69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade (United States)

Last updated

69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade
69ADABdeSSI.svg
Shoulder sleeve insignia
Founded2008 (2008)
CountryUnited States
Branch United States Army
Type Air defense artillery
Size Brigade
Part of 32nd Army Air & Missile Defense Command
Garrison/HQ Fort Cavazos, Texas
Motto(s)"Team of Winners"
Insignia
Distinctive unit insignia 69 ADA Bde DUI.jpg

The 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade is an air defense artillery brigade of the United States Army.

Contents

Subordinate units include: [1]

WWI

The 69th was created May 27, 1918, at Fort Worden and was placed into coastal artillery. In August of that same year the brigade was shipped to England. Most of the brigade including the commanding officer Lt. Colonel Edward W. Turner was taken overseas by the ship USS Jason, and since there wasn’t enough room on the Jason for all the officers, the rest were placed on the SS Demosthenes. By the end of August, the 69th were in England and quickly loaded onto steamers taking the brigade to Le Havre France to a training base. Once in France they were able to link up with the 36th Artillery Brigade which was their commanding brigade and they would join two other brigades the 68th, who were equipped with 6-inch American seacoast guns which were taken from the US fortifications back home, and the other battalion under 36th command was the 63rd Artillery who were equipped with 8-inch British Howitzer. The listing of the guns is important because when the US entered the war, they did so on short notice meaning their artillery brigades mainly used European coast guns making it very rare for artillery brigades to come over with any guns at all. This was the case for the 69th when they arrived they had no guns that were assigned to them. This soon changed as the 69th would receive 5-inch M1897 guns from the US 28 to be specific. They were the only artillery brigade in the entirety of the allied forces to have 5-inch guns. The issue with these guns is there was no ammo for them in Europe and guns are just big pieces of steel if there's nothing to fire out of them. The war ended shortly after they arrived though just 2 months after they got there the treaty was signed and the 69th never saw combat, but had the war continued the 69th and their 5-inch guns would have been a key player in invading Germany and ending the war through force. After the war ended the 69th arrived back home on the USS Mercury in February of 1919, and their 5-inch guns were never shot and shortly declared obsolete by the military.  The guns were likely scrapped for the metal, destroying a part of unit history that is now only documented. For their service, the 69th did receive a participation streamer for their time in France. Though their time there was short they are still recognized for their small participation in the war.  Shortly after returning home the 69th would be demobilized in May of 1919. [4]

WWII

During WWII the 69th would be reorganized, the first battalion of the 69th would be redesignated as the 69th Antiaircraft Battalion, 2nd battalion was assigned as 529th Anti Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion and the 3rd and final battalion was redesignated as the 249th Artillery Searchlight Battalion. This reorganization means that the 69th had no battalions listed under their command during WWII and therefore were designated as a Headquarters and Headquarters Battery. [5]

During the war the 69th was sent to the Pacific Theater but little can be found on exactly what their role was during the war.  They would stay in the Pacific all the way until June of 1948 when the Brigade was again deactivated. For their service in WWII, they received a participation credit for serving in the Pacific. This seems to be a similar credit to the one the Brigade received during their service in WWI.

Post WWII

Post WWII the Brigade would be reactivated in July 1955 in Germany but would be deactivated pretty quickly in November of the same year not much is stated on this reactivation. Two years later the unit would then again be reactivated in Germany in 1960 this time for good. In 1972 the Brigade would get the name it still has to this day going from 69th Anticraft Artillery group to the 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade. Then in July 1983 the unit would be reorganized and redesignated to Giebel Stadt Army Airfield around Wuerzburg, Germany. [5]

Desert Strom and Shield

In 1989 the 69th with other elements of the 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command deployed about a thousand soldiers into southwest Asia this was in support of operation Desert Storm as well as Desert Shield. They were placed as a high and medium altitude defense for the VII Army Corps; they had 4 patriot firing batteries and 2 Hawks. These Patriots and Hawks were used to cover the VII during a flanking maneuver in Iraq.  This led to the VII swiftly defeating the vaunted Republic Guard. At the end of the operation the task force was sent forward in the battlefield; they were sent to cover any aircraft or ballistic missiles that could be sent at the troops. However, when they were finished there the brigade was not given any participation credit for the operation. In 1998 the Brigade was deployed to Israel this was part of an operation called Shining Presence and involved both the US forces and Israeli forces. This deployment was different in that after the conclusion of the joint exercise the US forces remained to help protect the Israelis from air threats. [5]

69th Now

69th members doing gunnery certification 150508-A-PV892-183 - 1-62 ADA completes gunnery certification.jpg
69th members doing gunnery certification

Since being in Fort Cavazos, 69th has deployed countless times with a Battalion almost always on deployment. Some of the more recent deployments have seen parts of the 69th deployed to Qatar. This constant state of deployment shows why Air Defense is one of the most deployed branches in the Army as they are vital in protecting not only our soldiers but are allies as well.

Battalions of the 69th

Each Brigade is made up of about 3 Battalions and that is the case for the 69th. The 3 battalions that make up the 69th are 4-5 Air Defense Artillery, 1-44 Air Defense Artillery and 1-62 Air Defense Artillery. 4-5 ADA was assigned to 69th in 2008 but was initially created back in 1861 fighting in the civil war and was credited with fighting in both world wars as well as a deployment to Korea during the Korean War. [6] 1-44 ADA was created in 1899 and joined the 69th in 2008. They served in both world wars. In WW2 they were designated as the 54th Coast Artillery Regiment and there are many hints and references that this was the only Black American Coast Artillery regiment in WWII. Recently in 2022 1-44 ADA destroyed missiles sent by the Houthi rebels. [2] The last Battalion in 69th is 1-62 ADA which was created in 1798 and joined 69th in 2009. They served in the war of 1812 as well as both world wars, In WWII they would deploy into not only North Africa but also the Italian campaign and then later they would be deployed into Germany. [3] Now every battalion is a part of a division which is made up of a couple brigades; the division that the 69th falls under is the 32nd Army and Air Missile Defense Command the 69th would join the 32nd around 1989. [7]

Unit Insignia and Shoulder Sleeve Insignia

Shoulder patch worn by members of 69th 69th ADA Bde patch.jpg
Shoulder patch worn by members of 69th

Each Brigade and even battalion will have a special unit insignia as well as shoulder sleeve insignia that is worn by the soldier's part of the Brigade. The 69th’s unit insignia is red and gold colored these are the colors for artillery for their service in WWI and WWII they have special crossbolt designs going in a x shape. The gold beam represents the unit's origins as a Coastal Artillery Brigade, the red cross is there to represent the direct descendant of the Brigade which was the 1st battalion redesignated during WWII. There is a blue area above the crossbow bolts that represent the ADA’s motto “First to Fire” as well as the mission of the branch. The shoulder insignia is much simpler having to comets with flight trails used to represent the numbers sixty-nine there are to black circles representing cannon balls, and the comets positioning is meant to mimic a defense posture. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

The 60th Air Defense Artillery Regiment is an air defense unit of the United States Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade (United States)</span> Military unit

The 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade is an air defense artillery brigade of the United States Army. The mission of the brigade is to train and maintain a strategic crisis response air defense artillery brigade capable of deploying worldwide, on short notice, to provide air defense force protection from air-breathing threats and tactical ballistic missiles, as well as allow freedom of maneuver for XVIII Airborne Corps operations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment</span> Military unit

The 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment was constituted 1 June 1821 in the Regular Army as the 4th Regiment of Artillery and organized from new and existing units with headquarters at Pensacola, Florida. As a result of the division of the Artillery Corps into Coast and Field Artillery units, the Regiment was broken up 13 February 1901, and its elements reorganized and redesignated as separate numbered companies and batteries of the Artillery Corps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade (United States)</span> Military unit

The 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade is an air defense artillery brigade of the United States Army stationed at Fort Bliss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command</span> U.S. Army multi-component theater-level air and missile defense organization

The 32nd AAMDC or 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command is a theater level Army air and missile defense multi-component organization with a worldwide, 72-hour deployment mission. The 32nd AAMDC commands echelon above corps (EAC) ADA brigades and other assigned forces. Four such brigades, 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, and 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade; by training, all stand ready to accomplish their mission of air defense against missile attack – 'anywhere, anytime' in support of the war-fighting combatant commander (CCDR).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">38th Air Defense Artillery Brigade (United States)</span> Military unit

The 38th Air Defense Artillery Brigade is an active United States Army unit which provides air and missile defense to critical assets in the Pacific theater. Since 2018 the brigade headquarter is based at Sagami General Depot in Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment</span> Military unit

The 52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment is an air defense artillery regiment of the United States Army first organized in 1917 as a railway gun unit. It continued in that role unit 1943, when the regiment was broken in separate railway gun battalions, and in the following year the units were reorganized and redesignated as field artillery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment</span> Military unit

The 2nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment is an air defense artillery regiment of the United States Army, first formed in 1821 as a field artillery unit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Army Coast Artillery Corps</span> Former U.S. Army administrative corps

The U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps (CAC) was an administrative corps responsible for coastal, harbor, and anti-aircraft defense of the United States and its possessions between 1901 and 1950. The CAC also operated heavy and railway artillery during World War I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">7th Air Defense Artillery Regiment</span> Military unit

The 7th Air Defense Artillery Regiment is an air defense artillery regiment of the United States Army, first constituted in the Regular Army as the 7th Regiment of Artillery on 8 March 1898. The 6th and 7th U.S. Artillery Regiments were constituted on 8 March 1898, three weeks after the explosion of USS Maine in Havana, Cuba on 15 February 1898, as the United States' declaration of war on Spain and commencement of the Spanish–American War seemed imminent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">32nd Field Artillery Regiment</span> Military unit

The 32nd Field Artillery Regiment is a distinguished and highly decorated field artillery regiment of the United States Army, first Constituted in 1918.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">43rd Air Defense Artillery Regiment</span> Military unit

The 43rd Air Defense Artillery Regiment is an air defense artillery regiment of the United States Army first constituted 1918 in the Regular Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment</span> Military unit

The 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment is an Air Defense Artillery regiment of the United States Army, first constituted in 1918 in the Regular Army during World War I. During World War II the unit served as the 54th Coast Artillery Regiment

<span class="mw-page-title-main">6th Air Defense Artillery Regiment</span> Military unit

The 6th Air Defense Artillery Regiment is an air defense artillery regiment in the United States Army, first formed in 1898 as the 6th Regiment of Artillery. The 6th and 7th U.S. Artillery Regiments were constituted on 8 March 1898, three weeks after the explosion of the USS Maine in Havana, Cuba on 15 February 1898, as the United States' declaration of war on Spain and commencement of the Spanish–American War seemed imminent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">56th Air Defense Artillery Regiment</span> Military unit

The 56th Air Defense Artillery is a training regiment in the United States Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">71st Air Defense Artillery Regiment</span> Military unit

The 71st Air Defense Artillery was a regiment in the United States Army.

The 62nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment is an Air Defense Artillery regiment in the United States Army. The lineages of some of the units that have been part of the 62nd Air Defense Artillery and its predecessors give the regiment campaign credit for the War of 1812.

The 202nd Air Defense Artillery was an antiaircraft regiment of the Illinois Army National Guard.

The 251st Coast Artillery was a coast artillery regiment in the California National Guard, constituted in 1924 as a harbor defense regiment for the 9th Artillery District and re-designated in 1930 as an antiaircraft regiment. It served in World War II in that capacity.

The 562nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment was an air defense regiment of the United States Army. It was organized under the Combat Arms Regimental System.

References

  1. 1 2 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade. Battalions. U.S Army Fort Hood. URL still valid 27 APR 2023: .
  2. 1 2 1st Battalion, 44th Air Defense (A/1-44). 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade. U.S. Army Fort Hood. URL still valid 27 APR 2023: .
  3. 1 2 1st Battalion, 62D Air Defense Regiment (1-62D). 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade. U.S. Army Fort Hood.
  4. ↑ "69th Artillery WWI". freepages.rootsweb.com. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 "69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  6. ↑ Army, US (12 September 2023). "4th Battalion, 5th Air Defense". U.S. Army. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  7. ↑ "32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command". www.army.mil. Retrieved 28 March 2024.

Sources


USA-stub.PNG

This United States Army article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.