Draft:4th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment

4th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment
Regimental insignia
Active	1917-1945, 1946-1947, 1955-1956, 1958-1960
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army
Role	Air defense
Size	Battalion
Motto(s)	Always Prepared
Equipment	MIM-14 Nike Hercules (former) MIM-3 Nike Ajax (former) M1888 (former)

The 4th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment was an air defense artillery battalion in the United States Army. The battalion is part of the 52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment.

The battalion was last active as a Nike Hercules unit subordinate to the Army Air Defense Command (ARADCOM) at Chicago, Illinois until 1960.

History

The 4th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment was first constituted on 1 April 1917 as the 6th Company, Fort HG Wright, at Fort HG Wright, New York. It was reorganized and redesignated on 22 July 1917 as Battery D, 7th Provisional Regiment (Coast Artillery Corps), and then deployed to France for World War I. The unit was redesignated again on 5 February 1918 as Battery D, 52nd Artillery Regiment (Coast Artillery Corps) and then fought in the battle of Meuse-Argonne (26 September - 11 November 1918). The unit was one of the first American units to return to the United States in December 1918.

After the war, the unit was stationed at Fort Eustis, Virginia. The unit received the additional designation of 226th Company (Coast Artillery Corps) on 1 June 1922, but this was removed on 20 February 1924 when the unit was redesignated Battery D, 52nd Coast Artillery Regiment. When Fort Eustis closed in 1931, the unit moved to Fort Monroe, Virginia and was later inactivated on 1 November 1938. The unit was reactivated on 8 January 1941 at Fort Hancock, New Jersey and was subsequently deployed on 1 May 1941 to Fort Pepperell in St. John's, Newfoundland.

Following the outbreak of World War II, the unit would return to the United States less personnel and equipment on 10 September 1942 to Fort Miles, Delaware. On 1 May 1943, the 52nd Coast Artillery Regiment was broken up and the unit was redesignated Battery B, 287th Coast Artillery Battalion. With less need for coastal defense, the unit was converted and redesignated as Battery B, 539th Field Artillery Battalion on 30 August 1944. The unit then deployed to France on 3 April 1945 and participated in the occupation of Germany from 2 May - 29 October 1945. The unit returned to the United States and was inactivated at Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts on 18 December 1945. The unit was reactivated on 31 December 1946 on Luzon in the Philippines but inactivated on 30 March 1947. The unit was activated again on 18 March 1955 in Japan but was inactivated on 25 March 1956.

On 12 August 1958 the unit was redesignated as 4th Missile Battalion, 52nd Artillery Regiment and activated on 1 September 1958 in Chicago, Illinois as a Nike Ajax unit under the Army Air Defense Command (ARADCOM). Battery A was located at Hammond C-45, then Homewood C-49/50, then Libertyville C92/94; Battery B was located in Chicago; Battery C was located at Munster C-46, then Chicago, then Wheeler C-47; and Battery D was located at Hedgewisch C-44, then Chicago, then Wheeler C-47. The unit was upgraded to Nike Hercules in 1959. The unit was inactivated on 24 June 1960 as National Guard units took over the defense of Chicago. The still inactive unit was redesignated on 1 September 1971 as the 4th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment.

Campaign Participation

• World War I
  • Champagne-Marne
  • St. Mihiel
  • Meuse-Argonne
  • Champagne 1918
  • Lorraine 1918
• World War II
  • Central Europe
  • Central Pacific
  • New Guinea (with arrowhead)
  • Luzon
  • Southern Philippines (with arrowhead)
• Korean War
  • UN Defensive
  • UN Offensive
  • CCF Intervention
  • First UN Counteroffensive
  • CCF Spring Offensive
  • UN Summer-Fall Offensive
  • Second Korean Winter
  • Korea Summer 1953

Decorations

• Presidential Unit Citation (Defense of Korea)

References

• McKinney, Janice E. Air Defense Artillery, United States Army Center of Military History: Washington, D.C., 2000. Pg 213.

This page will be placed in the following categories if it is moved to the article namespace.

Categories:

• Military units and formations established in 1917
• Air defense artillery battalions of the United States Army
• 52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment