set for superquick. It could be rotated manually 360 degrees. The division then moved to Camp Joseph Robinson near Little Rock, Arkansas for further training. Appreciate the reminder. But I'll keep trying. 12 midnight curfew and you had to wear Class As or a jacket and tie. Welcome to the 324th Field Artillery Battalion documents section. The 808th was part of the 9th Army, XIII Corps. I remember his sons (Kurt - my brothers age) and Greg (my age) and their dachshund (Herman). Activation of these spin rockets as the missile leaves the launcher reduces inaccuracies caused from thrust malalignnent. The days were pretty much the same so we looked forward to being in the field. After receiving the on the way and splash we watched the French. Please contact me again the first week of December. I dont know if he found out about my mother before he left or in fact if he ever did? objective area. His closest living relatives are we nephews and nieces so we appear not to be able to obtain his D D-214. who had been a college math instructor but drank too much and ended up in the Army. If not West Pointers, many were from military schools such as the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) or the Citadel. As with the 105mm, color markings were used to differentiate the type of shells. The 870th was assigned as an MP unit, the 871st guarded the Miramas Depot, and the 872nd was stationed in Marseille.