The shells had lifting rings attached to their nose during shipment, and they had to be removed to install the fuse. If you copy this link into the web this is the small booklet I mentioned. 169 Giessen, Germany 264th Field Artillery Battalion Airmail to Detroit, Mich. LEGAL SIZE. Many of the specialists were also grouped into sections and personnel from both the communications section and survey teams often were part of forward observation teams. (4) 11 Oct 56 to 27 May 57: Battalion S-1 and Adjutant
The 66th Division was part of the Sixth Army Group and participated in the Northern France campaign. My other granddad was on HMS Iron Duke at the Battle of Jutland during WW1 and was originally called Jack Bishop. Up front were tank divisions, then armored infantry, then 105s, then 155s then 8 inch guns and then us. The following records were acquired from the American Battle Monuments Commission on June 17, 2016. 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. Orders are transmitted by the computer to the missile through the missile tracking radar. Keeping the gun aligned properly was a difficult task when under the pressure of multiple fire missions, so the gunners had ways of cheating a little bit. 2-15 Field Artillery history - Defense Visual Information Distribution The jobs of the enlisted members of each firing battery varied depending on their training and circumstances, with many personnel being cross-trained to do a variety of work. We took a trip last fall to the areas where both of my parents were during the war (my mother was a nurse at an evacuation hospital closest to the Battle of the Bulge, outside Liege), and Myra found wonderful information for me on where my father was at various times, places we visited, like a farmhouse command post, and a church where he was observing as it was being shelled. With this information, knowing the rules of engagement and the restricted areas, the battery control officer determines the most advantageous time to fire the round. John Schafner, U.S. Army Ret., Email interivews. A split second later a gust of yellow orange flame bursts from the nozzle end of the rocket. There were seven different propelling charges, with TNT being the most frequently used. 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade Sponsorship; Garrison; Dental Health Activity; 419th Contracting Support Truppe. No way the Seventh Army was going to stop 65 tank divisions located across the Eastern Boarder in the Fulda Gap. I received orders to return to Camp Chaffee for Artillery training after the normal week off. Field Artillery Battalion in action in Normandy, France in 1944. If too much powder residue built up in the barrel, it could cause a catastrophic explosion when a round was fired. After his military service, he attended the University of Florida where he was a member of the ATO fraternity and where he became a lifelong Gator fan. If anyone can share any knowledge or similar experiences, I would appreciate it.