User:Basztalos/sandbox/267th Field Artillery Battalion (1943 -1957)

The 267th Field Artillery Battalion, which was attached to the Third Army and served in the European Theater of Operation during World War II. Formed in March 1943, the Battalion landed in Normandy 1 September 1944 and served in four campaigns. Armed with 240mm howitzers, its men fired the largest mobile gun in the U.S. Army's arsenal during the Campaign for Northern France. It was one of only fifteen 240mm howitzer battalions. With the Battle of the Bulge, the 267th was reassigned from artillery to the Third Army's Provost Marshall, where its troops engaged in prisoner handling and guarding areas as assigned.

The Battalion was ordered to the Pacific to participate in the invasion of Japan, but that order was cancelled with the end of the War in September 1945. The 267th returned to the U.S. on 11 February 1946 and was inactivated the following day at Camp Kilmer NJ. It was authorized four battle streamers including: Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace and Central Europe. In the European Theater of Operation the Battalion had two men wounded and none killed. Three officers received the Air Medal. Four officers and forty-eight enlisted men received Bronze Star Medals, and two enlisted men received Purple Heart Medals.

In March 1955, the Battalion was reactivated as the 267th Armored Field Artillery Battalion and armed with 155mm self-propelled Howitzers. It deployed to Babenhausen Germany on 1 April 1956 and was inactivated on 1 December 1957 in Germany.

HISTORY OF THE BATTALION


 * 1/25/1943 Constituted in the Army of the United States as the 267th Field Artillery Battalion
 * 3/1/1943 Camp Shelby MS  267th Field Artillery Battalion activated as part of the 3rd Army to fire 105mm Howitzers (Truck drawn and nondivisional).  Officers were Reservists called to Active Duty and recent graduates of the Field Artillery Officer Candidate School, Ft Sill OK, and the enlisted members were almost entirely from personnel called to active duty with the Georgia National Guard and transferred from the 179th FA Group Camp Shelby.  The Field Artillery Replacement Training Centers at Fort Bragg and Fort Sill furnished the majority of filler enlisted.  Most of them were draftees.  The enlisted medical detachment were from the 78th Infantry Division, Camp Butler NC.  Lt Col Walter Hinsch was CO.  Bn was attached to the 403rd FA Group
 * 3/1/1943 - 12/24/1943 Camp Shelby MS  The 267 FAB was billeted and trained in the area of 38th to 42nd Streets and 9th to 15th Avenues.
 * 12/26/1943 - 4/22/1944  The 267 FAB transferred to Fort Bragg NC.  Relieved of assignment to 3rd Army and attachment to XIX Corps and 403 FA Group and assigned to 2nd Army, XII Corps and 402nd FA Group. The 267 FAB converts from 105mm Howitzers to 240mm Howitzers.  The 240mm howitzer fires a 360 lb shell a maximum range of 14.3 miles.  The 267th is one of fifteen 240mm howitzer battalions to delploy to the ETO.  The others were: the 265th, 266th, 269th, 270th, 272nd, 277th, 278th, 538th, 539th, 551st, 552nd, 553rd, 697th, and 698th.
 * 4/23/1944 - 5/5/1944 The 267 FAB was staging for deployment at Fort Slocum, NY, Fort Dix, NJ and Camp Kilmer, NJ
 * 5/5/1944 - 6/26/1944 Fort Dix NJ The Battalion resumed intensive training for deployment overseas
 * 6/26/1944 - 7/22/1944 Camp Kilmer NJ  The Battaion awaiting transportation overseas
 * 7/23/1944 - 7/28/1944 SS QUEEN MARY Wartime Cruise WW #38E with 12,009 troops and 1,130 crew sailed under the command of Captain Bisset from NYC to Greenock Scotland (outside of Glasgow).  It traveled 3,315 miles at an average speed of 28.02 knots.  Crossing took 4 days, 22 hours and 18 minutes.
 * 7/30/1944 - 8/28/1944 Bude Cornwall England  Moved into temporary quarters awaiting movement to ETO
 * 9/1/1944 - 9/4/1944 Utah Beach France  267 FAB departed Weymouth on LST's and LCT's and crossed English Channel to Utah Beach in France.  Part of the Bn arrived the same day, debarking at Utah Beach on 9/2.  Bivouacked at Assembly Area B.  Those loaded on LCT's were either kept in port or forced back to Weymouth England because of a channel storm rough water.  Those who return to England were delayed until 9/4, when the entire unit was on Utah Beach.
 * 9/5/1944 - 12/17/1944 Provides artillery support for Third Army units in Northern France
 * 12/17/1944 - 5/8/1945 267 FAB relieved from XII Corps and placed on special duty with the Provost Marshall, The Bn was given the mission of guarding bridges and administering and evacuating POWs in the 3rd Army area.
 * 5/19/1945 - 6/16/1945 Auerbach Germany  The 267th ran a POW camp for captured German soldiers
 * 8/1/1945 Auerback Germany Ordered to South West Pacific Area under shipment #R4085-HH.  The order was cancelled with the end of the war
 * 2/11/1946 267 FAB arrives in US
 * 2/12/1946 Camp Kilmer NJ  267th FAB is inactivated.  AUTHORIZED BATTLE STREAMERS include: Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace and Central Europe.  In the ETO, the Battalion had two men wounded and none killed.  Three officers received the Air Medal.  Four officers and forty-eight enlisted men received Bronze Star Medals, and two enlisted men received Purple Heart Medals.
 * 1/31/1949  The 267 FAB is redesignated as the 971st Field Artillery Battalion and allotted to the Organized Reserve Corps.
 * 3/7/1949 - 7/12/1950 Newark NJ  Activated as a Reserve FAB for slightly more than one year.
 * 3/14/1952 The Battalion was again redesignated the 267th Field Artillery Battalion
 * 1/14/1955 Redesignated as the 267th Armored Field Artillery Battalion at which time it was withdrawn from the Army Reserve and designated as Regular Army
 * 3/7/1955 - 12/1/1957 Fort Sill OK and Babenhausen Germany	267th Armored Field Artillery Battalion was activated and replaced the 200 Armored Field Artillery Battalion which was returned to National Guard status.  It was armed with 155mm self-propelled Howitzers.  It departed Fort Sill on 3/27/1956 to replaced the 597th Armored Field Artillery Battalion at Hanau Germany on 4/1/1956 after sailing from NY City to Bremehaven Germany.  This was part of Operation Gyroscope.  It was stationed in Babenhausen and attached to the 36th Field Artillery Group.  The Battalion was inactivated in Germany on 12/1/1957 when it was replaced by the 288th Armored Field Artillery Battalion