2nd Missile Battalion, 106th Artillery, NYARNG

[FT7912]

Gentlemen,

 

I am doing two articles for the Old Fort Niagara Association on Cold War Army Antiaircraft Defense of the Niagara-Buffalo area. For years I have been collecting DUIs of the Artillery and Coast Artillery variety, but am a bit baffled on this one. The 2nd Missile Battalion, 106th Artillery, NYARNG assumed responsibility for two Nike Ajax Missile Sites in the Niagara-Buffalo Defense in 1960. The two sites were NF-03/05 located at Model City, in Niagara County, NY, which is close to Ransomville, the other was BU-34/35 in Orchard Park, Erie County, a suburb of greater Buffalo, NY. In both instances they relieved Regular Army units, 1st Missile Battalion, 4th Artillery NF-03/05 and 2nd Missile Battalion, 62nd Artillery for Orchard Park. A Command History for the Niagara-Buffalo Defense states that the 2nd Missile Battalion, 106th Artillery, was redesignated the 2nd MIssile Battalion 290th Artillery, NYARNG 1 May 1962. I am trying to find out what the distinctive unit insignia was for the 2nd Missile Battalion, 106th Artillery, NY Army National Guard was for the period 1960 - 1962 when they became the 2nd Missile Battalion, 209th Artillery, NYARNG. Any help you might be able to provide would be most appreciated. Thank you, Paul Robitaille.

 

 

[Stuart GI]

Both these DUI I show as New York (L 106th Artillery, R 209th Artillery). I'm not sure of the time when used.

 

Mike

 

 

209th CA.bmp

[FT7912]

Thanks for your help Mike.

 

I have read a New York Division of Military and Naval Affairs Annual Report from 1962 which states that 2nd Missile Battalion, 106th Artillery NYARNG was redesignated as the 2nd Missile Battalion, (Nike Ajax) 209th Artillery, NYARNG, the locations of the unit at this time was Buffalo, Orchard Park and Ransomville, N.Y. Nike Ajax missile sites were located at Model City, near Ransomville and at Orchard Park. The redesignation must have taken place in 1962. The second DI you show, with the Red and Yellow vertical segments a gold colored projectile and the white Griffon, is that of the 209th. In the same Annual Report, the 2nd Missile Battalion (Nike Ajax) 209th Artillery was redesignated as 2nd Missile Battalion (Nike Herc) headquartered in Buffalo, NY.

 

The 2nd Missile Battalion (Nike Hercules) 209th Artillery, NYARNG, later took over the Grand Island and the Lancaster Nike Hercules sites on 19 April 1963, two of the last 3 Nike Missile Sites in Western New York, until their closing in December of 1969. The other remaining site was Cambria, in Niagara County, which was manned by the 1st Missile Battalion, (Nike Hercules) 4th Artillery, Regular Army.

 

Paul