The 73rd Field Artillery Regiment is a

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

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

History

World War I

The 73rd Field Artillery Regiment was originally organized in October 1918 in the

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

at Camp Jackson,

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, as an element of the 22nd Field Artillery Brigade, the latter organized the previous month at Camp George G. Meade,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

. However, the brigade headquarters was demobilized at Camp Meade during October, followed by the 73rd Field Artillery on 28 December at Camp Jackson.

Interwar period

The 73rd Field Artillery was reconstituted in the Regular Army on 1 October 1933, assigned to the 23rd Field Artillery Brigade (General Headquarters Reserve), and allotted to the Second Corps Area. It was organized in 1934 with Organized Reserve personnel as a "Regular Army Inactive" (RAI) unit with headquarters at Newark,

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. It was inactivated by March 1937 at Newark by relief of Reserve personnel. It was redesignated the 73rd Field Artillery Battalion on 13 January 1941.

World War II

On 15 March 1942, the battalion was ordered into active service at

Fort Riley Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in North Central Kansas, on the Kansas River, also known as the Kaw, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 101,733 acres (41,170 ha) in Ge ...

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

, and organized as a separate truck-drawn 105 mm howitzer battalion. It was assigned to the 9th Armored Division on 15 July 1942, being converted into an armored field artillery battalion. The battalion departed the

New York Port of Embarkation The New York Port of Embarkation (NYPOE) was a United States Army command responsible for the movement of troops and supplies from the United States to overseas commands. The command had facilities in New York and New Jersey, roughly covering th ...

on 20 August 1944 and returned to the United States on 9 October 1945 via the Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation,

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, being inactivated there the same day.

Cold War

Parts of the regiment were based in West Germany between 1963 and 1975. The 4th Battalion, 73rd Artillery was deployed to help suppress the April 1968 Baltimore riots.Roberts, Cmdr 4Bn/73FA Rear during Baltimore riots.

Distinctive unit insignia

* Description: A gold color metal and enamel device in height overall consisting of a shield blazoned: Gules, a lightning flash in bend Or. * Symbolism: The scarlet background represents the

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

, while the gold lightning bolt symbolizes the speed and power of the Armored Artillery. * Background: The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 73rd Armored

Battalion on 17 March 1943and re-designated for the 73rd Artillery Regiment on 5 December 1957 It was amended to include the description on 4 September 1959. The insignia was re-designated effective 1 September 1971, for the 73rd Field Artillery

Regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

Coat of arms

Blazon

* Shield Gules, a lightning flash in bend Or. * Crest On a wreath Or and Gules, issuing from a snowbank Proper behind a caltrop Azure, the Dexter and sinister points each surmounting in base a caltrop counter bend-wise of the first, two cubit arms grasping the halves of a spear broken chevron-wise of the first. Motto SPEED AND POWER ALWAYS. *Symbolism * Shield The scarlet is for the Field Artillery, the gold lightning bolt is symbolic of the speed and power of the Armored Artillery. Crest The design of the crest alludes primarily to the 73rd Artillery's participation in the 1944 winter counter offensive against Germany and is symbolized by the

caltrop A caltrop (also known as caltrap, galtrop, cheval trap, galthrap, galtrap, calthrop, jackrock or crow's foot''Battle of Alesia'' (Caesar's conquest of Gaul in 52 BC), Battlefield Detectives program, (2006), rebroadcast: 2008-09-08 on History C ...

s (a heraldic military device used to impede and delay the movements of the enemy). The two smaller caltrops allude to St. Vith and Echternock, and the larger to

Bastogne Bastogne (; ; ; ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Luxembourg in the Ardennes, Belgium. The municipality consists of the following districts: Bastogne, Longvilly, Noville, Villers-la-Bonne-Eau, and Wardi ...

, the later is blue in reference to the Distinguished Unit Citation awarded the battalion for its role in the defense of Bastogne. The snow refers to the severe winter weather during the period the battalion made its stand against the German counter offensive and is symbolized by two arms breaking a spear. Had it not been for this delaying action the Germans would have taken Bastogne before the 101st Airborne Division arrived. * Background The coat of arms was originally approved for the 73rd Armored Field Artillery Battalion on 17 March 1943. It was re-designated for the 73rd Artillery Regiment on 5 December 1957. It was amended to include the description of the shield on 4 September 1959. It was amended to include a crest and motto on 8 January 1965. The insignia was re-designated effective 1 September 1971, for the 73rd Field Artillery Regiment.

Current configuration

* 1st Battalion 73rd Field Artillery Regiment (United States) * 2nd Battalion 73rd Field Artillery Regiment (United States) * 3rd Battalion 73rd Field Artillery Regiment (United States) * 4th Battalion 73rd Field Artillery Regiment (United States) * 5th Battalion 73rd Field Artillery Regiment (United States) * 6th Battalion 73rd Field Artillery Regiment (United States)

References

73d Field Artillery Regiment Heraldry

External links

{{Artillery Regiments (United States) 073 Military units and formations established in 1918