214th CA (AA) DI

[Steve Nelson]

Pictured here are 2 members of Battery A, 214th CA (AA). The man on the viewers left is wearing the 214th DI on his shirt pocket flap. Not that this is anything spectacular just interesting. Does anyone have any other period images of 214th DIs?

 

I was also wondering if anyone had any photographs or information on Battery A 214th CA from the period of February 1941 through March of 1942.

 

I am interested in either obtaining a copy of the 1941 Camp Stewart "red" yearbook or 300 dpi copies of the Battery A section, 3 or four pages. I will gladly reimburse duplication and shipping expenses.

[patches]

Here's a talk on another site on the unit.

 

http://ww2f.com/threads/214th-aaa-bn.31813/

[patches]

A close up of DI. This unit, the 214th Coast Artillery Regiment (Anti Aircraft) should not be confused with the 214th Anti Aircraft Gun Battalion (Mobile), this was a totally different organization that was activated in January 1943, this one had no affiliation with the old 214th CA Regt (AA) which was a Georgia National Guard unit. The war raised 214th AA Bn fought in the MTO (Sicily) and later the ETO (Southern France, Alsace, and into Germany, coming ashore via the French Rivera.

 

[Steve Nelson]

Thank you both,

 

I have been on the other site but thank you very much for the tip.

 

The post of the DI is great, is that a pin back version or a screw back? Thus far we have only found pin back versions of this DI and were wondering if any were out there.

 

SRN

[USARV72]

Steve, give me til after Thanksgiving, will try and contact a historian in Savannah that may have more info.

[patches]

Thank you both,

 

I have been on the other site but thank you very much for the tip.

 

The post of the DI is great, is that a pin back version or a screw back? Thus far we have only found pin back versions of this DI and were wondering if any were out there.

 

SRN

I don't know about the DI's rear, it was an online find, but probably is a PB, as the unit was first organized in late 1939, so PB's seem to have been the standard attachment by then.

[Steve Nelson]

Even more thanks to you guys. It has been very difficult finding information for the Battery A guys. They were detached for an experiment in September 1941, We have many names but no faces to go with them for a text that I am writing. It would be good to have faces even if they are from a yearbook.

 

As for the DIs the 1939 date is a good observation and as of yet no SB version has been seen (from our limited research). We'll see what shows up.

 

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

[matmil]

214 CA Lineage of Unit Per ASMIC CA Catalog

 

214 CA(AA) 1940>>>> 950 AAA Bn 1943, deactivated 1945.(Break in Service)>>>> Redesignated 950 AAA 1947, DI approval date 1951.>>>> Redesignated 214 ARTY 1959>>>>Redesignated 214 FA 1972.

 

Alternately is the TIOH interpretation:

 

DI Approved for 214 Coast Artillery (AA) on 2 July 1940. DI Redesignated for the 950th AntiAircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Bn 7 March 1951. DI Redesignated 214 Artillery regt 25 April 1961,DI Redesignated 214 Field Artillery Regiment 31 July 1972.

 

I have the TIOH entry as I printed the entry for my records, the TIOH has been down for nearly a year ?

 

I am always perplexed by people who run a G23 modern Opaque Red Shield crest and call it Coast Artillery. Make no sense, unless you account for the style of the crest.

 

The CA crests have a Translucent RED shield, the space in time between the first redesignation, you may like to consider that they wore the same crest until 1951 or none at all, when the 950 AAA used the crest made by 6K and No hallmark, Opauque red Shield, with further confusion added by the ASMIC entry for the 950 AAA as redesignated 1953 ? probably the crest approval date, always shown with a later date., also this crest is slightly larger than the CA crest.

 

I like to see my images from ebay posted on the forum and always appreciate the support.

 

Matt

 

PS there is supposed to be a SB version of the CA crest, But I have not had any.

[patches]

As seen on the WIKI for the 214th FA , the whole regiment was broken up overseas on Guadalcanal November 1943, the only unit that retained the regimental number was the unit reorganized as the 214th Anti Artillery Group, that would be the HQ Battery of the regiment, all the other battalions receive new designations, so if any unit continued to wear the DI, we would think it was the Staff and HQ of the 214th AA Grp, but after the war really, when the opportunity to wear Khakis on a regular basis came in again ( wearing the DIs with Officers on their shoulder loops, EMs on their overseas caps), this being in the Philippines, the 214th AA Grp doesn't go up to Japan for occupation duty but stays on in New Guinea and goes to the PI in December 1945 where it's leaves for home in mid January 1946 and is subsequently inactivated at Cp Stoneman Calif.

[matmil]

My response pertains to the Lineage of the crest. thanks for your efforts.

[patches]

My response pertains to the Lineage of the crest. thanks for your efforts.

Right, mat I was relating on the wartime era , but yes, it seems the 950th AA Bn wore the same crest in the post war 50s period, and that unusual for these sorts of unit of the pre war early WWII period that get broken up into small units, whether the 950th AA Bn wore it at the end of the war? Unlike the 214th AA Grp, and the 528th AA Bn (formed from the 2nd Bn 214th CA Regt), and the 250th Searchlight Bn (formed from the 3rd Bn of of the 214th Ca Regt) the 950th was in the PI for the Leyte and Luzon Campaigns, A Battery of the 950th AA Bn awarded a PUC for Corregdor.

 

I guess here in the late 40s, with the old 214th CA Regt no more, and the wartime reorganized 214th AA Grp no more, with the 528th AA Bn not active either anymore, the reactivated 950th AA Bn within the GANG became a direct lineal descendant of the old regiment and simply adopted the old unit crest, maybe because it was formed from the regtment's 1st Battalion?

 

Interestingly The 250th Searchlight Bn was reactivated post war, now titled the 250th AA Bn GANG, but it gets a different DI in 1953 that has features of the old 214th CA Regt IE the three exploding bombs (Can't find an image of that one).

[patches]

Found this just now, a glimpse of the old 214th CA Regt DI as a liner decal in 1958 on one soldier of the 950th AA Bn GANG, he's probly an officer since he's wearing the abbreviated Khaki shirt..

 

 

[USARV72]

Steve, sorry its taken so long. Sadly found that both guys I was looking for have passed. One guy was the president of the Savannah Historical Society , had a shop downtown70s-80s and knew much about Camp/ Ft. Stewart. Learned the “ curator” at the Ft Stewart museum, “ could care less about civilian research”. Perhaps someone stationed there could help?