History of the 2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery Regiment

  The 2nd Battalion, 20th Artillery was constituted on July 1, 1916 in the Regular Army as Battery B, 20th Field Artillery and saw its first combat during World War I at St. Mihiel and again at Lorraine.  On September 5, 1921, the unit was inactivated at Camp Bragg, North Carolina.

  The 20th Field Artillery was relieved from its assignment to the 5th Division on October 16, 1939 and activated June 1. 1940 at Fort Benning, Georgia and concurrently assigned to the 4th Division (later the 4th Infantry Division).  The unit was reorganized and redesignated as the 20th Field Artillery Battalion on October 1, 1940. 

  The battalion served with distinction during the bloody battles of the European Theater including the landing at Normandy.  The colors of the battalion proudly wear the numerous battle streamers earned by the Red Legs of the battalion during World War II.  The battalion was inactivated  February 13, 1946 at Camp Butner, North Carolina.

  The battalion was activated October 15, 1957 in Korea and concurrently assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division.  The unit was redesignated the 2nd Rocket Howitzer Battalion, 20th Artillery on 1 July 1960.  It was redesignated the 2nd Battalion, 20th Artillery on September 1, 1963.  On July 1, 1965, the battalion was transferred (less personnel and equipment) from Korea to Fort Benning, Georgia and reorganized. 

  The battalion stepped ashore at Qui Nhon, Republic of Vietnam as  the only Aerial Rocket Artillery (ARA) battalion assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) on September 15, 1965.  Two days later they flew their first combat mission as Charlie Battery fired 2.75 inch rockets in support of the 101st Airborne Division. 

  At this time the 2-75 inch rockets were mounted on UH-1B Huey helicopters.  The battalion had the ability to provide immediate artillery fire support to the airmobile units of the First Team, often operating beyond the range of conventional artillery.  Because the ARA pilot was at the target site, fire could be quickly adjusted for maximum accuracy and could provide extremely close fire support.

  On September 18, 1965, the battalion demonstrated another new technique, the "light ship", a Huey mounted with seven landing lights.  The illumination the ship provided proved extremely effective as a tool for base security.  On October 11, the battalion fired the first SS-11 guided missile to be used in combat, destroying a villa and the Viet Cong inside.   During the period September 17 to October 20, the battalion flew 78 missions and expended 2,870 rockets.

  In late October the battalion was called upon to provide support for the Pleiku Campaign, for which the division would earn the Presidential Unit Citation.  Alpha Battery saw the first major action in the campaign when Plei Me Camp came under attack the night of October 29-30.  Using the light from flares dropped by the Air Force, battery pilots bombarded enemy forces assaulting and mortaring the camp.  As one platoon expended its ordnance another would take its place.  The action continued until 0430 hours with rocket s fired within 100 meters of the friendly forces.

  During the Pleiku Campaign, Charlie Battery was positioned on a small strip on a tea plantation south of Pleiku City.  On the night of 12-13 November the enemy attacked the position in battalion strength.  As the first mortars hit the camp, pilots dashed to their helicopters and quickly had them all in the air, the first instance in Vietnam when all aircraft evacuated without loss from an airstrip under attack.

  Bravo Battery flew a unique mission on November 28 when Special Forces requested that the battery destroy the gates of a fortified VC village.  The gate's heavy timbers were protected by booby traps and weapons positions.  Three well-aimed SS-11 wire-guided missiles blasted the gates open.

  In 1966, the battalion participated in numerous operations.  The battalion also began a major civil affairs program in early 1966, donating clothing, toys and sundries to villagers in the hamlet of Tu Luong, near Camp Radcliff.  This program proved its effectiveness when in February a battalion helicopter crashed south of An Khe.  The villagers volunteered to search the VC-infested hills for the aircraft and its crew, and successfully located it in time to save two seriously injured crewmen.

  On May 16, 1966, the Battalion Commander, LTC Morris Brady and the C Battery Commander, MAJ Roger J. Bartholomew, volunteered to fly two ARA birds in support of a company in contact and in danger of being overrun by a large VC force.  They inched their aircraft through the fog, rain and darkness up the slope of a mountain peak east of An Khe, until they were hovering directly over the beleaguered company; then, directed by the artillery forward observer below, they unleashed ripple after ripple of rockets into an enemy assault force.  Their timely fire support was credited by the ground commander with stabilizing and extremely grave situation.  On May 22, 1966 the battalion  fired it 100,000th rocket in Vietnam in support of Operation CRAZY HORSE. 

  On October 9, 1966, the battalion demonstrated just how much the enemy feared their weapons.  Alpha Battery received a fire mission against an enemy bunker that could not be effectively engaged with 2.75 inch rockets.  Two SS-11 guided missiles were fired at the bunker; the first exploded a foot away from the one by six foot aperture.  The second entered the aperture and exploded inside, destroying it.  The 55 VC in the adjoining bunker decided not to test the pilot's accuracy and laid down their arms.

  At 0105 hours on December 22, LZ Bird was attacked by the 18th North Vietnamese Army (NVA) Regiment and Alpha Battery responded to the call for support.  Despite the night, fog and heavy rain the battery delivered a withering fire on the attacking enemy half an hour after the battle began.  Charlie Battery soon joined the fight and the aircraft stayed on station until the attack was repelled and the enemy force destroyed.

  In 1967 the battalion continued a vigorous civic action program with emphasis on schools, medical aid and long range civic improvement programs.

  Operation PERSHING, was to be the division's longest operation, began in February to root out the enemy forces in the Bong Son Plain, An Lao Valley and the mountains adjacent to An Lao.  The battalion moved its command post, with A and C Batteries, to LZ Two Bits. 

  During this period the battalion had added to its arsenal CH-47's, Chinooks armed with grenade launchers, two pods of rockets and two .50 caliber machineguns.  Additionally, the battalion added the mortar aerial delivery system consisting of 81 mm mortars used on interdiction targets with canopy cover.  In March, a five man recon team on the ground came under heavy automatic weapons fire.  Lift ships wouldn't make an extraction of the team from a sharp ridgeline obscured by clouds, so a CH-47 hovered near the ledge, which was too small to allow a landing, set its rear wheels on the ground and took the men aboard.  Enemy fire made several hits but the extraction was completed successfully without injury.  By the end of the year the battalion had fired 500,000 rockets since arriving in Vietnam.

  For actions  from December 6-10. 1967 the battalion was awarded the Valorous Unit Citation.  According to the citation, "the officers and men of the battalion displayed extraordinary valor in accomplishing all assigned tasks in the face of almost certain death.

  The division moved from II Corps to I Corps in 1968, meeting the enemy head on in the battle of Hue, Khe Sanh and the A Shau Valley.  In numerous close firefights aerial rocket artillery blasted the enemy, foiling his plans for victory.  The deadly accuracy of the SS-11 missile penetrated his bunkers and fortifications.  Psychological Operations used pictures of ARA aircraft to frighten enemy soldiers into surrendering.

  During 1968 the battalion made the transition between Huey ARA ships and the AH-1G Cobra.  Unlike the Huey, the Cobra was specifically designed for fire support, and carried firepower equivalent to that of three conventional artillery batteries.  The Cobra could pack 76 rockets and has a mini-gun capable of firing 4,000 rounds per minute.  Added to the mini-gun in later models was the 40 mm grenade launcher, which can chuck out 400 rounds per minute.

  The battalion fired its 750,000th rocked in Vietnam in July, 1968; however the unit had not forgotten the other side of the war.  That summer it also adopted an orphanage in Quang Tri, helping to expand the orphanage's space, building beds and providing medical care.

  In addition to their regular fire missions, the ships of the battalion carried out regular mortar patrols at the division basecamp and brigade headquarters.

  In December 1968 the battalion, with the rest of the division, moved to a new area of operations, the III Corps Tactical Zone near the Cambodian border north of Saigon.  That same month the NVA assaulted LZ Dot, located 43 kilometers northwest of the new division basecamp at Phuoc Vinh.  Some 2,000 enemy hit the tiny LZ at midnight with a human wave assault after a mortar and rocket attack.  ARA was called in, decimating the enemy just as they penetrated the outer wire.  At 0630 hours the enemy broke contact, leaving 287 dead.

  By the end of 1968 the 2nd Battalion, 20th Artillery helicopters were known throughout the 1st Cavalry Division as "Blue Max," a fitting tribute to pilots and crewmen whose skill and daring at least matched that of the World War I flying aces with the the award originated.  The blue Maltese Cross on the original medal was adopted by the battalion as a symbol.

The Blue Max

  In 1969 the Cobra completely replaced the Huey as the main force of the battalion.  Each battery consisted of 12 Cobras.  There were three platoons of four aircraft in a battery.  A service platoon maintained the Cobras.  An ARA section consisted of two Cobras, and usually nothing less than a section would carry out a strike.  Among the many other firsts to its credit, the battalion added that of becoming the first all-Cobra unit in Vietnam in January.

  In 1970 the enemy continued to try to overrun 1st Cav firebases and the battalion remained vigilant in its support of the troops on the ground flying missions in support of the defense of the bases and in support of the Air Cav Troopers on patrols.

  On May 1, 1970 the day for symbolic parading of military might in Communist countries, the First Team and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) units surged in force into Cambodia finding the enemy unprepared to defend their previous sanctuaries across the border.  Pushing into the "Fish Hook" region of the border, the Cavalrymen exceeded expectations and conducted what was one of the most successful operations in the division's history.  The drive of the division and ARVN units into Cambodia was supported by B-52 strikes, tactical air missions and the support of the ARA assets of the division inflicting devastating losses on the enemy.

  During the remainder of 1970 the Division continued the task of clearing the remainder of enemy combat elements from the III Corps area which was north, east and west of Saigon.

  The battalion began the stand down of its assets in March 1971 with the 31st of March being the last day of the battalion as a fully operational  unit in Vietnam.  The colors were cased on April 9, 1971 and the honor guard departed Vietnam for Fort Lewis, Washington.

  The battalion was inactivated on April 10, 1971 at Fort Lewis, Washington.  It was redesignated the 2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery.  The battalion was relieved from assignment to the 1st Cavalry Division and assigned to the 4th Infantry Division and activated at Fort Carson, Colorado.

  In 1976 the battalion was attached to 8th Infantry Division in Wiesbaden, Germany, where it would remain until it was deactivated in 1984, subsequently reactivated in 1987 and again deactivated in 1992.  

  In September 1998, 9-1 Field Artillery was redesignated as the 2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery Battalion and activated at Fort Hood, Texas as part of the 4th Infantry Division. which was conducting digitization as part of Force 21 for the Army.

  In 2001 the battalion supported the Army’s testing and fielding of the M270A1 launcher and became the first M270A1 Multiple Launched Rocket System (MLRS) unit in the Army.  Soldiers with the 2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery Regiment, held a launching ceremony April 17 to present the new MLRS to the 4th Infantry Division.  The ceremony consisted of a live-fire exercise attended by key members of the 4th Infantry Division and the 49th Armored Division, Texas National Guard.

  In March 2003 the Battalion deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom where they performed not only their traditional field artillery tasks, to include firing the 4th Infantry Division’s first deep missile fires in combat, but performed armed reconnaissance missions, joint security patrols, cordon and searches, raids, and a wide variety of civil military operations.  The Battalion redeployed in March 2004. 

  Returning back to Fort Hood, Texas the unit under went training equipment maintenance until it was once again called into action in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in December 2005.  Upon the Battalions return from deployment in December 2006 it was increased in size by the addition of a third firing battery (C Battery), and adding a radar unit (A/26) and making the 67th Forward Support Company, which was formed as an ad-hoc unit at the beginning of deployment, a permanent part of the battalion thus increasing the power and potency of the unit.

  The battalion was released from assignment to the 4th Infantry Division and assigned to the 41st Fires Brigade at Fort Hood, Texas on April 16, 2007 and subsequent attachment to the 1st Cavalry Division.  The battalion continues to train and is prepared to conduct combat operations on order.

Deep Strike!

The Lineage and Honors of the 2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery Regiment

Lineage of the 2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery Regiment

Constituted 1 July 1916 in the Regular Army as Battery B, 20th Field Artillery

Organized 1 June 1917 at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, as an element of the 5th Division

Inactivated 5 September 1921 at Camp Bragg, North Carolina

(20th Field Artillery relieved 23 March 1923 from assignment to the 5th Division and assigned to the 8th Division; relieved 1 January 1930 from assignment to the 8th Division and assigned to the 5th Division; relieved 16 October 1939 from assignment to the 5th Division)

Activated 1 June 1940 at Fort Benning, Georgia, as an element of the 4th Division (later redesignated as the 4th Infantry Division)

Reorganized and redesignated 1 October 1940 as Battery B, 20th Field Artillery Battalion

Inactivated 13 February 1946 at Camp Butner, North Carolina

Activated 6 July 1948 at Fort Ord, California

Inactivated 1 April 1957 at Fort Lewis, Washington, and relieved from assignment to the 4th Infantry Division

Redesignated 22 August 1957 as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 2d Field Artillery Battalion, 20th Artillery (organic elements concurrently constituted)

Battalion assigned 15 October 1957 to the 1st Cavalry Division and activated in Korea

Redesignated 1 July 1960 as the 2d Rocket Howitzer Battalion, 20th Artillery

Redesignated 1 September 1963 as the 2d Battalion, 20th Artillery

Inactivated 10 April 1971 at Fort Lewis, Washington

Redesignated 1 September 1971 as the 2d Battalion, 20th Field Artillery

Relieved 13 September 1972 from assignment to the 1st Cavalry Division, assigned to the 4th Infantry Division, and activated at Fort Carson, Colorado

Relieved 16 September 1980 from assignment to the 4th Infantry Division

Inactivated 1 June 1984 in Germany

Activated 16 September 1987 in Germany

Inactivated 15 June 1992 in Germany

Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 2d Battalion, 20th Field Artillery, redesignated 16 January 1996 as Battery B, 20th Field Artillery, assigned to the 4th Infantry Division, and activated at Fort Hood, Texas

Reorganized and redesignated 17 September 1998 as Headquarters, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 2d Battalion, 20th Field Artillery (organic elements concurrently activated)

Relieved 16 December 2004 from assignment to the 4th Infantry Division

Redesignated 1 October 2005 as the 2d Battalion, 20th Field Artillery Regiment

Honors of the 2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery

Campaign Participation Credit

World War I
St Mihiel
Lorraine 1918

World War II
Normandy (with arrowhead)
Northern France
Rhineland
Ardennes-Alsace
Central Europe

Vietnam
Defense
Counteroffensive
Counteroffensive, Phase II
Counteroffensive, Phase III
Tet Counteroffensive
Counteroffensive, Phase IV
Counteroffensive, Phase V
Counteroffensive, Phase VI
Tet 69/Counterofensive
Summer-Fall 1969
Winter-Spring 1970
Sanctuary Counteroffensive
Counteroffensive, Phase VII

War on Terrorism
Campaigns to be determined

Decorations

Presidential Unit Citation (Army), Streamer embroidered PLEIKU PROVINCE

Valorous Unit Award, Streamer embroidered TAM QUAN

Valorous Unit Award, Streamer embroidered FISH HOOK

Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army), Streamer embroidered IRAQ 2005-2006

Belgian Fourragere 1940

Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action in Belgium

Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action in the Ardennes

Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1965-1969

Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1969-1970

Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1970-1971

Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal, First Class, Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1969-1970

Battery A additionally entitled to:

Presidential Unit Citation (Army), Streamer embroidered BINH THUAN PROVINCE

Valorous Unit Award, Streamer embroidered IRAQ 2003-2004

Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1971

Battery C additionally entitled to:

Presidential Unit Citation (Army), Streamer embroidered BINH THUAN PROVINCE

Valorous Unit Award, Streamer embroidered QUANG TIN PROVINCE