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The 522nd Field Artillery Battalion was probably the best artillery unit backup group in World War II. An artillery unit specifies in missile engines and weapons, such as catapults, arbalests, slings or bows, etc. With their skills and determination, the soldiers of this unit earned the bragging rights to be called one of the fastest and most efficient artillery units in the European Theater of Operations in World War II. The 522nd help earn the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and 100th Battalion high praise and appreciation. They assisted the 442nd Regimental CombatTeam in conquering and invading the Germans. The 522nd
was made up up Headquarters A, B, and C Batteries,
the Service Battery and the Medical Detachment. The
soldiers of this unit had do possess strong
mathematical skills. They needed to figure out
numerous calculations, which allowed them to relate
target distance, gun range, gun angle and powder
strength before the guns could be fired.
When the 522nd arrived in Italy, they were assigned to the 34th Division under Major General Charles W. Ryder. Because they 522nd had an outstanding record of accomplishment, they were greatly respected. It wasn't before long that the 522nd became known as "Time Fire Experts." This was because they could do precise measuring on a range of targets. The unit also practiced what is called TOT or Time on Target. Their 105 mm guns and 155 mm and 8-inch guns would all fire simultaneously. The 522nd stayed with the 442nd through their Lost Battalion and Champagne Campaign. They then crossed the Rhine River near Mannheim, and broke through the Siegfried Line with the 63rd Division. Within a week's time in Germany, the 522nd was attached to five different divisions. In a march through Germany, the 522nd came upon Dachau. There they found emaciated people who had been tortured and left to die. They were Jews who had fallen into the hands of Hitler. One of the 522nd soldiers said, "We didn't actually liberate Dachau because there was no resistance. The Germans were gone." One of the soldiers reportedly shot the locks off at one of the camps, but other gates had been left open by the fleeing Germans. When the war ended, a 522nd soldier, Miho explained that "We were forgotten in Germany. We would read in the Stars and Stripes about men with lesser points already going home. We complained to our officer, who asked the inspector general to investigate why our return home was being delayed. Orders soon came directly from General Dwight Eisenhower to send us home. We then headed for California, and on to Hawaii on the USS New Mexico. We arrived home shortly after New Year's day in 1946." The 522nd is one of the best artillery units in World War II. The 522nd helped America win World War II. A lot of brave army units like the 522nd field artillery battalion unit should be honored and should never be forgotten for the pride and glory they gave to this nation.
522nd Field Artillery
Battalion: A Unit History of the 522
Field Artillery Battalion: 552nd Vets Bear Witness to
Dachau Horror: |
