The N.H. Army National Guard 1940 - 1943 2nd Bn. 172nd FA Rgmt. (hvy) truck-drawn 155mm Gun part one: In a re-organization after the First World War, the NH National Guard departed from its infantry roots to become the 172nd Field Artillery and the 197th Coastal Artillery. A generation later both were at war, the 172nd in Europe and the 197th in the Pacific. The 172nd Field Artillery traces its origins back to Capt. Waldron's Minute Company, 2nd N.H. Regiment, organized in 1775. During the Revolutuionar War this regiment served in the Continental Army as part of the 8th Continental Regiment, which earned battle credits for the Boston, Canada, Lake Champlain, Trenton, Princeton, Saratoga, Monmouth, Iroquois & Northern Dept. campaigns. Also credited with participation in the Civil War, WWI and WWII. The battalions saltire in the DUI of the 172nd FA is for Civil War service; the cactus for the Mexican border service; and the fleur-de-lis for service during WWI.
It all started for me when I joined the N.H. Army National Guard 4 Oct 1940 at 19. Assigned & assembled to the 2nd Bn 172nd FA Rgmt. 155mm Fld Guns (Heavy) truck-drawn. Commanding Officer was LtCol John F. Ahern, XO. Maj Thomas C. Werner and M/Sgt Mathew H. Korzyniowski as battalion Senior Sergeant. I was assigned to D Bty as an assistant prime-mover truck driver towing 155mm Field Guns using GMC's and Diamond Mfg 4x6 heavy-duty trucks and on occasion the M3 Armored Halftrack tracked truck in Motor Pool Platoon. This was an excellent artillery battalion lead by smart hard working officer's that always set the best example, mature and educated they were attuned to the needs of both the Army and the men under their command. Our training was good very good, Col. Ahern insisted on lots of drill time and as much field maneuvers as the Army could afford to give us. Most of the men that made up the battalion were from Manchester, others were from either Concord, Dover ,Portsmouth and Nashua. From the time I joined the Guard till the time we were inducted into federal service we held most of our field maneuvers in the southern training camps, Camp Blanding Florida, Camp Shelby Mississippi, the Great Louisiana Maneuvers also known as "The Big One" where half a million men & 19 Army Divisions trained prepairing to enter WWII and Camp Bowie Texas.
After the Japanise Empire attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on Dec 7th 1941 rumors of activation into federal service started to spread throughout the battalion and our outfit were sure we were going to war. Camp Blanding and Camp Shelby under Third Army Southern Defence "training" Command were our first and most frequented training camps, it was at these two camps we trained the most and became very proficient at move, setup and direct fire support missions in the worst possible weather conditions. Deep thick forrest,raining swamps, snakes and mosquitoes we would move our guns, equipment and service batteries stop again and set-up for another firing mission, break position/camp and move out again again and again, over and over it didn't seem to stop for any long period of time. They were very few to little complaints and every man I knew did the best he could and we never left anyone behind left alone to do his job, we were a team. .
Most all of us were from New Hampshire and spoke french frequently together off duty and after hours. The Colonal whom also spoke french insisted we all maintained speaking english during all active duty drill assignments and official working hours, he would impose a heafty fine if we disobeyed this order..
Camp Bowie Texas just outside Brownwood was another training camp that was to introduce us to the hot sandy desert, it was here we started to receive our new guns the 4.5". Learning later that they were a US modified British design of a 155mm to accomindate US Artillery units with larger rounds using the same guns leaving for the Theather of Operations, I didn't pay much attention to them because my job was to to "gettum" there!..
In between maneuvers the battalion returned to New Hampshire for stand down, so HQ's can start planning the next field maneuvers. Home always seemed too far away when you were not there. My Dad, wife and brothers were always waiting for me at the train station like so many other guardsmen there when the unit did come home. Families reunited, birthday wedding parties planned, and buisnesses to run. We had no idea our next training maneuver would be the toughest, longest and our last, the Southern California desert, Camp "Iron Mountain"..
172nd Field Artillery Regiment (155mm How)(Truck-D) N.H. National Guard 24Feb41 inducted into federal service at Manchester N.H.; transferred to Cp Blanding Fla.14Feb41 & assigned to IV Army Corps; arrived at Cp Shelby Miss 27Mar42 where HHB redesignated HHB, 172nd Field Artillery Group 1Mar43. 1st and 2nd Bns. redesignated 172nd and 941st Field Artillery Battalions, respectively.
