2nd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment

1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery

320th Field Artillery Regiment coat of arms
Active 1917–present
Country United States
Branch Regular Army
Type Field artillery
Size Battalion
Part of 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division
Garrison/HQ Fort Campbell
Nickname(s) "Balls of the Eagle"
Motto(s) "Volens Et Potens"
Equipment 105mm howitzers
Engagements World War I
World War II
Operation Power Pack
Vietnam
Operation Desert Storm
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Operations Enduring Freedom
Insignia
"Willing and Able"

The 2nd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment (2-320th FAR) is an inactive field artillery battalion of the United States Army. The battalion has been assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, 11th Airborne Division and 101st Airborne Division. The battalion has participated in World War I, World War II, Vietnam, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom. The battalion inactivated in July 2015 as part of ongoing force reductions, and it personnel and equipment reflagged as the 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment

History

World War I

The 2-320th FAR's beginnings can be traced back to America's entry into the First World War. As part of the nation’s mobilization, 2-320th was constituted, organized and activated in August 1917 as Battery B, 320th Field Artillery (B/320th FA). As part of the original 82nd Division, B/320th FA played a key role at Lorraine, St. Mihiel, and the Meuse Argonne region in France. Following the Armistice, the 320th FA demobilized, only to be reconstituted in June 1921 as part of the United States Organized Reserves.

World War II

In August 1942, when the 82nd Infantry Division was converted to an airborne division, the 320th FA (including B/320th) was reorganized and redesignated as the 320th Glider Field Artillery Battalion (GFAB). As part of the 82nd Airborne Division, the 320th GFAB fought in a number of hot spots. First, the 320th GFAB was part of the campaign in Sicily, acting in reserve. The unit first saw action at the Volturno River on the Italian mainland. The crucial Normandy invasion was the next stop for the 320th GFAB. Under difficult conditions, the unit helped make the invasion a success. As a result of the 320th’s actions during Operation Overlord, the unit was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation. The 320th GFAB next fought in Operation Market Garden and then the Battle of the Bulge when the Germans attempted their last-ditch offensive. The 320th GFAB then fought and played a role in the final push through the Rhineland to defeat Germany. Upon the war’s end the unit completed its duties in Europe as part of the post-war occupation in Berlin.

Post-World War II

After the war, the 320th GFAB went through a number of transitions. It was inactivated on 15 December 1948 and relieved from assignment to the 82nd Airborne Division on 14 December 1950. On 1 August 1951 it was reorganized and redesignated as the 320th Airborne Field Artillery Battalion (AFAB), and activated at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Post-Korean War

During the 1950s, the 320th FA served as the field artillery battalion of the separate 508th Airborne Regimental Combat Team. When the Army eliminated infantry regiments and battalions from division and organized under the Pentomic structure, the 320th Field Artillery was reorganized as a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System. B/320th FA was assigned to the 11th Airborne Division in Germany. B/320th FA was inactivated on 1 July 1958 in Germany when the 11th Airborne was inactivated and replaced by the 24th Infantry Division. B/320th FA were redesignated on 15 November 1962 as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 2nd Battalion, 320th Artillery, and assigned to the 101st Airborne Division (organic elements concurrently constituted).

Gulf War

2-320 FAR next saw action in the Middle East from 1990 until 1991. As a part of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), the battalion was part of the massive US force that drove the Iraqi Army from Kuwait.

Lineage and honors

Lineage

(Organized Reserves redesignated 25 March 1948 as the Organized Reserve Corps)
(320th Glider Field Artillery Battalion relieved 14 December 1950 from assignment to the 82d Airborne Division)

Campaign Participation Credit

Note: The published Army lineage, dated 30 June 2010, shows only Iraqi Governance in the War on Terrorism. Comparison of the battalion's deployment dates with the War on Terrorism campaigns estimates that the battalion will be credited with participation in the additional campaigns listed.

Decorations

Battery A additionally entitled to:
  • Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1966-1967[1]

Note: Separately cited decorations are not post to the official lineage by the Center for Military History.

Heraldry

Distinctive unit insignia

320th Field Artillery Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia

Coat of arms

320th Field Artillery Regiment Coat of Arms

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Lineage and Honors Information: 2nd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery." U.S. Army Center for Military History. 30 June 2010. Web. Accessed 6 November 2015. <http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/fa/0320fa02bn.htm>.
  2. ↑ "Afghanistan Campaign Medal or Iraq Campaign Medal." The Adjutant General Directorate (TAGD). United States Army Human Resources Command. 6 August 2015. Web, accessed 12 October 2015. <https://www.hrc.army.mil/TAGD/Afghanistan%20Campaign%20Medal%20or%20Iraq%20Campaign%20Medal> Archived 11 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine..
  3. ↑ Headquarters, Department of the Army. "General Orders 2013-57." 25 September 2013. Web. Accessed 10 November 2015. <https://www.hrc.army.mil/site/ASSETS/Awards/2014/New2014Awards/2013-57.pdf>.

External links

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