206th Coast Artillery (United States)

The 206th Field Artillery Regiment is a United States artillery regiment, currently represented in the Arkansas Army National Guard by the 1st Battalion, 206th Field Artillery, Headquartered at Russellville, Arkansas. The 1–206th FA is an element of the 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.

The regiment's history begins with the creation of the 3rd Arkansas Infantry in 1917 as a part of the expansion of the guard following the Mexican Expedition and just before World War I. The unit was reorganized for World War I as the 141st Machine Gun Battalion, an element of the 39th Infantry Division. The unit deployed to France but did not see combat before the end of the war. Between World War I and II, the unit was reorganized as the 206th Coast Artillery (Anti-Aircraft) and many of its units were stationed at state colleges. The 206th CA was mobilized for World War II and participated in the Battle of Dutch Harbor, Alaska, on 3 and 4 June 1942. Following World War II the unit was reorganized as the 206th Artillery and served as the Division Artillery (DIVARTY) for the 39th Infantry Division.

After the re-organization and redesignation of the 39th Infantry Division as the 39th Infantry Brigade (Separate), the regiment was represented by the 5th Battalion, 206th Field Artillery, which served as the direct support artillery battalion to the brigade until 1996. The regiment's current active battalion, 1st Battalion, 206th Field Artillery serves as the direct support battalion to the 39th Brigade and has been mobilized to two deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

History

World War I

Activation of the 3rd Arkansas Infantry Regiment

The United States declared war on Germany 6 April 1917 less than two months after the last Arkansas National Guard units completed mustering out from duty on the Mexican border. At this time the Arkansas Guard consisted of two infantry regiments, the 1st and 2nd Arkansas, which had each been mobilized for service on the Mexican border. The National Defense Act of 1916 had provided for a massive expansion of the National Guard, from a force of just over 100,000 to over 400,000.

While a 3rd Arkansas Infantry had existed in the Arkansas State Guard prior to the Spanish–American War, the unit had been inactivated and never reorganized following the war with Spain. On 17 April 1917, plans for the 3rd Arkansas Regiment were formulated: new units were to be raised in sixteen cities to support the new regiment."Militia Units at Sixteen Cities to Form New Regiment," ''Arkansas Democrat'' (Evening Edition), 14 May 1917, p. 1. On 16 May 1917, it was announced that Little Rock was one of the cities to be allowed a new infantry company which would be part of the 3rd Arkansas Regiment. 1LT Hower Brewer, a doctor from Johnson county, had returned from medical service on the Mexican Border to form a company for the new regiment. When Brewer issued a call for volunteers, 415 men reported for enlistment, and 161 passed the physically exam. During the summer of 1917 these recruits camped on the Johnson courthouse lawn until they were mustered into the service as Company L, of the Third Arkansas. Enlistments were to be for the duration of the war. The pay per month for the enlisted men was as follows:

To qualify for a commission in the Guard, an individual had to be a former officer or private of the Guard, officer on reserve or unassigned list, active or retired officer of the regular Army, Navy or Marine Corps; graduate of the United States Military or Naval Academy or graduate of a school, college or university where military science under a regular army officer was taught.

The age limits that were established for officers of the new units were these:

Recruitment for men in Little Rock was carried out by seventeen girls wearing badges bearing the words, "If You Are A Real Man Enlist". The girls distributed buttonhole tags with, "Are You A Slacker?" The other side of the tag read, "Are You A Man?" The girls worked until 5 June 1917, when the draft law became effective.

Mobilization

On 18 May 1917, the Arkansas National Guard was notified that on 5 August 1917, the Guard as a whole would be called into federal service. On 16 July 1917, the 3rd Arkansas included the following units:

On 18 July 1917, it was announced that Arkansas National Guard would move to Alexandria, Louisiana, for training as part of the Eighteenth Division. Alexandria, Louisiana, was the location of Camp Beauregard which was named after General P. G. T. Beauregard, C.S.A.

The 3rd Arkansas Infantry Regiment mobilized 5 August and was encamped around the new state capitol by 8 August. The 2nd and 3rd Infantry Regiments were examined for Federal service on 6 August 1917, at Ft. Brough (located on the Capital grounds). The regiments, under the control of General Wood, were sent to Ft. Roots and moved to Camp Pike by 24 August 1917. The Commander of the supply company of the 3rd Arkansas received instructions from the Augusta Arsenal to go into the open market and buy mess kits to complete the equipment needed for the new regiments. In mid-September the Arkansas units were notified that they were to be part of a newly created division, initially called the 18th but later re-designated as the 39th Division.

The 3rd Arkansas Regiment used sixty coaches, three standard Pullmans, six baggage cars, twelve boxcars, and one stock car, and set off on a train journey to Camp Beauregard, Louisiana, lasting about fourteen hours; they mustered into federal service 27 September – 18 October 1917.

Creation of 141st Machine Gun Battalion

The Arkansas troops were reorganized after their transfer to Camp Beauregard under a new national system for numbering army regiments. The 1st Arkansas Infantry became the 153rd Infantry Regiment, the 2nd Regiment (minus its Machine Gun Company) became the 142nd Field Artillery Regiment. The 3rd Arkansas Infantry, which had reported to Camp Beauregard with over 1800 soldiers, was divided into two new units. The following units were created, from the old 3rd Arkansas Infantry Regiment:

** 154th Infantry Regiment
** 141st Machine Gun Battalion.

The 141st Machine Gun Battalion was composed of members of the former 3rd Battalion, 3rd Arkansas Infantry Regiment and the Machine Gun Company from the 2nd Arkansas Infantry.

The 18th Infantry Division was re-designated as the 39th "Delta" Division, U.S.N.G., and the Arkansas units were assigned to the 77th Infantry Brigade (153rd Infantry, 154th Infantry, and the 141st Machine Gun Battalion).

Deployed to France

In May 1918, twenty percent of the privates of the 39th Division were given the opportunity to volunteer for immediate overseas duty. In the rush to help end the war officers resigned their commissions so they would be qualified for duty overseas before the war was over. The officers did not accompany their troops but remained at Camp Beauregard with the other eighty percent of the troops who were still in training. As result the first Arkansas National Guard soldier to die in combat during World War I, Private Robert Springer, a former member of the 3rd Arkansas, was killed before the unit had even left Camp Beauregard.

The first unit of the 39th Division arrived in France on 12 August 1918, and the last unit arrived on 12 September 1918. It was then sent to the St. Florent area, southwest of Bourges, where it was designated as a replacement division. In November 1918, it moved to St. Aignan. There several of the units were transferred to combat divisions. The 141st Machine Gun Battalion was deployed to near Chaumont, Department of Haute-Marne