Field ArTillery - US Army Center Of Military History

168 The OrganizaTiOnal hisTOry Of field arTillery
Table 15—Aggregate Authorized Strength,
Armored Division Artillery, 1940–1945 a
15 Nov 1 Mar 15 Sep 12 Feb 24 Jan
Unit 1940 1942 1943 1944 1945
HQ Element 8 c 34 c 21 99 95
105-mm. Howitzer Bn (3) 839 709 534 534 510
HHB 142 173 111 111 106
Service Battery 109 152 93 93 89
Howitzer Battery (3) d 145 128 110 110 105
Firing Section (6) e 12–18 10 7 7 7
Antitank Battery 153
105-mm. Howitzer Regt 1,054 b
HHB 195 b
Service Battery 81
Ammunition Train 114
Howitzer Battery (4) 166
Firing Section (6) 12–19
Total Div Artillery 1,901 2,161 1,623 1,701 1,625
Total Armd Division 12,308 b 14,192 10,610 10,998 10,670
a Except as noted, these figures do not include attached medical, chaplain, or band personnel.
b Includes band.
c Artillery personnel within headquarters, armored division.
d Only one 105-mm. howitzer battalion in 1940. Remainder of field artillery was in the
105-mm. howitzer regiment of the armored brigade.
e Only four firing sections in 1940.
one 75-mm. howitzer battalion directly sup port ing each cavalry brigade (two cavalry
regi ments) and one 105-mm. howitzer battalion for general support.
Because excess personnel were available in Australia and because additional
artillery was needed, another 105-mm. howitzer battalion was organized for the division
in October 1943. Campaigns in the Admiralty Islands showed that the 75-mm.
howitzers were too light and that heavier general-support artillery was critical. With
only four battalions to support four cavalry regi ments, the division was hard-pressed
to find enough artillery without withdrawing some of the direct-support artillery.
The division requested the Sixth Army to reorganize all four field artillery battalions
as 105-mm. howitzer units and to provide a 155-mm. howitzer battalion for gen eral
support. In October 1944, three days before loading for the Leyte operation, one
75-mm. howitzer battalion was reorganized with 105-mm. howitzers; the other received
its 105-mm. howitzers toward the end of the Luzon campaign. By the end of the war,