7th Air Defense Artillery Regiment

7th Air Defense Artillery Regiment
Active 1898
Country USA
Branch Army
Type Air defense artillery
Motto(s) NULLIUS PAVET OCCURSUM (He Fears No Encounter)
Engagements World War I
World War II
Korean War
Vietnam War
Insignia
Distinctive unit insignia

The 7th Air Defense Artillery Regiment is an air defense artillery regiment of the United States Army, first constituted in the Regular Army as the 7th Regiment of Artillery on 8 March 1898.

History

The 7th Air Defense Artillery Regiment traces its antecedents to 8 March 1898 in the Regular Army as Battery A, 7th Regiment of Artillery. It was organized on 29 March 1898 at Fort Slocum, New York.[1][2]

The Battery was reorganized and redesignated on 13 February 1901 as the 72nd Company, Coast Artillery, Artillery Corps at Fort Greble, Rhode Island. At this time the 7th Regiment of Artillery was broken up and its elements reorganized and redesignated as separate numbered companies and batteries of the Artillery Corps. The company was redesignated on 2 February 1907 as the 72nd Company, Coast Artillery Corps. The company was reorganized and redesignated in July 1916 as the 1st Company, Fort Screven, Georgia and on 31 August 1917 as the 1st Company, Coast Defenses of Savannah.[3]

The company was reorganized and redesignated on 1 June 1922 as the 72nd Company, Coast Artillery Corps and on 1 July 1924 as Battery A, 7th Coast Artillery at Fort Hancock in the Harbor Defenses of Sandy Hook (HD Sandy Hook), concurrently with the reconstitution in the Regular Army (on 27 February 1924) and reorganization of the 7th Artillery as the 7th Coast Artillery. The company was inactivated on 7 April 1930 at Fort Hancock.[4]

The company was reactivated on 1 July 1939 at Fort Hancock, New Jersey, again with the 7th Coast Artillery. The regiment garrisoned portions of the Harbor Defenses of New York and its predecessors HD Sandy Hook and HD Southern New York, and on 23 February 1944 the regimental assets were absorbed by that command and the Headquarters and Headquarters Battery (HHB) was assigned to XXII Corps. The regiment's HHB was transferred to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri on 15 March 1944 and was inactivated there on 7 April 1944, before being disbanded entirely on 14 June 1944.[5]

The history of the 7th Coast Artillery as a regiment from 1924 through 1944 follows:

  • The regiment was constituted in the Regular Army on 27 February 1924 and organized on 1 July 1924 by redesignating the 72nd, 73rd, 74th, 75th, 76th, 78th, 79th, & 81st companies of the Coast Artillery Corps (CAC) at Ft. Hancock. Batteries A, B, D, and F carried the lineage and designations of the corresponding batteries in the old 7th Artillery.[3][4] Initially, only the regimental headquarters and headquarters battery (HHB), HHBs for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions, and Batteries A, B, D, & E active, HHB 3rd Battalion and Battery E being the caretaking battery for the Harbor Defenses of the Delaware at Fort DuPont. All other elements remained inactive.[4]
  • 1st Battalion inactivated 7 April 1930, 2nd Battalion inactivated 28 February 1930. HHB 3rd Battalion demobilized 1 September 1935 at Fort DuPont.[4]
  • Regiment reduced to caretaking detachments in 1930; Batteries B & D inactivated. Battery A inactivated 31 March 1930. Sole remaining active elements, the regimental HHB and Battery E, provided caretaking detachments for HD Sandy Hook and HD Delaware, respectively. A 34-man band was authorized 1 July 1937.[4]
  • Batteries A & B reactivated at Fort Hancock 7 July 1939. Battery E inactivated 1 February 1940, personnel reassigned to the 21st Coast Artillery Regiment (Harbor Defense) (HD) and battery transferred to Fort Hancock, less personnel and equipment. Battery C activated at Fort Hancock 1 August 1940. HHB 1st and 2nd Battalions activated at Fort Hancock 11 January 1941. Batteries D, E, and F reactivated at Fort Hancock 13 January 1941.
  • On 23 September 1942 the 1st Battalion transferred, less personnel and equipment, to Fort Tilden, New York to join the 2nd Battalion there. Personnel of the 1st Battalion were reassigned to the 3rd Battalion, 245th Coast Artillery Regiment (HD), and vice versa. This placed the 7th Coast Artillery at Fort Tilden and the 245th Coast Artillery at Fort Hancock.
  • In May (or August) 1943, the 7th Coast Artillery (less Batteries D & G and an AA platoon at Fort Tilden, and Battery F detached to Fort Totten) returned to Fort Hancock until 23 February 1944. At that time most regimental assets were absorbed by HD New York and the HHB was reassigned to XXII Corps, further transferring to Army Ground Forces on 13 March 1944. HHB and 1st Battalion moved to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri and 2nd Battalion to Camp Chaffee, Arkansas, where these units were inactivated on 7 April 1944.[4][5]

The history of the company through which the 7th Air Defense Artillery traces its lineage resumes:

The company was reconstituted on 28 June 1950 in the Regular Army and concurrently consolidated with the lineage and honors of Battery A, 126th Antiaircraft Artillery Gun Battalion. Battery A, 126th Antiaircraft Gun Battalion had been first constituted on 25 February 1943 in the Army of the United States as Battery A, 126th Coast Artillery Battalion and activated on 10 May 1943 at Camp Haan, California. It was reorganized and redesignated on 28 June 1943 as Battery A, 126th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion and inactivated on 3 January 1946 at Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia. The consolidated unit was redesignated as Battery A, 7th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion in 1950. The consolidated unit carried honors for participation in 6 campaigns during the Second World War: Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe, and England 1944.

The unit was redesignated on 13 December 1951 as Battery A, 7th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion and activated on 20 December 1951 at Camp Edwards, Massachusetts. The unit deployed to Korea and participated in 8 campaigns of the Korean War: UN Defensive, UN Offensive, CCF Intervention, First UN Counteroffensive, CCF Spring Offensive, UN Summer-Fall Offensive, Second Korean Winter, and Korea, Summer 1953.

The unit was redesignated on 30 June 1955 as Battery A, 7th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion. It was inactivated on 1 September 1958 in Germany. The unit was concurrently consolidated with Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Howitzer Battalion, 7th Artillery (active), which had been first organized in 1916. The consolidated unit designated as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Howitzer Battalion, 7th Artillery, an element of the 1st Infantry Division. The Battalion's organic elements were constituted on 8 February 1957 and activated on 15 February 1957.

The battalion subsequently deployed to fight in the Vietnam War, and participated in 11 campaigns of the conflict there: Defense, Counteroffensive, Counteroffensive Phase II, Counteroffensive Phase III, Tet Counteroffensive, Counteroffensive Phase IV, Counteroffensive Phase V, Counteroffensive Phase VI, Tet 69/Counteroffensive, Summer-Fall 1969, and Winter-Spring 1970.

The battalion was redesignated, less former Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Howitzer Battalion, 7th Artillery on 1 September 1971 as the 1st Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery, and inactivated at Fort Riley, Kansas. The former Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Howitzer Battalion, 7th Artillery was concurrently reorganized and redesignated as the 1st Battalion, 7th Field Artillery, which thereafter had a separate lineage.

1st Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery was activated on 13 September 1972 at Fort Bliss, Texas and was inactivated there on 16 June 1987. The Battalion was reactivated on 16 December 1988 in Germany.

On 21 December 1998, Headquarters United States Army Europe (USAREUR) announced plans to realign its air defense artillery units to comply with the Army's Patriot Standardization Plan. As a result of the plan, USAREUR realigned its 3 Patriot missile battalions with their 12 missile batteries, 2 maintenance companies and one maintenance team into 2 battalions with 5 batteries and one maintenance company each. The 1-7th Air Defense Artillery, with its Headquarters and Headquarters Battery and B and C Batteries subsequently moved from Rhine Ordnance Barracks, Kaiserslautern, Germany, to Fort Bliss, Texas. There it joined the 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade.

A Battery, 1st Battalion, 7th ADA was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 7th ADA in Hanau and moved from Rhine Ordnance Barracks to Babenhausen, Germany. F Battery, 6th Battalion, 52nd ADA, located at Ansbach, was also assigned to the 5–7th ADA and moved to Babenhausen. These units were re-flagged as D Battery and E Battery, 5th Bn, 7th ADA. Now the battalion was stationed in Kaiserslautern, Germany subordinate to the 10th Army Air & Missile Defense Command with five batteries and a maintenance company.

In June 2006, the Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade and 1-7th Air Defense Artillery moved to Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

On 1 October 2015, the 5th Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery officially completed a unit move from Rhine Ordnance Barracks to Baumholder, Germany. The move started on March 2015 and relocated all six units within the battalion to Smith Barracks.

Distinctive unit insignia

  • Description

A gold metal and enamel device 1 1/8 inches (2.86 cm) in height consisting of a panther in a walking position facing forward, with fire issuing horizontally from its mouth and ears, all gold; all within and surmounting a continuous red scroll inscribed “NULLIUS PAVET” above and “OCCURSUM” below in gold letters. The insignia is worn in pairs.

  • Symbolism

The panther is taken from the coat of arms of the Coast Defenses of Sandy Hook where the Regiment was organized on 1 July 1924. The motto translates to “He Fears No Encounter.”

  • Background

The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 7th Coast Artillery Regiment on 31 July 1924. It was redesignated for the 7th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion on 10 June 1952. The insignia was cancelled on 20 April 1960. It was restored and authorized effective 1 September 1971, for the 7th Air Defense Artillery Regiment.

Coat of arms

Blazon

  • Shield

Gules, a pile voided Or crusilly fitchy of the like over all a Railway Gun in the act of firing Argent, flame Proper.

  • Crest

On a wreath of the colors Or and Gules a panther passant guardant, incensed Or, flames Proper. Motto NULLIS PAVET OCCURSUM (He Fears No Encounter).

Symbolism

  • Shield

The shield is scarlet for Artillery. The cross crosslets fitchy, from the arms of the Lords of Commercy, refer to the baptism of fire of a battery of the regiment at Royanmoix, near Commercy, World War I. The pile is from the coat of arms of the 53d Artillery C.A.C., elements of which were later amalgamated into the 7th Coast Artillery. The Railway Gun commemorates the unique distinctive of Battery “E”, 42d Artillery C.A.C. (later Headquarters Battery, 7th Coast Artillery) of firing the first shot in World War I by a Coast Artillery organization.

  • Crest

The panther is taken from the coat of arms of the Coast Defenses of Sandy Hook where the Regiment was organized on 1 July 1924.

Background

The coat of arms was originally approved for the 7th Coast Artillery Regiment on 28 July 1924. It was redesignated for the 7th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion on 10 June 1952. The insignia was cancelled on 20 April 1960. It was restored and authorized effective 1 September 1971, for the 7th Air Defense Artillery Regiment.

Current configuration

See also

References

  1. ↑ Berhow, pp. 425-426
  2. ↑ Smith, Bolling W.; Gaines, William C., Coast Artillery Organization: A Brief Overview at the Coast Defense Study Group website
  3. 1 2 Berhow, pp. 445-446
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Gaines, pp. 7-8
  5. 1 2 Stanton, p. 456
  6. ↑ 1/7th ADA lineage
  • Berhow, Mark A., Ed. (2015). American Seacoast Defenses, A Reference Guide, Third Edition. McLean, Virginia: CDSG Press. ISBN 978-0-9748167-3-9.
  • Gaines, William C., Coast Artillery Organizational History, 1917-1950, Coast Defense Journal, vol. 23, issue 2
  • Stanton, Shelby L. (1991). World War II Order of Battle. Galahad Books. pp. 477–481. ISBN 0-88365-775-9.

 This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Army Institute of Heraldry document "7th Air Defense Artillery Regiment". (dead link 11 September 2017)

  • Army lineage site for current Air Defense Artillery units
  • 7th Air Defense Artillery Coat of Arms and Distinctive Unit Insignia
  • 7th Artillery Coat of Arms and Distinctive Unit Insignia 1960-1971
  • Greg Hagg; Bolling Smith; Mark Berhow. "Insignia of the Coast Artillery Corps" (PDF). The Coast Defense Study Group, Inc. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  • Heitman, Francis B. (1903). Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army, 1789-1903, Vol. 1. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.
  • Coast Artillery Corps history at the Coast Defense Study Group
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