WWII 7th Anti-Aircraft Artillery

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:~jiw,"~~~r~~';t;'-fDEDICATED TO THE f\/\EMORYIi:~mOF THOSE MEN OF THE 7I.!:d

imWHO GAVE THEIR LIVES INI

rm THE SERV/,CE OF THEIR I!:~:ICOL/NTRY i~ 17 ~T - I

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PVT. MARVIN R. LANDRY'- 31 JULY 1944 - GUAM, M. I.

PFC. CLOVIS D. MANNING- 25 FEBRui.RY 1945 - LEYTE, P. I.

~PFC. HENRY LIS'1'OWSKI - 2 APRIL 1945 - U.5.S. GOODHUE

PFC. GEORGE E. MACDONALD 2 APRIL 1945 - U.5.5. GOODHUE

TEC 4 JAMES F~ SPAnT - 3 APRIL 1945 - U.S.S. GOODHUE

PVT. JOHN A. GALLOWAY 3 APaIL 1945 - U.5 .S. GOODHUE

PFC. WAYLONP. HUNTER - 9 APRIL 1945 - KEISE SHIMA, R. I.

PFC. FRll.NCIS NUCCIO - 9 APRIL 1945 - KEISE SHIMA, R.I.

PFC. LELAND F. OSHIER - 24 JUNE 1945 - IE SHIMA, R.I.

PFC. GIOCCHINO J. CRISCUOLO - 24 .ruNE 1945 - IE SHIMA, R. I.



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To the Officers and Menof the 7th AAA Auto WpnsBa.ttalion:

·This brief history of "t::e Battalion has been compiled so that you

might have more vivid recollectioI .. in years to come, of the more pleasant

and interesting events we have undergone together. Of greater importance,

however, it ma:l be instrumental 1..'l ~ping alive tl:e manyfril'3:1dships now

exist.ing amongus. I have long felt that this type of frieIid.<;hip, found8:1j

on the comr·J.dshipfostered by combat, is one of the really important thi:1Cs

atwined TIhile in service, and will be rememberedc..fter VIeh!'.veforgotten

tbe more sordid aspects of war.

Looking back over the events of the past year and a half one cannot

escape the conclusion that ~e have been most fortunate, Considering the

ha~a.r·ds.encountered in our numerous amphibious assaul ts, wemay~ell thall-"\{

God for having spared us greater casualties.

i .,...~. Nowthe old outfit is breaking up. In a short time there will remain

only a handful of officers and aen. To all of you I wish to state that I

amproud to have served ":lith you. In combat you left little to be desired,

and I would not hesita.te in st:::..:!dngyou up against arrJ outfit. Myprofour..d

t~~nks, and a sincere "Well DonG".

Best



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1. STATESIDE

In April of 1943, the 207th Coast Artillery (ll), commanded by Colonel

Charles W. Gettys,. was stationed at Camp Edwards, Massachusetts; and was

assigned to the .A~tiaircraft Artillery Training Cen'ter under the comma.nd of

Brigadier General Morris C. Ha:-'.'lwerk.he Regiment was a semi-mobile organi-

zation consisting of.a gun battaliun, an automatic weapons battalion and a

searchlight battalion.

The 207th was a National Guard unit from New York City, with a long

and colorful history, steeped in tradition, and dating back to 6 ~~y 1806,

'(' when it was kn&,m as the 27th Field Artiller-.r. Through the evolutions of

many years and wars it was to be known successively as the 7th Infantry,

the 107th I'nfantry, and from 1940 until 1943, a.sthe 207th Coast Artillery

(ll) •...

On the 25th of April, 1943, orders (effective 21 April) were received

from Headquarters of the Antiaircraft Command redesignating' and reorganizing

the Regiment into a group headquarters and headquarters battery with three•

attached separate' battalions. Regimental Headquarters became the 207th AAA

Group;. the -Firs..t·attalion became the 771st AM Gun Battalion; the Second

Battalion became the 7th AAA Automatic Weapons Battalion; the Third Battalion

became the 247th A.AASearchlight >-I:talion. Under the reorganization the

,battalions became self-sufficient administratively, and henceforth could a.nd

"auld function as separate and independent units. The Second Battalion

received the traditionel "7" for its-designation by virtue of the f::tc'that

its Oommanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Robert C. Gillies, "as the senior

of the three battalion commanders.

The initial training at Camp Edwards· consisted of a complete revicrw~

basic training and was of six ~eeks duration. The remainder of the period

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STATESIDE~'''mtinued)

spent at CampEdwardswas primarily devoted to the perfection of artillery

performance and the developmentof tactical proficiency. This wasunit or

team training as opposedto the training o~ the ind~vidual in the basic course.

The'sewere full days with gun drill in all its rami.f'ications occupyingprnc

tically all the time between field exercises and antiaircraft target practice.

In time, constant driving and frequent repetition producedresults. Most

crews were able to handle th'eir weapons'?:ith a snap and precision unknowno

thema few ';Veekspast. This, of course, contributed to a considerable degree

in increasing t~e effectiveness of our A.Aire. Extensive firing Wasconduc+(

(between CapeCodfogs)at the Wellfieet range with both 40l:imsnd .50 cel.

machineguns at towed sleeve targets as well as rockets. Horizontal or anti

mechanizedfire, took place on a gravity range within the limits of Camp

Edwards.

Tactical proficiency was attained by meansof prolonged field exercises.

Defenses were planned and actuclly SGt :..1) for the varied types of objectives

whichmight later be assigned the Bn.ttalion. Frequent moveswere madeunder

every type of condition using the shuttle syst,emto best advantage. This

systemwas necessitated by the fact that wewere a. semi-mobilebattalion and

pos~essed sufficient trnnsportation to movebut one battery at a time. Black

out movesunder the most adverse circumstances were accomplished, and it was

this portion of our trai~ng that stressed en adept knowledgeand sound

judgment on the part of the section chiefs. These men, perhaps the most

important in an A:l organization, had a particularly strenuous time and ware

under considerable nervous and plr.fsical strain during this period. However,

they learned well, as is borne out by t.."1e results obtained in combat.llieanwhile, training in small arms ';ias far fromneglected. Every officer

and :na.nfired for record tho uoapon!lith whichhe WtlS armed. Manywill recall

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STA'm3IDEContinued)

the ef.forts of the pi1i detail to keep ort-pasted targets in one piece through-

ou1ia downpourduring one of our last days o.f firing.

On 15 June, Lieutenant Colonel Robert F. Murph~(then Major) assumed

commando.f the Battalion with Major William B. Bogue (then Captain) as the

newExecutive Ofticer. Both were former battery commandersin the Second

Battalion of the 207th Coast Artillery (Ai) and had served in the parent

organizatic:l f~r :no.ny years.~·

The u.'1.tt ~'_·.r;cessiU11yompleted its training course early in July and

all persor~el w~re granted leaves and furloughs.~

About Vle i'i-rst o.f August the Battalion received orders assigning it to

the First Ai:1 Force upon its arrival at the ArmyAir Field, Suffolk Army-Air

Base, Westhc.:r,ptonBeach, L.I., N. Y. The uni,t departed CampEdwards 10 August

1943, making the; moveby rail but tro.ll.. 'n"ting r.I. good portion of organizational

equipmen1iby motor convey.

The Battalion arrived at its new station on 11 August and immediately

initiated the planning o.f !In r.mtiaircrtt1't o.utomo.ticweapons defense of the

Air Base a.s one unit of the CombinedAirdrome De.fenseTra.ining Center (CAnTC).

The organization was .fortunate in this assignment in tha1i we were the first

troops to undergo this new type of' training. This meant that we could, in a

large sense, establish our ownprecedents thereby o.1looing ample opportunity

for the display of initic.tive. We\Vere fortunate in another, though non-

militery, sense~ for we were the first c.rrnytroops, ether thtm a few 0.11:

corps personnel, in the area. :.mdwere most graciously received by the local

townspeople.

The Ba.tta1ion wns atta.ched to the 19th AM Group, commandedby Colonel

E. W. Thompson, and hnd the mission of crgnnizing and lUlinto.ining an automntic

woapons defe~se. Atter £l thorough rcconnnisnnce, which was checked by £lorio.l

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STATESIDE (Continued)

observation, the outfit movad into its t~ctic,~l setup in and around the

airfiold. The first phase of our tra.ining stressed construction of well

ca.moufla.ged, fortified positions, well organized f0r locnl security. The

buSJ-airfield also gave the gun crews their first good opportunity for tracking

low, fust-flying'targets, the P-47 pilots being only too a1".xiousto make

pcsses at ~~ positions.

In the n:e~nt'Unehe other units which ':'lere to participate in the training

movedin end W3ro s:l tut.ted tccticnlly in and around the base. These units

included c. Figf;"ter CQ1J.'trolSqu,adron, nn Infc.ntry Airdrome Security' Bnttnlion,

an Air Warr::L1.1,gS!2r'7i~e Gr:'i'lpc.!:y, en Engineer C::moufiagePlatoon, the 19th AJ..A

Group and til0 736ti.l lLlA Go:nEo.tta11on. The interela.tion and interdependence

of these umLts -:iUS studiod by :f;r::ctico.l demotlstrc.tions and obserVl'.tion of

and by each uti"t"

As time "ent on ~n e£fective cer!y ":illrning systom mlS established so

that it w~s ur~i}:oly the:t ~ si...n.1lntedhostile force could approach the Air

Base by land. cr c.ir without detection'c.t c. reo.son~ble distance.

The concluding phcse of our trcining w~sdevoted to c field exercise

in which coordimtcd attacks were mC.deon the buse by both air and ground

units. This pho.~e~as of 0. ~eeks durntion, end proved to be the most valuable

portion of our training at Westhampton.

No soor-or had the prcble~ ended than orders were received directing the

unit to ~07e to Cc.mpPickett, Virginin, with subsequent assignment to the

XIII Corp3. Despito the general desire to keep moving, this news vms received

uith zr.ixec.l6I:lot1ons, Westhc.mptonhv.ving been a most pleasant station. On

9 October 1943, the Bo.ttalion, r:oving onoe ngnin by ra.il and motor, heeded

south to Virginia.

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STATESIDEContinued)

Arriving at CampPickett the next day it was soon discovered that we

had not been expected. All that could be determined was that Pickett was

used as a pro-stagin~ area and also as a base £or troops undergoing amphibiou~

training. Thus, with no directive from higher headquarters as to what o:ur

training was to consist o£, the Battalion S-3 dr'3wup a training progTar:l.

Gundrill together with physical hardening o£ personnel ~ means o£ ~~rches,

obstacle c~Jrses and calisthenics constituted the major portion of the pro

gram. In less than two weeks time however, orders wera received from Arrrry

Ground Force Headquarters in Washington, D. C., attaching t.he unit to the

Amphibious Training Com;~ndof tho U.S. Atlantic Fleet. Shortly after the

receipt of these instructions, XIII Corps issu.ed orders atiiachi.."'lgus to the

77th Infantry Division for amphibious trainir..g only. No one realized at the

tir.le uhat this association "tas to meannor that it would last for a year and.

a half" through three tough campaigL~. The Division cCr.mlandedy Major General

AndrewD. Bruce, with Brigadier !}en9ral :BdwL"l H. Randle as Assistant Division

Commanderand Colonel D. C. McNair :lS Chief of Staff, was knownto be a

well-trained, hard driving, "spit-and-polish" outfit.

Amphibious training was broken into three steges. The first was under

taken by the entire Battalion at Camp?ickett in a special training aroa

whero un entiro uoek Vo'tlS devoted to the assimilation of fundamentals. The

tactical composition of an amphibious force was studied tog9thor with the

tunction of each unit of that force. The remtlinder of" the time was spent in

practical TIorkconsisting of clL~bing and descending cargo nets, debarkation

from mockups of small landj.ng crd't, oorbed rlire crossings, beach obstacles,

demolitions,loTIering of equipment by ropes, and a number of other related



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STATESDE(Conti..."1ued)

wa.sspent in small boat tra.ining. Theworkhere was entirely practical.

Loadings of both menand equipiEentworemadein every type of landing craft

then used by the Navy. Theba.ttel'::".. wera orgc.nized in uaves and practice

assault landings madeon the beaches. A~ a ~chine gunner has a vivid

recollection of: the icy vlatcrs as he helped cnrry his gun t}1..rough chin-

deep surf.

The fir..a.l portion of amphibioustraining was a very realistic series

of exercises held in the ChesapeakeBay, Solonon's Islilnd, Md., area. Since

tho shipping consistod of only one Transdiv:lith a few IST's (the total being

sufficient for only one RCT)the Division w~e four excursions. First,

Division Headquarters and Special Troopswith our Bctt~lion Headquarters and

Battery Dattachec!. Second, the JC6th RCTand B Pattr-;ry. Third, the J05thRCTand ABattery. Fourth, the J07th RCTwith Btlttery Cattnched. Each group

madetwo pr~lindno.ry practice 19.11dings.;.ndhen l'!Iado a final assault against.

"Red"troops 1...1'1 :l..~exercise thnt lasted several days. The training, espec-

io.lly since it was.held in mid-winter,' was pretty rugged, but· it served itsp'..ll'posewell for the jobs no we,:':; to undertake a fe'1 monthslater.

Meanwhile,qualif"ication of all personnel with their individual small

arms was stressed continuously. Every t".anfired the M-l rine for qUlllifi

cation on beth the Jmcwn didnr.ce rr.r..geand the transition course. In addi-

tion every Man threu th0 hand grenade !lndtr::dning in the bazookawas cbtl".ined

by selocten porsonn~l fron each gun section.

Each monthduring this period pro£icicnrr.f in tcctics wasmaintained

and improvedby p~rtioipation in a field exercise of one weeksduretion.

Emphasiswas-placed upondevelopmentof the platoon co~manderand individ-

.uel leaders of t~e ~Ul sections •.

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For practice in .AAiring, t.'1ebattalion spent 0. weekc.t Fort Fisher,

N•C• Firing was conductod <?!l the antia.ircraft range 0.t sleeve targets as

Vloll us a goodbit on the anti-mechanized range. During this week, inst-

ructors from the Antit\ircraft Artillery School o.t CampDevis, N.C., 'visited

the battalion for the purpose of L~struction in the latest developmentsof

technique and fire control.

Eer1y in ilInrch1944tho b-~ttalion was placed in the top alert. status.

Preliminary staging wescompletedand en 16 Wnrch1944the battalion entrained

\..' for Fort Larlon, Sec.ttla, Washington.\

Havingarrived at Fort La\rten on 21 March1944the Battalion completed

sta.ging o.ndon 11 April 1944 tho organization ernbc.rkeder the H~waiinn

Islands, lonving Sec:tt1e just.. f:. little the "'TOrseor wear. The crossing wasunev~ntful save tho first fowda.ys~jlenthe relativoly high seas caused nn

epidemic of 1tJ!l111 de mor"nr.;ong. Inrge numoor of of£icers and men.

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The battaliol1 debarked on 19 A~il 1944and was stntioned with the

305th RCT,commandedy Colonel Vincent J. Tanzo1a, at CampPali, on the

island of Oahu. Uponour arrival wewere assigned to U.S.A.F.r.C.p.A.,

attached to the newly formednIT Corps; commc.ndedy Lt. General (then Major

Gene:!"8.l)ohn R. Hodgeof America.land 25th Division fame, and fUrther

attached to our old f'rionds, the 77th.

During the week6-13 Maythe Battalion undeI'V1entn extremely profitable

weekof infa.ntry training at the Unit Jungle Training Center. For probably

the first time, all the personnel uere umnimousin an opinion; they thought

tho.t this school was re~lly tops.

Uponthe conp1etion of Jungle Training the small-boat phase of amphibious

training was reviewed with the several batteries and p1a.toonst'lorkingin their

customaryattached capacities to the assault BLT's of the Division. These

attachments were the snmeas they had been during nmphibioustraining in theU.S., and were to continue unchangedthroughout three campaigns.

Meanwhile,the Division i7nrBoard, headedby General Randle and composed

of the S-3's of the Division and its attachments, was busy formulating an

SOP for AmphibiousOperations. The chapter on an Antinircraft Artillery

Aut.omo:b~cW~tl.ponsnttalion uns followed, d.th only minor changes, in each o£

the operations in which the Ba.ttnli....n participated.

Liberal allowances of 40mmammunitionmadeit possible for the unit to

get in a good deal of muchneededAAfiring. This resulted in a marked1m-

provementin the conduct, adjustment and nccuracy of fire of a.ll batteries.

During this period any individual whohad not qualified with his individual

weapon,fired for record. All personnel fired a familiarizatiOJ1 course with



Ol1fiU. (Continqed)

Because of the difficulties encountered in using the M-51 1.11 the

assault phase of an amphibious operation, it was recommendedto the CGof

the 77th that the 7th AAAbe issued M-16hnlftracks.in lieu thereof. Despite

the fnct that this met with the appro"t;al of the Division, Corps, and CPA

Commanders,t,he half-tracks \"lerenot available. It was then decided that

becc.use of the imprac-tibility of the M-5l in tl'fis type operation, thc.t the

sir..gl.3 HBCOol.50 mnchine gt4~on the infantry AAmount be issued instead.

This would provide some land b'-'.sec.. ~. protection for t:!. beachea.d as early as

t11ef()1lrthwnveof the assault.

On 3 July londing for the Guamoperntion was begun. Personnel bo~ded

r.hiI-)St.he 7th, l'.nd on 9 July we set sail from Honolulu.

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3 - GUAM

Tho bettc.lion c.s un cttc.chnont to the 77th Infantry Division, was land

reserve on Oahufor tho MtlriWlusCampaign. Upon the co~itment of the 27th

Division at Saip..'Ulit nns decided t,· ':'ovethe 77th Division up to floating

reserve before the c.sscult on Guemwas m-::.de.Accorcingly the battulion ':lith

the division londed on transports at Honolulu. TIle loading uas accomplished

in rocord time ';7{l.ichpermitted the c.ctl:o.l assault to begin severaJ. duys ahead

of schedule.

Elemonts of the bcttulion landed ever tee Agat beaches starting on D plus

one, 22 July. AAdefenses of the Division beach Vlcreestablished by Batteries

A, Band C. There t:as no encnwair c.ctivity during the GuamCampaign,but the

bcttalion carried its ueight ~ith unloading deteils and combat patrolling on

the southern bour~ary.

The landing over the reef c.t Agat was probebly the most difficult the

battc.lion made - In.nding crc.ft dropred men on the outer Gdge of n fringing

reef' almost. 0. tllcusand yards 17ide. The long i7ndaashore through water from

t.wo to six f'eet deep was 0. tiresome ordeal at best - and f'or the shorter men

<. whohad an u."1fortunate tendancy -Sodisappear suc!denly into potholes it nas

somewhatmere thc.n exciting. Expericl'~cedNnvnl Commnndorsclaimed the un-

loc.ding at Agat to be most dif'ficult in the war.

Once over the reof it 7las only 0. J!latter of srro.ppingsalt water for fresh.

Foxholes, gtl.."l revetments, slit trenches, aD. filled with the rains that came

and came and came.

During the first few days of' the campnignthe bo.ttalion ros .-rell indoct-

rinated in the noise of WF~. Ntu~erousbnt~~lions of' field artillery of all

types TIere in position all around the beachheads so that almost every 40 and

GUlJJIContinued)



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As the bD.ttle noved to the north the wc.rbecameentirely one cgainst

nature: against the mudund water, agc.inst the denguemosquitoand the fly,

against the heat and rot.

The original plans hud called fo'!:the division and the battalion to

remain on Guamo~v until the completion of the campaignand to unload onlyQ

essential equipment. H07leyer,hr.lfv;aytr..ronghthe campaignthe navy decided

that the ships were needed elsewhere c:.ndsoon so that everything had to be

unloaded in a great ru.sh. The assistance rendered the overworkedshore party

at this time by the bQttalion nas conmendedby the division commander.

At the close of the operation the division movedL~tobivouac on the

upper end of HarmonRocd. It was initio.lly plaI".nedto provide ANdefense of

portio~s of the area and accordingly Battery B did someback and heart

breDkingworkmovingup onto c. !"idgethat Godhad not intended for 40mm guns

and then back dm-magain ':7henHarne:.:'o.';.dcollapsed entirely and the battalion

movedback to the beach.

The next couple of months\"rerenot idle: The battalion wasbrie:fed

successively for Palau for ""hichoperation it "as land reserve, for Yapi7hich

it was to have been floating reserve, for Ulithi fer whichBattery Cwas to

have landed. in tho assault, and finally for Leyte for which it Wc.sagain

lund reserve. In preparation for these operations all individuals fired

tro.nsition courses, madeconbat patrols to the south ;>J'herenfantry had

moppedup, and fired 40mmrs at ground targets by both direct laying and un

seon target tlethods. Oonsidernble proficiency w::'.S obtained in direct laying

particularly by the tno CBattery creoo Vlhichwere scheduled to fire direct

support, island to island, for the infantr.r at Ulithi.

Throughthis entire title the rear echelon ~ith all the heavy tentage

was on Guadalcanal so that the batta.lion lived in pup tents or shacks•

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Q!IAM (Continued)

Woodand screening were scarce and as a result sanitntion was a considerable

problem and comfort ~1QS in direct ratio to ingenuity and initiative .• both

Chamorroand Americo.n. It uas therefora with considerable pleasure that it

was learned that the battalion had been released by General MacArthur from

its role as land reserve for Leyte and was to go to NewCaledonia for rest

and training. The loading at Gi...~mlftlSso rapid "fis to be in the nnture of a

miracle. The convay left Guamon 2 Uovemberand sailed south for NewCaledonil

On13 Novcnbor-1944, the convoy uhich had been heading for the quiet,

restful shores of NewCf'.ledonia, put into the h~bor at Manus in the Admiralty

Group, thero to await further orders. Twodays later they were received. We

were on our way to Leyte in the Philippines.

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The Division cmdtho B~tt~lion r....1.dleft Gum!:ll-prepared for an

operation. True, guns and "trucks had cor.irot leeds and the stnte of

trc.ining TIasexceptionc.llJ'- high, but small arms ammunition and emergency

rations Vlerem'1.de:;ua'ten.ndthe shipping ms cOl!!!'1erciclo.ther thc.n combat

loaded. Further infor!'l.c.tion as to tho employr.1entof the Division was not

r..vo.il!!.bleuntil ~ftGr :i.anc~ingso thc.t no specific pl,~s ccu1d be made.

Batteries A and B landed ~t Terrngona 23 Ncve~ber e.nd immediately set

up o.utonatic weapons defense ele. the division beach. The speed end

efficiency TIith nhich they er:plc.ced on landing Vias commend~dy General

Bruce. Headquarters, C ~nd D batteries which h~d been boated TIith the 307th~

were landec. ,~t Dult::.g. Battery C movedinla!'..d to Lc Paz with the 307th

immedic.tel~",r!hD.eD and He".rlqunrters shuttled by LCTto Turrngona. liter

the first couple of dcys, •.hen one buttery ate tot cakes three meuls in a

ro-::, it became apparent that the ll:'.ckcf C and K rc.tions 'i,1!lsa pretty good

thing as fresh turkey end fresh eggs Put in m1 appearance. Tho Division

t-InS in bivouac and life t:us routine with u fe'Vlalerts and no actuc.l oirI

attacks.

Then.en 3 DeceI:1berho battalion was alerted for its !:lost interesting

operation, the behind the be-oken.1run to Deposito and Ormoc. Originally

this Wo.a scheduled to be 0. minor Anzio - the 77th Division was to establish

n beachhead ~nvil to Deposito ngall1st ~hich the 7th driving up from the

south could destr~" the Jap 2~th Division. Thie task 71as rendered Dare

hazardous by the prosence of th(; ",p 1st Division in tho Ormocvllley~' '

reportedly uncoP.lI!1ited. The 77th Division oo.s then to seize and hold a.

small area' in the niddle of the Jap held side of the island. Because of

the troops -- crack Hanchuricn uni'ts -- tr.at the Jap held uncommitted the



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1~TE (Continued)

a.dvance i.."1fcrmationof t.h3 move CL ~very Filipino on the eest coast seer.J.ed

to knew all about it.

It \'las decic:ed, due to lir.:itctic!lsin shipping splce, that only one

, battery of the Battalion uould accor.J.~~ the Division in the initial assault.

Another ryculd follow two d~ys later in the first resupply convoy and the

roma~nder of the battalion ~~s to fallOF.

on the D plus 4 convoy. Battery D

loaded out cnd sailed on 6 December. They \7er'3consequently at sea hoeding

for Depositc en the night the b.ttn,lion drew first bloed. The Jap paratroop

attack on the Leyte airfields "as ~~ce that even~ng and tTIO tra~sports Rcre

so incautious c.sto fly ovor thE:!divis5.on be..•.h at Terragona. Battery B

promptly dispatched thGm to their honorable ancostors. Various ele~ents

of C Battery, ':'7h:'ches strugr:ling out cf the'-'l!lUc:t Lv. Po.z clown to thebec.cl:

preparatcry te moving out, ta..'1flod7ith some of tho paratroops but came

through unscathed. &cJ f~ ~.M4, ~ ~4On tho other siele of tho is~"'.nd~ttery ::E)lnnded en schGdule on 7 7-

December in trueChesnpoakc Bay style: The 15M (skippered by the omnipres

ent old old 7th man) ~~de e bad initial beaching on the delta at the mouth

of the Bagonbon River :::.ndo bc"cked eff nnQ trice it age-in. Tho landings

prcceedec with cut incidont st~ting ~t about 0707 and it TICS not until ~fter-

noon thct the first eDGT:lY plane ~ttQ.cked tr..e beachhond itself ~lthough the

shipping h~d boen the object of attacks even prior to the landings. Bettery

.0-:ound up tho'dey v!ith t\~Okills to its credit: C::1eTojo and one V[t~

The lnnding h~d been such n successful s'.:tr~isf)hc.t the Division

Co~~undar decided to exploit the advantage tind strike north tow~ds Orr.J.oc,

the Jnps' lest decent port on Leyte. The plen called fer a moving beachh?ad

with continuous nttack to thG north ond the rnr.intenanccof the seacoast,

- 2 .-

LEYTE (Continued)



(

south and east peri~etGrs. The battalion was charged with the seaocast

derense as well as antiaircraft and consequently had to have its most

northern gun on the front lines und on the other end a gun in the southern

perimeter. As a result movement was continuous with !:'.anyuns moving twice

a day.

On 8 December the J~ps started coming over at dawn single Sallys about

half' a hour apart. Battery D got two beautiful flc-mers which lit in the

water in front of the division CP and a third Vlllichcrashed on land to the

north. Later in tho day, using amtracks as prime movers, Bt?ttery D moved to

Ipil where the division kept its supply beach from then on.

A very understrength EattG~J ~ splashed ashore in the rain early in the

morning on 9 December. Seacoast defenses were promptly extended to the

north despite mortar fire on the beach.

On 11 Decenber Battery B moved to Ormoc and emplaced for seacoast and

AA derense. At this point there wore in effect two perimeters - one at Ipil

and one at Ormoc. It ~as appe.rerrtfrom the nucber of landing craft captured

c..longthe shore rrom Deposito to Ormoc that the enemy had the equipment to

launch 0. counter amphibious attack upon our rorce and the seaward lookout

was consequently on alert if net an anxious one. On the night or 11 - 12

DeceI:1berthe second resupply convoy 7ltlS due in but ccmmunicctions with the

no.vy were limited by security so that it was not kno:m 'iihenthe convoy would

land or whether it would land at Ipil or Ormoc. The night uas pc.rticularly

dark so that nothing could be llll'.deut on the i'l~ter. As a result a landing

craft managed to come uithin fifty yards of the shore at Ormoc berore an

alert AA machine gunner on the -leck coUld report that the persons in tho craft

were nottl11king English e.nd the o~'",<.::rould be given to rire. 40mm rire

i~~ediately set the entire cra£t ablaze £rom stem to starn. It lay in the

- :3 -

--

r



~~TE (Continued)

water a few yards off the beach burning brightly like a Hollywood set for

,hours - and illUl!linating the entire beach so that an amphibious tank which

had landed from a Jap 1ST north of the beachhead was able to see to shoot

down the beach. The tanks rounds went through tents, an auto-loader cover,

an LVT, the building above the battalion CP and chopped off the radio antenna

at the B Battery CP. All in all an exhilarating evening.

Thereai'tor every bc.rrol-,box, or bit oi'wreckage - and there were many

of them, was tho object of intense investigation, oi'ten with mortar i'lares.

(Battery A (with only two guns but all their men) and Headquarters B~ttory

landed the morning of the twelfth and moved to Ormoc. At this ti~e the

Division Co~~nnder docided to strike north up the Ormoc Valley, leaving Ormoc

a little Stc.lingrad behind him. T>'_~Battalion 17t1S left to provide the anti-

aircrni't and seacoast dci'onso i'or the area. All available weapons ~ere placed

in action. A battery of four captured Jnp 25mm AA guns formed whet was called

the "Banzai Position" nnd £tlmost over<-J 40nn hnd its own Knee Mortar.

C Bettery landed with seven guns on the i'iftecnth and moved to the Punta-

Ormoc beach to extend the line of guns that bristled seawnrd from General

<:. Randle's Stalingrad.

On the nineteenth the re!':lainderoi'the Be~ttalion landed; Battery A-took

over the Ipil de£ensos and D Better<-Jstarted for tho Valencia airstrip, TIhich

had been touted as one of the bGst fields 'in the centr('~ Philippines but which

turned out to be totally inadequc.te for U.S. planes. At this point in the

i'ighting the division had three separate perimeters each night - Ipil - Ormoc -

Valencia, but duo to some minor difficulties with n torrential rain and a

bridge that w~n't there D Battery added a~fourth about three miles shert of

the airstrip. The night Flasuneventi'ul however and the Be.ttery moved into the

il'5'



~,.

LEITE (Continuod)

The 23rd o£ Docemb~r the b~ttalion started on its great sproading out

program vlhich was eventually to have six separate A.N de£enses evor a.dis-

tancc o£ s1.'rtymiles, as A Battery moved no platoon to Valencia.. The re-

mainde;r of the battery moved the ncxt day and the whole battery stood :::-ea.dy

a.tVslencia. to move overland to Pa.1ompon. Too ma.ny bridges were either out

or inadequate so the First Bettalion o£ tho 305th threw an amrhibiol.1sshore

to shere assault on the .Taps last port on Christmas Day. Batte~J A joined

them by water on the 28th and tgain set up seuconst and 1l\ dG£enses o£ a

beacrJ1oo.d.

On 4 J;.'.nuuryst Plo.toc!:.,attery B moved to Ipil. On the 6th DBattery

moved a p1atcon to Pir~~opoo.n ~nd

Battery A moved a platoon to Bn.ybc.y.

the 7th one to Cc.rrigara. On the 9th '

Fron tho ::JidC:lef the r.:onth,crhE::n couple e:f Flancs turned up at

Pnlo::Jpon,on, there wc.s little /lction. On I February the long overland

haul b::-.cko TOITf.'.gonc.tarted. Thore rlns no driver or passenger who re-

gretted seeing th~ l~st of tho ~in~ing, ~~ddy, r.lountaintrails or the stroam-

cut, rock-strmm beach "ronds".

Tho battclion closed at TOI'!'ugonaon 12 Febru~ and c.t once started

activo preparations for thG noxt stQP on thE. rond home.

* * * * * *



~

) () I

\

.1,[ ."HIM(/M t: f\IN A t;j)

SL-lltv\4c."



("

c-.

:: - TE3 RllJKYU~

The time allotcd to prcpcre fer the operation ng~~!st tho Ryukyuswas

shert indeed. Tho last alemcnts of the E~ttalicn closed at Tcrragona on

12 Februa.ry nnd a1.::.elements were loaded out b:- 8 March. The ability of the

BE'.tte..lionto prepare 1itself in so short l;;. time after such a long cmnpaign

reflects parti~~ar credit ~n those charged ~ith the responsibilities of

suppl:~ranc:maintenQ.ncu.Fer th~ first ti~0 the Battalion knew in advance at least a portion of

how it W<l8 to be. o::;plcyodim.s;;lUc~'"s the Division mlS tc makepre-Love Day

c.ssaults. As usun,l thE: actue.l cmploynont of the division and tho battalion

thereafter TIr3 subject te change without notice - th0 fatD of all units which

In the oarly p.:>rtof Unrch, the BC.ttaliori-participr'.ted with the 77th

in rehearsals for tho cO"lploxisle.ne!.t.e isltm1 u::1d ship toshoro operations

to como. Tho rohc:::!'snls conplotcd, th:; two convoys, the slow-rr.ovingtractcrs

flGtilln and the rolatively spoedy transport grcup, loft Loyto on the 18th

and. 21st of ~~rch fer JGpan's homewaters.

On 26 March the con-voysarrived togethor at th.3 KorUr.JaRatto, abolit

twenty miles 'west of N~.haon southern Okinl~>:a'.nd early th:-..tmorning the

lightning sneep through tho islnnds bc~an. Machine gunnors from A and B

landed ruth tho 305th and.306th on Aka, GC.I"UI!Ul and Tokushiki. Battery D

landed the 27th and sot up as part ef the gnrrison on the rug~ed ridges of

ZamamiShima.

011 L minus 1, 31 March, the 2_ . Pll:~toon,Battery B landed with the 420th

Field Artillory Group on Kciso Shirla. All c1er.~cntsof the Battalion except..

those on Zama.r.1i.ndKoisc: robot'.tod by the 31st and then began th~ t\1e week

Kamikaze "Sweat-Ont". Night after night tIle demcmtcdfools who thought they

r



c

(

ll"E RYUK:['JS lc011tinued)

wore heave:'1.l)und, f'lying thuc'lolvGS and t~jir pl:lnes to a fiery destruction

in on ef'f'ortto sink our ships. T:. ,",ugh::'.l this time the men of' the

Battalion di 1 yeoman "york manning naval and nrrny AA equipment .• Se"treral

earned Bron~e star Medals f'or their heroism and skill.

No amo'llntof Divine Wind could turn aside the strellr.1f American power,

however, arj on 15 April the Division and Battalion came smashing back for

the assaul"~ on Ie Shimc.. On the 15th Battery a less the 1st Pldoon landed

on little ~innc Shima to tho south of Ie to protect the field artillery which

was firin~; support for the Division and on the 16th mr:.chinegunners of

Batteries A and B rode and waded ashore onto the reef'~bound beaches of Ie

with th~ hard hitting 305th and. 306th ROT's. A Battery 40's followed their

machine guns ashore and moved east with the assaulting infantry as the

supply beach moved - nrriving on 'iT plus 2, the same day Ernie Pyle died, at

Red T-4 at the foot of Ie's mcuntain bastion.

Meanwhile Bc.ttery D hc..vingseon no AA action at Zamnrni transshipped to

Ie, landing the 20th. Other e:c~onts of the battalion, except for the 2nd

Platoon, Battery B, after Co brief peuse at Okinc.'l.wund 1llC.IIY a trek up and

down 'the bOll..'1cingets landed at Ie from the 23rd to the 28th. While the

bulk of tho battalion on Ie vas coping with numerous Jap mines and booby

traps and taking time out to knock down a couple of planes attacking the

shipping all ens not exactly quiet on the Keise Shima front. The Long Toms

of the 420th Group dre~ regular counter-battery fire and proved such a thorn

in the enemy's side that on 9 April he sent an cmphibious attack force in an

attempt to silence them • .As at Le;y-tethe Platoon ~as set up with the addi

tional mission of soacoast defense. A platoon size force of Japs attacked

in the dnrk of night. They carne to the tiny islands in an nmphibious tank,

a motor launch end native canoes and managed to get at least twenty men ashore.

~HERl1JKl1JSContinuod)

The guns and grenades of tho p~~,_con destroyeJ the taI'l.k, cut the mater



(

(

launch and succ~ssf~lly be~t off the attack although it was not till the

light of the ::lext I!lcrning thr..t the last shot VJ'[.:.S fired. Finally, after

weeks whereL'1they le:::rncd the enemyguns hy sound, the Platoon transshipped

to Ie Shima and rejoined the Bcttnlioc on 15 Mcy..•

17ith tho withdru17cl of ;;mchof t.ho ncval might from the area and the

opening of the cirstrip the air action over Ie Sl1im::l.m~tec1. Attucks were

still directed ID.~gely~t shipping in the d::l.ytime,but the niGht bombingattacks on the island grew ~oro and mere frequent. Fe~ will forget the in-

crecsing crescendo D.S an unseen enemybomber divGS and the roar of ~ heavy

bombexploding ne~r at hand•

. Seven li1QreplD.n.::swere, destroyed :'n the next few weeks and partial credit

was obtnined for !lllother. By nowthe B~ttr..lion score stood at eighteen and

one third planes destroyed, cne probc..blydestroyed, nnd twenty-one planes

damagod. This enviable record, together rd.th the carnbf-'.teadiness of the

battalion as it nppenren to in3pcc'~'1g officers, gave it a high position

amongthe ATflc.ttc.liGns in tho Pacific. As the wer officially ended and

commendations flowed in frOMl1~thAil.Cor.ur.c.nd,7th Infantry Division, and

ArmyGround Forces 245, 6ach cnd every mc.ncould justly feel pride in the

record of his Battalion, Co record forged not in the rear areas but on the

bnttle field and in the front linos.

* * * * * *

- 3 -



7TH All AUTO WPNS BIIT - FINAL SCORE

Date

6 Dec. 19447'Dec. 1944-

7 Doc. 19/:48 Doc. 1944

9 Doc. 1944

10 Dec. 1944

::) DElc. 194410 Dec. 1944

11 Dec. 1944

11 Duc. 1944

11 DiJc. 1944

12 Dl3c. 1944

12 Dec. 1944

12 Doc. 1944

17 Dec. 1944 •.

'"2 ,Jan. 1945

:5 Jdn. 1945

17 Jnn. 19459 Apr" 1945

9 Anr. 19456 U';y. 1945

11 M~y. 1945

20 Ma.y. 194520 ~ki.y. 194520 May. 1945

25 May. 1945

25 May. 1945

27 ~!ic..y. 194.528 May. 1945

Destroyed

2 Sallys1 Tojo1 Val

3 Sa.1lys1 Val

1 Lnnc1 ing Bc,rge

1 Sally

1 Amphibi;)u's T~r.k1 Motor Launch

1 Tojo1.a111 Oscar

1 Val

1 Hap

1/3 Betty

2 Oscers

1Vel

1-I:imili

ProbabIv Destr~red

1 Zcke

p!'.mo.p'ed

2 Sallys4 Vals

1 Val

2 Tonys

1 Sully1 Tony2 Va-Is1 Zeke

1 T:ijo

2 Vc.ls

1 Tony

1 Tojo1K:lte

1 Tor..y

TOTAL

TOTAL

~§TROyt"'~

I8 1/3

3

.AmCRAFT

FROMEr"! DESTROYED

1;7ATERBORNE TARGETS

DAMAGED

21

HEADr...i'UARTERS

14TH ANTIAIRCRJu."'"'T COMrlAND



APO 322

20 February 1945

AG321 (20 Feb 45) AACG

SUBJECT: Pacific Ocean Jiron Antiaircr~ft ArtilloI"'J Units.

TO : Cc~manding General, Pncific Ocean Aroa, J~O 950.

1. Upon release 0: th6 antinircr~ft artil1GI7i organizations comprisingthe 97th A;.J~Group, P~l,from operational co~trol of this thoatre I extend

my appreciation to Colonel L~~e~ce L. Clayton, his officers and the er~istodmen of his comm~ndfor their uxccllunt perfo~ance in co~mat.

2. Although not in control of' the tactical operations of this .g:roupI have obsorved its nntteries in combat and huve the high8st praise for 0.11concerned. The group pas combat lo~ded fo~ ~n ope~ation clse~herc in consequonceof '\ihich it did not bring the full (;quiprr;ont rcquL~od. It. '"as nocoss,'"'.ry thr:.tit conform t.o certnin stc.nding operc"ting procedure different f~cr.l +,h0 one in

your aroll. In spite: of those ho.ndiccps the fire units were c1ert, efficient,end enthusiastic.

3. The record of 118 ho::.tilc ~irplc.ncs destrO"Jed, 64 :;robc.bl;r destroyedand 57 dc.mngedby the organizr'.ti::ms of tho 97th J.V~. Group spenks loudly inits praise. The figures used r>ru tIles0 0:-±'ic5.a11j-furnish8d to n-;yh8t:.dqllartors.

4. Boccuse tho tL~its mentionod were neither assigned ner ~ttcchod to thiscOI!lma.nduring their poriod er. o!1E;r~',tilJnhere, this comment !;just be co:::),cid.ered

to be uncfficinl. ii.s tho thc:-..trc a.ntiaircrn.ft comnc.nd, hO';7cvcr, rrryhCr'.t./_)l"c.ri:.ors( had direct dealings ~ith the POh units in connection ~ith the rcplacerncr-t 01

v\. tcchnicn.l equipment a.nd i.n technica.l L.""lstrnct:ton through ;.;pecic..lizod gun GndautornL~tic weapons instruction tOLlinS.

5. Tho 7th I:..AA AWBn, Lt. Col. Robert F. Murphy, operating independontof tho 97th A.Ai.i.roup liko,;iso is crn:iplirnentcd ~.lponsplc:ldid perforr."-ance ,(7ith9 cnOl:;Yairplanes destroyed and 1 p~ob::.bly d~st=oyed.

I-I "'T 1<' ~~n"'qun..;:, ; •• _ ••.. :.t....I. '-I.U

It I 17. F. MARQJi"T

Mujor Genera.1, U. S .l\.~



(

AG 201-1URPHY, Robert F. (0)1st Ind

HEADQUARTERSS.AFPO.A,APO958, 6 March 1945.

THROUGH: Commr-nding General, Tenth Arr:ry, liPO 357.

TO : Lt Col.. Robert F. Murphy, 0369851, CAC, Headqua.rters,7th .tVi.A Nfl Bn, llPO 77.

The foregoing remarks in connection ~ith tho splendid performa~co,of the 7th J.l-.A .•W Bn, which yourcol;unanded duri..'"1grocent op0raticns intho Southwost Pacific Area have been noted with p10nsure by the COr1ma.nding

Gonera1, United States Ar~y Forces, P~cific Ocear- Areas.

/s/ O. N. T1:ompson./t/ O. N. THOMPSON

Colonel, A. G. D.

Adjutant General.

321 (TAGLP) (20 Fob 45)

(20 Fob 45)

2nd Ind.

HE1i.DQUA•>tTE..~TENTH ARMY, APO 357 (Rr) 17 M..'U'ch 1945.

TO: Commanding General, XXTI Corps, APO 235.

The C01:Jli'~i~di!1gGeneral Tonth Army is p1onsod to forwnrd thiscommendation.

BY COr~~hAl,{DF LIEUTENl.NTGE1JEP.•1L BUCKNER:

/ s/ Irn.in N. I:ahl

/t/ IRrym l'j. K1.H:L.

C.W.O. U.S •.:••

Asst. Ldj. Gen.

THIS IS A TRUE

COPY:

n .~~ ..~ _L. U ---...

KENAH

I JOSEPH B. I'C (LA)

, I 1st Lt., r..n.../ .Adju~nt.



Basic: Ltr dtd 20 Fob 45 fr Hq 14th Antinircraf't Command,~\PO 322, subj:Pacific Ocoan Area i>ntia1=cro.ft Artiller.f Units.

.TFAGP 3d :'"-1.

HQXXIVCORPS,APO.235,22 March 1945./haw

I("

TO : Lt Col •. Robert F. Murphy, 0-369$51, c.:.C, 7th AU1 .Aff En, APO77.

THRIJ: C01:lJ:!c.ndingeneral, 77th Inf Div, ;~FO 77.

1. It is ~th pl~c.sure that I fOr\;nra the bcsic lette~ from the Commnding General, 14th .l~ntiC'.i:t"craft Co~nd unci tho re::nrl\:s of the CO::l1:1mldinGenorcl, United Stetcs f.:rT!f;l Forces, fucific Ocea.nJ~roa., in connoction withthe excellent performance of tho 7th .fl.1J, ;.;; Bnttulion d-.;u~ingtho Leyto,Philippine Islands ccmpcign, and to ~hich I add my C~ appreciation andcommond~tion ~or c tcsk "all done.

"

2. The contents of bc..sic lottoI' c.nd subsequent ind:lrsomcnts nill "0brought to tile o.tt'.:mt.ion of 'l11 officers c.nd enlisted men of your bnt-ut1ionat tho ecrli~st opporturlity.

/SI John R. HedgeItI JOHN ::..HODGE

Ma.jor General, U. S. 1,rmy

Cm:rrnr-nding

4th IOOHQ 77 DlF DIV, .APO77: 13 ~'prll 19/.•..

f",-

TO: 0-369851, GAC,7th 1,,;.1•.•.AT;! Bn, f~PO #77.

2. ~tto~ti~n is dirocted to Pur 2, 3d Ind.

/s/ A. D. Druce/t/ L. D. ERlJCE

Mc.jor Goner:J., U. S. Army

COmJ:lmlding.



WAR DEPAR'l'MENT

MESSAGEFCRM

Date 31 May 1945Seria1 _

Office of origin COM GEN TENTH .ARMYAU

(

Address APO ~57

TO:

CO, 136TH AAA GROOP

APO 245

THRU: C0J4GENAGF 331

MESSAGE:

THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE HAS BEEN RECEIVED FROM CTr 51:

"r TAKE GREAT PLEASURE IN QUOTING THE FOLLONING MESSAGE FROM

CINCPAC ADV X 'CONGRATULATIONS AND COMMENDATIONSON THE spLENDID

AND EFFECTIVE MANNER IN WHICH YOU MET AND REPELLED THE ENEMY AIR

ATTACKS X TO ALL HANDS WEIL DONE' CTF 99 IS REQUESTED TO PASS

THIS AlSO TO HIS EXPERT AA GUNNERS AND OTHERS WHOMAY HAVE

CONTRIBUTED TO THE TOTAL WHICH NOW APPEARS TO BE ABOOT 170 pLANEs,

CTF 51 SENTS."

I ADD MY. GENUINE APPRECIATION OF THE WORKWHICH YOO, YaJR

OFFICERS AND MEN HAVB CONTRIBUTED TOWARnS THIS ACCOMPLISHMENT.

PUBLISH TO YOOR COMMAND.

APPROVED FOR TRANSMISSION: /s/ C. S. Harria

/t/C. S. HARRIS

BRIG GEN USA

COMMANDING



HE.A..DQUARTERSENTHARI'dY

Office of the CommandingGeneralAPO 357

330~l3 (TAGCG)

SUBJECT: .4AAPerformnce.

29 May 1945

c

TO : CommandingGeneral, Antiaircraft Artillery, Tenth ll.I'rrty.

10 Ref'erence CTF 51 Dispatch 2611l0.

2. Please convey to members of your cOrnflandmy hearty congratulations

for the efficient manner in which they have added to the air defense of

the Fyukyus'area.

FORTHECOMrlJllilHNGENERAL:

/s/ E..D. Post

/e/ E,. D. POSTBrigadier General, G.S.C.,

Ch':'eE of Staff

/330.13 1st Ind.

"HEADQUARTERSENTHARMYAAA,.APO357, 31 May45~

To: CommandingOfficer, l36th AM Group, :.PO 2450

THRU: CommandingGeneral, Arr:ryGarrison Force, APO3310

I "forward with pleasure this recognition of the splendid work of your -command.

/s/ C" S~ H9.rrisIt/ C" S. HAE1US

Brigadier General, U~::ited StatesArmyCommanding.

•..... ''.



Basic: Ltr, Hq Tenth Army, APO357, File 330.13 (TAGCG),Subject;!tAli Performance dated 29 May 1945."

330.13 (TDXAG) 2nd Ind.

HEADQUARTEP.5SLANDCOMMAND,PO331•.

AAB/grb

THROUGH:CommandingGeneral, ArmyGarrison Force, APO245.

TO: CommandingOf.ficer, l36th AAAGroup, APO245.

It is with great pleasure that I transmit this expression o.fcommendation. Also, I wish to add my own appreciation of the high

standard of your performance of duty.

/s/ Fred C. Wallace/t/ FRED C. WALLACE

Major General, USACOJDlnanding.

3rd Ind.HEADQUARTERSSLANDCOWiJAND,PO#245.

TO: COmI!landingOfficer, l36th AAAGroup, APO#245, 10 June 1945

Forwarded with pleasure.

/s/ Ce E. Thomas, Jr./t/ C. E. THOMAS,R.

Brigadier General, USA,Commanding

33013 4th Ind.HQ136th AAAGP,APO 245, 15 June 1945.

TO: CO, 7th AAAAWBn, APO245.

This additional commendation to all concerned is forwarded withpleasure.

/s/ H. H. Martin/t/ H. H. MARTIN

Colonel, CAC,

HEADQUARTERS7THINFANTRYIVISIONAPO#77, c/o Post.masterSan Francisco, California



(

30 June 1945

SUBJECT:Relief from attachreent to the 77th Inf. Div.

TO : Lieutenant Colonel Robert F. Murphy, C•.A.C,Cor.unanding7th AACAW), Battalion.

1. I amm-iting to you in t.he absence of Major General A.D. BRUCE,whocommandsthis division. I knoo that Vlerehe present he would wish, beforethe division departs £rom its present station, to exPress sentiments similarto those below.

2. It is pith deep regret that I learn that the 7th AAA(AN)Battalionwill not accompanyus to our ne~ station.

3. Your battalion has been attached t.o the 77th Division for a yearand a half. Youand your batt.alion have served nth us in the United States,at OAHU,and in the campaigns en GUAM,EYTEnd the RYUKYUS.

4. m.th the combi:1edhelp of you' and your stafr the division workedout on 0Ah'Ua Standard Operating Procedure for automatic weapons antiaircraftprotection on amph~bious operations wllicb has proven itself highly effectivein our three major operations.

5. OnGtrAM,LEYTEnd in the RYUKYUShe officers and menof' yourbattalion have given loyal, intelligent and skillful support to the division.The standards of training and discipline of your battalion have been out

standingly high. In every operation your officers and menhave demonstratedgallantry and courage of the highest order.

6. Our association has been so long and so close that the officers andmen of the division think of your battalion as an integral part of it. I knowthat I can speak for them all in saying that it is with sincere regret that \'1elearn you are not to accompanyus on this next move.

7. For its operations the 77th Division has been rather widely comnfended

and congratulated. I~ simple justice we gladly acknowled~eyour right, andthe right of your off'ice·rs and men, to share with UB these commendationsandcongratulations.

8. It is my desire that every offil.;er and every man of' your splendidconunand,including yourself, accept the contents of this letter as applyingto him as an individual as well as to the battalion llS a whole.

9. I sincerely hope that before embarking for our next operation the7th AA(AW)Battalion VIill again be attached to the 77th Infantry Divisionand tha.t together we shall succeed, as in the past, in capturing all objectivos

/s/ EdwinH. RandleIt/ EDWINH. RANDLE

Brigadier General, U.S. ARMY



HMdqLlortQrS A,rm1 C].::.~ri~on l~on;eand !~rrny /.\p" ~)(ces/\pO ,?'\. i...~.,

__ .__ .J.,o_~IJ.mJS~'4~ .__

THE 7'IH ANTIAIRCR4...r<'"'TARTILLERY AUTOM..'\TIC WEAPONS BATTALION______ '~·l /" '

For £specia/l y

is CQn1Dlenoed

rvJ~r;t:::~ioU5nd Outst<Jndinc\ Servict;. with

-

Isl c. E. Thomas, Jr.

It I C. E. THOMAS, JR

Brigadier General, United StatEils An.."'·

•



The following named Enlisted Men were awarded t~e Silver Star Medal:

AW.ARDSA!ID DE;CORATIQll§,

NAME

Bronis1aw S. Kulis

Leone1 U. Begnoche

.&~~Pfc.

Pfc.

ASN ,gENERAL OR"p~ & HEADQUAR~RS

31072:..7 #49, XXIV Corps, 16 Mar. 1945

11048915 #217, 77th Inf. Div., 19 Jun. 1945

The following named Enlisted Man was ai7arded the Soldier1s Medal:

~

Manuel J. Iglesias

~li

Pfc.

ASN GEnERAL OFJ)ER & HEADQUAJlTE.112

32903893 #71, 77th Inf. Div., 26 Oct. 1944

The following Officers and Men were awarded the Bronze Star Medal:

NAi,1E

Robert F. Murphy

Thomas E~ Steere Jre

Chestel' M. Smith

James J. Young Jr.

C1etus J. StibichGeorge P. Mayhe~

Clarence A. I.:cReyno1ds

Louis G. Reuter

Paul Keri..'1s

Alden Daniel

Joseph Miklos

-ichae1 J. DeFeo

,Vincent K. Bradley

Henry Listowski

John A. GGl10v:ay

George E. MacDone1d Jr.

James F. Murphy

LeRoy H. Strouse

Richard R. Berry .Edward M. Eastland

HorJard L. Fields

Raymond A. Hargraves

Daniel N. Rnhi11y

Raymond Tally

~Lt Col.

Major

Capt.

Capt.

1st Lt1st Lt

Tec 3

Pfe.

Sgt.

Pfc.

Cpl.

Cpl.Pfc.

Pfc.

p..rt.

Pfc.

sjSgtP£'c.

Pfc.

··Pfe.

Tec 5

Tac 5Pfc.

Tec 5

ASJi GEnERAL OEDER & HEADQUARTERS

0-369851 #81, 77th Inf. Div., 18 Dec. 1944

0-1041243 #86, 77th Inf. Div., 26 Dec. 1944

0-1047785 #86, 77th Inf. Div., 26 Dec$ 1944

0-1049712 Uru{n~

0-1047794 #263, 77th In£'. Div., 4 Jul. 1945

0-1047663 #87, 77th Inf. Div., 28 Dec. 1944

39014582 #69, 77th Inf. Div., 12 Oct. 1944

33373293 #84, 77th Inf. Div., 24 Dec. 1944

11057090 #211, 77th Inf. Div., 16 Jun. 1945

20436173 #208, 77th Inf. Div., 14 Jun. 1945

35215339 #231, 77th Inf. Div., 23 Jun. 1945

31103696 #211, 77th Inf. Div., 16 Jun. 1945

31124595 #231, 77th Inf. Div., 23 Jun. 1c+5

32176213 Unknown

36959436 Unkno'!'1ll

11069331 cru{nO\7D

120402.35 #8, 77th lni'•.Div., 5 Jan •.1945

12033930 #87, 77th Inf •.Div., 28 Dec. 1944

69825L~5 #119, 77th Inf •.Div •. 1 Mar. 1945

20271L,SO #39, 77th Inf. Div., 25 Jan. 1945

34349463 #43, 77th Inf. Div., 26 Jan •.1945

11069900 #91, 77th Inf. Div., 16 Feb. 1945

31140636 #62, 77th Inf. Div., 8 Feb. 1945

38118666 #119, 77th Inf. Div ., 1 Mar. 1945

The fo1:~ing named officer ~as awarded the Bronze Star Medal Oak Leaf

Cluster;

~

Robert F. Murphy

RPJ~ ASN GENERAL ORDZR & H3ADQUARTERS

Lt Col. 0-369851 #40, ISCOM 245, 23 Aug. 1945

The following named Enlisted Men were awarded the Purple Heart Medal:

NAri1E E£lliMichael F~ Oliver Tee 4

Rayrncnd ';1. S:=.:r,pson P£'c.Albert Se Olson Pfc.

f,SN

31120486

13049922

39573267

GEI1Efu'\.LRDER & HEADQU.ARTERS

Unknoml

#39, il.GF,11 May 1945

#14, 36th F1d Hosp., 18 Jun. 1945



•

/'I~-.•

(Purple Heart Awards Continued)

~ ~

Clifford E. Dill Tee 5

Benedict V. Desmond Cpl.

Leone1 U. Begnoche Pfe.

--Leslie F. Taylor Pfe.

Joseph D. Roy Tee 5

Maurice W. Grove P£e.Charles G. Crumley Pvt.

'Willie E. Bartley Pvt.Jesse W. Acree Pvt•

James F. Spain Tee 4

Henry Listowski Pfe.

George A. MacDonald Jr. Pte.

John .A.Galloway Pvt•

Robert A. Merlini Tee 5

Jack T. Battle Pfc•Vincent K. Bradley Pfe.William V. Burke Pre.

Wa1ter W. McGuire Pre•

Raymond E. Kriner Pre.

Herbert H. Symonds Pre.

Herbert J. Whileyman Pre.

George J. Valter Pre.

William 1:1. Shelton Sgt.

Elmer F. Morman Sgt •LeRoy Duncan Pre.

Jack E. Higgins pre.

LeRoy H. Strouse Pre.Lazar A. Pav1or.r Pre.

Ernest R. Browning Pre.Gioechino J. Criscuolo .Pre.

Leland F. Oshier Pfe.

Frederick J. Seitz p.re.

Glen E. Meade Cpl.Joseph A. Shires pre.

.ASN

11068110

202729.31

11048915

11069926

1105.3.37.3

3.3415998.3408989.3

18057970

.3.3122915

.3416.3461

.3217621.3

110698.31

.362594.36

3.3174446

.3482425231124595

.31026525

.39415715

.3.3274458

17023632

32188163

39038349

33122888

3112455538564289

39467765

12033930

12045277

16072607

31124613

32211015

32200732

331227603221111

~RAL ORDER &..1:!E,ADOUARTERSUnknown

Unknovm

Unknown

Unknown

#14, 36th Fld Hosp., 18 Jun. 19,

1114, 36th F1d Hosp., 18 Jun. 19#14, 36-;hF1d Hosp., 18 Jun. 191Unknovm

IIU, 36th Fld Hosp., 18 Jun. 191;Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

#41,Hq AGF, 15 May 1945Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

118, 36th FId Hosp., 10 Dee. 1944

#39, 36th Fld Hosp., 11 May 1945#8, 69th Fld Hosp., 18 Dec. 1944

#6, 69th Fld Hosp., 16 DE;~.194L~

117, 36th Fld Hosp., 8 Dec. 1944Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

TInknovm

Unknown

1120, ISCOM 245, 12 July 1945#20, ISCOM 245, 12 July 1945

Overton Raymond T S /Sgt.

Owen Clyde APavloff Lazar A

Perez x:mmLino

Tersine George J

Thompson Robert T



Peters Lawrence A

Plat£oot Lenus W

Polak Raymond JMeade Glen

McClintock John LRaaxxxk

Radziuk Walter

Ralph George F

Ramunno Fausto J

Regan Robert F

Rice Wesley

Richardson Lewellyn L

Richardson Johnie W

Rodgers Arthur 0

Satchwell Fenner A

Sawyer William W

Schemberg William F

Seitz Frederick J Killed In Action

Shelton William P Jr,

Shires Joseph A

Simmons HughSmith Chester M Capt.

Simth Roy V

Sockalexis Joseph B

Sorlingas William

iwaRR Souza Manuel M

Sowden David K

Steffanic Paul J

Stellwagen Ropert H_

Trush GeorgeTucker Douglas ETurner William TVosbut ~dward N

Warren Frederick HWhl teWilliam C

Wilson Douglas H 1 It,

Adams Harald T14

Anctil Armand

Anders John K

Gembolys John

Gibson Harold J

Goldman Sol



Beach Audrey E

Bivens Joseph R

Boucher Joseph A

Barandenstein Rabert 2 ~t Lt.

Gonterman Carl

Greene Walter

Greenwood Robert

Hand Robert L

Browning Erenst Killed in Action

Burzelewski Henry

Button iiaxNHR~R Clarence E Sgt.

Cagle Erenst

Childs Richard B Died 1964

Ciesla Stanley J

Cisle Lewis D

Clegg Willard

Coolong Enest

Corsini Vencent

Cortes Alberto

Cox Robert E

Crampe Gerald

Crevola Dominick

Criscuolo Giscchino

Donahuse ~mes Sgt

Donnel John R 1 Lt

Ducan Leroy

Eddy Woodrow

Edwards Robert

Ellis Charles

Frantz Cloy

Galgo Manuel

Kirsch James

Kulis Bromslaw

Lageorgia Josph

Landry Marvin Killed in Action

Lavoie Alfred

Layow Harold

Loc¥ Authur

Lyons Alex

Markman George

Mayhew George P 1 Lt.

Mazurki~cz Edward FlVlezziniJohn B

Monroe Elwin J

Montanye James R

Morman Elmer E Sgt,

Moss JOhn E T/4

Killed in Action Murphy James E S.Sgt

MeLean Clifton W

Naaau LUDden J

Nelson Lucian W

Neyes Robert N

O,BrienPatrick B

Oshier Leland F Killed in Action

Paqqette Joseph E

Paramore Cecil J

Parsons GUy M

Patton Edward

Documents

WWII 7th Anti-Aircraft Artillery