305 Field Artillery Battalion

Author : Gary Schreckengost
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781798787106
Total Pages : 321 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (871 download)

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Download or read book History of the 315th Field Artillery (Heavy), 80th Division, A. E. F. written by Gary Schreckengost and published by . This book was released on 2019-03-05 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The History of the 315th Field Artillery, September, 1917-June, 1919" was "Written by Members of the Regiment," "Edited by a Committee of the President," and published sometime during the 1920s by Kohn & Pollock, Inc., of Baltimore, Maryland. Like many such works, few copies remain today. This copy, edited by Maj. Gary Schreckengost (USA, ret.), a Cold War, Bosnia and Iraq War Veteran of the 80th Division, and a Life Member of the 80th Division Association, is a way to ensure that his important work lives on for future generations. The other two regiments of the brigade, the 313th Arty and 314th Arty, have been digitized and can be easily purchased; of the three narratives, the one of the 313th Arty is the best and is currently published by Forgotten Books. The Introduction section provides a brief summary of the formation and training of the 315th Arty Regiment (H) and 80th (Blue Ridge) Division at Camp Lee, a description of the M1917 French Schneider 155mm Howitzer, and an explanation of what it was like to serve in a heavy field artillery battery in the A.E.F. Several additional pictures and maps were included--drawn almost entirely from works written and published by members of the 80th Division Association. The pagination is the same as the original copies, although the formatting has been slightly altered. For example, pictures were moved from the text and placed on pages that were not numbered in the original publication. Most if not all of the verbiage in the Introduction can be found in Maj. Schreckengost's volumes: Always Move Forward! The 80th Division in W.W. I. The 315th Field Artillery Regiment (Heavy), 155th Artillery Brigade, 80th (Blue Ridge) Division (B/1/315th Arty) was raised at Camp Lee, Va, during the summer-fall of 1917, mostly from draftees from West Virginia and Pennsylvania. The 155th Arty Brig., which delivered fire support for the 80th, 33rd, 4th, 5th, and 90th Divisions during the war-ending and deadly Meuse-Argonne Offensive of Sept.-Nov., 1918, consisted of a brigade headquarters commanded by a brigadier general, three field artillery regiments, two light and one heavy, the 305th Ammunition Train, and the 305th Trench Mortar Battery. While the 313th and 314th Arty consisted of two battalions of French M1897 75mm Field Guns (Batteries A-D and E-H), the 315th Arty consisted of three battalions of M1917 French 155mm Schneider Howitzers (Batteries A and B, C and D, and E and F). Generally, the artillery brigade H.Q. was co-located with division H.Q. with the 315th Arty (H), 314th M.G. Battalion, and 305th Trench Mortar close-by. Depending on the mission, the division commander would attach and detach his artillery battalions to better weigh the main effort. It was a very practical, sensible, and flexible system.