52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment


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 of the Coast Artillery Corps. It was first designated as the 7th Provisional Regiment , then the 52nd Artillery Regiment , and then the 52nd Coast Artillery Regiment. It continued in that role unit 1943, when the regiment was broken into separate battalions, and in the following year the units were reorganized and redesignated as field artillery units. The Combat Arms Regimental System revived the regiment, in name only as the 52nd Artillery Regiment, through regimental affiliation for battalions without a command relationship to each other. The Headquarters and Headquarters Battery of the regiment was reactivated under the 52nd Artillery Group in 1950. The unit was finally redesignated as the 52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment in 1971 after being consolidated with other units such as the 52nd Field Artillery Battalion. The United States Army Regimental System introduced regimental affiliation to individual soldiers.

Lineage

Organized 22 July 1917 in the Regular Army at Fort Adams, Rhode Island, as the 7th Provisional Regiment, Coast Artillery Corps, from units of the Coast Defenses of Long Island Sound, Eastern New York, Southern New York, Narragansett Bay, and Port Royal Sound.
Moved overseas August 1917. Redesignated 5 February 1918 as the 52nd Artillery. While in France the unit was attached to the 30th Brigade, CAC, and armed with a variety of French- and British-made railway guns, including French 320 mm weapons. Returned to the US January 1919, moved to Fort Eustis, Virginia.
In August 1921, the other railway artillery regiments were inactivated, and the 52nd was reorganized into 1st Battalion, 2nd Battalion, and 3rd Battalion.
Redesignated 1 July 1924 as the 52nd Coast Artillery Regiment.
In 1931 Batteries C and E and HHB, 2nd Battalion were posted at Fort Hancock, New Jersey.
Battery D inactivated 1 November 1938 at Fort Monroe, Virginia; Battery F inactivated 1 February 1940 at Fort Monroe, Virginia; Batteries D and F activated 8 January 1941 at Fort Hancock; 1st Battalion activated 1 June 1941 at Fort Hancock.
Battery D was at St. John's, Newfoundland in the Harbor Defenses of Argentia and St. John's with two 8-inch M1888 railway guns 1 May 1941 through 12 February 1942, when redesignated as Battery D, 24th Coast Artillery Regiment and Battery D transferred
In December 1941 Batteries A and B and Headquarters and Headquarters Battery 1st Battalion transferred to Hawaii to reinforce the 41st Coast Artillery there.
Battery E ordered to Harbor Defenses of Puget Sound 16 December 1941, but two gun sections were detached to man two 8-inch Mk. VI railway guns at Manhattan Beach, California near Fort MacArthur. In May 1943 this detachment became Battery A, 285th CA Battalion. The other gun sections went to Port Angeles, Washington and on 17 April 1942 were redesignated as Battery X. Later transferred to Fort Casey; redesignated as Battery B, 285th CA Battalion on 30 March 1943.
From March 1942 until 1 May 1943 Batteries C and D operated Batteries 20 and 21 at Fort Miles, Delaware, with four 8-inch Mk. VI railway guns per battery. Battery C was at Fort Hancock, New Jersey from early 1942 until transferred to Fort Miles in March 1942.
1st Battalion and Batteries A and B returned to Fort Hancock 16 February 1942. Reorganized with 8-inch Mk. VI railway guns and transferred to Fort John Custis, Virginia on 27 August 1942. Redesignated as the 286th CA Battalion 5 April 1943.
Battery F reorganized with 8-inch Mk. VI railway guns at Fort Hancock, New Jersey after 20 February 1942; transferred to Camp Shelby, Mississippi and inactivated there 18 April 1944. Personnel distributed among five field artillery battalions.
Regiment broken up 1 May 1943 and its elements reorganized and redesignated as follows:
After 1 May 1943 the above units underwent changes as follows:
Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 52nd Artillery Group, and the 538th, 539th, and 52nd Field Artillery Battalions consolidated, reorganized, and redesignated 30 June 1971 as the 52nd Artillery, a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System
Redesignated 1 September 1971 as the 52nd Air Defense Artillery
Withdrawn 16 April 1988 from the Combat Arms Regimental System and reorganized under the United States Army Regimental System

Annex

Constituted 1 October 1933 in the Regular Army as the 52nd Field Artillery
Redesignated 26 August 1941 as the 52nd Field Artillery Battalion and assigned to the 24th Infantry Division
Activated 1 October 1941 at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii

Distinctive unit insignia

  • Description
A Gold color metal and enamel device in height overall consisting of a shield blazoned: Gules, a bend potenté Or. Attached below the shield a Gold scroll inscribed "SEMPER PARATUS" in Red letters.
  • Symbolism
The shield is red for Artillery. The gold potenté bend is an adaptation of the cottised bend on the arms of Champagne.
  • Background
The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 538th Field Artillery Battalion on 29 December 1951. It was redesignated for the 52nd Artillery Regiment on 19 December 1958. It was redesignated for the 52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment effective 1 September 1971.

Coat of arms

Blazon

  • Shield
Gules, a bend potenté Or.
  • Crest
On a wreath of the colors Or and Gules, a locomotive affronté Gules, charged with the numeral "52" Or.
Motto SEMPER PARATUS.

Symbolism

  • Shield
The shield is red for Artillery. The gold potenté bend is an adaptation of the cottised bend on the arms of Champagne.
  • Crest
The crest alludes to World War I service in France.

Background

The coat of arms was originally approved for the 52nd Artillery, Coast Artillery Corps on 9 April 1921. It was redesignated for the 286th Coast Artillery Battalion and amended to delete the crest on 3 August 1944. It was redesignated for the 538th Field Artillery Battalion on 20 November 1944. The insignia was redesignated for the 52nd Artillery Regiment and amended to add a crest on 19 December 1958. Effective 1 September 1971, the insignia was redesignated for the 52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment.

Campaign participation credit

World War I: Champagne-Marne; St. Mihiel; Meuse-Argonne; Champagne 1918; Lorraine 1918
World War II: Central Europe; Central Pacific; New Guinea ; Leyte; Luzon; Southern Philippines
Korean War: UN Defensive; UN Offensive; CCF Intervention; First UN Counteroffensive; CCF Spring Offensive; UN Summer-Fall Offensive; Second Korean Winter; Korea, Summer 1953
Vietnam: Counteroffensive; Counteroffensive, Phase II; Counteroffensive, Phase III; Tet Counteroffensive; Counteroffensive, Phase IV; Counteroffensive, Phase V; Counteroffensive, Phase VI; Tet 69/Counteroffensive; Summer-Fall 1969; Winter-Spring 1970; Sanctuary Counteroffensive; Counteroffensive, Phase VII
Southwest Asia: Defense of Saudi Arabia; Liberation and Defense of Kuwait

Decorations

Presidential Unit Citation for DEFENSE OF KOREA
Valorous Unit Award for DAK TO – BEN HET
Valorous Unit Award for SAUDI ARABIA AND BAHRAIN
Meritorious Unit Commendation for FLORIDA 1962–1963
Meritorious Unit Commendation for VIETNAM 1966–1969

Current configuration