The 249th Coast Artillery Regiment was a

Coast Artillery Corps The U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps (CAC) was an Corps#Administrative corps, administrative corps responsible for coastal defence and fortification, coastal, harbor, and anti-aircraft Seacoast defense in the United States, defense of the United S ...

regiment in the

Oregon National Guard The Oregon Military Department is an agency of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon, which oversees the armed forces of the state of Oregon. Under the authority and direction of the governor as commander-in-chief, the agency is responsib ...

. It garrisoned the Harbor Defenses of the Columbia (HD Columbia), Oregon and Washington 1924–1944.

History

The 249th Coast Artillery continued the history of the Coast Artillery Corps (Fixed Defenses) of the Oregon National Guard, organized in 1911. The Coast Artillery Corps included companies that manned harbor defenses during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and was reorganized between 1919 and 1921 with the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Companies. The 249th Coast Artillery was organized on 18 April 1924 as the Oregon National Guard component of the Harbor Defenses of the Columbia (HD Columbia), Oregon and Washington. Part of the 3rd Coast Artillery was the

Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregulars, irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenary, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the ...

component of those defenses 1924–1940, redesignated as the 18th Coast Artillery in 1940.Gaines Regular Army, pp. 5-6, 12-13 The 249th's primary armory was in

Salem, Oregon Salem ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river ...

. In October 1944 the regiment was broken up into two battalions as part of an Army-wide reorganization. Organized 18 April 1924 by redesignating the 249th Artillery, Coast Artillery Corps, Oregon National Guard as the 249th Coast Artillery (Harbor Defense) (HD) Regiment.

World War II

On 16 September 1940 the regiment was inducted into federal service at Salem, Oregon and moved to Camp Clatsop 23 September 1940. Moved to Fort Stevens, Oregon in HD Columbia 6 February 1941. On 21 June 1942 the

bombardment of Fort Stevens The Bombardment of Fort Stevens occurred in June 1942, in the American Theater and the Pacific Theater of World War II. The Imperial Japanese submarine ''I-25'' fired on Fort Stevens, which defended the Oregon side of the Columbia River's P ...

by Japanese submarine ''I-25'' occurred with relatively minor damage. Various exchanges of personnel occurred in HD of the Columbia between the 18th CA (HD) and the 249th CA (HD) in November 1942, August 1943, and January 1944. On 18 October 1944 the regiment was inactivated and broken up into the 171st and 249th Coast Artillery Battalions. The 171st was organized from Headquarters and Headquarters Battery of the 2nd Battalion of the 249th, which became Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment of the battalion, and Companies C and D, which became Batteries A and B, respectively. The 249th was organized from the 1st Battalion of the 249th Coast Artillery. These battalions were inactivated on 15 September 1945, at Fort Canby and Fort Stevens, respectively.Stanton, pp. 471, 489, 492 They were perpetuated postwar by the 722nd and 732nd Antiaircraft Artillery Battalions of the Oregon Army National Guard, which were consolidated into the 249th Artillery under the

Combat Arms Regimental System The Combat Arms Regimental System (CARS), was the method of assigning unit designations to units of some of the combat arms branches of the United States Army, including Infantry, Special Forces, Field Artillery, and Armor, from 1957 to 1981. A ...

Campaign streamers

World War II * Pacific theater without inscription

Living history group

As of 2016 a

living history Living history is an activity that incorporates historical tools, activities and dress into an interactive presentation that seeks to give observers and participants a sense of stepping back in time. Although it does not necessarily seek to ree ...

group representing Battery B, 249th Coast Artillery was active in the former HD Columbia area.

Lineage

As of 2016 the 249th's heraldry was continued by the 249th Regiment (Regional Training Institute) of the Oregon Army National Guard, based in

Monmouth, Oregon Monmouth () is a city in Polk County, Oregon, Polk County in the U.S. state of Oregon. It was named for Monmouth, Illinois, the origin of its earliest settlers. The population is 11,110 at the 2020 Census and it is part of the Salem Metropolitan S ...

.249th Regiment at CurrentOps.com
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References

Bibliography

*
Gaines, William C., Historical Sketches Coast Artillery Regiments 1917-1950, National Guard Army Regiments 197-265

Gaines, William C., Coast Artillery Organizational History, 1917-1950, ''Coast Defense Journal'', vol. 23, issue 2 (Regular Army regiments)
* * * * *

External links

Map of Harbor Defenses of the Columbia at FortWiki.com

Harbor Defenses of the Columbia at the Coast Defense Study Group website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:249 Coast artillery regiments of the United States Army Military units and formations in Washington (state) Military units and formations in Oregon Military units and formations established in 1924 Military units and formations disestablished in 1944