Field ArTillery - US Army Center Of Military History

260 The OrganizaTiOnal hisTOry Of field arTillery
Chart 7—ROAD Airborne Division Artillery Organization, 1963
HHB
Div ARTY
105-mm. HOW
BN, (Towed)
318-mm
ROCKET BN
(Little John)
Secre tary McNamara approved the activation of two divisions to serve as test units
for the ROAD concept. Eight separate brigades were also planned, but only six
were organized by 30 June 1964. Four brigades were also organ ized in the Army
Reserve and four in the Army National Guard, in addition to three that had been
organized in the Guard in 1959. Each separate bri gade in the ROAD structure was
to include one 105-mm. howitzer battalion, organized in a manner similar to that
of the divi sional 105-mm. howitzer battalion. The remaining Regular Army divisions
and brigades were reorganized in 1964, and the reorgani zation of divisions
and brigades in the reserve components was also completed that year. 28 None of
the units in the reserve com ponents was up to full strength, and because some of
the critical equipment needed for the reorganiza tion was lacking as well, certain
reserve units were not organized, including five of the Honest John batteries in
the composite artillery battalions of the National Guard. 29
The Army considered a similar study for echelons above the division level in
RODAC–70 (Reorganization Objective Division, Army, Corps, 1965–1970). The
corps was to be retained as a tactical head quarters, with the capability of becoming
an administrative echelon by attaching logistical elements when needed, and to be
given control of most non divisional combat and combat-support elements, including
all nondivisional cannon artillery. For the field army, a fire-support command was
pro posed as a replacement for the existing missile command. Under ROAD-type
TOEs published in the mid-1960s, the aviation resources of the corps and group
artillery headquarters were transferred to separate aviation units and to the divisional
artillery headquarters. In general, however, the nondivisional artillery units were
28 DA Pam 355–200–13, “The New Army Division Structure,” 18 Mar 1963. For the division and
brigade reorganization letters, see the individual unit folders in CMH files.
29 “The Guard Goes ‘ROAD!’” National Guardsman, February 1963, pp. 2–4. For the division and
brigade reorganization letters, see the individual unit folders in CMH files.