US Army Training Center - Yearbook (Fort Sill, OK)

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IIISTIIRY 0F THE 623RII FIELD ARTILLERY IIBSERVIITIDN BI-ITTALION ir The 623d Field ArTiIIery ObservaTion baTTalion i was acTivaTed January I5, i945 aT ForT Sill Okla- homa and assigned To The 3lsT Field ArTillery Brigade. To build a baTTalion Tor combaT baTTle Trained personnel were reTur,ned Trom ObsrevaTion BaT- Talions engaged in The European TheaTre oT Op- eraTions, and arrived aT ForT Sill during The period beTween IO February and I8 February. Under The direcTion oT LieuTenanT Colonel Her- berT F. Layle The baTTlion sTarTed Trom The day of birTh To Train Tor iTs combaT missions. OT- Ticers Trom The Field ArTilIery School, The Field ArTillery ReplacemenT Training CenTer and The 624-Th Field ArTilIery ObservaTion BaTTalion and enlisTed men who had come Trom Topographic Engineer UniTs wiTh a Tew Trom Advanced In- TanTry Training CenTers sTarTed wiThouT delay To geT The iob oT building a baTTalion under way. Individual and Cadre Training was conTinued unTil The baTTalion was broughT To approximaTe Tull sTrengTh upon The arrival oT individually Trained Tillers during The lasT halT oT March. While Turnishing many replacemenTs and suT- Tering losses due To TransTers boTh in enlisTed and oTTicer sTrengTh The baTTalion perTormed The mission oT Turnishing Troops and personnel on re- quiremenTs Tor The Field ArTilIery School and aT The same Time carried on an inTensive uniT Train- ing program Trom The daTe oT arrival oT Tillers. On I9 June The baTTalion was ordered To move by rail wiThouT delay To Chicago, Illinois Tor Tem- porary duTy under The operaTional conTrol oT The Commanding General, SixTh Service Command. This duTy in Chicago was Tor a period slighTly less Than Two weeks and The baTTalion arrived baclc aT iTs home sTaTion aT ForT Sill on The nighT oT 3 July. For The worlc done in Chicago The baTTalion received a leTTer oT commendaTion Trom The Commander oT Troops, DisTricT No. 3. SixTh Service Command, ASF, Chicago, Illinois. InTensive Training has been conTinued since The reTurn To ForT Sill and The baTTalion awaiTs whaT ever mission may be in sTore wiTh conTidence ThaT eiTher as a uniT or as individuals iT will per- Torm iTs missions in The True TradiTion oT all well Trained and disciplined soldiers. HILL. wiiLiAMMI::o, I Elecuiive OWU ! N I JOHN H, M, Fir I L' Meleiroli

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fl- v-pf . I ' HERBERT F. LAYLE LIEUTENANT COLONEL, FIELD ARTILLERY Commanding 39

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'Ar' ...a LLL WILLIAM W'. HILL, JR. ROBERT O. SCHAEFFER JACK L, MARSHALL MGIOV Maior Capfain Execufive Officer Baffalion S-3 Assisfanf Baffalion S-3 'X 'fix ...D -av 'N .. I X IRVING R. WILLIAMS MARION E. ELMORE Capfain Firsf Lieufenanf Baffalion S-4 Commanding Officer Baffery A . TV' 1' ' -nf,-.4-Q ,f ,A '7 JOHN H- MFDONALI-. JR- HORACE L. MITTEN, JR. JAMES M. NORRIS Firsf Lleufenanuf Firsf Lieufenanf Firsf Lieufenanf Mefeoroloqy Officer Baffalion Mofor Officer Commanding Officer Headquarters Baffery -'5' ,,..-nl' ani' .fum 499 JAMES H, ATKINS SOLOMON COBITT Second Lieufenanf Second Lieufenanf Execufive Officer Baffery B Communicafions Officer gn, '433' 1q,,,f Mfr if I ABNER MORRIS Capfain Medical Officer f' LX X THEODORE L. ETHERINGTON Firsf Lieufenanf Survey Officer Headquarfers Baffery CHARLES C. READ Firsf Lieufenanf Sound Officer Baffery B f'-JV' gan. wwf ROBERT J. CROOK Second Lieufenanf Communicafions Officer Baffery A ,.f irc' ,ec-Q HAROLD J. SEABORG Capfain Baffalion Survey Officer GEORGE H. JONES, JR. Firsf Lieufenanf Commanding Officer Baffery B JOHN M. STAUT Firsf Lieufenanf Flash Officer Baffery B WALTER G. FRANTZREB Second Lieufenanf Assisfanf Sound Officer Baffery A ROBERT J. KUMMER JOHN W. VAN TIELEN LOUIS P. WHITE ERNEST W. BUSCH STUART E. McCA.BE Second Lieufenanf Second Lieufenanf Second Lieufenanf Chief Warranf Officer Chief Warranf Officer Flash Officer Baffery B Assisfanf Communicafions Survey Officer Baffery B Assisfanf Baffalion Adlufanf Assisfanf BaffaIion S-4 Officer Headqua rfers Baffe ry