108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade (United States)

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name=108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade


caption=108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade shoulder sleeve insignia
dates=Oct, 1923 - Dec, 1945
Sept, 1956 - April, 1960
May, 1967 - Nov, 1971
1974-08-26 - Present
country=U.S.
branch=Regular Army
type=
role=
size=
command_structure=XVIII Airborne Corps
current_commander=
garrison= Fort Bragg
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname=
patron=
motto=Deeds Above Words
colors=
identification_symbol=
march=
mascot=
battles=World War II
Vietnam War
notable_commanders=
anniversaries=
decorations=
battle_honours=
identification_symbol=
identification_symbol_label=Distinctive Unit Insignia
identification_symbol_2=
identification_symbol_2_label=The mission of the 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade is to train and maintain a strategic crisis response air defense artillery brigade capable of deploying worldwide, on short notice, to provide air defense force protection (air breathing threat/tactical ballistic missile) and allow freedom of maneuver for XVIII Airborne Corps operations.

ubordinate Units

* Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade
* 1st Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery Regiment
* 2nd Battalion, 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment (Fort Campbell)
* 3rd Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment (Air and Missile Defense)(Fort Bragg).

Former subordinate units

* 1st Battalion, 2nd Air Defense Artillery (inactive)
* 2nd Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery Battalion (now part of 11th ADA Bde)2nd Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Battalion (HAWK) (formerly 3/68 ADA)(now disbanded)
* 555th Maintenance Company (Part of 2nd Battalion, 43rd ADA), now called MSB (Maintenance Support Battery)

History

World War II

*The 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade traces its lineage to the 514th Coast Artillery Regiment (Antiaircraft), which was formed in Schenectady, New York in October, 1923 and assigned to the US Army Reserve.

*The Regiment was Activated on 1942-03-01 at Camp Davis, North Carolina.

The Regiment was reorganized and redesignated as follows:

*HHB, 514th CAR (AA) became HHB, 108th Coast Artillery Group (AA) on 1943-01-20, with the Organic Battalions becoming Separate Battalions attached.

*HHB, 108th CAB (AA) was redesignated as HHB, 108th AntiAircraft Artillery Group on 1943-05-26.

:The 108th was moved to Camp Stewart, Georgia on 1943-10-14.

:The 108th Staged at Camp Shanks, New York on 1943-12-22 and remained there until they deployed from the New York Port of Embarkation on 1943-12-28, and arrived in England on 1944-01-07.

:The 108th moved forward to France on 1944-06-28, and provided antiaircraft defense for the city and port of Cherbourg, for eleven months, and then moved forward to the cities of Rheims and Rouen, and stayed there until they moved forward to Germany on 1945-05-02.

:The 108th was located at Kaufhueren, Germany on 1945-08-20, and was deactivated and returned to the US Army Reserve on 1945-12-14, with the personnel and equipment further deployed to Occupation units.

*1/514th CAR (AA) became 217th Coast Artillery Battalion on 1943-01-20, and was again redesignated as 217th AntiAircraft Artillery Battalion on 1943-06-28.

:The 217th deployed from the Boston Port of Embarkation on 1944-04-07, and arrived in England on 1944-04-17.

:The 217th moved forward to France on 1944-06-25, where they remained until they moved forward to participate in the Ardennes-Alsace Offensive..

:The 217th was located at Stubenag, Germany on 1945-08-20.

:The 217th returned to the Continental US via the Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation on 1946-02-02, and was deactivated and returned to the US Army Reserve the same day.

*2/514th CAR (AA) became 639th Coast Artillery Battalion (Auto Weapons) on 1943-01-20, And was again redesignated as the 639th AntiAircraft Artillery Battalion (Auto Weapons) on 1943-05-15.

:The 639th Deployed from the New York Port of Embarkation on 1944-09-29, and landed in France on 1944-10-10.

:The 639th was located at Braunfels, Germany on 1945-08-20

:The 639th returned to the Continental US via the New York Port of Embarkation on 1946-02-02, and was deactivated at Camp Kilmer, and returned to the US Army Reserve on the same day.

*3/514th CAR (AA) became 363rd Coast Artillery Battalion (Search Light) on 1943-01-20, and was redesignated as the 363rd AntiAircraft Artillery Battalion (Searchlight) on 1943-03-03. The 363rd did not deploy, but remained at Fort Gordon, Georgia until 1944-10-31, whereupon the unit was deactivated and returned to the US Army Reserve, with the personnel and equipment transferred elsewhere as required.

Campaign Participation Credit

*Normandy 1944-06-06 — 1944-07-24 108th and 217th only.
*Northern France 1944-07-25 — 1944-09-14 108th and 217th only.
*Rhineland 1944-09-15 — 1945-03-21 108th, 217th, and 639th.
*Ardennes-Alsace 1944-12-16 — 1945-01-25 108th and 639th only.
*Central Europe 1945-03-22 — 1945-05-11 108th, 217th, and 639th.

Post-War

In September, 1956, the 108th AA Group was reactivated in Los Angeles, California. It was again redesignated as the 108th Artillery Group (Air Defense). The 108th was deactivated in April 1960, in Fort MacArthur, California.

Vietnam War

In May 1967, the group was reactivated at Fort Riley, Kansas as the 108th Artillery Group and deployed to the Republic of Vietnam in October 1967. The Group participated in every major operation conducted in I Corps area of operations and credited with participation in eleven different campaigns while in Vietnam. For its service it was awarded the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm. The 108th departed from Vietnam on 22 November 1971 for Fort Lewis, Washington, where the unit was again inactivated.

Post-Vietnam

On 26 August 1974, the group was again reactivated at Kapun Barracks, Kaiserslautern, West Germany, as the 108th Air Defense Artillery Group, the only Chaparral/Vulcan Group in the US Army. In September 1975 the group moved to Kleber Kaserne and on 1 October 1982 it was redesignated the 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade. On 15 April 1992 the Brigade was moved to Fort Polk, Louisiana, becoming a Patriot(2/43rd) and Avenger (1/2nd) unit, and on 15 August 1996 the brigade moved to Fort Bliss, Texas.

At Fort Bliss the brigade was aligned under the Fort Bragg-based XVIII Airborne Corps and, because of this alignment, added a Airborne tab above its patch. However, at the time, the Brigade's only unit on jump status was the Stinger Platoon of 2/52 ADA. This platoon, under the command of 1Lt Evan Phelps, had the distinction of being the first ADA unit to be deployed in the opening days of the Gulf War. 2/52 ADA was disbanded shortly after the Gulf War in the early '90s. Later in 2007, the Brigade would again have airborne units assigned to its command with the addition of the 3rd Bn, 4th ADA that was detached from the 82nd Airborne Division.

In 2007, the unit was to be moved to Fort Bragg as part of the 2005 BRAC realignment. The 108th saw its 1st Bn, 7th ADA temporarily move to South Korea and gained the 3rd Bn, 4th ADA, previously an Avenger battalion. The 3rd Bn, 4th ADA is now organized as an "Air and Missile Defense" battalion. Additionally, the brigade lost the 2nd Bn, 43rd ADA to the 11th ADA Bde.

External links

*http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/108ada-bde.htm

At Fort Bliss the brigade was aligned under the Fort Bragg-based XVIII Airborne Corps and, because of this alignment, added a blue Airborne tab above its patch. However, at the time, the Brigade's only unit on jump status was the Stinger Platoon of 2/52 ADA. This unit was disbanded shortly after the Gulf War in the early '90s. Later in 2006, the Brigade would again have airborne units assigned to its command with the addition of the 3rd Bn, 4th ADA that was detached from the 82nd Airborne Division.