The 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment is an Air Defense Artillery regiment of the United States Army, first constituted in 1918 in the Regular Army during World War I. During World War II the unit served as the 54th Coast Artillery Regiment

Lineage

World War I

44th Coast Artillery

Organized 26 March 1918 in the Regular Army from existing units in France as the Howitzer Regiment, 30th Brigade, Coast Artillery Corps, initially without weapons. The regiment was one of several US Coast Artillery regiments created to operate heavy

field artillery Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement. Until the early 20t ...

and railway artillery on the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

. Redesignated 7 August 1918 as the 44th Artillery (Coast Artillery Corps) with an authorized strength of 24 British-made 8-inch howitzers; served with the 32nd Brigade and 39th Brigade, including support of the IV Army Corps. Returned to the US February 1919 and moved to Fort Totten, New York. Inactivated 31 August 1921 at Camp Jackson, South Carolina. Redesignated 1 July 1924 as the 44th Coast Artillery (Tractor Drawn), a mobile coast defense unit.

54th Coast Artillery

Nine Maine National Guard and four Regular Army Coast Artillery Corps companies of the

Coast Defenses of Portland The Harbor Defenses of Portland was a United States Army Coast Artillery Corps Harbor Defense Command, harbor defense command. It coordinated the coastal defence and fortification, coast defenses of Portland, Maine, the mouth of the Kenneb ...

, Maine were used to form the 54th Artillery (Coast Artillery Corps), a regiment that was sent to France and slated to be armed with 24 6-inch guns as heavy

. The regiment was organized in January 1918 in Maine and moved to France in March 1918, stationed at an artillery base, Operations and Training Center No. 6 at Mailly-le-Camp and

Haussimont Haussimont () is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France. See also *Communes of the Marne department The following is a list of the 613 communes in the French department of Marne. The communes cooperate in the following int ...

. However, on 2 May 1918 the regiment became a replacement training unit, redesignated as the 54th Artillery Replacement Training Regiment. On 20 September 1918 the regiment was reorganized, with its battalions sent to different locations. The 1st Battalion was posted at Angers (Marne-et-Loire) as a training battalion for replacement men. The 2nd Battalion was stationed at

Doulevant-le-Château Doulevant-le-Château () is a commune in the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France. Geography The river Blaise flows through the commune. See also *Communes of the Haute-Marne department The following is a list of the 426 communes i ...

(Haute Marne) and functioned as a replacement battalion for the tractor-drawn artillery regiments. The 3rd Battalion remained at Haussimont and Angers, France and functioned as the training battalion for the railway artillery regiments. In December 1918, after the Armistice that ended the fighting, the regiment was re-formed. In March 1919 the regiment returned to the United States and was inactivated at Camp Devens, Massachusetts.Rinaldi, p. 162

World War II

Redesignated 13 January 1941 as the 54th Coast Artillery Regiment (155 mm gun) (Mobile) (Colored), a mobile coast defense unit. References indicate this was the only African American coast artillery regiment in World War II that was not an antiaircraft unit. Activated 10 February 1941 at

Camp Wallace Camp Wallace was a facility of the United States Army located near the unincorporated town of Grove in southeastern James City County in the Virginia Peninsula portion of the Hampton Roads region of Virginia in the United States. Camp Wallace ...

, Texas with cadre from 76th and 77th Coast Artillery regiments (Antiaircraft) (Colored); moved to Camp Davis, North Carolina 22 May 1941, garrisoned Temporary Harbor Defenses of Wilmington. 1st Battalion moved to

Fort Cronkhite Fort Cronkhite is one of the components of California's Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Today part of the National Park Service, Fort Cronkhite is a former US Army post that served as part of the coastal artillery defenses of the San Francisc ...

, California 28 February 1942. 2nd Battalion garrisoned Fort Macon, NC in the Temporary Harbor Defenses of

Beaufort Beaufort may refer to: People and titles * Beaufort (surname) * House of Beaufort, English nobility * Duke of Beaufort (England), a title in the peerage of England * Duke of Beaufort (France), a title in the French nobility Places Polar regions ...

, NC 31 July 1942 until relieved by 3rd Battalion, 2nd Coast Artillery 3 September 1942.Gaines, p. 29 The unit was probably initially armed with 24 155 mm GPF-type guns (eight per battalion), and may have later received the

155 mm gun M1 The 155 mm gun M1 was a 155 millimeter caliber field gun developed and used by the United States military. Nicknamed "Long Tom" (an appellation with a long and storied history in U.S. field and naval artillery), it was produced in M1 and M2 ...

. 1st and 3rd Battalions assigned to the Western Defense Command (WDC) at Fort Cronkhite and Fort Ord, California 22 April 1942. 2nd Battalion deployed to Espiritu Santo 26 October 1942 and Bougainville 7 February 1944 where it saw combat in a

role during the

Bougainville counterattack The Bougainville counterattack (also known as the Second Battle of TorokinaShindo (2016), p. 62.) was an unsuccessful Japanese offensive against the Allied base at Cape Torokina, on Bougainville Island, during the Pacific War of World War II. T ...

in March. The remainder of regiment remained in California until broken up into battalions as part of an Army-wide reorganization. Regiment relieved from WDC and broken up 28 February – 5 June 1944 with its elements reorganized and redesignated as follows (units at Fort Ord, CA except 2nd Battalion at Bougainville): Headquarters and Headquarters Battery on 5 June 1944 as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 152nd Coast Artillery Group (155 mm gun) (Colored). 1st Battalion on 5 June 1944 as the 606th Coast Artillery Battalion (Colored). 2d Battalion on 28 February 1944 as the 49th Coast Artillery Battalion (Colored) (deployed to New Guinea 18 March 1945, Philippines 27 August 1945). 3d Battalion on 5 June 1944 as the 607th Coast Artillery Battalion (Colored).

Post-World War II lineage

After 5 June 1944 the above units underwent changes as follows: Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 152nd Coast Artillery Group, disbanded 3 August 1944 at Camp Livingston, Louisiana Reconstituted 28 June 1950 in the Regular Army as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 54th Field Artillery Group Activated 17 January 1955 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina Redesignated 21 June 1958 as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 54th Artillery Group Inactivated 7 November 1969 in Vietnam 606th Coast Artillery Battalion disbanded 3 August 1944 at Camp Livingston, Louisiana Reconstituted 28 June 1950 in the Regular Army; concurrently consolidated with the 54th Armored Field Artillery Battalion (active) (see ANNEX 1) and consolidated unit designated as the 54th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, an element of the 3d Armored Division Inactivated 1 October 1957 in Germany and relieved from assignment to the 3d Armored Division 49th Coast Artillery Battalion inactivated 20 January 1946 in the Philippine Islands Consolidated 28 June 1950 with the 49th Field Artillery Battalion (active) (see ANNEX 2) and consolidated unit designated as the 49th Field Artillery Battalion, an element of the 7th Infantry Division. Inactivated 1 July 1957 in Korea and relieved from assignment to the 7th Infantry Division 607th Coast Artillery Battalion disbanded 31 July 1944 at Camp Rucker, Alabama Reconstituted 28 June 1950 in the Regular Army; concurrently consolidated with the 44th Field Artillery Battalion (active) (see ANNEX 3) and consolidated unit designated as the 44th Field Artillery Battalion, an element of the 4th Infantry Division. In 1963, the 6th Missile Battalion, 44th Artillery (HAWK), 38th Artillery Brigade was deployed to South Korea. Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 54th Artillery Group; 54th Armored Field Artillery Battalion; and the 49th and 44th Field Artillery Battalions consolidated, reorganized, and redesignated 7 November 1969 as the 44th Artillery, a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System. Redesignated 1 September 1971 as the 44th Air Defense Artillery. Withdrawn 16 March 1988 from the Combat Arms Regimental System and reorganized under the United States Army Regimental System. The Battalion was activated at Fort Campbell, KY on 16 March 1988. The 2nd Battalion, 44th Air Defense Artillery, was for a long period the divisional air defense battalion for the

101st Airborne Division The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple battalion-size air assault operati ...

, but now appears to have taken up the C-RAM role. As of 2018, at least two battalions of the regiment are active: * 1st Battalion, 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment - 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas * 2nd Battalion, 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment -

108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

, Fort Campbell, Kentucky. The battalion is separated from the other units of the brigade, which are at

Fort Bragg Fort Bragg is a military installation of the United States Army in North Carolina, and is one of the largest military installations in the world by population, with around 54,000 military personnel. The military reservation is located within Cum ...

, NC.

History

Pershing missile

The 2nd Missile Battalion, 44th Artillery Regiment was the first

Pershing 1 missile The MGM-31A Pershing was the missile used in the Pershing 1 and Pershing 1a field artillery missile systems. It was a solid-fueled two-stage theater ballistic missile designed and built by Martin Marietta to replace the PGM-11 Redstone missile as ...

battalion in June 1962 under the 1st Field Artillery Missile Brigade at

Fort Sill Fort Sill is a United States Army post north of Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles (136.8 km) southwest of Oklahoma City. It covers almost . The fort was first built during the Indian Wars. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark ...

, Oklahoma. Lt. Col. Patrick W. Powers took command on 13 October 1962, receiving the colors from Dr. Finn J. Larsen, assistant secretary of the Army. On 1 September 1971 the 2/44th was deactivated and reformed as the

3rd Battalion, 9th Field Artillery Regiment The 9th Field Artillery Regiment is a field artillery regiment of the United States Army first formed in 1916. The regiment served in Hawaii during World War I, 3rd, 4th, 7th, and 9th Divisions between the world wars, and with 3rd Infantry Divis ...

Commanders

* September 1952: Lt. Col. Patrick William Powers * Col. James E. Convey

Distinctive unit insignia

*Description A gold color metal and enamel device consisting shield, crest and motto of the coat of arms. *Symbolism The shield is red for Artillery with a gold bend from the arms of Lorraine, cottised potenté counterpotenté as in the arms of Champagne. The units of this organization changed designation five times from 1917 to 1918. They were part of the 6th and 7th Provisional Regiment, C.A.C.; part of the 51st and 52nd Artillery, C.A.C.; and were organized as a unit called the Howitzer Regiment, 30th Artillery Brigade, C.A.C.; later designated the 81st Artillery, C.A.C.; and changed to the 44th Artillery, C.A.C. The variegated chameleon alludes to this fact. The double quatrefoil with the chameleon is an anagram of the figures "44" and "81"; the chameleon divides the figures into two fours and the full number of projections with the chameleon gives eight-one. *Background The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 44th Coast Artillery Regiment on 1 February 1937. It was redesignated for the 54th Coast Artillery Regiment on 13 March 1941. The insignia was redesignated for the 54th Armored Field Artillery Battalion on 22 July 1954. It was redesignated for the 44th Artillery Regiment on 31 December 1958. Effective 1 September 1971, the insignia was redesignated for the 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment.

Coat of arms

Blazon

*Shield Gules, a bend double cottised potenté counterpotenté Or. *Crest On a wreath of the colors Or and Gules, a double quatrefoil Or charged with a chameleon displayed paleways barry of four Gules and Vert. Motto PER ARDUA (Through Adversity).

Symbolism

* Shield The shield is red for Artillery with a gold bend from the arms of Lorraine, cottised potenté counterpotenté as in the arms of Champagne. *Crest The units of this organization changed designation five times from 1917 to 1918. They were part of the 6th and 7th Provisional Regiment, C.A.C.; part of the 51st and 52nd Artillery, C.A.C.; and were organized as a unit called the Howitzer Regiment, 30th Artillery Brigade, C.A.C.; later designated the 81st Artillery, C.A.C.; and changed to the 44th Artillery, C.A.C. The variegated chameleon alludes to this fact. The double quatrefoil with the chameleon is an anagram of the figures "44" and "81"; the chameleon divides the figures into two fours and the full number of projections with the chameleon gives eight-one.

Background

The coat of arms was originally approved for the 44th Coast Artillery Regiment on 2 March 1929. It was amended to correct the blazon of the shield on 23 May 1936. It was redesignated for the 54th Coast Artillery Regiment on 11 March 1941. The insignia was redesignated for the 54th Armored Field Artillery Battalion on 22 July 1954. It was redesignated for the 44th Artillery Regiment on 31 December 1958. Effective 1 September 1971, the insignia was redesignated for the 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment.

Campaign streamers

World War II * Pacific theater without inscription Presidential Unit Citation (Army), Streamer embroidered BEACHES OF NORMANDY *Presidential Unit Citation (Army), Streamer embroidered ST. LO *Presidential Unit Citation (Navy), Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1966-1967 *Valorous Unit Award, Streamer embroidered QUANG TRI-THUA THIEN *Valorous Unit Award, Streamer embroidered IRAQ 2003 *Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, Streamer embroidered KOREA 1978-1980 *Army Superior Unit Award, Streamer embroidered 2007-2008 *Belgian Fourragere 1940 *Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action in Belgium *Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action in the Ardennes *Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1971 Battery A additionally entitled to: Meritorious Unit Commendation (Navy), Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1968 Army Superior Unit Award, Streamer embroidered 1996-1997

References

* (dead link 6 April 2018)

External links

44th ADA lineage and honors

Army Heraldry website
(dead link 6 April 2018)

* ttp://freepages.military.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cacunithistories/44th_Arty.html 44th Coast Artillery in WWI at Ancestry.com
Air Defense Artillery unit websites
accessed 6 April 2018. {{DEFAULTSORT:044 044 Pershing missile African-American history of the United States military Military units and formations established in 1918 1918 establishments in France