Green

HISTORY OF THE

522ND FIELD ARTILLERY BATTALION

• (Army Regulations No. 345-105)

Box-Fofder

Yellow Red Magenta White

WAR DEPARTMENT The Adjutant General •a Office Wash i :rg ton

AD 320.2 (l-20-43) OB 1-GN-M

January 22, 1943

SUBJECT: Organization of a Japanese Combat Team

TO: Commanding Generals, Army Ground For oes Third Army Seventh and Eighth Service Comn~nds.

l. The following units axe comtituted:

•

442d Infantry - T/0 7-ll ( 4-l-42) 522d Field Artillery Battalion- T/0 (4-1-42) 232d Engineer (.:om bat Conpany -T/0 5-17 ( 4-l-42)

2. The units listed above will be acti\6-ted at Ca mp s_ ... lby I !Uasissippi by the Conmanding General, Thiry Arrq I on F ... rua.ry l, 1943 inlll}cordance with applicable tables of organ-.t.zation and allied tables 1 ~luding all published changes there-1101 except that the CamonConpany ard Band of the 442d Infan-.. ry will not be organized.

(Cadre for 442d furnished by " " 232d " " " " 522d " • " " Med " "

• ( .... copy)

~I\OENIK Color Control Patches

7th Svce 7th Svce 8th Svce 7th Svce

Command. Command. Command. Command.)

Cyan Green Yellow Red Magenta White

. . ' . .

~

...

-2-

MARCH 1~. Major Ge mral Court my ·B • Hodges 1 Commanding Gen-_ral of Third Ar nv I inspec~ed.

MARCH 14. Strength: 31 Officer , 125 EM

MARCH 31. Lt Col. Thoras T. Stevneso Dt WD, inspected.

APRIL 6. Major S.L.A. Marshall, WD, inspected • .

APRIL 13 & 14. Arrival of contingent from Hawaii. The foll-vwirg press representatives visited: Elliott Chaze, Associated Press, New Orleans; Horace Cort, AP Photographer, New Orleans; M _ria L.Reed, International News Photos, Atlanta; Edgar Poe, S .aff correspondent, New Orleans Times-lica.yune; John L. Her-mann, Paramount News, New orleans; P vts Yockey and Fay for Rev-ille of Ca. np "Shelby.

'

APRIL 15. Combat Team assembled before Service Club :If 5 and heard Col Pence 1 s formal welco ne to "the Hawaiian Contingent.

APRIL 23. Combat Team buys $101,550 worth of War Bonds. of which the 522nd F .A. Bn subscribed to •

KOW Box-~ofder

-r==eteeatz Color Control Patches Cyan Green Yellow Red Magenta White

1943

JANUARY 22. Organization of a *apanese American combat T_am was ordered by AGO, WD, lette~ AG 320.2 (l-20-43) OB-1-GN-M, to "' Comnandirg Generals, Army Grouni Forces, Third Arri!'f _nd Seventh and Eithth Service Commands.

JANUARY 28. WD news release quotes iecretary of War as _ayi rg decision to organize a Japa:rsse American Combat Team .s based on "the imerent right of every faithful citizen, re-gardless of ancestry, to bear arms in the nation's battle. This action was t a.lte n fallowing study by the War Department of many earnest requests by loyal American citizens of Jap-anese extraction for the organization of a ape cial unit of .he Army in whi dl they could have their share in the fight against the Natio n's enemies." (Associated Press, Jan 28.)

FEBRUARY 1. The 522nd Field Artillery, the 442nd Infantry _nd the 232nd Engineer Combat Cn npany were ac ti va ted at camp S _lby, Mississippi.

Colonel c.w. Penc e assumed o mmand of the 442nd Combat Team. (General Order No l of Hq, 442nd Combat T.)

Colonel Baya M Harrison assumed command of c.he 522nd F .A. Bn. ~neral Order No 2 Hq 522d F .A. Bn.

FEBRUARY 1, . Str ength: 4 Of£'icer'3, 57 :J!,i

FEBRUARY 4. W~shirgton news releases quoted Pres Roose-velt in letter to Secy Stimson: "THE PROPOSAL OF THE WAR DEPT to orgain1ze a combat team consisting of loyal American citi~ens of Japanese descent has my full approval ••• •• No loval

-3-

MAY 1, 2. Visitors: Brad Smith, 6ffice ot War Information. W -hington, D.C. and Hung Wai Ching of Honolul~ on WD authorijy.

M-y 4. Visitors: Carlyle Holt, staff correspondnet of Bos-'J:on Globe.

M' y 7, 8. Visitors: Erle Johnston, Regional Director of O ~ fice of War IIformation.

MAY 14. Combat Team assembles for speeches by Col c.w. P~:~nce and lit Lt. Bei·t N. Nishinura.

Jt-J 15. Visitors: ~t Col. S.L.A. Marshall, WD.

MAY 19, 20, 21. VIsitors: Capt Claude c. Pierce Jr. CIG, MIS, WD, and 2nd Lt John W. Maddox, MID, 4th Service Command.

MAY 20 , Strength: 32 Officers , 47;;1 EM

MAY 22. Let Lt. George A. Lol lier, Signal Photo Dept., 3r d Army, F t . Sam Houston , spends about two weeks photographing .he Combat Team.

MAY 28. Col James H. Phillips, Ass't G-3, AG~, Washington, .... rrived for inspe c.-tion, leavir.g May 30. '

JUNE l. General Ben Lear inspected ·

JUNE 2. Visitors: S. Burton Heath, chief editorial writer of Newspaper Emer prise Association, N.Y.

JUNE 4, 5. Visitors: Laz·ry Tajiri, editor of The Pacific C.tizen, Salt Lake City, Utah.

JUNE 6. Visitors: Col Joseph S• Daugherty, IGD, WD.

JUNE 9 • Strength: .51 Offi ce r s , 53.5 I:ll , l .10

Green Yellow Red Magenta White

-4-

JUNE 14. Lt Col Reeves ani Capt Nelson, IGD , HQ 3rd Army, arrive for week's inspection

JUNE 18. Gary Breckner, WD BPR , Radio Section, Wash i ngton, visits 522nd, 442nd, 232nd a rd lOOth Inf., looki rg for me;ter ial ... ee Combat Team's spot on Army aour.

JUNE 23. Visitors: Dr • Frank. Herron S mi. th, Super visor of MJ.thodist churches among Reloc a tion Centers.

July 2. Firat formal r e view of en tire Combat Team held. Col. P.nce reviewirg officer; Lt Col Baya M· Har rison Jr. comnanding _a2nd F.A. Bn.

JULY 3 . Strergth: 31 Officer~ ~ 5!¥> h!.1 . l dO

JULY 15. Visitors: Charles E. Mace and Tom W. Parker, c i v-1lian photographers sent by War Relocation Authority to take movies and stills of Combat Team. Remained through 24th.

AUGUST 10. Officially designated Open House Day by WD for coniba t Team. Fornal

, -5-

AUGUST 1 • Strersth: 30 Offi ce r s , 1 h'O , 5ti4 EM -- l Off ice r At t ached

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

SEPTEMBER 28 • Strength 38 Officers, 2 .ro , o2b Ehl--2 Offi cers 1\.t to.ched

s~..,tember 29. Visitors: Col Harold P. Stewart, IGD, IX Corp L..spec tor General • QCTOBER 1. Visitors: Maj. Gen. Ciharles H. White, Commandirg G_neral of I X Corps. QCTOBER z, Visitors: Milo Thompson, manager of A.P., the N ... w orleans Bureau, and Mrs Thonpson.

Q_ tober 8. G-2.

Visitors: Col ~harles P. Bixel, GSC, IX Corps

OCTOBER 18. Visitors: Mrs. Ruth w. Kit:Ftnan, Executive Sec'y vf the Pacific Coast Committee on Anerican Priroiples and Fair Play.

OCTOBER : 1 9 • Stre ~th: 50 Offic~rs , 2 {0 , b24 E'l{ -- 2 Officers .P.ttached

Box-~ofder

Green Yellow Red Magenta White

.I ·. ·' .:: . . ' ' : -, 'l-- .s-~~ ·:r •·. ·.' ' .. : ·-- : ~·!-~ . "'-~JS.: .,. - . . • ' - • • _l;;,. If " . .. ' -f::-:· :.,:.~-.- .- ·-.~·,-. -.- _,~·· Y"· ,_._._ "t: . ·.. .- ~~ ..... - .. ~-:::a

-6-

OCTOBER 21. Visitors: Mr. John J. McCloy, Assistant Sec-retary of War,; Col. WilliaruP. Scobey , Executive Officer; Col P~ker, USMU, deputy director of Selective Service 1 (.;apt. Hall, personal aide to Mr. McCloy; and U.s. Reprexe ntati ve William F. C ... lrrer of Pascagoula, Miss. .

These gentlenen inspected the Com'ait Team in .. eview and in garrison.

NOVE M3ER:

NOVEMBER:

NOVEMBER:

Nvvember 21 • Strength: 50 Officers, 2 :10 , 523 E! .•• -- 2 0 1~ficers At tuched

NOVEMBER 22. Visitors: Lt. Gen. Leslie J. McNair, 0ommandlhg G neral of the Arnq Groun::l Forces, and staff: Brig. Gen. J.M. L -z, G-3; Colonels G. Rogers, G-2; S.E. Faine, G-3 ; L.D. Carter G-3; W.E. Shambora, M3dica ~orps; and G.C. Black, Signal ~orps; •• Lt. Colonels J. Lemp~ G-1; .H. De nni~ton, G-4; G .s. Witters, E __ ~ine.ers; and H.H. rtode cker, Quartermaster t;or ps.

NOVEM:EER 24. 522nd Field Artillery Battalion IW ved to the L.uisana Maneuver Area.

NOVEMBER 25. Bivouac at Natches, Miss.

NOVEMBER 26 . Arrived at maneuver area, assigned location by Director Headquarters.

Box-P'ofder

Color Control Patches Green Yellow Red Magenta White

NOVEMBER 28. maneuvers.

DECEMBER to 89th Div.

DE(.,EMBER

DE(.,EMBER

DECEMBER 16.

-7-

Oriented for Flag Exercises, initial phase of

Maneuvers actually begin. 522nd F.A. Bn. attchd

Stre~th: 54 Officers , 2 .10, 523 EL----2 Officers Attacned

DECEMBER 17. Ten per cent of Officers and E.M. allowed on .eave ani furlough through Jan 11, 1944. Seven per cent allowad uhereafter. 522nd sent officers and men on the 17th, 18th and

.1.9 th.

1 a 4 4 JANUARY 4. Approxi~tely ten percent of office ..c s and men start leave and furlough.

JA~UARY

February 1.

522nd F.A. Bn. inspected by

Col tiarrison spoke to the Bn on the occasion or the first anniversary of its activitation.

Green Yellow Red Magenta White

".\ . . • ...... --~-·. -· ·. ··

Feb 6.

Mar 5·

-8-

"D" series maneuvers - 522d F.A. Bn joins the 442d Combat Team against the 69th Div. .

GENERAL GEORGE C r~SHALL, Chief of Staff, visited camp and the 442d Combat Team.

Green Yellow Red Magenta White

1943-01-22 History 522 FABN 1943-Jan to1944-Feb P1of10_ck1943-01-22 History 522 FABN 1943-Jan to1944-Feb P2of10_ck1943-01-22 History 522 FABN 1943-Jan to1944-Feb P3of10_ck1943-01-22 History 522 FABN 1943-Jan to1944-Feb P4of10_ck1943-01-22 History 522 FABN 1943-Jan to1944-Feb P5of10_ck1943-01-22 History 522 FABN 1943-Jan to1944-Feb P6of10_ck1943-01-22 History 522 FABN 1943-Jan to1944-Feb P7of10_ck1943-01-22 History 522 FABN 1943-Jan to1944-Feb P8of10_ck1943-01-22 History 522 FABN 1943-Jan to1944-Feb P9of10_ck1943-01-22 History 522 FABN 1943-Jan to1944-Feb P10of10_ck