Artillery Unit Question

[Campjacksonboy]

Gentlemen,
A colleague of mine is trying to find information on a relative.
I'm not much help but the information on the headstone said
"123 Field Artillery - 35th Division"
She thinks he's from Iowa or Illinois. I'm a bit thrown off seems like a high number for an artillery battery.
Thanks for your help
Frank Aufmuth

[Tyler]

Re: Artillery Unit Question

Any idea of the dates he was around? My guess is it would be WWI or II. But I really don't know enough about it to tell you.
-Tyler

[K Bartsch]

Re: Artillery Unit Question

Guys, here's a hint. :wink_smil

"Google" is casting a very broad net these days. I put in 123rd FA just for giggles and guess what...

http://www.33rdinfantrydivision.org/divarty/123rdFAbn.htm

cheers,

[Huck]

Re: Artillery Unit Question

Frank I have a bunch of books on the 35th Div from WW2. I'll try and look some info up. The 35th Div was a National Guard Div during WW2. Here is a listing of units assigned to the Div during the war.
Hq. & Hq. Co. 35th Inf. Division (KS)
134th Infantry Regiment (NE)
137th Infantry Regiment (KS)
320th Infantry Regiment (elements of MO NG)
Hq. & Hq. Battery 35th Div. Arty.
127th F.A. Bn. (KS)
161st F.A. Bn.
216th F.A. Bn.
219th F.A. Bn.
60th Engineer Bn.
35th Recon. Troop
35th Q.M. Co.
35th Signals Co.
Hq. Special Troops
110th Medical Bn. (NE)
35th M.P. Platoon (KS)
35th Division Band
735th Ordnance Co.
Medical Det. Special Troops (NE)
Medical Det. Division Arty.
ATTACHED UNITS;
448th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Bn.
654th Tank Destroyer Bn.
737th Tank Bn.
784th Tank Bn. (Colored)

Now during the war (or in state side training), soldiers were assigned to a division based on need. So you can find soldiers from (at the time) all the 48 states. So your colleague relative could be from either Iowa or Illinois, but there wasn't any 123rd.

Gentlemen,
A colleague of mine is trying to find information on a relative.
I'm not much help but the information on the headstone said
"123 Field Artillery - 35th Division"
She thinks he's from Iowa or Illinois. I'm a bit thrown off seems like a high number for an artillery battery.
Thanks for your help
Frank Aufmuth

[Huck]

Re: Artillery Unit Question

Looks like the 123 was apart of the 33rd Div.

It reorganized in 1940 by consolidation of elements to consist of 1st and 2nd Battalions, with batteries of the 1st Battalion at Rock Island, Galesburg, and Moline, and batteries of the 2nd Battalion at East St. Louis, Macomb and Alton. It was inducted into Federal service on 5 March 1941 at home stations.

The 123rd Field Artillery was broken up in 1942 and its elements reorganized and re-designated as follows:

Headquarters and Headquarters Battery was re-designated on 12 February 1942 as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 208th Field Artillery, and relieved from assignment to 33rd Division
1st Battalion was re-designated on 12 February 1942 as 123rd Field Artillery Battalion; it remained assigned to the 33rd Division (subsequently 33rd Infantry Division)
2nd Battalion was re-designated on 18 April 1942 as 2nd Battalion, 200th Field Artillery, concurrently relieved from assignment to the 33rd Division and assigned to Task Force 6814 (later Americal Division)
After 1942, the elements underwent changes as follows:

Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 208th Field Artillery was re-designated 1 March 1943 as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 208th Field Artillery Group. It inactivated on 27 November 1945 at Camp Shanks, NY. Headquarters Battery, 208th Field Artillery Group was reorganized, re-designated and Federally recognized on 17 December 1946 as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 44th Division Artillery at Monmouth. It was released from active Federal service and reverted to State control on 10 October 1954. It was concurrently relieved from assignment to the 44th Infantry Division, consolidated with Headquarters and Headquarters Battery and Service Battery, 210th Field Artillery Battalion (organized and Federally recognized 1 March 1954 at Monmouth), and the consolidated unit designated as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery and Service Battery, 210th Field Artillery Battalion, an element of the 33rd Infantry Division.
The 123rd Field Artillery Battalion inactivated 5 February 1946 in Japan.

[Tom Ezell]

Re: Artillery Unit Question

Gentlemen,
A colleague of mine is trying to find information on a relative.
I'm not much help but the information on the headstone said
"123 Field Artillery - 35th Division"
She thinks he's from Iowa or Illinois. I'm a bit thrown off seems like a high number for an artillery battery.
Thanks for your help
Frank Aufmuth

Frank:

The 35th Division is the Missouri National Guard from the WWI/WWII area. Many of the old unit lineages are still there as part of the MO ARNG's 35th Infantry Brigade (Mech) in western Missouri and along the Kansas frontier.

The 123rd Field Artillery is a battalion designation, one of three direct support and one general support battalions in the 35th ID. If memory serves well, that's Harry Truman's old battalion; he served as commander of Battery D, 123rd FA, in WW1 and in the 35th DivArty up until he was elected VP, when he had to resign his NG commission to become President.

Tom

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Artillery Unit Question

Hallo Kameraden!

I am sorry to say that this topic is beyond the scope of the AC Forum, and violates its rules for modern topics.

While we all want to commemorate the service and honor the memory of all veterans in all wars, and be helpful to those searching for and researching their relatives and ancestors- there are other fora and sites better suited for it.

I am closing this thread, but will let it up for a day or two for the information provided to be taken and put to use.

Sorry.

Curt-Heinrich Schmidt
Moderator