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15th Field Artillery Regiment |
15 Allons! |
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If
anyone has a good sound cassette of artillery fire
The following article appeared in the February 25, 1971 Artillery Review newspaper, a publication of I Field Force Vietnam Artillery. PLEIKU -- By direction of the Secretary of the Army, the
Valorous Unit Citation has been awarded to Headquarters and Headquarters
Battery, 52d Artillery Group, and its assigned and attached units, according to
a recent announcement. Other Units Cited Action Commended The following story appeared in the August 25, 1971 issue of the Artillery Review newspaper. 52nd Group Returns to Fort Sill In a continuation of the U.S. troop redeployment from Vietnam, and the down-grading of the U.S. combat role under Vietnamization, the U.S Army's Headquarters Battery, 52nd Artillery Group, has been returned to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, for inactivation. 52nd Group Headquarters thus follows the I Field Force Provisional Artillery Group Headquarters, which was deactivated on March 30th of this year, and with which it shared control of U.S. Artillery units throughout South Vietnam's MRII. From its headquarters at Artillery Hill in Pleiku, 52nd Group controlled U.S. Artillery of I Field Force Vietnam throughout the Central Highlands and the rest of northern MRII. The numerous battalions it directed backed up its motto "Big Guns are Ready" by providing vital support for the operations of the 1st Cavalry Division, the 25th Infantry Division, the 101st Airborne Division, the 4th Infantry Division, the ROK White Horse and Tiger Divisions, Task Force 19, the 173rd Airborne Brigade, ARVN II Corps, the 22nd and 23rd ARVN Divisions. In all, 52nd Group supported more than 22 major operations, including the Cambodian incursion of 1970 and the more recent battle for Fire Base 6. The 52nd Artillery Group was organized as the 52nd Artillery Regiment, and was assigned to France during World War 1. In 1924 the regiment was redesignated as the 52nd Artillery Regiment (Railway), but was disbanded in June 1943. In June of 1950 it was reactivated as the 52nd Artillery Group and stationed at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where it activated and trained units for world-wide deployment of the huge 280mm "Atomic Artillery" weapon. In 1954 it received additional units of the Self-Propelled 762mm Rocket "Honest John". During the initial Vietnam buildup in early 1966, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 52nd Artillery Group, left Fort Sill for Fort Lewis, Washington. In June of that year, the officers and men of the group boarded the USS WALKER for the trip to Vietnam, landing at Qui Nhon on June 17, 1966. 52nd Group's commander at the time of stand-down was Colonel James M. Wroth, who accepted, on behalf of the unit, the Meritorious Unit Commendation and the Vietnamese Valorous Unit Award. Colonel Wroth also received the Legion of Merit and the Air Medal for his efforts as Group commander. The unit was reduced in-country to a two man color guard, composed of Major Edgar E. Wiseman and CSM Clarence J. Martin, who will return the unit's standard to Fort Sill. CSM Martin, then in his first Vietnam tour, also escorted the unit's colors when they entered Vietnam in 1966. Other personnel of the unit have been reassigned within the Republic or returned to CONUS under normal stand-down criteria. Approximately 109 space reductions were involved.
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