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Dated:   January 22, 2009
PHOTO
of
Battery HQ

328TH Field Artillery Battalion

Group Photo 328FA HQ Company, WW2Group Photo 328FA HQ Company, WW2
Fort Dix, New Jersey - 1943

    This is a large, 8 X 34 inch group photo of Battery HQ of the 328th Field Artillery Battalion.  Photo was taken at Fort Dix just prior to their embarking for North Africa on December 24, 1943.  The 85th Custer Division had spent about 3 months in Fort Dix, as best as I can determine, after leaving desert training in California in October and traveling across the US.  The Headquarters Battery was the administrative command of the 328th Field Artillery Battalion and its 3 batteries.

   This photo has dried and cracked with age, but the faces are still recognizable. Due to the large format, the photo was divided into 5 composites with some overlap.  Each section can be viewed up close to see faces.  I counted 100 soldiers in this photo.  Just click to enlarge and use your browser to return to this page.
Click on each composite image to Enlarge.

 
  1    2    3 Officers
Click to open larger image in a new window. Click to open larger image in a new window. Click to open larger image in a new window.
      4    5
  Click to open larger image in a new window. Click to open larger image in a new window.

      Details of each Composite

   1 -   Left section shows the Photo ID number.

   2 - This section starts with the beginning of the 3rd Row.

   3 - This section contains the Officers, who are wearing fatigues & helmets.

   4 - This section has a lot of damage.  The face of one the 3rd Row is missing.

   5 - Last piece has some damage and upper right corner is missing.
 

   Information added to the original photo

A - Photographers Info printed on back:
            "David Pond Willis, Post Photographer, Fort Dix, N.J."

     One member of HQ battery was Jack Regan of Massachusetts.  He was an active member of the veteran's
     reunions of the 337th Infantry Regiment and the 328FA.
 

 The following Group photos of the other batteries within 328 FA.
Battery A
(not available)		 Battery B Battery C Service Battery

HQ Battery 1919 - A group photo of this same unit taken after World War 1.

328th FA Officer - A group photo of most of the officers that served in the 328th FA Battalion.  
                                     Includes a roster and their duty assignments.

 
           Unit Organization and Definitions

      Field Artillery Battalion - Consisted of three(3) Batteries and Headquarters Battery, Service Battery, Medical group under command of a Colonel.

    Battery - The group that operated and fired four(4) 105mm howitzers.  One battery consisted of about 100 men. See definition of Headquarters Battery.

   Headquarters Battery - The HQ Battery did not operate any cannon.  However they were the command staff of the entire battalion. They handled all the paper-work that dealt with logistics and promotion, as well as making decisions about where to deploy their guns.

   Fire Section - Responsible for sighting guns and controlling the placement of artillery.  Includes Forward Observer who observed enemy positions from an Observation Post or front lines.

A special thanks to Bonnie Cheeseman for providing this photo.  Her father is PFC Clarence D. Mills, a member of the 328th Field Artillery Battalion, Headquarters Battalion.
Forward Observer
A Forward Observer spotting for artillery on Monte Porchia with his carbine and field phone near him.

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