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Army Air Defense Arty


easterneagle87
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easterneagle87

Am a bit of a fan of Army missiles and the Cold War era they were developed. But I have some questions. In a recent forum discussion (which NOW I can't find!, ugh!), there was discussion over the branch.

 

Technology was the key to deploying missiles in the 1950's - 1960's. Nike's, Corporal's, Sergeant's, etc were all developed before the branch became official.

 

Clearly ADA was established as a "branch" in 1968, but.. how early was the insignia - crossed cannons with an erect missile/rocket in the center used? It had to have started in the 1950's.

 

I just saw a picture on ebay and they have it dated as 1962. Who thought to put a missile on the insignia? When developed as a symbol?

 

Looking forward to forum input.

post-9131-0-33943100-1560290986.jpg

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rufus_firefly

I believe the crossed cannons with a missile was the branch insignia for artillery until the mid to late 60’s. I had a ROTC instructor who wore them in 1967. Don’t know exactly when the switch was made.

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Check check these books, Emerson's Encyclopedia of US Army Insignia and Uniforms, and Laftambois' volume on Artillery, Cavalry, and Infantry Insignia. Either will answer your question.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Despite any local unit application of ADA on vehicle bumpers or unit stationary/paper work of some units that fired air defense weaponry, there was no specific or separate Air Defense Branch, in it units that did use AD weapons, and those that used tube and ground to ground missiles where all under the new Artillery Branch and had as their branch insignia this crossed cannons with missile.

 

Back then all Artillery Battalions, 1957-68, no matter what weaponry they used, used the Crossed Cannons with Upright Missile as collar insignia and on their guidons.

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As an example, the 1st Battalion 30th Artillery (155mm Howitzer,Towed) during Operation Pegasus April 1968, the 1st Bn 30th Arty was a IFFV Artillery unit, and attached to the 1st Cavalry Division during this operation, the relief of Khe Sahn.

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And to add this, an official MEMO from a late 1968 25th Inf Div's newspaper I just now found, that explains the change in 1957 when the big super branch was created, and now in 1968 when the two specific weaponry battalions where to be spit into separate and distinct branches.

 

Arty Fields Get Distinct Insignias

Separate insignia have been approved for the U.S. Army's two artillery branches.
Officers in the Field Artillery Branch and enlisted personnel assigned to field artillery organizations will be authorized to wear an insignia consisting of two crossed field guns.
This insignia was used by the Field Artillery Branch before January 2, 1957.
Officers in the Air Defense Artillery Branch and enlisted personnel assigned to air defense artillery organizations will continue to wear the present Artillery Branch insignia, which consists of two crossed field guns and a missile.
The names of artillery officers transferred to the new Air Defense Artillery Branch will appear on a special order scheduled for publication in November with an effective date of December 1, 1968.
New insignia will be authorized for wear on effective date of the order.

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I know it can be confusing, there were indeed Artillery units that did operate and man Air Defense weapons, but they were all lumped in with all Artillery units under the 1957 Combat Arms Regimental System or CARS, this would include Tube Artillery, both Towed and Self Propelled ( i.e. Armored) the only way one would be able to tell what type it was, was be the unit description or designator in parentheses at the end of the unit title. Plus soldiers who were selected (draftees) or volunteered (enlistees) for any one of those different types artillery would take their AIT at two different posts. The guys for Artillery that were to be Field Arty i.e. tube, and Ground to Ground Missile like the Sergeant Missile etc etc, went to Fort Sill for AIT, guys for Air Defense weapons, that's Ground to Air Missile, and Automatic Weapons, like the Quad 50 Caliber Machine Guns etc etc, went to Bliss for AIT.

Here are but five examples of Ground Arty for those days.

1st Battalion 14th Artillery (105mm Howitzer, Towed)

3th Battalion 16th Artillery (155mm Howitzer, Towed)

1st Battalion 27th Artillery (155mm Howitzer, Self Propelled)

4th Battalion 39th Artillery (8" Howitzer, Self Propelled)

1st Battalion 42nd Artillery (Honest John)

 

And of Air Arty.

 

1st Battalion 44th Artillery (Automatic Weapon, Self Propelled) the unit that operated those M44 Dusters.

 

2nd Battalion 44th Artillery (Pershing)

 

6th Battalion 56th Artillery (Hawk)

 

1st Battalion 65th Artillery (Nike Hercules)

During the 60s the Army's Artillery operated numerous Air Defense Battalions, but as you see, despite any local unit application of ADA on vehicle bumpers or unit stationary/paper work of some units that fired air defense weaponry, they were not called as we have seen Air Defense Artillery, the weapons were Missiles, to include Hawk missiles etc, the other type were called Automatic Weapons, to include Vulcan, Chaparral (first unit activated in May 1969, which by that time the Branch was already Split in to FA and ADA), Duster, and the old Quad .50 Caliber Machine Guns, also Searchlight units.

 

To reiterate. While the Artillery Branch was split in two in late 1968, the Artillery Battalions continued to be known under their 1957 CARS titles, it was in I think 1971 or 1972 ( not sure of the year there) that the Artillery units that operated Air Defense Weapons were finally designated Air Defense Artillery, as in the ADA, in example the unit that was a part of the 1st Cav Div when I was in it in 1980-81, the 1st Battalion 68th Air Defense Artillery,

To add one final fine point it would seem that those units under CARS, that operated Air Defense Artillery weapons tended, but not always, to be ones associated with the old Coast Artillery/ Anti Aircraft Artillery, here after 1957 they just were no longer officially called by those old titles.

 

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The Shoulder Patches worn starting in 1957 are equally confusing to those not familiar with this muddle.

 

This is the original patch for the Field Artillery School it was based at Fort Sill.

post-34986-0-40356000-1380902540.jpg

 

 

It was superseded in 1957 by this patch, called the Artillery and Missle School, it was based at Fort Sill, the old patch then became obsolete.

post-34986-0-86112500-1380902524.jpg

 

 

At the same exact time a new patch was adopted for the new School titled the Antiaircraft Artillery and Guided Missile School, soon to called a Center rather than a School located at Fort Bliss Texas.

post-34986-0-71892400-1380902532.jpg

 

 

Then in 1968, the two types of Artillery were split in to two distinct branches, Air Defense Artillery, and Field Artillery, the Branch Insignia of the Crossed Cannons with Missile superimposed on it was retained by the Air Defense Artillery, the Field Artillery resumed it's wear of the traditional Crossed Cannons.

The Artillery and Missile School patch was then circa 1969 superseded by this patch a redesign of the old original Field Artillery School patch.The Anti Aircraft Artillery and Guided Missile Center retained is patch, with the unit now redesignated as Air Defense Center and Fort Bliss.

 

post-34986-0-68636300-1380902586.jpg

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easterneagle87

A "Super Branch" , very interesting and VERY informative. Thanks for the info!

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  • 3 years later...

New to the Forum.  Glad to be here.  Looking for some help regarding my father's time in the Army.  

 

I know this is an older thread....and maybe I should start a new one, but Im hoping to generate some interest in this ADA topic again.  Im seeing "?s" in blue boxes where I think I should be seeing photos.  So sorry if what Im about to ask seems redundant.

Regarding my father...I want to put something together for him for Father's Day.  He was talking about his military service a few weeks back, something he ordinarily does not do.  I perceived some interest in his talk about finding some military memorabilia regarding his time in.  He doesn't remember things too well these days, his memory seems foggy about his service.  But what I have been able to gather is this:

1963 or 1964

He served in the 6th Battalion, 65th Artillery

Key West Florida something to do with Hawk Missiles.

He remembers an ocelot on one of his DUI.

And possibly receiving the MUC ribbon.

 

Ideally, I would love to see photos (or images) of unit patch, battalion crest, corp crest... things that I could use to fill up a shadow box.

Im here asking because some of my google image searches have been offering up conflicting information.  Difficult to sort it all out.  I thought for sure here, I would receive accurate information.

 

The photos below is what I've ben able to find but not sure if they are accurate to his time when he served or even his unit.

 

Thanks in advance for any help.  

th-3277639170.jpeg

65th ADA Regiment Crest.png

65th Regiment crest.jpeg

65th Regiment.jpeg

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The last DUI is for elements of the 65th Air  Defense Artillery and earlier, Artillery and Coast Artillery depending on how the Artillery Branch was organized at the time. Go to the US Army Center of Military History website to find the Lineage and Honors statement for the 65th. The 31st Artillery Brigade may have been the higher unit to which elements of the 65th we're assigned in Florida during the Cuban Missile Crisis for which an MUC was awarded. The 31st's Lineage and Honors might be at the CMH website as well.

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On of my units, the 30th Artillery Brigade on Okinawa, had a battalion of the 65th Artillery assigned to it at one time in the 1960s.

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Thanks for the response and the information.  I will be sure to check out the website.  I forgot to mention earlier (may be relevant)... He only served stateside.  

This new information is according to my mother:

Father graduated high school in 1965 and was immediately drafted.  He did basic training at Ft. Polk and then went on to Boca Chica NAS.  She said she knows this because she remembers visiting him there.  So he was in Key West in 1965/1966.  

She remembers he had a patch with crossed cannons and a missile in the middle, similar to the image below.  

So again, just looking for some corroboration from others that might remember their insignia or DUI if they served in the same unit.  Photos or images would be helpful too.  Thanks.

s-l300.jpg

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Does seem like the proper lineage for the 65th ADA:

A Battery (father's battery)

65th Artillery

6th Battalion

31st Artillery Brigade

32nd Army Air Defense Command

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This book will give you the lineage and honors for the 6th Battalion 65th Artillery -

 

Army Lineage Series, Air Defense Artillery by Janice McKinney

 

It gan be down loaded from the CMH website.

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Rakkasan187

The middle crest with the motto Night Hides Not is the 56th Air Defense Artillery Regiment. They used to be stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas and conducted Advanced Individual Training (AIT) but relocated to Ft Hood, Texas after the ADA School and Center relocated to Ft Sill. Oklahoma.

 

The 32nd AAMDC (Army Air Missile Defense Command) is still headquartered at Ft Bliss, Texas.

 

My wife's Father was also stationed at Key West in 1977-1979. He was in Air Defense Artillery as well and he and his unit were the last Army Air Defenders at Key West and they handed the keys over to the Navy when his unit left

 

Leigh  

 

 

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The shoulder sleeve insignia for the 31st  was approved on 23 October 1975, as 31ST AIR DEFENSE ARTILLERY BRIGADE, so he would of been wearing that one in 1965.

 

 

download.jpg

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The 6th Battalion 65th Artillery, we suspect in 1965 the unit wore this patch, many if not all Arty units that used Air Defense weapons and by the mid 60s those units not directly assigned to a Brigade that had a authorized patch of their own wore it.

 

Army Air Defense Artillery Command or as it usually known ARADCOM. patch comes out in the mid 50s replacing the early 50s adopted AA patch.

s-l1600.jpg

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14 hours ago, atb said:

This book will give you the lineage and honors for the 6th Battalion 65th Artillery -

 

Army Lineage Series, Air Defense Artillery by Janice McKinney

 

It gan be down loaded from the CMH website.

What a great resource thank you.  It definitely filled in some blanks.  

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8 hours ago, patches said:

The 6th Battalion 65th Artillery, we suspect in 1965 the unit wore this patch, many if not all Arty units that used Air Defense weapons and by the mid 60s those units not directly assigned to a Brigade that had a authorized patch of their own wore it.

 

Army Air Defense Artillery Command or as it usually known ARADCOM. patch comes out in the mid 50s replacing the early 50s adopted AA patch.

s-l1600.jpg

Exactly what I was looking for...an image and some sort of confirmation that it was worn by his unit.  This is great.  Thanks.

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2 hours ago, ArmyAnt said:

Exactly what I was looking for...an image and some sort of confirmation that it was worn by his unit.  This is great.  Thanks.

Yes Believe the ARADCOM patch comes out in like 1957 and is worn till sometime in 1974, which by that time it would seem all Non Brigade ADA Battalions are now assigned to a Brigade and now will be wearing the brigade patch whichever it might be.

 

To show the diverse units that wore this patch, a  Specialist 5th Class Donald B. Edwards at Army Air Defense Command HQ, Ent Air Force Base, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1960. Edwards is assigned we should think the the Headquarters Company of ARADCOM.

Lt. General Hart 60.jpg

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