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422nd Field Artillery Group ... Dad was in this July '44 thru Mar 45

Discussion in 'Information Requests' started by A Cline, Feb 22, 2020.

  1. A Cline

    A Cline New Member

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    Dad's mailing address July 1944 through July 1945 was 422nd Field Artillery Group.

    I believe this was Corps or Divisional Artillery unit. Dad may have been in a Field Artillery Observation Battalion at some point, possible the 14th or the 285th, but can't get any hard information to support this.

    The 422nd was assigned or attached to the XIX Corps in February and March, 1945 for Operation Grenade.

    Dad was in the UK in the first half of July 1944, postcards indicate Salisbury, UK area. Dad sent some postcards home from Momignies Belgium (on French border); the censor scratched out the date.

    Dad has both 3rd Armored and 2nd Armored Division shoulder patches in his "war box"

    He sailed home from Marseille in January 1946, his Transportation order was 78th Field Artillery, but I know for certain he was not in the 78th FA (2nd Armored Division) in February and March 1945.... perhaps they were in the same Corps, or the 422nd FA Group was a unit in the 2nd Armored Division. After a month on the internet, only found one or two tidbits about the 422nd FA Group.

    That's all I have really. Any suggestions or advice of figuring out the path of the 422nd Field Artillery Group from July, 1944 through February, 1945 GREATLY appreciated.
     
  2. bronk7

    bronk7 Well-Known Member

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    ...have any interesting postcard pics?
     
  3. A Cline

    A Cline New Member

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    .have any interesting postcard pics?

    Not that Interesting... An old city gate into Salisbury England, Dad wrote "was built in 1600" a River scene near Salisbury, Dad wrote "This is where many of the people go and sit before the sun goes down" A postcard of the ruined Tintern Abbey. That's it from the UK. Then a few from Momignies, France area... not particularly interesting, just local buildings that Dad scribbled a few lines on, and mailed to his sister.
     
  4. LRusso216

    LRusso216 Graybeard Staff Member

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    If you can give us his name, we might be able to dig a bit further.
     
  5. RichTO90

    RichTO90 Well-Known Member

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    The Field Artillery Group consisted of a Headquarters and Headquarters Battery and was intended to be a tactical headquarters, attached to a corps, to control the fires of separate Field Artillery Battalions attached to it. See DTIC ADA365229: The Field Artillery Group in Support of the Corps and Field Army, 1942-1953. : Defense Technical Information Center : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

    The 422d was organized 8 February 1943 from Hq&Hq Bty, 422d Field Artillery Regiment. They departed the New York Port of Embarkation on 26 July 1944, arrived in England on 5 August and landed in France on 28 August 1944. They returned to the US on 18 November 1945.
     
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  6. A Cline

    A Cline New Member

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    Thanks So much Rich !

    By the way, is there a website where your found the 422nd info you posted ?

    I have been searching different Corps in France / Belgium trying to find which Corps they were assigned to... not much luck, but will keep digging !
     
  7. A Cline

    A Cline New Member

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    Wow Rich... Buried on Page 91 of the DTIC doc you referenced ... answered a question of where Dad was in September, that I have been researching for weeks.... totally random find... the First Army's big Corps guns were not needed in September, so they pulled the guys out and had them drive trucks back and forth to Normandy to pull in gas and ammo for the front line divisions. Thanks so Much, Rich....
     
  8. RichTO90

    RichTO90 Well-Known Member

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    While it was acting as l
    The website is DTIC, the Defense Technical Information Center. The document itself is a student paper at CGSC.

    Early on after landing the 422d probably had no real tactical function as they were supporting logistics movements. I believe they were engaged in that activity until sometime in October, under 32d FA Brigade, which was a First Army asset. I know they supported the 83d ID along the Our River from 6 November to 7 December 1944, and then the 4th ID when it relieved the 83d, from 9 to 22 December 1944. So during that period they were attached First to XX Corps, Third Army and then to VIII Corps, First Army.

    Unfortunately, any further information would require going through the 422d's records at NARA College Park.
     
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  9. A Cline

    A Cline New Member

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  10. A Cline

    A Cline New Member

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    Rich,

    You are completely AWESOME. This was a gap in late 1944 that I have been searching for. I'm off the the Operation Queen / Hurtgen / Operation Grenade area on the German / Belgian / Dutch border on vacation later this year, to visit some sites. This is a great breakthrough re: what part of the line Dad was at during November / December 1944.

    Here's a couple of Dad's war stories. He dodged a couple of bullets... luckily, or I would have never been born:

    1. He got appendicitis December 15, 1944. The day before the Bulge. His field hospital was attacked by German artillery and he and the rest of the bed-bound were evacuated by train to Paris, first they tried to fly them out, but the airfield nearby was strafed / bombed. Dad said he was lucky as some in his unit were overrun by German troops.

    I believe this was the First Army hospital in Eupen (building still standing, now the office of the German-speaking part of Belgium), as this hospital was evacuated on December 16, and lines up with Dad's war story. But will research again if this still makes sense, with the new info you provided.

    2. When he returned to the line after the Bulge, he was assigned to work for Lt. Colonel Higby, Commanding Officer of the 422nd. He flew up with
    Higby about every day in an observation plane, Higby looked for targets with what Dad said was "a huge pair of binoculars". He described what he saw, Dad wrote in down, and Dad wrote up a report on the Lt Col.s observations when they landed. On March 7, 1945, Dad was waiting for Higby at the plane, Higby told Dad "Cline, go back to bed, nothing happening out there today, I am going to go up for a very quick look." Higby and his pilot were shot down that day by friendly fire, and died in the crash.

    Thanks again !

    Best,

    John Cline
     

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