The 81st Field Artillery Regiment is a

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 ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

History

Pershing

1st Battalion, 81st Field Artillery Regiment

The 1st Missile Battalion, 81st Artillery was formed 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 ...

in 1963 and deployed to McCully Barracks in

Wackernheim Wackernheim is a former ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Since July 2019, it is part of the town Ingelheim ...

, West Germany under the

56th Field Artillery Group The 56th Artillery Command is a two-star command of the United States Army that serves as the Force Field Artillery Headquarters for U.S. Army Europe and Africa, with a mission to synchronize, integrate, and control fires and effects in support ...

. The battalion moved to Wiley Barracks,

Neu-Ulm Neu-Ulm ( Swabian: ''Nej-Ulm'') is the capital of the Neu-Ulm district and a town in Swabia, Bavaria. Neighbouring towns include Ulm, Senden, Pfaffenhofen an der Roth, Holzheim, Nersingen and Elchingen. The population is 58,978 (31 December 2019 ...

in 1968 and was redesignated the 1st Battalion, 81st Field Artillery Regiment effective 1 September 1971. It was initially equipped with eight

Pershing 1 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 ...

missiles and in 1969 replaced these with 36

Pershing 1a 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 ...

missiles. Service Battery was inactivated and reflagged as B Company, 55th Maintenance Battalion in 1982. The battalion exchanged the Pershing 1a missiles for

Pershing II The Pershing II Weapon System was a solid-fueled two-stage medium-range ballistic missile designed and built by Martin Marietta to replace the Pershing 1a Field Artillery Missile System as the United States Army's primary nuclear-capable thea ...

missiles in 1984. The battalion was inactivated in 1986 and reflagged as the 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery Regiment. Commanders * August 1963 – July 1965: Lieutenant Colonel W.R. Harris * August 1965 – July 1967: Lieutenant Colonel R.S. Fye * July 1967 – June 1969: Lieutenant Colonel W.C Phillips Jr. * July 1969 – January 1971: Lieutenant Colonel J Goldstein * January 1971 – July 1972: Lieutenant Colonel Chester F * July 1972 – January 1974: Lieutenant Colonel Harry W Crandall * January 1974 – August 1975: Lieutenant Colonel J.S. Hornsby * August 1975 – February 1977: Lieutenant Colonel S.J. Zagalak * February 1977 – January 1979: Lieutenant Colonel J.W Hutchison * February 1979 – January 1981: Lieutenant Colonel J.E. Tindall * February 1981 - January 1984: Lieutenant Colonel J. Bachman * February 1984 - January 1986: Lieutenant Colonel H. W. Reichert

Heraldry

Distinctive unit insignia

* Descriptio: A Silver color metal and enamel device in height consisting of a shield blazoned: Gules, a cross Or, quarter voided of the field. In dexter chief on a canton ermine an orle Sable (from the coat of arms of the 11th Cavalry). Attached below the shield a Silver scroll inscribed "LIBERATAS JUSTITIA HUMANITAS" in Black letters. * Symbolism: The 23rd Cavalry was organized at

Chickamauga Chickamauga may refer to: Entertainment * "Chickamauga", an 1889 short story by American author Ambrose Bierce * "Chickamauga", a 1937 short story by Thomas Wolfe * "Chickamauga", a song by Uncle Tupelo from their 1993 album ''Anodyne'' * ''Chic ...

in May 1917, and in November of the same year it was transformed into Field Artillery. This dual character is shown by the colors of the shield. The regiment saw service in Brittany which is indicated by the ermine canton. The coat of arms for Brittany is a shield of ermine. The 81st Artillery was formerly the 23rd Cavalry which was organized from a portion of the 11th Cavalry. This is indicated by the black line within the border of the canton taken from the arms of the 11th Cavalry. * Background: The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 81st Field Artillery Battalion on 19 March 1942. It was redesignated for the 81st Airborne Field Artillery Battalion on 31 July 1956. The insignia was redesignated for the 81st Artillery Regiment on 24 October 1958. It was again redesignated for the 81st Field Artillery Regiment effective 1 September 1971.

Coat of arms

* Blazon and Shield: Gules, a cross Or, quarter voided of the field. In dexter chief on a canton ermine an orle Sable (from the coat of arms of the 11th Cavalry). * Crest- On a wreath of the colors Or and Gules, a cannon of the first in saltire with a cavalry saber Argent hilted of the first, surmounted by a demi-pegasus rampant of the last winged of the third. * Motto- LIBERTAS JUSTITIA HUMANITAS. * Symbolism- The 23rd Cavalry was organized at Chickamauga in May 1917, and in November of the same year it was transformed into Field Artillery. This dual character is shown by the colors of the shield and wreath, and by the crossed cannon and saber of the crest. The regiment saw service in Brittany which is indicated by the ermine canton. The coat of arms for Brittany is a shield of ermine. The 81st Artillery was formerly the 23rd Cavalry which was organized from a portion of the 11th Cavalry. This is indicated by the black line within the border of the canton taken from the arms of the 11th Cavalry. * Background- The coat of arms was originally approved for the 81st Field Artillery Regiment on 7 September 1921. It was redesignated for the 81st Field Artillery Battalion on 5 February 1951. It was redesignated for the 81st Airborne Field Artillery Battalion on 31 July 1956. The insignia was redesignated for the 81st Artillery Regiment on 24 October 1958. It was again redesignated for the 81st Field Artillery Regiment effective 1 September 1971

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:081 1917 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) 081 Military units and formations established in 1917 Pershing missile