"US artillery of airborne divisions?" Topic

A "typical" US Infantry Division from Normandy on had 3 battalions of 105's (12 guns each?) and one of 12 155's, towed 2-wheelers.

I understand that the "official" complement for Airborne was 3 battalions of 75mm pack howitzers. Did they a 4th battalion of larger caliber guns?

GdeP

I actually was wondering same thing on way home from work

The delivery of 105s would have been more difficult than 75mm guns.
I have not seen many reports of artillery used in a air landing delivery method often in the war.

Under the Sep 1942 T/Os, the Parachute FA Bn was based on 12 75-mm pack howitzers, in three Btys of four guns each, and the Glider FA Bn on 12 pack howitzers in two Btys of six each.

The Dec 1944 T/Os, which sought to beef up the Airborne Division generally, put both PFA and GFA Bns on a two Bty format, each of six 75-mm pack howitzers. There was a note for the Glider FA Bn that stated the 75-mm pieces could be replaced by 105-mm weapons (M3 105-mm hows) when specifically authorised by the WD.

From memory, the number of FA Bns available to the Airborne Divisions of late 1943 and most of 1944 tended to fluctuate in a similar manner to the ratio of Parachute to Glider Infantry Regiments and Battalions. I don't know offhand if 17 Abn Div had 105-mm pieces for Varsity and if so whether they were part of the ground element of the Div (Seaborne Tail in British parlance).

Gary

Cole, in The Ardennes says "In place of the medium artillery battalions normally organic or attached to the infantry division, the [101st] airborne carried one battalion of 105mm howitzers." (p. 308.)

Worth asking how often and how long a WWII US airborne division was engaged without having heavier artillery on call. Bastogne's an extreme example with most of VIII Corps corps artillery and two SP battalions from armored divisions within the perimeter and able to fire in support of any threatened unit, but how long were the 82nd and the 101st without artillery support from higher in OVERLORD or MARKET GARDEN?

That watching Band of Brothers and I knew Gen McAuliffe was the Artillery officer of the 101st Division

Yeah. Considering that no one planned it that way, it's a pretty nice outcome when an artillery officer winds up commanding an airborne division and it has--if I've got the count right--four battalions of pack 75's, one battalion of towed 105's, two of SP 105's and three(?) of towed 155's--all in a perimeter so small that 105's and up could hit any place threatened. Ammo supply was tricky, but some German attacks just disintegrated when McAuliffe was willing to authorize the expenditure.

I belive the 82nd had a glider battalion of 105s during Market Garden. It is certainly in the OB fir Victory Games magnificent "Hells Highway" and the 82nd Wikipedia page. The 320th GFA.

But yes, in general, Airborne Divisions had fairly light artillery support, for obvious reasons. The US Divisions had a lot more guns than the British ones though.

AFAIK US Airborne Divs didn't have Cannon Companies in their infantry Regiments.

Here's an article on parachute dropped artillery during Market Garden.

link

Inspired by your comments, I just found this site, noting that US Infantry regiments (not airboren regiments) had a cannon company of M3 short-ranged 105's, photo in the site:

link

No shield, no above and below recoil mechanisms as for the "conventional" 105's,

Still not sure about airborne units.

GdeP

The Parachute and Glider Infantry Regiments did not have a Cannon Company in the same manner that the standard US Infantry Regiment did. (Likewise no Cannon Company for the Armored Infantry but the Battalions had their organic Cannon Platoons).

The Glider Regiment initially had two Anti-tank Gun Platoons incorporated in the Regimental HQ Company, which later was superseded by an Anti-tank Company of nine guns (plus three per Battalion) when the Regiment moved onto a footing similar to that of the standard Infantry Regiment.

The original 1942 org for the US Airborne Division assumed two glider and one Parachute FA Battalions, 12 pieces each, for a total of 36 75-mm pack howitzers.

I have to correct my above, the Dec 1944 T/O for the Parachute FA Battalion increased the unit to 18 75-mm pack howitzers disposed as six guns per Battery with three Batteries (not two). The Glider FA Battalion then became twelve pieces in two Batteries of six each.

That put the later war US Airborne Division on 60 75-mm pack howitzers (with two PFA and two GFA Battalions), with the option of substituting the pack howitzers with 105-mm pieces in the GFA Battalions.

As Martin alluded to, the artillery for a British Airborne Division was based on a single Air Landing Light Regiment of 24 75-mm pack howitzers, in three eight gun Batteries (plus three pieces held by First Reinforcements as immediate replacements).

Gary