The 41st Field Artillery Regiment is a field artillery regiment of the United States Army.
The 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery was constituted 26 August 1918 in the Regular Army as the 41st Artillery (Coast Artillery Corps) in Hawaii.
The 1-41 was redesignated 1 October 1940 as the 41st Field Artillery Battalion, assigned to the 3d Division (later redesignated as the 3d Infantry Division), and activated at Fort Lewis, Washington.
During the Second World War, the 1-41 Field Artillery Battalion's arsenal consisted of 105 mm howitzers. The battalion participated in 10 campaigns during the war: Algeria-French Morocco (with arrowhead), Tunisia, Sicily (with arrowhead), Naples-Foggia, Anzio (with arrowhead), Rome-Arno, Southern France (with arrowhead), Rhineland, Central Europe and the Central Pacific.
The 1-41 received the Presidential Unit Citation and French Croix de Guerre with Palm decorations for the battle at the Colmar Pocket. The town in the Alsace region along the Rhine River was the final foothold in France that the Germans were attempting to hold. The battle began on 22 January 1945 and lasted until 9 February 1945.
For Operation Desert Storm, the 1-41 received campaign participation credit for Defense of Saudi Arabia, Liberation of Kuwait and for the Cease Fire. The battalion was a part of the 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized) Artillery and was deployed in support of Desert Shield and Desert Storm beginning in August 1990 until March 1991. It was a 3x8 battalion of M109A2 self-propelled howitzers in direct support of the 1st Brigade.
The 1-41st attacked into Iraq on 24 February 1991 in direct support of the 1st Brigade, 24th ID(M) attack to secure the Euphrates River Valley lines of communications. The battalion traveled a distance of 275 miles over a 96-hour period, controlled the fires of a reinforcing Field Artillery battalion (2-17 FA, 155 SP), and coordinated the positioning and fires of the 212th FA Brigade (2-18 FA, 203 SP and 3-27 FA, MLRS) which was the Force Artillery Headquarters for the 1st Brigade for portions of the ground war. The Field Artillery fired 2104 rounds of mixed FA munitions in support of 1st Brigade operations during the conflict including RAP (Rocket Assisted Projectile) and DPICM (Dual Purpose Improved Conventional Munition) (Personal Experience Monograph 1-41st Field Artillery in Operation Desert Storm by LTC John P. Floris).
During the ground war, the battalion conducted missions against dismounted Iraqi Infantry, artillery battalions, an ADA site, and numerous enemy vehicles. The 1-41 supported in destroying a division-sized enemy column in the Rumaila Oil Field Causeway which led to a battle damage assessment of 24 T-72 tanks, 7 T55 tanks, 43 BMP's, 15 BRDM's, 34 artillery pieces, 5 MTLB's, 377 trucks, 40 jeeps, 1 ZSU 23–4, 9 BM-21's, and 1 AMX-10.
The 1-41 Field Artillery Battalion fired the first rounds of Operation Iraqi Freedom in support of ground forces on 20 March 2003, destroying three observation posts and one command post along the Kuwait/Iraq border. The battalion remained in continuous enemy contact over the next 23 days, firing 5,196 rounds in direct support of 1st Brigade Combat Team in the Battles of An Najaf escarpment, Al Kifl, and the decisive battle for Saddam International Airport. The battalion earned the Presidential Unit Citation for its actions during OIF I.
In January 2005, the battalion deployed with 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division to the Salah ad Din Province in Iraq during OIF III. The battalion fired 5,869 rounds while located on four different forward operating bases in support of the Brigade's seven maneuver Battalions. 1-41 FA led the Brigade's Provincial Police Partnership Program, provided the command and control for the security of FOB Remagen, and provided the nucleus of the Brigade's Tactical Command Post at Logistics Supply Area Anaconda. In January 2007, the battalion deployed to Al Anbar Province in support of Operation OIF V, firing 3,469 rounds in support of the Brigade's three Army maneuver Battalions and three Marine Corps Infantry Battalions. The battalion also led the Brigade's Provincial Police Partnership Program.
On 1 October 2008, prior to its final Iraq rotation, the battalion, along with 1st HBCT trained as part of the U.S. Northern Command's Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and high-yield Explosive Consequence Management Response Force. During the year-long mission, the battalion task force trained with lead federal agencies on search and rescue operations and confined spaces training, and conducted check rides with local and federal police agencies.
In December 2009, 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery deployed to Baghdad as part of 1st HBCT, 3rd Infantry Division in an advise and assist role. In this capacity, the battalion provided indirect fire capability, advised the Iraqi First Federal Police Division, escorted Provincial Reconstruction Teams, and supported Stability Transition Teams and national elections. The battalion re-deployed to Fort Stewart, GA in December 2010.
From November 2012 to July 2013, the battalion deployed to Zabul Province, Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The unit provided indirect fires from six different locations, firing over 1,000 rounds with tremendous effects, including the two longest Excalibur missions ever recorded in combat and the first ever employment of the XM1156, Precision Guidance Kit. Its Soldiers secured five Security Force Assistance Teams, mentored the Afghan Army artillery and live-fire certified three separate Afghan artillery platoons. The unit also secured Forward Operating Bases Lagman and Davis and transferred Forward Operating Bases Lagman and Al Masaak, Combat Outpost Viper, and Patrol Base 13 to Afghan Security Forces.
Beginning in April 2015 the battalion began deploying to Europe as part of the U.S. Army Regional Alignment Plan. From 2015 to 2017, the battalion took part in exercises located in Lithuania, Germany, and Poland.
In 2018, the 1-41 Field Artillery Battalion took part in a rotation NTC followed by a rotation to South Korea in order to support ROK Forces. In February 2020, the battalion participated in a rotation in NTC in preparation for their second rotation to South Korea in the fall of 2020 in order to continue to support the ROK Forces. The 1-41 FA BN stands ready to deploy in support of full spectrum operations and to deliver timely, accurate and lethal fires anywhere in the world whenever our nation calls.
The 4th Missile Battalion, 41st Artillery Regiment was activated on 14 January 1963 per General Order 428 at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, with four Pershing 1 missiles. Lt. Col. Fitzpatrick took command on 21 July 1963. The battalion began training and completed live fires at Fort Wingate, New Mexico. The battalion and equipment shipped aboard the USAT General Simon B. Buckner on 3 April 1964 bound for West Germany. The unit deployed to Schwäbisch Gmünd under the 56th Artillery Group and was garrisoned on Hardt and Bismark Kasernes. The battalion increased to six launchers in 1964 and to eight launchers in 1965. The battalion exchanged the Pershing 1 missiles for 36 Pershing 1a missiles in 1969.
The battalion was inactivated on 29 September 1972 by General Order 1033 and reflagged as the 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery Regiment.
Commanders
1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery was activated on 29 September 1972 in Schwäbisch Gmünd, West Germany. Service Battery was inactivated and reflagged as A Company, 55th Maintenance Battalion in 1982. The battalion exchanged the Pershing 1a missiles for Pershing II missiles in 1984. The battalion was inactivated in 1986 and reflagged as the 2nd Battalion, 9th Field Artillery Regiment.
Commanders
Notable members
Annex
World War II
Southwest Asia
Global War on Terror TBD
World War II
Desert Storm
Operation Iraqi Freedom I
Operation Iraqi Freedom III
Operation Iraqi Freedom V
Operation Iraqi Freedom IX
Operation Enduring Freedom
Lithuania, Germany, Poland
South Korea
Coat of Arms and Unit Insignia https://tioh.army.mil/Catalog/HeraldryMulti.aspx?CategoryId=3444
World War II Order of Battle by Shelby Stanton https://archive.org/stream/orderofbattleusa00stan?ref=ol#page/458/mode/2up/search/coastal+artillery?ref=ol
Army Lineage Series: Army Field Artillery by Janice. E. McKenney https://history.army.mil/catalog/pubs/60/60-11.html
Personal Experience Monograph 1-41st Field Artillery in Operation Desert Storm by LTC John P. Florishttps://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA295801.pdf
Decorations https://history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/fa/0041fargt01bn.htm
Colmar Pocket https://scholarworks.uttyler.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1011&context=history_grad
This article incorporates public domain material from 41st Field Artillery Regiment. United States Army Institute of Heraldry.
