THE 197th AA AW Bn (SP) IN WORLD WAR II

     The men of the 197th AAA AW Battalion are now scattered to the various parts of America from which they came. But friendships forged in mutual sacrifice and hardships are not easily terminated, memories etched in the turmoil are not easily erased.

     This book is not a statistical record. It does not attempt to tell the complete story.....for that story can only be relived in the minds and hearts of the men who were there. But it is hoped that, in the years ahead, when thoughts turn backward, the words and pictures in this volume will help to recall memories; will help to recreate experiences; will help to revive comradeships.
 

     The record of this battalion in combat is an inspiring one. It is well that it should be preserved in permanent form. May it serve as an insp1ration and a source of pride to America's sons throughout the years!

(signed)
Lt. Col. C.T. McEniry
197th A.A. B.N. (S.P.)
Commanding
 

Index

ACTIVATION and TRAINING     ENGLAND     NORMANDY     NORTHERN FRANCE     RHINELAND    

ARDENNES     CENTRAL EUROPE     FINALE     DEDICATION    

ACTIVATION AND TRAINING

     There is a hill in West Texas.  It is called Logan Heights, and it is near Fort Bliss.   And to the boxlike barracks atop this hill there came, in the early winter of 1942, a group of men to form another unit in the rapidly-expanding wartime Army of the United States.
 

     They called it the 2nd Battalion of the 509th Coast Artillery (AA) Regiment when they activated it that tenth day of November, 1942. But actually it was the 197th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion (Self-propelled).  It's best to get straight on that right at the start.
 

    A number of things. happened before the battalion assumed its proper name. The original cadre of 5 officers and 90 enlisted men arrived on 12 November. The commanding officer, Lt. Col. C. T. McEniry (then Major) took over on 12 December. Fillers from more than 40 different states arrived in large groups during December and January. The battalion received its initial training on the 40mm. Bofors AA gun and even spent some time in filming the weapon at the Camp Hueco range in the New Mexico desert northeast of Fort Bliss.

     But on 13 February the War Department decided that self-propelled weapons were to be among the most valuable in future AA operations, and designated this battalion and one other to be the first self-propelled units established at Fort Bliss. From that day on, the organization went to work with the weapons it was to fight with from the beaches or Normandy to the heart of Germany. The 197th had been born!

     The birth pains of a new battalion are not easy. There were 670 enlisted men and 38 officers. Many of them were new to the army. The basic weapons, the M-15 half track with 37 mm. gun and twin fifties and the M-16 track with quadruple fifties in an electric turret, were unknown quantities for practically everyone.

     So that meant hard work. It meant an 18-week training program replete with gun drill, extended field exercises, more firing at the Hueco ranges, and a never-to-be-forgotten 25-mile battalion hike in a sandstorm. !t meant inspections; it meant participation in a combat problem on 10 May for Under-Secretary of' War Robert E. Patterson; it meant parades; it meant classes in fire control and tactics; it meant back-breaking digging in preparation of positions during maneuvers.

     But there was relaxation too. And there was fun. There was El Paso nearby; and Juarez just across the border. Old-timers in the battalion who spent many a Saturday night in Juarez will not require any additional discussion on the subject. Furloughs and leaves came up in July also. The first one, somehow, is especially important.

     The training continued far beyond the original 18 weeks.  And the men of the battalion were beginning to look and act like soldiers. The outfit came out with top honors in a mass parade of' all units at the AAATC on 24 July.

     Then, on 23 August, the battalion was alerted for its first permanent change of station. On 28 and 29 August, two troop trains, bearing all personnel, departed from Fort Bliss for Camp Pickett, Virginia, for amphibious training with the 31st Infantry Division.

     The battalion easily became acclimated to the new post, although the prevalent rainfall constituted a radical change from El Paso's dry climate. After preliminary small boat and basic amphibious training, the outfit left Pickett for advanced amphibious training at Camp Bradford, near Norfolk. From 22 September for a week, there followed intensive instruction and training in the use of all types of small landing craft; loading and unloading men and vehicles from everything from LCVP's to LST's; assault tactics on beachheads, and practicing debarkation from the old Italian "YAG", when a number of troops got their initial touch of seasickness.

     On 1 October, Batteries B. C and D returned to Camp Pickett, while Headquarters and A Batteries embarked on a practice voyage and beach assaults on Upper Chesapeake Bay with Special Troops of the 31st Division.  The voyage was made in LST's and troop transports and three practice landings were made before the return trip to Pickett on 11 October. In the meantime, and up to 10 November; B, C and D batteries each made a practice voyage and assault landings on the Upper Chesapeake with the three regimental combat teams of the division.
 

     The battalion training beck at Pickett during the ensuing weeks covered all types of small arms firing and a review of basic and advanced subjects. Two inspections were given the battalion by the Inspector General's Department during November, the final one eliciting the remark from Colonel Lawrey, senior member or the teem, that the 197th was one of the two best of 40 battalions he had seen.

     November was also a month of leaves end furloughs. But on 29 November the battalion was alerted for movement to a port of embarkation staging area on 15 December. The next two weeks were spent in final preparation for overseas shipment, and turning in all weapons and vehicles. Then, on 15 December, the unit proceeded by train to Camp Kilmer. It had ceased to have a name or station. For now it was officially known as "Shipment No. 9169-C", with "APO No. 9115".

ENGLAND

     Life at Camp Kilmer moved at a quickened pace.  For three days the battalion was given a thorough processing and inspection of clothing and equipment. Final clearance by the post commander sent the unit, on 21 December, by train to Jersey City and by ferry up the Hudson River to Pier 90, North River Terminal, N.Y., where it boarded the passenger liner Ile de France. The battalion was designated as advance unit for some 10,000 troops to follow in 24 hours, and Battery A was assigned the mission of manning the ship's AA guns.

     But it was a dry run.  Engineers determined that the ship's machinery was in need of further repairs before undertaking the voyage, so -- after four days -- the personnel disembarked, and the 197th went back to Camp Kilmer on Christmas eve. It was not the best Christmas one could hope for that year. But during the following week 12-hour passes to New York City and other nearby places were plentiful.

     New Years Day 1944 found the battalion once again moving to Pier 90, where this time it boarded the world's largest ship, Britain's Queen Elizabeth. And at noon the following day, the Queen Elizabeth -- bearing 15,000 passengers -- sailed past the Statue of Liberty and out into the Atlantic.

     Life aboard ship was new to all, and interesting in spite of extreme congestion. Two meals a day and daily lifeboat drills broke the monotony. Except for one day of heavy seas, the weather was cold but good for the entire crossing. In mid-ocean the ship's course was changed because of reports of enemy submarines in the area.  A detour north of several hundred miles added about 24 hours to the crossing. But there were no attacks.

     About dusk on 8 January, after a voyage of six days, the Queen Elizabeth dropped anchor in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland. The next morning, British and American officials came aboard to welcome the troops, and ship's officers remarked that the debarkation was a "first" in two ways: for the first time there had been no enemy bombing during the unloading; and for the first time there had been no rain.

     Unloading by tenders to Gourock, Scotland, the battalion boarded troop trains to the strains of Bing Crosby singing "The Funny Old Hills," emanating from the loudspeakers of a nearby Red Cross establishment. Red Cross girls served coffee, doughnuts, cigarettes and candy; and then, during the night, the trains moved through Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, York, and Reading to the south of England. The battalion's new station was Upton Lovell Camp, Codford, Wiltshire.

     Now assigned to the First U.S. Army, members of the battalion began to familiarize themselves with things typically British, i.e. Nissen huts,  the blackout, pounds and shillings, "honey buckets", driving on the left side of the road, and British weather. Numerous recreational convoys afforded opportunity to visit nearby cities, such as Salisbury, Warminster and Bournemouth.

     On 20 February, the battalion moved by convoy to the 10th Light AA Training and Practice Camp at Agnes Head, Cornwall, on the southwest coast of England. Here, for 10 days under British tutelage, the batteries fired at sleeve targets with all basic weapons. The British staff was pleased with the state or training of the unit and efficiency of the weapons, and firing results were highly satisfactory.

     At the conclusion of firing, the battalion was ordered to another station, and moved on 1 March to Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset, 20 miles southwest of Bristol. A rather large resort city, Weston afforded ample facilities for amusement, and members of the battalion will long remember the amusement pier, the Winter Garden Pavilion, the Odeon cinema and many restaurants and hotel bars.

     Then, on 27 March, came the "baptism of fire." German bombers attacked the city during the night and, although the battalion suffered no casualties, it began to realize with greater force that the war was close at hand.

     Two days later, two composite batteries of the battalion moved to the Assault Training Center at Woolacombe, Devon, for seven days amphibious and waterproofing training. Following this came preparations for actual channel operations. During April, the battalion was divided into an Assault Group (32 officers and about 500 enlisted men) and a Residue Group (5 officers and about 175 enlisted men). Many conferences were held with officers of the 16th Infantry Regiment of the First Division, to which the battalion had been attached for the channel movement.

     Then, on 23 April, the Assault Group moved to the marshalling area camps in the vicinity of Dorchester, Dorset. leaving the
Residue Group behind in Weston. The period from 24 to 29 April was spent preparing for the exercise "FABIUS", a practice full-scale amphibious assault landing. Because one of its assigned LCT's was damaged by enemy air action in Portland harbor, A Battery did not participate in the exercise, but on 3 May the balance of the battalion Assault Group, with the 16th Infantry, moved up the English Channel and made the practice assault at Slapton Sands.

     The batteries landed, occupied their positions and accomplished their missions. But when, on 4 May, the practice operation was concluded and the 16th Infantry departed, the battalion units were given the mission of remaining on the beach for several days to provide AA defense while other troops moved inland. This was the first real tactical mission of the 197th.

     The units returned to the marshalling area on 7 May and occupied Camp D-12A. Here life reverted to a semi-garrison status. All vehicles were waterproofed and there was limited familiarization with the new Peca sight. The Residue Group moved from Weston to Bournemouth, Hampshire, on the Channe1 coast, on 26 May. where it remained until about three weeks after D-Day.

     Then things began to happen. Field Orders were published. Troops were briefed regarding the Channel crossing and landing operations. Assault units were separated into craft loads; life preservers and other special equipment were issued. The battalion Assault Group moved out to Portland Hards and loaded on LCT's. Operation NEPTUNE was coming up!

NORMANDY

     Omaha Beach was approximately three miles in length. Steep chalk cliffs rimmed the flat, sandy beach which was some 50-100 yards wide.  These cliffs, slightly concave, were broken by three small corridors -- the beach exits -- and several small draws.

     That's what the geography books might have said about the small strip of French Coast in the vicinity of Colleville-sur-Mer and St. Laurent-sur-Mer.  What the men in the 197th learned about Omaha Beach on D-Day was a little different. But that's getting ahead of the story.

     The loaded LCT's rode at anchor in Portland harbor for three days.  During the night of 4 June, the invasion fleet put out to sea, but bad weather forced a 24-hour postponement and they turned the craft back to Portland.  Then, early on 5 June, they took off again.  At 0600, the huge fleet assembled off the coast of Normandy.  H-hour was 0630.  And H-hour was on the "nose."

     They went in -- elements of the 197th did -- at H plus 120 minutes. That was after the preliminary naval shelling and the landing of the assault infantry waves. And they learned a few more things about Omaha Beach. They learned that, half in, half out of the water were hundreds of obstacles -- pilings, hedgehogs, tetrahedra, most of them mined. They learned that the passages through these obstacles were narrow and too often clogged with wrecked landing craft. They learned that they must debark with all their vehicles in deep water -- that many of their vehicles drowned out.

     They learned that maybe you didn't make it in your first try, and so you tried again. And they learned that if an 88 round
landed in your LCT you didn't make it at all. They learned that if you reached the beach, you were pinned down at the water's edge.  They learned that the beach and the beach exits were heavily mined. They learned that about midway between the water's edge and the cliffs ran a deep anti-tank ditch filled with water. All this they learned -- at a price:

                                                                 Killed: 1 officer, 4 enlisted men.
                                                                 Seriously wounded: 1 officer, 11 enlisted men.
                                                                 Lost material: 6 M-15 halftracks, 7 M-16 halftracks.
                                                                                        1 M-2 halftrack, 3 Jeeps, 1 trailer.

     Approximately 60 men lost all their personal belongings and equipment. The majority of them were in the First Platoon of B Battery, which lost all its vehicles when LCT No. 25 was hit by heavy artillery and burned.
 

     The Second Platoon of A Battery was the first unit of the battalion to land successfully, coming onto Easy Red at 0835. Other elements followed during the ensuing hours. Many gun crews, unable to bring their weapons to bear on German positions because of' the slope of the beach at the water's edge, gave small arms support to infantry and engineers. Others helped clear mines from the beach exists. Medics worked long hours under direct fire, aiding the wounded.

     After many strenuous hours it became possible to move most of the men and vehicles off the beach and up onto the plateau above. Crews from disabled tracks dug in on infantry missions. Operational crews set up tactically. The first night was a tough one.

     On D plus 1 the AA defenses were expanded slightly to the east and south to cover new territory taken in the advance of the First Division. On the same day the battalion was relieved from its attachment to the 16th Regimental Combat Team and continued a somewhat static defense of the beachhead area until 25 June, with A Battery given the special mission of protecting Airstrip ALR 9. Then the unit was given the mission of providing AA defense for the City of Cherbourg immediately upon its capitulation. Through battle-scarred Isigny, Carentan, St. Mere-Eglise, Montebourg and Valognes the convoy moved. Positions within the town were untenable, and most gun crews were actively engaged in small arms fire fights with snipers and patrols during the first day or two. Batteries began to bring in their first bags of prisoners.

     On June 28, the battalion was relieved of its mission at Cherbourg and shifted to Air Strip ALR 9, south of Omaha Beach. That same day, the battalion residue landed on Utah beach and joined the rest of the unit the following day. The main situation and tactical mission of the 197th remained unchanged from this time to 15 July. Enemy air activity had been light throughout the period and the battalion was credited with one Category I and one Category II.

     On 15 July the battalion was moved further south, this time to Air Strip ALG 12, just east of Balleroy.
 

     The battalion headquarters area was subjected to severe enemy shelling on the night of 20 July, the medical detachment taking the principal casualties. Tree bursts riddled the aid tent and emphasized the necessity for digging in deep. The month of August was inaugurated by a rather severe bombing of the air strip, the battalion suffering a number of casualties and damage to equipment.

NORTHERN FRANCE

     The breakthrough at St. Lo and the resultant fluid situation was reflected in many changes of mission and station for the battalion. In the main, batteries were assigned to protect mobile ammunition supply points which during this period were encountering great difficulty keeping up with the rapidly-moving front.

     On 6 August, elements of the battalion began moving from Airstrip ALG No. 12 to the area south of St. Lo for a defense of Vire River crossings. On 9 August the entire unit moved to the Forest of St. Sever, near St Sever, Calvados, where a First Army supply dump was to be established. A change of orders, however, sent Batteries A and B to Mobile ASP No.108 near St. Hilaire du Harcourt and Batteries C and D to static defense of Depot No.106 in the vicinity of Le Bourigny and Brecey.

     Batteries A and B moved with their ASP steadily eastward, finally reverting to an airstrip defense role near Dreux at the end
of the month. Remaining elements of the battal1ori did not leave the St. Sever area until 25 August, when C and D Batteries moved to the east, finally setting up with ASP No. 113 near Coubert, south of Paris. Enemy air activity was extremely light during this period. However the battalion began to take a large number of prisoners.
 

     Then came the Move to Paris!

     A Battery was first into the city. At least that battery, on 2 September, moved from Dreux to world-famous Le Bourget Field, where it established an AA defense. B Battery moved to Le Bourget the next day, and Battalion Headquarters and Headquarters Battery established a C.P. in the Cuban House of the University of Paris.
 

     Paris was, of course, out of this world!   Newly-liberated and excitingly beautiful, it afforded members of the battalion a wonderful respite from hardships of the previous months. Organized tours enabled the men to see the famous sights of the city, and there was a great deal of souvenir-buying -- especially of perfume.

     On 5 September a major change in the tactical control of the battalion took place.  The use of mobile ASP's was discontinued, and in their place was established three Forward Ammunition Supply Points -- one for each corps in the First Army.  The battalion was attached to the 71st Ordnance Group and given the mission of providing AA defense for these ASP's.  As a result of this, Batteries A and B moved from Le Bourget Field to ASP No. 116 near Soissons, and set up their headquarters in the sumptuously furnished building occupied by German General Von Rundstedt during earlier campaigns.  Movements with the ASP's continued during the next days until, on 9 September, in a move 100 miles to the northeast, Battalion Headquarters and Headquarters Battery crossed into Belgium for the very first time.

     During the remaining first half of September the outfit continued a series of moves in the vicinity of Liege.  Air activity was light, and personnel had an opportunity to make many warm acquaintances among the friendly Belgian people.

RHINELAND

     A party from the maintenance section of Headquarters Battery became the first element of' the 19'7th to cross over into
Germany. Trying to locate an ordnance company the men progressed as far as Aldenburg, southwest of Aachen, on 17 September. It was not until three weeks later, however, that tactical positions were taken up in the Reich.
 

     Much work, in the meantime, was concentrated on perfecting a ground defense plan for protection of the ASP's. On 29 September, by reason of various redispositions, the battalion achieved the unique distinction bf having elements operating in three different countries -- Holland, Luxembourg and Belgium. Weather conditions were bad and excessive mud made field conditions most uncomfortable for gun crews. Battalion personnel had their first opportunity to observe V-1 buzz bombs during this period. Their were no casualties.

     The first real action of October came on the 5th, when Battery A, in the vicinity of' Heerlen, Holland, engaged five FW 190's flying low on a strafing mission. Claims for the action were 3 Category I, 1 Category II. Battery D became the first unit to move
into Germany on 8 October, setting up a defense for ASP No. 127 in the vicinity of Sief.
 

     AA action stepped up a little during October, and the number of buzz bombs increased likewise. Elements of the battalion,
particularly Battery D in the vicinity or Aachen, received considerable enemy shellfire. When B Battery moved to Bourcy on 18 October, the battalion achieved a distinction not surpassed by any other unit of the First Army. It was operating in four countries: Battery A in Holland; Battery B in Begium, with a few fire units in Luxembourg; Battery C in Belgium; Battery D in Germany; and Headquarters and Headquarters Battery in Belgium. A front of 120 miles!

     The paralyzing hand which unfavorab1e weather clamped on the entire northern front during November had its effect also on the 197th. Not since D-Day had such a static condition lasted so long for the battalion. Only one move was made during the month, with B Battery moving to reinforce D Battery's defense of ASP No.127, near Aachen.

     A few brief bits of action were noted during the first week and hardly a day passed without a number of buzz bombs reported over the area. A few fell near some of the battalion installat1ons but, with the exception of a few windows knocked out by blast, no casualties or damage to equipment resulted.

     Most all fire units completed the building of improved shelters to furnish protection against the almost continuous bad weather and the approach of winter. Real winter started on 8 November with the season's first snowfall. Snow continued intermittently for several days, with a total of 10 to 12 inches reported in some places.
 

     Under a new First Army policy, one-day passes were inaugurated to nearby cities, and it was possible for one officer and
14 enlisted men to visit places like Liege, Verviers, Arlon, Malmedy, Eupen and Spa each day.  It was the first opportunity for passes since D-Day. Thanksgiving; brought turkey for all.
 

     During the first part of December there was no movement by any of the batteries, and there was scattered air action. On 11 December, the operations section moved to assist Batteries B and D in perfection of the air-ground defense plan near Aachen. On the night of 15 December a "dry run" was held with all adjacent corps troops participating.  The problem was concluded successfully. 

ARDENNES
 

     There are some things you can't describe very well. There was Omaha Beach.....And there was The Bulge.

     You just had to be there, that's all.

     The way it worked out , it was okay.  But the 197th came very near losing three batteries in The Bulge.  There was C Battery, for instance.

     C Battery was set up at ASP No.126 near Waimes when Von Rundstedt crashed through on his way to Antwerp on 16 December. So on the next day, when German patrols began infiltrating, the ASP company blew up much of its stores and withdrew. So C Battery deployed in a ground defense role near the outskirts of Waimes and proceeded to hold the right flank of the German counter-offensive. When the First Division's 16th Infantry came up, they found this AA battery all alone, as Brig. Gen. Clift Andrus, division C.O., said, "A source of inspiration" to doughboys of his crack outfit arriving on the scene.
 

     C Battery sent a couple of boys to an ordnance company in Malmedy. They never came back. But their bodies were found a month later in the roadside snow, where they had been shot by the Germans.

     On 18 December; word was received that the enemy had captured a field hospital unit in Waimes. So Captain Olcott, the battery commander, organized a small task force and went into the town. The Germans were driven off after a short fire fight, and the hospital personnel were evacuated. And C Battery took over the town of Waimes.
 

     Then there was A Battery.
 

     It was at ASP No. 128, near Bourcy on the left flank of the penetration. Heavy enemy shelling of the battery's positions was the first signal that the big winter operation was underway. The unit moved into ground defense, and established road blocks to delay enemy armor reported approaching in the vicinity of Donnange.

     American armor and artillery began to pull back, leaving A Battery as the only holding element in that sector. Finally, on receipt of orders to evacuate to ASP No. 128A, near Champlon, the unit began to pull out, as German units were observed approaching down the road. Back through Bastogne to Champlon went the battery, but the next day, 19 December, it became apparent that this position also was unsatisfactory and the battery moved with the ASP to Bellevaux. Further moves took them to Bertrix, to Florenville, to Virton. On the final move -- probably for the first time in this war -- AA guns protected a moving ammunition train, as they moved down a road paralleling the tracks.

    Then there was Headquarters and Headquarters Battery.

     On the night of 16 December these units were alerted to assist nearby elements in ground defense of the Sourbrodt-Camp Elsenborn area. The following day, reports of enemy paratroops in the area were confirmed. In the afternoon the tremendous blast of demolitions at ASP No.126, a few miles away, broke many windows and caused minor injuries to a number of men. On 18 December, the headquarters units were ordered to an assembly area at Aywaille, and then to the vicinity of Werbomont.
 

     However, the movement to Werbomont was interrupted by a "stand by" order, which indicated that the enemy was in the vicinity of that town. The convoy was halted at dark on a side road near Bosson and local security guards were posted. The following morning the commanding general of the 82nd Airborne Division informed the unit that he was to employ his infantry in the Bosson area, and the convoy was to pull back at least five miles to the northwest without delay. The order was complied with, the convoy moving to a new C.P. at Wegnez, but for many months personnel referred to the time that the Headquarters Battery was relieved by the 82nd Airborne Division in the Battle of the Bulge.

     Batteries B and D, stationed near Aachen, were north of the German penetration, but during the month of December saw an increasing amount or air action, underwent many paratroop alerts, were bombed and strafed, and fulfilled ground missions successfully.

     After the intense action of the early days or the Bulge, the months or January and February were comparatively dull. Battery C was engaged in a mission of providing AA defense for First Army headquarters, and the other batteries made numerous moves on missions with ASP's and MSR's. There were scattered air engagements during the month, but the main personnel made up for a somewhat grim Christmas by catching up on rest and rehabilitating themselves and their equipment.

     February was largely a repetition of January, although the weather began to improve considerably. On the 5th a buzz bomb landed in an orchard near battalion headquarters at Wegnez, causing a few minor casualties, and on the 22nd a terrific explosion in the captured enemy ammunition section of ASP No. 137 resulted in slight wounds to a few others.

CENTRAL EUROPE

     The fortunate seizing and exploitation of the Remagen bridgehead was only the beginning of events  which were to make the months of March and April go down as among the most remarkable in the history of warfare. For on 24 March the entire front boiled into action -- surging across the Rhine in its entire length to initiate the "rat race" to the heart of Germany and a junction with the Russians.

     So March and April were months of movement for the 197th and for the entire Allied forces. They were months of fluidity in which German soldiers were picked up far behind our own lines. They were months in which beautiful and almost unscarred landscapes were covered in long road marches. They were months of changed missions for the battalion. They were months of victory!"

     The initial days of March saw the battalion's elements closing up to the Roer at Duren. The latter days saw them closing to and crossing the Rhine near Bad Godesburg. An order on 28 March attaching the unit to the III Corps brought a significant change in combat missions. The batteries left their seven month session of defending First Army Forward Ammunition Supply Points to take over the job of protecting field artillery, bridges, and special corps installations.

     On 9 April this mission was changed again, as the battalion reverted to First Army control and was assigned to protection of two airstrips, one near Fritzlar and one near Kassel. Air activity in April was practically nil, and on the 24th the 197th was attached to the VIII Corps and moved some 150 miles to the Weimar area to protect supply dumps, airfields, and bridges.

     The sands in the hourglass of Hitler's war were running out.  As April ended and May began it became evident that tactical operations were reaching a standstill. A good deal of time was spent on maintenance of equipment and ordnance inspections. German planes began to land on our airstrips, their crews surrendering to men of the 197th.

     On 7 May at 1120 hours, the message of unconditional surrender of the Germans was received at battalion headquarters, the surrender to be effective at 0001 hours on the 9th. All offensive operations were ceased immediately, but the battalion continued its AA defense mission until 1630 hours on 10 May. On the following day the 197th was enroute to Landkreis Eisenach to take over security guard and military government duties.
 

     It was the end of combat for the battalion. The end of 339 operational days on the Continent; the end of a road 1200 miles long from Omaha Beach to Weimar, Germany. In that time and in those travels, the 197th had 106 engagements with enemy aircraft. It had emerged with 23-1/2 confirmed claims for craft shot down or damaged -- 13-1/2 Category I's and 10 Category II's, or an average of 22.2 per cent "kills" per engagement.

     And that is the end of the story. It began simply. It ends simply. The 197th AAA AW Battalion (SP) was born on a hill near El Paso, Texas. It came over 6000 miles and worked for two and a half years to do a job. In the doing of that job, many brave men fell. But the job was done! Magnificently! Gloriously!

FINALE

     After serving throughout the European Campaign of World War II with the First U.S. Army, the 197th was then respectively assigned to the Ninth, Seventh, and Third U.S. Armies. It completed four and one half weeks of training for redeployment to the Pacific before V-J Day, and then engaged in Occupational duties with its C.P. in Forcheim, Germany until 10 March 1946. It was responsible throughout this period of occupation for the Landkreis Forcheim and during several months thereof for the additional Landkreises of Ebermonstadt, Erlangen and Lauf .
 

     On 18 March 1946, the battalion left Forcheim for Bremerhaven, Germany, where it completed its processing at the Marine Compound and sailed for the States on 2 April, 1946, on the Lewiston Victory.
 

     Deactivation of the 197th AA AW Bn (S.P.) took place on 12 April, 1946 at Camp Kilmer, N. J.
 

F-I-N-I-S
 

DEDICATION

Respectfully, Humbly and Gratefully, this book is dedicated to those of our Comrades who fell fighting for Freedom. Their memory is enshrined in the heart of a grateful nation...

IN MEMORIAM

Capt. Everett v. Peterson,  B Battery, 6 June 1944,  Normandy, France
Pvt. Robert V. Brewer, B Battery, 6 June 1944, Normandy, France
T/5 James L. Tetters, B Battery, 6 June 1944, Normandy, France
T/5 Robert B. Wells, B Battery, 6 JUne 1944, Normandy, France
Pvt. John R. Ruland, D Battery, 6 June 1944, Normandy, France
T/5 George R. Duncan, B  Battery, 13 June 1944 Normandy, France
Sgt. Lawrence W. Hope, D Battery, 15 June 1944, Normandy, France
Capt. Irving S. Roth, Medical Detachment, 20 July 1944, Normandy, France
Cpl. James P. Rogan, B Battery, 15 Sept., 1944, Belgium
T/5 Byrl J. Hoffstatter, B Battery, 15 Sept.,1944, Belgium
T/4 Cecil J. Cash, C Battery, 20 Dec., 1944, Belgium
T/5 Raymond A. Heitmann, C Battery, 20 Dec., 1944, Belgium
Pvt. Steve B. Piasecki, D Battery, 25 April, 1944, Belgium
 

HISTORY OF BATTERY "A" 197th AAA (aw) Bn

From Nov. 10, 1942 to May 7, 1945

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