June 7, 1973: The Era of the F-100 Super Sabre Begins for the 116th TFW

 By Maj. William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

 

F-100D Super Sabres of the Georgia Air National Guard's Tactical Fighter Wing at Dobbins Air Force Base in 1975. Georgia National Guard Archives.

The Georgia Air National Guard’s 128th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 116^th Tactical Fighter Wing received its first three F-100D Super Sabre fighter bombers on June 7, 1973. The aircraft were flown from Arizona to Dobbins Air Force Base by pilots of the Arizona Air National Guard.

One of the first three F-100D Super Sabres received by the 128th Tactical Fighter Squadron June 7, 1973 at Dobbins Air Force Base. Georgia National Guard Archives.

The arrival of the F-100 represented a return to the fighter interceptor roots for 116^th TFW which included the 128^th. From 1946 to 1961, the 116^th had flown a variety of fighter and interceptor aircraft ranging from the World War II era P-47 Thunderbolt and P-51H Mustang to fighter jets such as the F-84 and F-86. In June 1961, the 116^th received its first transports, the C-97 Stratofreighter, and assumed a military air transport mission with the designation 116^th Military Airlift Wing. In 1967, the Georgia Air National Guard replaced its Stratofreighters with the C-124 Douglas Globemaster.[1]

Among the aircraft flown by the 116th through the years are the P-47 Thunderbolt, F-84 Thunderjet, P-51 Mustang, F-86L Sabre, C-97 Stratofreighter
and C-124 Globemaster. Georgia National Guard Archives. 

While the 165^th Military Airlift Wing retained its C-124s for another year before converting to the C-130,[2] pilots of the 116^th began training in T-33s in December 1972.[3] Within a year, the first four pilots of the 128^th TFS had completed the Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training and Combat Crew Training Courses and qualified in the F-100D.

May 18, 1974 -  Ray Young, photographer for Atlanta's Channel 11, sits in the backseat of an F-100 Super Sabre of the 116th Tactical Fighter Wing at Dobbins AFB.
Ray went aloft to shoot footage for the WXIA-TV Armed Forces Day feature which was shown on three of the station's newscasts.

The 116th Tactical Fighter Wing converted to full combat readiness a year ahead of schedule. In recognition of this achievement, the wing received the first of three consecutive Air Force Outstanding Unit awards in May 1975. Two years later the wing received the highest Management Effectiveness Inspection rating ever awarded by a Tactical Air Force inspection team. Major General Billy Jones, who commanded the 116^th TFW prior to his appointment as Georgia’s Adjutant General, lauded the wing for the unprecedented rating.

“The same criteria apply to all USAF active units,” observed Jones following the announcement of the inspection results. “Which makes this achievement even more significant for the 116^th which is a part-time unit.” [4]

Major General Billy Jones, Georgia’s Adjutant General, presents the 116th Tactical Fighter Wing with its second Air Force Outstanding Unit Award at
Dobbins Air Force Base May 21, 1977.

In October 1978, the 116^th replaced the F-100D with the F-105G Thunderchief and assumed the Wild Weasel mission which used sophisticated aerial electronics to negate surface-to-air missile capability[5]. When the last F-100D left the runway of Dobbins Air Force Base May 3, 1979, it closed a six-year chapter of Georgia Air National Guard history. During that time, the 116^th flew the F-100D without a single accident or mishap. Major Marvin Horner, assistant aircraft maintenance manager for the 116^th TFW credited the 116^th Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron for the wing’s stellar safety record.

The 116th Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron maintained
the Georgia Air National Guard’s F-100Ds for six accident-free years.

“I think we were the only unit to fly the F-100 for as many years as we did accident free, said Horner in a 1979 interview." [6]

 

---

[1] “F-100 Super Sabres Slated for Ga. Air Guard.” The Georgia Guardsman, Oct-Dec 1972, 1.

[2] “Savannah’s 165^th MAG Has New Mission Now That C-130s Are In.” The Georgia Guardsman, Jul-Aug 1974, 10-11.

[3] “F-100 Super Sabres Slated for Ga. Air Guard.” The Georgia Guardsman, Oct-Dec 1972, 1.

[4] “116^th TFWing is First AF, AFRes or ANG Unit to Get Excellent.” The Georgia Guardsman, January-March 1977, inside Cover.

[5] “Here Come the Thuds.” The Georgia Guardsman, July-Sept 1978, 8.

[6] Beryl Diamond. “Super Sabre Bids Farewell to Dobbins.” The Georgia Guardsman, April 30, 1979, 1.

History of the 128^th Observation Squadron

By Maj. William Carraway, Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

 

Major George Finch (left) commander of the 128th Observation Squadron stands with his staff beside a North American BC-1A in 1941.
Georgia National Guard Archives.

Georgia’s First Air National Guard Unit

On July 31, 1940, the War Department authorized the organization of the 128^th Observation Squadron, the first air unit of the Georgia National Guard.[1] Major George Finch was appointed to command the unit which was initially based at Atlanta’s Candler Field.[2] The 128^th was comprised of 31 officers and 116^th enlisted soldiers.[3]

The 128th Observation Squadron, Atlanta, Sept. 8, 1941. Georgia National Guard Archives.

The 128^th Observation Squadron in World War II

The 128^th Observation Squadron was federally recognized May 1, 1941. Inducted into the U.S. Army September 15, 1941, the squadron relocated to Fort Benning’s Lawson Field where it fielded a range of observation aircraft beginning with one BC-1A, one Douglas O-46A and one Douglas OZ-38E bi-plane.[4] In December the squadron received an additional O-46A, Two Stinson D-49s (redesignated the L-1), two A-18s and 36 Piper L-4s. Transferred to Meridian, Miss in April 1942 and to New Orleans two months later, the squadron was upgraded with O-47As and began participating in antisubmarine patrol missions over the Gulf of Mexico. 

Members of the 128th Observation Squadron in New Orleans with one of the squadron’s O-47s. Left to right: Simpson, Harvey Orr,
Daddysman, Jack White, Unknown and Edward Ludwig. Georgia National Guard Archives.

The Squadron was redesignated the 21^st Antisubmarine Squadron in March 1943, and upon transferring to Gulfport, Miss. in May, began flying patrols in B-25 Mitchells.[5]

North American B-25 Mitchells of the 26th Antisubmarine Squadron flown out of Gulfport in 1943. Georgia National Guard Archives.

Transferred initially to Washington’s Ephrata Airfield in September, original members of the 128^th OS formed a cadre in Headquarters, 483^rd Bombardment Group with members assigned to all four squadrons: The 815^th, 816^th, 817^th and 818^th. Arriving at MacDill Field in November, the group was equipped with B-17 bombers and the 818^th was redesignated the 840^th Bombardment Squadron.[6] Arriving in Italy in April 1944, the group began combat operations April 12. The squadrons of the 483^rd were awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation for actions over Memmingen Germany July 18, 1944 and again March 25, 1945 for actions over Berlin.[7] The squadron remained in Europe after the end of the war and was inactivated September 25, 1945.[8]

 

Members of the 840th Bombardment Squadron, formerly the Georgia National Guard’s 128th Observation Squadron can be seen wearing the
Distinguished Unit Citation the squadron received for actions on July18, 1944 during a strike on Memmingen, Germany. Georgia National Guard Archives.

---

[1] War Department, Office of the National Guard Bureau. NGB 325.4 (Air) Ga-3 Organization of the 128th Observation Squadron (Washington D.C.: July 31, 1940).

[2] Marion Williamson to Chief, National Guard Bureau, November 28, 1940.

 

[3] War Department, Office of Chief of the National Guard Bureau. NGB 325.4 Allotted strength of the National Guard of Georgia. Washington D.C.: November 28, 1940.

 

[4] War Department, Executive Order No. 8756. September 15, 1941.

 

[5] William Ridley. Georgia Air National Guard History 1941-2000 (Charlotte: Fine Books Publishing, 2000) 11.

[6] William Ridley. Georgia Air National Guard History 1941-2000 (Charlotte: Fine Books Publishing, 2000) 12.

 

[7] Maurer, ed. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force World War II (Washington, D.C.,USAF Historical Division Department of the Air Force, 1982) 777.

 

[8] William Ridley. Georgia Air National Guard History 1941-2000 (Charlotte: Fine Books Publishing, 2000) 12.

March 1950: Georgia Air National Guard Conducts Rapid Deployment Alert

 By Major William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

 

Left: Brigadier General James L. Riley (seen in 1949 as a colonel) commanded the 54th Fighter Wing. Right: An F-47 Thunderbolt of the Georgia
Air National Guard’s 54th Fighter Wing, 128th Fighter Squadron at Marietta Air Force Base in May 1946. Georgia National Guard Archives.

The 54^th Fighter Wing representing Air National Guard units in Georgia and South Carolina staged a mock alert March 19, 1950 in order to test the capability of the Air National Guard to react to a surprise enemy attack. Brigadier General J. L. Riley, commander of the Marietta-based 54^th Fighter Wing, ordered the alert which went out over all Atlanta radio stations. Within 30 minutes, all fourteen units based at Marietta Air Force Base had responded and four F-47 Fighters were in the air. Within another 15 minutes, 20 F-47s were aloft. [1]

Lt. Col. Aldo Garoni in 1949.
Georgia National Guard Archives

The project officer for the alert exercise was Lt. Col. Aldo Garoni, personnel officer of the 54^th Fighter Wing. Garoni enlisted in the 128^th Observation Squadron in 1941 at Candler Field in Atlanta and served with the unit until 1942 when he entered officer candidate school. Commissioned a 2^nd lieutenant, Garoni served in Africa and participated in the Allied landing at Sicily. Returning from the war as a major, he was part of the effort to reorganize the Georgia National Guard. In 1950, as the assistant manager of radio station WFOM Garoni facilitated the radio alert that called the Citizen-Airmen of the Georgia Air National Guard to action.[2]

As part of the alert exercise, the Georgia National Guard’s 128^th Fighter Squadron provided air support for Third Army troops in the Atlanta area from their base in Marietta while F-80 jets of the Savannah-based 158^th Fighter Squadron scrambled to intercept simulated enemy aircraft. "Enemy" fighters of the South Carolina Air National Guard were intercepted in the skies over Congaree, S.C. where the Airmen of Georgia and South Carolina engaged in mock air combat.

Nearly 75 percent of the personnel assigned to the 14 Georgia Air National Guard units at Marietta Air Force Base participated in the alert with some continuing to respond as late as 10:00 p.m. Major General Ernest Vandiver, Georgia’s Adjutant General, observed the alert and response of the Georgia Air National Guard.

F-47 Thunderbolts of the Georgia Air National Guard’s 128th Fighter Squadron conduct a rapid deployment alert in March 1950. Georgia National Guard Archives.

Less than five months after the alert exercise, pilots of the 128th Fighter Squadron were activated for service during the Korean War.

---

[1] “Wing Alert Gets 20 Fighters in Air Within One Hour, Four in 30 Minutes. The Georgia Guardsman. May 1950, 11.

[2] “Colonel Aldo Garoni.” The Georgia Guardsman, March April 1956, 3.

August 18-30, 1969: Ga. ANG Supports Mississippi Recovery Following Hurricane Camille

By Maj. William Carraway

Historian, Georgia National Guard

 

Left: The Buena Vista Hotel in Biloxi, Miss was heavily damaged by Hurricane Camille. Right: A Georgia Air National Guard C-124 lifts off from Dobbins
AFB with relief supplies bound for Mississippi. Georgia National Guard Archives.

On August 17, 1969, Hurricane Camille made landfall near Waveland Mississippi west of Biloxi as a devasting category five storm. The following day, Maj. Gen. George Hearn, Georgia’s Adjutant General ordered Georgia’s Citizen-Airmen in motion as part of the largest domestic airlift in the history of Georgia Air National Guard up to that time.[1]

Four massive C-124 Globemasters of the Ga, ANG’s 116^th Military Airlift Group were staged at Dobbins Air Force Base in Marietta, Ga. while Guardsmen scrambled to secure and deliver relief supplies. Central to the relief effort were rations secured from the Atlanta Army Depot.

Georgia Air National Guard personnel load emergency relief supplies aboard four C-124 Globemasters of the 116th Military Airlift Group bound for
Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Miss. following the impact of Hurricane Camille. Georgia National Guard Archives.

The first relief flights departed Dobbins at 4:30 pm August 18 under the command of Col. Cleveland Perkins, director of operations for the 116^th Military Airlift Wing. Perkins son, 2^nd Lt. James Perkins was also aboard the flight as were 11 members of the media. the first four Ga. ANG aircraft arrived at Keesler AFB by 9:00 that evening with a total payload of 132,000 pounds of food. The C-124s were crewed by volunteers of the Ga. ANG who were required to land under visual flight rules at night without the aid of instruments or landing lights which had been knocked out by the hurricane. Emergency back up generators were able to restore the runway lights in time for the last two Ga. ANG aircraft to depart Keesler enroute back to Dobbins for a second round of relief supplies.[2]

Col. Cleveland Perkins

Beginning at 7:00 the next morning, nine additional flights were underway. Five C-124s departed from Dobbins while two more aircraft of the Savannah-based 165^th Military Airlift Group completed two missions each. During the first two days of relief operations, the Georgia Air National Guard transported more than 400,000 pounds of food and delivered 20 passengers into Biloxi and Gulfport. Writing on August 25, Atlanta Constitution reporter Celestine Sibley observed that those delivering the relief supplies were “ordinary civilians called in from other jobs and they worked hard and long hours to get the groceries through.”[3]

Operations continued throughout the week for a total of 17 Ga. ANG aircraft missions using seven different aircraft delivering food and water. By the second week of operations, the Ga. ANG had lifted more than 700,000 pounds of relief supplies. Ultimately, the Air National Guard would fly more than 110 missions, delivering nearly one million pounds of food, water and clothing to the stricken coastal area.

 

A Georgia Air National Guard C-124 delievers a pallet of emergency meals at Keesler Air Force Base August 18, 1969. Georgia National Guard Archives.

Ga. ANG Experiences at Keesler

While the crew of Col. Perkins’ aircraft were the first Georgia Air National Guardsmen to deliver supplies, they were not the first in Biloxi as Airmen from Georgia were attending a 40-week air control and radar course at Keesler AFB when Camille hit. Lieutenant Bobby Warnock was one of the Georgia Airmen at Keesler. Originally ordered to weather out the storm, Warnock and his family were forced by rising water to retreat to the second floor of their townhome while tremendous winds battered the side of the house.[4] Airman George Coke and his family also weathered the storm in their one-story home one block from the beach in Gulfport upon the advice of residents who had ridden out previous storms. While the Coke house was not heavily damaged numerous adjacent homes were leveled. The Coke family returned home to Macon, Ga. two days after Camille’s impact.[5]

BILOXI, Miss., August 18, 1969 - A Lighter, Amphibious Resupply Cargo 5-ton (LARC-V) of the 135th Transportation Company (Amphibious),
Mississippi Army National Guard, amid the rubble following Hurricane Camille. Georgia National Guard photo by Lt. Col. Douglas Embry.

Airman 1^st Class Sidney G. Bryan of the Macon-based 202^nd Ground Electronic Engineering Installation Agency Squadron was also attending the ACW course at Keesler. Remaining at the base after Camille’s impact, Bryan distinguished himself in the recovery effort. After initially volunteering to assist in debris clearance in towns along the Gulf Coast, Bryan worked with the Salvation Army in the distribution of clothing and supplies by day while continuing to participate in debris clearance by night helping to remove fallen trees from homes and roadways. For his selfless service, Bryan was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal during a ceremony at his unit’s armory. Lieutenant Colonel George E. Smith, commander of the 202^nd, praised Bryan for his devotion to duty, diligence and exemplary ability.

“It is indeed a pleasure and a privilege to have this distinguished Airman under my command,” said Smith during the ceremony.[6] 

The 202^nd GEEIA continues in service today as the 202^nd Engineering Installation Squadron.

 

---

[1] Phil Gailey. “Georgia Aid Goes to Gulf.” The Atlanta Constitution. August 19, 1969, 1.

[2] “Ga. ANG’s Largest Emergency Airlift Supports Mississippi Hurricane Victims.” The Georgia Guardsman. July-December 1969, 2-3.

[3] Celestine Sibley. “Relief for Mississippi.” The Atlanta Constitution. August 25, 1969, 5.

[4] “ANG Lt. in Storm. The Georgia Guardsman. July December 1969, 3.

[5] “Macon Couples Get Back Home.” The Macon News. August 21, 1969, 2.

[6] “Macon Airman Awarded AF Commendation.” The Georgia Guardsman. July-December 1969, 6.

Christmas in Combat: A Review of GA. National Guard Deployments 1916-2021

By Major William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

 

Citizen Soldiers of the Georgia National Guard celebrate Christmas overseas in 1918 and 2018. Right photo by 1st Lt. Leland White.

For more than a century, Citizen Soldiers and Airmen of the Georgia National Guard have mobilized in support of operations at home and abroad. The separation of deployment for service members and their families can be much more difficult during the holiday season, a time when families tend to gather to celebrate. This year, nearly 650 of Georgia’s Citizen Soldiers and Airmen are deployed around the world. In performing their duty, these service members are weaving their own thread in the tapestry of service which links them with past generations of Guardsmen.

Mexican Border Service, 1916

In Jun 1916, more than 3,600 Georgia National Guard Soldiers were called to active duty following unrest on the Mexican Border. Deployed to El Paso in October, these Soldiers would pass Christmas guarding the border from outposts scattered from Yselta Texas to lonely stations in New Mexico. Returning in March 1917, these Guardsmen remained in active service and were immediately summoned to training camps for premobilization training for World War I.[1]

 

Soldiers of Company F, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Georgia Infantry Regiment pose for this Christmas card in El Paso, Texas in 1916. Company F
would serve in WWI as Company A, 151st Machine Gun Battalion and in World War II as Service Company, 121st Infantry Regiment.
Photo from the 1st Lt. Vivian Roberts collection courtesy of Tonie Maxwell.

This Christmas card from World War I
depicts Santa Claus, Uncle Sam and an
American dough boy.

World War I

In the summer of 1917, the three Macon-based companies of the Georgia National Guard’s 2^nd Infantry Regiment formed the 151^st Machine Gun Company. Dispatched to France with the 42^nd Infantry Division in 1917, they would spend Christmas 1917 in France, and after participating in the major campaigns of 1918 spent the following Christmas on occupation duty in Kripp, Germany.[2]

The balance of the Georgia National Guard trained with the 31^st Division at Camp Wheeler near Macon until mobilizing for France in October 1918. Arriving too late to take part as organic units in combat operations, Georgia’s Guard units nevertheless spent Christmas in France before rotating home in 1919.

 

The Georgia Air National Guard in World War II

Formed in 1941, the Georgia National Guard’s 128^th Observation Squadron performed patrol duty from New Orleans as part of the 26^th Antisubmarine Wing over Christmas 1942.[3] Christmas 1943 found the unit stationed at MacDill Field in Florida where the Guardsmen formed a cadre of the 483^rd Bombardment Group and 818^th Bombardment Squadron. The following year the 843^rd was assigned to the 15^th Air Force in Europe where the 818^th was redesignated the 840^th Bombardment Squadron. Flying B-17s, the 840^th served in the skies over Europe and was rotated home in September 1945.[4]

Georgia National Guardsmen of the 840th Bombardment Squadron observe Christmas in Italy in 1944. Georgia National Guard Archives.

The Georgia Army National Guard in The Pacific Theater of World War II

When it arrived in Port Moresby, New Guinea in May 1942, the 101^st Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion, formerly the 1^st Squadron, 108^th Cavalry, Ga. National Guard, was the only American combat unit on the Island.[5] Through Christmas 1943, the 101^st provided air defense over five airdromes near Port Moresby and were a key element in the allied victories in Papua and New Guinea. For its actions, the 101^st received the Presidential Unit Citation.[6] Meanwhile, the 214^th Field Artillery Group, which was formed from the Georgia National Guard’s 264^th Coast Artillery Battalion and 3^rd Battalion 122^nd Infantry in 1940, provided air defense over Henderson Field, Guadalcanal in 1942.[7]

The 214th Field Artillery Regiment and 101st Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion fought in the Pacific Theater of World War II.
Photo by  Capt. William Carraway

The lineage of these Georgia National Guard units who fought in the Pacific Theater are preserved today in the 1^st Battalion, 214^th Field Artillery; 177^th Brigade Engineer Battalion and 878^th Engineer Battalion.

 

The European Theater of World War II

Having waded ashore Omaha and Utah Beaches in Normandy France from June to August 1944, seven battalions of Georgia National Guard Soldiers spent Christmas engaged in the Ardennes following a surprise German counterattack remembered today as the Battle of the Bulge.

945^th Field Artillery Battalion 

When the Germans launched the Ardennes Offensive, the 945^th Field Artillery Battalion was engaged with the IIX Corps, 3^rd Army in the Lorraine Campaign near Nancy. In action throughout December, the battalion had taken severe casualties with just 72 men remaining for duty in Battery C.^[8] On December 19, Lt. Gen. George Patton ordered the XII Corps to move via Luxembourg to the Ardennes. The 945^th, still recovering from the counterbattery fire of December 18, did not get started until the next day. Due to the heavy snow and unbearable cold, the route of march was torturous and delayed. A Soldier in the 945^th recalled that the mud froze to their boots and that men clustered to ride on the hoods of M5 tractors in order to stay warm. ^[9]

On Christmas Eve, Lt. Gen. George S. Patton distributed these personalized messages
 to the Soldiers of the 3rd Army including members of the Georgia Army National Guard’s
945th Field Artillery Battalion. Georgia National Guard Archives

The 3^rd Army was moving to first stabilize the German penetration, then counterattack.^[10] The American counterattack brought with it 108 artillery battalions with nearly 1,300 guns. The guns of the 945^th FAB went into action December 23 in Luxembourg targeting roads, bridges and enemy counterbattery fire. The next day, the 945^th fired 549 high explosive rounds and 17 white phosphorous rounds. ^[11] That evening, Patton distributed a personal message and prayer written by Chaplain James O’Neill to the Soldiers of the 3^rd Army.

On Christmas Day, the Soldiers of the 945^th received turkey dinner. Patton circulated through the divisions of the 3^rd Army congratulating the men for their efforts. He subsequently wrote that “No other Army in the world except the American could have done such a thing.”

 

179^th Field Artillery Battalion^[12] 

Also moving out with the 3^rd Army on December 20 was the 179^th Field Artillery Battalion, a Georgia Guard unit which had been based in Atlanta prior to the start of the War. Moving with the 4^th Armored Division, the 179^th arrived in Nagen, Belgium where the Georgia Guardsmen delivered their first salvos into German flank positions on December 23, 1944. From their firing position, the 179^th Field Artillery Battalion supported the 26^th Division and would continue to do so through Christmas. In January, the 179^th, moving with the 4^th Armored Division advanced to Bastogne to relieve the encircled 101^st Airborne Division.

A cartoon depiction of the rapid mobilization of the Georgia National Guard’s 179th Field Artillery Battalion and 4th Armor Division to the Ardennes
in December 1944 as drawn by a Soldier of the 179th.

 121^st Infantry Regiment - 1944

The 121^st Infantry Regiment spent November and December in the bloody Hurtgen Forest, an experience one Gray Bonnet Soldier recalled as “hell with icicles” During the fighting, Staff Sgt. John Minick led an element of Soldiers through a minefield, silenced an enemy machine gun, killed 20 Germans and captured 10 before he was killed by a mine explosion. For his valorous actions, Minnick posthumously received the Medal of Honor.^[13]

In late December, the objective of the 121^st Infantry Regiment was the town of Obermaubach, east of Hurtgen. Near Obermaubach was a dam on the Roer River. If the Germans destroyed the dam the resulting flood would hamper 1^st Army efforts to cross.^[14]

The 121^st attack jumped off on Dec. 22, 1944. Company B, under command of Capt. William McKenna achieved early success, driving 300 yards through enemy mortar and machine gun fire. Company C gained a foothold in the town and the 121^st began clearing operations. An enemy sniper felled Maj. Joseph Johnston, commander of 1^st Battalion but he refused medical evacuation until the engagement was decided.^[15]

Capt. William McKenna

Christmas Eve and Christmas came with the infantry still heavily engaged. Company F cleared four bunkers while Soldiers of Company K knocked out two enemy strong points and cleared an approach for armor forces to move forward in support.

Stories of individual heroism were replete during the Christmas Day attack of the 121^st against Obermaubach. Technical Sgt. Raymond Kommer moved out ahead of his squad which had been pinned down by machine gun fire. Incredibly, Kommer managed to crawl within arms-reach of the enemy machine gun position. When the enemy gunner paused to reload, Kommer reached into the machine gun nest and unceremoniously pulled the gun right out of the gunner’s hands.^[16]

While leading Company B, Capt. McKenna low crawled through enemy minefields within sight of enemy positions and called in artillery fire. He remained in an exposed position calling in targets before machine gun fire compelled him to return to his men. Still, he moved from foxhole to foxhole encouraging his Soldiers through personal example. During the attack that followed, McKenna was killed by small arms fire.^[17]

 

118^th Field Artillery Battalion

The Georgia Army National Guard’s 118th Field Artillery Battalion
went into position near Malmedy, Belgium just before Christmas 1944.

On December 16, 1944, the Soldiers of the Georgia Army National Guard’s 118^th Field
Artillery Battalion, part of the 30^th Infantry Division, were in Langweiler, Germany when they received the order to be prepared to mobilize following the German counteroffensive in the Ardennes. Hastily loading personnel, equipment, and Christmas souvenirs onto trucks, the battalion moved out of Langweiler at 8:00 p.m. into darkness and swirling snow.^[18] The vehicle column endured a night attack by the Luftwaffe the next morning and by December 18, the 118^th was passing through Malmedy. Going into position near the town of Spa, Belgium, the Soldiers would soon find themselves firing at their old nemeses from Mortain, the 1^st SS Panzer Division.^[19] The resolve of the Soldiers was strengthened after learning of the American Soldiers who had been ambushed and murdered along the road in Malmedy through which they had passed just two days previous.

On December 19, the 118^th batteries received fire missions and began firing at the rate of one round per minute against the advancing German vanguard. Presently, the batteries were ordered to increase their rate of fire to two rounds per minute. This rate of fire was sustained until the guns became red hot and the falling snows sizzled on tubes. Soldiers of Service Battery were hard pressed to keep up with the ammunition requirements of the line batteries and were compelled to race about on steep, icy roads bringing ammunition forward.

Over the next several days, the 118^th fought the Germans and the elements with freezing cold temperatures and low clouds preventing American aircraft from flying over the lines. Finally, on Christmas Eve, the clouds lifted, and allied aircraft were soon bombing German positions and strafing supply lines.

The fighting continued in earnest on Christmas and the Soldiers had to rotate from their positions to enjoy their turkey dinner. From December 19 to 25, the battalion fired approximately 20,000 rounds.^[20] They would continue to fire with deadly effect into the New Year and halfway through January before the Allies began to push the Germans back.

 

230^th Field Artillery Battalion

Happy Soldiers of the Georgia National Guard’s
230th Field Artillery Battalion receive
Christmas packages from home Dec. 24,
1944 near Spa, Belgium

Like its sister battalion, the 118^th, the Georgia Guard’s 230^th Field Artillery Battalion received an urgent alert to move while stationed at Langendorf, Germany.^[21] Shortly before midnight December 17, the battalion abandoned their comfortable houses with decorated fir trees and began the movement to the Ardennes. Along the route, the 230^th experienced the same Luftwaffe attacks as related by the Soldiers of the 118^th. Moving south from Aachen, the 230^th established firing positions near Malmedy. Although in proximity to the 118^th the 230^th did not receive the same quantity of fire due to the terrain of the valley in which they were emplaced. Nevertheless, the guns of the 230^th supported the 120^th Infantry Regiment was positioned to their front.

The 230^th had perhaps the most fortunate position on Christmas of any Georgia Guard unit in Europe. The battalion’s headquarters was near the Belgian town of Spa. The Soldiers were able to rotate from Malmedy to Spa where they enjoyed Turkey dinner along with the hot bubbling mineral springs. Without ornaments, the Soldiers decorated small fir trees with bright paper and bubble gum wrappers. Not content to enjoy the blessings of Christmas by themselves, the Soldiers collected truckloads of candy and food to provide for the children of nearby Malmedy. Having enjoyed a relatively peaceful Christmas interlude with the moonlight reflecting of the quiet snowy valley, the Soldiers would soon advance to provide artillery support as the Infantry Regiments of the 30^th Division pressed east.^[22]

Korea[23]

On August 14, 1950, the Georgia Army National Guard’s 108th AAA was activated for federal service. In addition to the 101st and 250th AAA Battalions, the 178th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Operations Detachment and 420th Signal Radar Maintenance Unit rounded out the brigade. 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 with the 250th arriving at Fort Custer, Michigan and the 101st garrisoned at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin. From these bases of operation, the Georgia Guard batteries were independently assigned to cities and industrial areas from Wisconsin to Pennsylvania to provide anti-aircraft capability against the threat of Soviet missile and aircraft attacks. First Lieutenant Stone’s battery of 90 mm guns was assigned to protect the skies over Chicago.

Georgia National Guard Soldiers of the 101st Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion stand in the frigid cold of a Chicago winter while waiting for their
C-47 transport plane to refuel and bring them home for Christmas in 1951. Georgia National Guard Archives.

In December, Maj. Gen. Ernest Vandiver, Adjutant General of Georgia, dispatched the state’s C-47 cargo aircraft to bring Georgia Guardsmen home for Christmas from Camp McCoy and Fort Custer. While the Georgia Guardsmen of the 101st were able to rotate home for Christmas, freezing weather prevented the Guardsmen of the 250th AAA from rotating home from Fort Custer.

The Georgia Air National Guard’s 54^th Fighter Wing was activated in October 1950. Mobilized to Japan, Guard aviators flew combat missions in the skies over North Korea before returning to the United States in 1952.

Vietnam

In November and December, 1965, air crews of the Georgia Air National Guard and Citizen-Airmen from other states volunteered for a special mission to Vietnam. Nearly 80 Air National Guard aircraft ultimately participated in Operation Christmas Star, a multi-state airlift operation designed to provide service members in Southeast Asia with Christmas gifts contributed by a grateful nation. The Georgia aircrews delivered nearly 49,000 pounds of Christmas gifts and mail in addition to 97,000 pounds of Air Force cargo.[24]

The first of six Georgia Air National Guard C-97 Stratofreighters is loaded with Christmas Gifts bound for
Vietnam as part of Operation Christmas Star. Georgia National Guard archives.

Desert Shield / Desert Storm

Eleven units of the Georgia Army National Guard were mobilized for Desert Shield with six units ultimately deploying to the Middle East. The aggregate of these units encompassed nearly 5,300 Soldiers, approximately half of the Ga. ARNG’s authorized strength.[25]

The Georgia Air National Guard mobilized ten units. Personnel of the 165^th Tactical Airlift Group, 224^th Joint Communications Support Squadron and 283^rd Combat Communications Squadron were the first Georgia Guardsmen deployed to Saudi Arabia and Europe in support of Operation Desert Shield.[26]

Iraq and Afghanistan

Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 more than 22,000 of Georgia’s Citizen Soldiers and Airmen have been called to support combat operations overseas. Despite the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, Georgia National Guard units continue to support contingency missions in the Central Command area of operations. Guardsmen have also been separated from families by domestic missions ranging from cyber missions to supporting border security in the southwest United States.

 

Soldiers of 2nd Battalion 121st Infantry Regiment observe Christmas in Kunduz, Afghanistan Dec. 25, 2009.

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[1] William Carraway “Cactus, Sage Brush, Fleas and Ants.” Georgiaguardhistory.com. April 5, 2017, http://www.georgiaguardhistory.com/2017/04/cactus-and-sage-brush-fleas-and-ants.html

[2] William Carraway “November to December 1918: ‘We will probably have to go into Germany’”. Georgiaguardhistory.com. Dec. 12, 2018, http://www.georgiaguardhistory.com/2018/12/november-to-december-1918-we-will.html

 

[3] William E. Ridley. Georgia Air National Guard History 1941-2000. (Clarkesville: Fine Books 2000) 11.

 

[4] William E. Ridley. Georgia Air National Guard History 1941-2000. 12.

 

[5] Richard W. Titus. A Chronicle of Georgia’s 101st Separate Coast Artillery Battalion, Antiaircraft, Automatic Weapons Limited to the Period February 16, 1942 to January 1, 1944. First American Ground Troops in New Guinea. (Crabapple, Ga.: Richard Titus June 1986) 2-31.

[6] George C. Marshall. “General Order. No. 21”. (Washington: War Department May 6, 1943).

 

[7] The Center for Military History. “Lineage and Honors of the 214^th Field Artillery Regiment.”

 

[8] William M. Cosgrove. Time on Target: the 945th Field Artillery Battalion in World War II. (Place of publication not identified: W.M. Cosgrove, III, 1997) 111.

 

[9] William M. Cosgrove. Time on Target: the 945th Field Artillery Battalion in World War II. 125.

[10] William M. Cosgrove. Time on Target: the 945th Field Artillery Battalion in World War II. 126

 

[11] William M. Cosgrove. Time on Target: the 945th Field Artillery Battalion in World War II. 127

 

[12] History and Battle Record of 179 F.A. Bn., 1857-1945. (Regensburg, Germany: Frederich Pustet, 1945) 16.

[13] The Gray Bonnet: Combat History of the 121st Infantry. (Baton Rouge, LA: Army & Navy Publishing Company, 1946) 33.

 

[14] The Gray Bonnet: Combat History of the 121st Infantry, 41.

 

[15] The Gray Bonnet: Combat History of the 121st Infantry, 42.

 

[16] The Gray Bonnet: Combat History of the 121st Infantry, 43.

[17] The Gray Bonnet: Combat History of the 121st Infantry, 43.

 

[18]Gordon Burns Smith. History in Action: 118th Field Artillery, 30th Infantry Division 1942-1945, 2nd Edition. (Washington, D.C.: Florida “Gator” Chapter, 1988) 83.

 

[19] Gordon Burns Smith. History in Action: 118th Field Artillery, 30th Infantry Division 1942-1945, 2nd Edition, 85.

[20] Gordon Burns Smith. History in Action: 118th Field Artillery, 30th Infantry Division 1942-1945, 2nd Edition, 88.

 

[21] John Jacobs et al. On the Way: A Historical Narrative of the Two-Thirtieth Field Artillery Battalion Thirtieth Infantry Division. (Poessneck, Germany: F. Gerold Verlag, 1945) 48.

 

[22] John Jacobs et al. On the Way: A Historical Narrative of the Two-Thirtieth Field Artillery Battalion Thirtieth Infantry Division, 54.

 

[23] William Carraway. “The Georgia National Guard and the Korean War.” June 25, 2001, http://www.georgiaguardhistory.com/2021/06/the-georgia-national-guard-and-korean.html.

 

[24] William Carraway “The Georgia Air National Guard Brings Christmas to Troops in Vietnam.” Georgiaguardhistory.com

[25] Kenneth Davis. “After the Storm.” The Georgia Guardsman.” Fall, 1991, 1.

[26] Beryl Diamond “Georgia National Guard Responds to Gulf Crisis.” The Georgia Guardsman.” Spring, 1990, 1.