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Field ArTillery - US Army Center Of Military History

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160 The OrganizaTiOnal hisTOry <strong>Of</strong> field arTillery<br />

Table 13—Aggregate Authorized Strength, Infantry<br />

Division Artillery, 1940–1945 a<br />

Unit 1 Oct 1940 1 Aug 1942 15 Jul 1943 24 Jan 1945<br />

HHB, Division Artillery 148 b 144 b 114 114<br />

105-mm. Howitzer Battalion (3) 584 576 509 497<br />

HHB 142 165 132 126<br />

Service Battery 82 78 77 74<br />

Howitzer Battery (3) 120 111 100 99<br />

Firing Section (4) 12 11 10 10<br />

155-mm. Howitzer Battalion 785 607 519 506<br />

HHB 142 158 115 112<br />

Service Battery 95 89 77 76<br />

Howitzer Battery (3) 134 120 109 106<br />

Firing Section (4) 15 13 12 12<br />

Antitank Battery 146<br />

Total Division Artillery 2,685 b 2,479 b 2,160 2,111<br />

Total Infantry Division 14,811 b 14,987 b 13,688 13,469<br />

a Except as noted, the figures do not include attached, medical, chaplain, or band personnel.<br />

b Includes band(s).<br />

launchers (bazookas) replaced the 37-mm. antitank guns. Person nel were cut from<br />

2,479 to 1,949, a reduction of over 20 percent. To attain these savings, artil lerymen<br />

were expected to perform basic tasks common to all branches (although each battalion<br />

did include a medical detach ment in its table of organization). Artil lerists<br />

operated their own telephones and radios, managed their own trucks and supply<br />

systems, engaged in rudimentary engineering functions, and provided first- and<br />

second-echelon maintenance for their weapons and vehicles without the aid of<br />

personnel from other branches. 8<br />

These severely reduced tables were short-lived, however, and the only units<br />

organized under them were the field artillery battalions serving with the Americal<br />

Division on Guadalcanal. Because of sharp reactions from the field against the<br />

reductions and because the number of divisions to be mobilized was lowered, the<br />

tables of organization published on 15 July 1943 were a compromise between the<br />

old ones and those of 1 March. The division artillery as a whole grew by 211 officers<br />

and men to 2,160, which was still 319 fewer than it had been in the 1942 tables.<br />

The service batteries were also restored to the battal ions. Antiaircraft and antitank<br />

functions remained, for the most part, with the infantry, and the .50-caliber machine<br />

guns and bazookas from the March tables were retained. 9<br />

8 Ibid., pp. 304–08; TO 6–10, 1 Apr 1942, and related tables.<br />

9 TO 6–10, 15 Jul 1943, and related tables.

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