Field ArTillery - US Army Center Of Military History

246 The OrganizaTiOnal hisTOry Of field arTillery
was inadequate because of the reduction in number of 105-mm. howitzers and
the absence of medium general-support artillery. 5 In the spring of 1955, General
Ridgway directed the United States Continental Army Command (CONARC), which
had re placed Army Field Forces in February, to redesign the ATFA division. As a
result, the infantry and armored division artillery structure became more traditional
again, organized with a headquarters and headquarters battery, a medical detachment,
and one 155-mm. howitzer and three 105-mm. howitzer battalions. The antiaircraft
artil lery automatic weapons battalion remained deleted from the ATFA divi sion,
but each howitzer battalion retained one antiaircraft artillery battery. The authorized
aggregate strength of the armored division artillery rose from 2,433 to 2,834, while
that of the infantry division increased to 2,800 (Table 24). Whether such forces were
any more agile than their predecessors was a question mark. 6
As with divisional artillery, similar changes were also proposed in the organization
of nondivisional field artillery in the atomic field army. The headquarters and
headquarters battery of the field army artillery was to operate a fire support coordination
center for planning and coordinating the fires of longer-ranged guided mis siles
and to assist in integrating Army guided missile fire sup port with close air support
provided by the tactical Air Force. Army-level artillery units included four 155-mm.
tractor-drawn howitzer battalions (normally attached to corps during opera tions)
and three Corporal missile units. Three corps artillery headquarters were normally
to be allotted each field army. Besides the head quarters and head quarters battery,
other units organic to corps artillery were to include a field artillery observation
battalion (to be increased from three to four observation bat teries), a search light
battery, and an aviation company, in which all the aviation resources of the corps
artil lery were to be concentrated. Four field artillery group head quarters, one armored
105-mm. howitzer battalion, nine 155-mm. howitzer bat talions (five tractor-drawn
and four self-propelled), two 155-mm. gun battalions (one tractor-drawn and one
self-propelled), six 8-inch howitzer battalions (three tractor-drawn and three selfpropelled),
two 240-mm. towed howitzer battalions, one 280-mm. gun battalion,
and one Honest John battalion were also planned for each corps. 7
The organization of field artillery for the atomic battlefield developed by the
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC) at Fort Leaven worth was
similar, except the corps artillery was authorized three rather than two 155-mm.
gun battalions and five rather than six 8-inch howitzer battalions (but four 8-inch
howitzer battalions were added to the field army artillery to compensate for their
loss in the corps artillery). Another major difference occurred in the organization of
the Corporal unit. The CONARC version proposed three units, each with an authorized
strength of 200, whereas the CGSC plan included a Corporal regiment with a
5 Ltr, CONARC to TAG et al., Attn: G–D&R 322/50 (Div), 25 Apr 1956, sub: Concept and Technical
Review of the Tentative 1956 ATFA Infantry Division, copy in CMH files; Rpt, 3d Inf Div, 13 Feb 56,
sub: Final Evaluation on ATFA Infan try Division (TOE 7T), CGSC files.
6 TOE 6–100T, ATFA, 30 Jun 1955; TOE 6–300T, ATFA, 30 Jun 55.
7 Ltr ATTNG–D&R 320.2/26, CofAFF to ACofS, G–3, 29 Dec 1954, sub: General Concept of
Organization of Nondivisional Combat Support Units in the Field Army, Project ATFA–1, CGSC files
and copy in CMH files.