36th Field Artillery Regiment ( United States ) The 36th Field Artillery Regiment is a field artillery regiment of the United States Army . History and Lineage . World War I < nowiki > < / nowiki > The 36th Field Artillery Regiment was organized on 7 August 1918 at Camp McClellan , Alabama , as a 155 mm howitzer regiment , and assigned to the 12th Division . It reached a peak strength of 1 , 733 men , 40 horses , and 12 155mm howitzers , organized as a regimental headquarters battery and six firing batteries . The regiment trained for combat but did not deploy overseas . After the end of the war , the regiment rapidly transferred its soldiers and equipment to other units , and it was demobilized on 8 February 1919 . Preparation for World War II 2d Battalion , 36th Field Artillery , consisting of battalion headquarters and Batteries C and D , was reactivated on 1 October 1933 at Fort Bragg , North Carolina , by transfer of all personnel and equipment from 2d Battalion , 5th Field Artillery , which was inactivated . At that time , D Battery 5th Field Artillery was the oldest unit in the active army , tracing its lineage to the New York Provisional Company of Artillery , formed by Alexander Hamilton on 6 January 1776 . Throughout the second world war , many of the soldiers of the 36th Field Artillery , especially the second battalion , would still consider themselves to be the " Alexander Hamilton Battery " . The battalion was equipped with the French 155mm rifle , Model 1917 , known as the G . P . F . , and the 240mm gun , and was one of the heaviest artillery units in the army . In the fall of 1939 , the battalion was expanded to a full regiment , with headquarters and three battalions of two firing batteries each . Most of the soldiers required for the expansion were draftees inducted under the 1940 Selective Service Act . The rapid expansion of the unit , with many completely raw recruits , presented a tremendous training challenge and opportunity , and the regimental leadership began forming the unit into the cohesive , highly skilled unit that was to become one of the most - requested artillery assets in the European Theater . At the same time , the 240mm gun battery was transferred to become the nucleus of the newly activated 79th Field Artillery , and the regiment was all 155mm guns . In late 1940 , the regiment was reorganized to two battalions , each with three firing batteries , headquarters battery , and service battery . Just before the fall 1941 Carolina Maneuvers , the regiment was given two of the new American M1 155mm guns , later called the " Long Toms " by the British . This was the first tactical test of the new gun , which proved to be a great success . The two sections were organized as a temporary " X " Battery , under the command of Lieutenant ( later Colonel ) Robert Reed . Lieutenant Reed experimented with new tactics , taking advantage of the longer range and better mobility of the new gun to fire on division and corps headquarters that were out of range of the older guns . These tactics later formed the basis of the operating procedures for the regiment in combat . World War II In the spring of 1942 the regiment completed reequipping with the American 155mm gun . On 1 August it left Fort Bragg for the New York Port of Embarkation , and it arrived in Britain on 17 August , one of the first American combat units deployed to the European Theater . On 10 December 1942 , the 1st Battalion , 36th Field Artillery landed at Oran , Algeria . At 1217 hrs on Christmas Eve , near Medjez El Bab , 2d section , Battery A fired the first American heavy artillery round in the European Theater , starting a mission that silenced a German battery . During the Tunisia campaign , the two battalions of the regiment supported nearly all of the Allied forces involved in the battle . The battalions were constantly separated because they were the only field artillery in the theater with their 25 , 000 yard range , and their services were eagerly sought by both British and American commanders . Lieutenant William Wall , Forward Observer for Battery A , broke up a large German armored attack by directing his battery ' s fire on it . He opened fire at 18 , 000 yards , and the tanks closed to 7 , 000 yards before withdrawing . At this range only one of the battery ' s guns could continue to fire , and the rest of the battery had loaded into trucks and was prepared to abandon the position and destroy the guns . The commander of the tanks , during questioning after his capture , said that he turned around because he was not willing to face the 155mm guns in direct fire . During this campaign , the 1st Battalion achieved another " first " , becoming the first American field artillery unit of the war to destroy enemy aircraft by artillery fire , during an artillery " raid " on a forward airfield . During the Sicily campaign the two battalions were again separated , supporting different divisions . During the last part of the Sicilian campaign , Headquarters Battery , 36th Field Artillery served as the provisional headquarters for all American artillery in Sicily . From 29 August to 3 September 1943 the 2d Battalion fired the first American artillery to hit the European mainland , across the straits of Messina in support of the British 8th Army . The battalion set an ammunition dump on fire and silenced five German 170mm gun positions . The 36th Field Artillery landed on the hot Salerno beach beginning on 12 September , and participated in the drive on Naples and the Foggia airfields , then turning north to Cassino . During these operations , Battery C fired a " perfect mission " , setting an ammunition train at Avellino on fire with the first round in adjustment at a range of 22 , 000 yards . Also during this period , the regiment conducted the first operations with high - performance aircraft adjusting artillery fire , cooperating with P - 51s and artillery - trained pilots . While the 2d Battalion continued fighting at Cassino , the 1st Battalion withdrew from the line and prepared for the Anzio invasion , landing on D day , and providing the heaviest artillery support on the beachhead for the next five months . Both battalions then participated in the drive which freed Rome and continued into the Alban hills . On 5 March 1944 , the regiment was broken up , with Regimental Headquarters , 1st Battalion and 2d Battalion redesignated HHB , 36th FA Group , 36th FA Battalion , and 633d FA Battalion , respectively . On 8 June 1944 , the 1st Battalion was again withdrawn from the line for its longest break , this time in preparation for the invasion of Southern France . The battalion landed on D day , 15 August and raced north with VI Corps to the German border . Here , at the town of Mutzig , first section of Battery B fired the regiment ' s only direct - fire mission of the war using the Long Toms , at a German fort being held by 92 men . From 1 December until the end of the war , the battalion operated with two M12 self - propelled 155mm guns , which were used for special missions , especially direct fire . At the end of the war one battery was in firing position at Seefeld , Austria , prepared to fire on Innsbruck in support of the 103d Infantry Division . Fortunately , negotiations with the city ' s leaders led to the surrender of the city with no firing . Meanwhile , the 2d Battalion continued northward through Italy , crossing the Po River in April 1945 and reaching the foothills of the Italian Alps . At one time , while supporting the French Expeditionary Corps , the battalion earned the wrath of one regimental commander for occupying his objective before he reached it . He insisted that they leave the position so that he could secure it . Regimental Headquarters , known as Headquarters , 36th FA Group , participated in the Southern France invasion and ended the war in Germany . The regiment earned streamers for 11 World War II campaigns , more than any other regiment in the army . Elements of the regiment earned arrowheads for four amphibious assaults ( Sicily , Salerno , Anzio , and Southern France ) ; the only regiments in the history of the army to earn more were the 509th Infantry ( five ) and the 1st Special Forces ( seven ) . Post World War II All of the components of the 36th Field Artillery were inactivated shortly after the end of World War II . Each component thereafter had a separate history . Regimental Headquarters ( Headquarters , 36th FA Group ) was activated 1 April 1951 in Germany and assigned to 7th Army . It was redesignated HHB , 36th Artillery Group on 1 June 1958 , and inactivated 30 April 1972 . The 1st Battalion ( 36th FA Battalion ) was activated 1 October 1948 at Fort Lewis , Washington , as a 105mm howitzer battalion . It was inactivated 18 Dec 1950 , except for Battery A , which was transferred to Fort Richardson , Alaska and inactivated 10 June 1951 . The battalion was activated again on 18 January 1952 at Fort Sill , Oklahoma , as a towed 155mm gun battalion . In 1957 the battalion was designated a gyroscope unit , and it transferred to Germany , arriving in Bremerhaven on 12 February 1958 . On 25 June 1958 the 36th Field Artillery reorganized under the Combat Arms Regimental System , and the 36th Field Artillery Battalion became the new 1st Battalion , 36th Field Artillery , tracing its lineage from Battery A , 36th Field Artillery . On 1 August 1963 the battalion was reorganized as an 8 inch howitzer battalion . Since its arrival in Germany , it was stationed at Schwaebisch Hall , Erlangen , Neu Ulm , and Augsburg . In February 1987 , it was one of the first nondivisional 8 inch battalions to be re - organized in the 24 - gun , split battery configuration . It was one of the leading units in the army developing tactics for this structure . The 2d Battalion , 36th Field Artillery ( 633d FA Battalion ) was redesignated the 546th FA Battalion and activated 15 September 1948 at Fort Sill , Oklahoma . Due to personnel shortages it was inactivated 25 January 1949 at Fort Sill . It was activated 1 April 1951 at Fort Lewis , Washington , and later transferred to Germany , where it was inactivated on 25 June 1958 . Concurrently , the new 2d Battalion , 36th Field Artillery , tracing its lineage from Battery B , 36th Field Artillery , was activated at Fort Sill , Oklahoma as a 155mm howitzer battalion , where it remained until 1986 , when it was inactivated . The 3d Battalion , 36th Field Artillery , tracing its lineage from Battery C , 36th Field Artillery , was activated in the US Army Reserve on 1 June 1959 at Hampton , Virginia , as an 8 inch howitzer battalion . It was inactivated at Hampton , Virginia on 31 January 1968 . The 4th Battalion , 36th Field Artillery , tracing its lineage from Battery D , 36th Field Artillery , was activated in the US Army Reserve on 1 June 1959 at Akron , Ohio , as an 8 inch howitzer battalion . It was inactivated at Akron , Ohio on 31 January 1968 . A Gold color metal and enamel device 1 3 / 16 inches ( 3 . 02 cm ) in height consisting of a shield blazoned : Per chevron Gules and Or . The “ per chevron ” division of the shield signifies that the organization has been placed on the active list twice . The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 36th Field Artillery on 10 September 1934 . It was redesignated for the 36th Field Artillery Battalion on 27 November 1944 . The insignia was redesignated for the 36th Artillery Regiment on 21 November 1958 . It was redesignated for the 36th Field Artillery Regiment on 1 September 1971 . Per chevron Gules and Or . On a wreath of the colors Or and Gules , two sprays of long leaf Southern pine in saltire Proper . Coat of arms . Motto IN ORDER . The “ per chevron ” division of the shield signifies that the organization has been placed on the active list twice . The crest of long leaf pine denotes the allocation of the regiment . The coat of arms was originally approved for the 36th Field Artillery on 10 September 1934 . It was redesignated for the 36th Field Artillery Battalion on 27 November 1944 . The insignia was redesignated for the 36th Artillery Regiment on 21 November 1958 . It was redesignated for the 36th Field Artillery Regiment on 1 September 1971 .