By Maj. William Carraway, Historian, Georgia Army
National Guard
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Left: Members of Waynesboro’s Battery D, 101st AAA Battalion disassemble a 90-millimeter antiaircraft artillery gun at Camp Stewart where they are undergoing two weeks of field training in July 1949. Right: Flames erupt from the muzzle of a Georgia Army National Guard howitzer of Battery C, 1-214th Field Artillery during live-fire training at Fort Stewart in March, 2016. Photo by Capt. William Carraway |
Early
History
Battery C
was originally organized February 5, 1890 as the Burke Light Infantry.
On July 5, 1916, the unit, then serving as Company E, 1st Georgia
Infantry Regiment, was mobilized to the Mexican Border. The company served in
El Paso, Texas before returning to Georgia in April 1917. Remaining in federal
service, the company was redesignated Headquarters Battery, 118th
Field Artillery Regiment September 23, 1917 and on October 1 was redesignated
Battery C, 118th FA.
The unit mobilized to France with the 31st Infantry Division in
October 1918 but arrived too late to take an active part in combat operations
during World War I.
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CAMP WHEELER, Macon, Ga. February 21, 1918 – Members of the 118th Field Artillery Regiment conduct “Butts Manual Drill” (rifle PT) at Camp Wheeler. Photo 5485, National Archives Records Administration (NARA), College Park, Md. |
The battery
was reorganized in Waynesboro June 18, 1924 as Battery A, 118th Field
Artillery Regiment, a unit of the 30th Division.
On December 1, 1934, the 118th was converted from horse-drawn
artillery unit and received trucks for its towed 75mm howitzers.
In 1939, on the eve of World War I, the unit’s command team consisted of Capt.
William J. Hatcher and 1st Sgt. Wister Black.
World War
II
Ordered into
federal service September 16, 1940, Battery A mobilized to Fort Jackson, S.C.
for initial training with other units of the 30th Infantry Division. In June,
the 30th ID mobilized for the Tennessee Maneuvers which put the Soldiers of the
118th in the field training until August 1941 when they returned to Fort
Jackson.
That fall, the 118th departed for the Carolina Maneuvers, a massive training
exercise conducted in North and South Carolina. During the maneuvers, the 30th
Infantry Division was part of the I Corps, First Army.
At the
conclusion of the maneuvers, the 118th returned to Fort Jackson and in the
summer of 1942 traded its 75 mm guns for 105 mm towed howitzers. In October the
118th traveled to Camp Blanding Fla., where it conducted training with the new
weapons systems through May 1943. A training stint at Camp Gordon followed
after which the battalion mobilized to Camp Tick, Tenn., where the battalion
tackled field problems and maneuvers. This training rotation ran through
November 1943 when the 118th was dispatched to Camp Atterbury, Indiana. Here,
the battalion honed its expertise with the howitzer in preparation for
deployment to the European Theater. In February 1944 the battalion was
transported by rail to Camp Miles Standish, Mass. From there, the 118th set
sail for England on the John T. Erickson on February 12, 1944.
The 118th
was in camp in England on June 6, 1944 when Operation Overlord was launched.
Six days later, the 118th left camp just after 3:00 in the morning and arrived
12-hours later at a marshaling point near Dorchester.
Battery C loaded onto Landing Ship Tank 30 along with Headquarters Battery for
transport to the continent and arrived the next day.
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The 1st Battalion 118th Field Artillery Regiment unloads equipment on Omaha Beach June 13, 1944. |
On June 13,
1944, the first elements of the 118th Field Artillery Battalion went ashore on
Omaha Beach. Reaching a position near Neuilly, France, the Soldiers of the
118th established their first firing positions in an orchard outside of town.
Three days later, an observation post overlooking the Vire Et Taute Canal
called in a fire mission which was routed to one of the howitzers of Battery C.
Thus, on the afternoon of June 16, 1944, with the pull of lanyard cord, Battery
C fired the first round of the war for the 118th. Battery C and the
118th Field Artillery served with the 30th Division from France to
Germany earning four Meritorious Unit Commendations. For their actions at the
Battle of Mortain, the 118th received the Presidential Unit
Citation.
Post War
Reorganization and the Korean War
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BG Paul Stone January 1963 |
Following
the post-World War II reorganization of the Georgia National Guard, The former
Battery C, 118th FA was reestablished in Waynesboro as Battery D,
101st Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion assigned to the Winder-based
108th Antiaircraft Artillery Brigade. The 101st was
called to active federal service on August 14, 1950 with other units of the
108th AAA.
With a combined strength of just over 1,000 men, the 108th was dispatched to
Fort Bliss Texas and assigned to the 8th U.S. Army. In November 1951, the 108th
was dispatched to the Midwest and the 101st was garrisoned at Camp McCoy,
Wisconsin. From there, the batteries of the 101st were assigned to
protect the skies over cities and industrial centers of the Midwest with
Battery D protecting the skies over Chicago.
The
Waynesboro Battery remained in position through April 1952 with Capt. Paul
Stone in command. After demobilizing at Camp McCoy, the 101st returned home.
Over the next seven years, the Waynseboro battery earned six consecutive
superior ratings and Stone received the Georgia Distinctive Service Medal and
promotion to major.
After a brief tenure on the staff of the 108th AAA, Stone transferred to the Georgia
Air National Guard. He retired in 1971 as a brigadier general having served
eight years as commander of the Ga. ANG.
The
Berlin Crisis
On July 1, 1959 Battery D was reorganized as Company B, 111th
Signal Battalion.
Later that year, Company B became the first unit of the Georgia National Guard
to receive a live video broadcast which was sent from Fort Gordon, Ga.
The battalion conducted annual training at Fort Gordon June 26-July 10 1960 and
July 16-30, 1961.
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FORT GORDON, Ga. November 30, 1959 - Major General George Hearn, Georgia's Adjutant General, and Brig. Gen. David P. Gibbs, commanding general of the Signal Training Center conduct the first live telecast sent to National Guardsmen during training. More than two hours of live and video taped messages were transmitted from Fort Gordon to the Waynesboro, Ga. Armory of Company B, 111th Signal Battalion. Georgia National Guard Archives. |
In August 1961, after months of tension between the United
States and Soviet Union the Soviets blocked the lines of communication into
Berlin, isolating the city and began construction of the Berlin Wall. In response,
President Kennedy activated 156,000 Guard and Reservists and dispatched two
additional Army divisions to Europe. While several units of the Georgia
National Guard were placed on alert the 111th Signal Battalion was
the only one called to active federal service. The 111th reported for
active-duty October 15th and departed by train for Fort Meade, Md. October
25th.
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Guardsmen of Waynesboro-based Company B 111th Signal Battalion. Georgia National Guard Archives. |
Arriving at Fort Meade the next day, the 111th replaced an
active-duty signal battalion which had been mobilized to Europe. Within 24 hours,
the Berlin Crisis reached new heights as U.S. and Soviet tanks faced each other
with live ammunition at Checkpoint Charlie, a crossing point between East and
West Berlin. Ultimately, Kennedy and Khruschev, speaking through intermediaries,
agreed to deescalate the situation and the tanks were withdrawn.
Unaware of how close the United States had come to the brink
of war, the 111th settled into their new environment at Fort Meade. In addition
to their regular duties, the 111th trained aggressively for possible
deployment, conducted field problems and became more proficient in switchboard
operation and the emerging technology of television.
In May, 1962, the 111th Signal Battalion participated in
Operation Wet Horse II, a U.S. Army amphibious assault exercise designed to
test the capability of reserve units to conduct large-scale landing operations.
Cameras of the 111th Signal Battalion covered the operation as tanks of the
150th Armored Cavalry Regiment drove ashore from landing craft piloted by the
U.S. Army Reserve’s 231st Transportation Company. Images of these landings were
prominently featured in U.S. and European newspapers and conveyed the resolve
of the United States’ position in Berlin.
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FORT MILES, Del., May, 1962 - A jeep with a trailer slashes through the surf as it disembarks from an Army landing craft at Fort Miles during Exercise Wet Horse II. It will be followed by an M-48 Patton tank. Photo by Georgia Army National Guard, 111th Signal Battalion, Photo Platoon. Image courtesy of National Guard Educational Foundation, Washington, D.C. |
On August 9, 1962, their mission complete, the Georgia Guardsmen
of the 111th Signal Battalion boarded charter aircraft for the flight home.
Landing at Bush Field in Augusta, the 111th received a hero’s welcome. Major
Gen. Hearn greeted each Guardsman as they departed the aircraft then read a
special citation from Governor Ernest Vandiver commending the Soldiers for
their” loyalty and sacrifices made in the national interest.”
Reorganization,
the 48th AD and Return to Artillery Mission
The 1963
reorganization of the Georgia Army National Guard prompted the conversion of
Company B to form Company C, 3rd Battalion, 121st
Infantry Regiment.
The conversion brought the company under the 48th Armor Division.
This command relationship held through the December 1967 inactivation of the 48th
AD whereupon the unit was converted to its present designation, Battery C, 214th
FA, and equipped with self-propelled 155mm howitzers.
Soldiers of
Battery C were among the 500 Georgia Guardsmen activated in response to the
winter snowstorm of February 10-11, 1973. The Waynesboro Guardsmen responded to
more than 200 calls for assistance and delivered 18 stranded motorists to the
Waynesboro Armory for shelter where they provided them blankets, lodging and
meals.
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FORT STEWART, Ga. July 1974 - Georgia National Guard Soldiers of Battery C, 1st Battalion 214th Artillery of Waynesboro, Ga. receive a briefing before a firing mission at annual training at Fort Stewart, Ga. Georgia National Guard Archives. |
The
Waynesboro Battery mobilized to Norway for annual training as part of the NATO
Composite Force in 1992, 1994 and 1996.
Operating more than 300 miles north of the Arctic Circle, the artillerymen of
the 1-214th trained in a region that had previously been the target
of Russian invasion. Within weeks of their return from Norway in 1994, the
Waynesboro Guardsmen were deployed in response to Tropical Storm Alberto which
caused widespread flooding in South Georgia in July 1994.
In 1998 the
214th received the M-109A6 Paladin, the most advanced self-propelled
howitzer in the Army inventory. The Paladins replaced the older model M109A3
Howitzers.
The War
on Terror to Present
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ATLANTA, April 26, 2014 - Specialist Jonathan Mathews of Battery C, 1-214th Field Artillery is honored by Governor Nathan Deal during a ceremony following the return of the unit from Afghanistan. Georgia National Guard archives. |
The 214th
was activated March 20, 2003 for service in Iraq. After arriving at Fort Bragg
the battalion’s mission was changed to support Operation Noble Eagle which
encompassed state-side security operations. Soldiers of Battery C were among
the nearly 500 Soldiers mobilized and were the last to return from mobilization
in January 2004.
Battery C
mobilized to Iraq in June 2007 following a train up at Fort Bliss and assumed
the detainee security mission at Camp Bucca. The unit returned to Georgia June
2, 2008.
In 2013, the 1-214th again mobilized overseas to provide base defense operations in
western Afghanistan. As part of the mission the 1-214th secured
entry control points, provided flight line security and patrolled an area of
315 square kilometers.
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FORT STEWART, Ga. March 16, 2016 – Battery C, 1-214th Field Artillery conducting live-fire training. Photo by Capt. William Carraway. |
In 2020,
Battery C relocated from Waynesboro to Ellenwood.
The following year the unit added to its long history over overseas mobilizations
with personnel and howitzers participating in Exercise African Lion in Morocco
in June 2021.
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The guidon of the Ellenwood-based Battery C, 1st Battalion, 214th Field Artillery, 648th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, stands at the ready during M109A6 Paladin howitzer training during African Lion 2021 at Cap Draa, Morocco, June 16, 2021. Photo by Sgt. Nathan Baker. |
The battery guidon of the Ellenwood-based Charlie Battery,
1st Battalion, 214th Field Artillery, 648th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Georgia
Army National Guard, stands at the ready during M109A6 Paladin howitzer training
during African Lion 2021 at Cap Draa, Morocco, June 16, 2021. Photo by Sgt.
Nathan Baker.