558th Field Artillery Battalion, U.S. Army, World War II
Unit History
for a more description of how the battalion was organized and the duties of the men manning the guns.
The 558th Battalion was made up of five batteries:
Headquarters (Command Staff)
Service (Maintenance, trucks),
and
three firing batteries (A, B & C) of four gun sections each with an ammunition carrier (tank) for each gun section
Each firing battery was made up of about 125 men; Service battery about 50: and Headquarters about 75 including firing control, medics, and pilots for air observation. The total force was near 500 men.
With four guns per battery, the battalion normally fielded a dozen M-12 guns and another dozen M-30 ammunition carriers.
A reformatted version of the 558th FAB WWII History document written by Lt. Gilbert Hahn is now available in PDF format by clicking here for the 558th history . He traces the activities of the unit chronologically through creation, training, battle, and dissolution after WWII. This 22 page PDF file can be opened and then printed for your reading.
Also, click here for Glendon Graff's Battery C Chronology in a PDF version.
Though not directly part of this unit, the 557th was a "sister" unit also using the M12 gun in Europe. There is now a reformatted version of the 557th FAB History document in PDF format. The history contains 56 pages and includes maps of their travels. The PDF file is about 320kb. Click here to view the 557th history.
The 558th FAB is mentioned in the History of the 191st Field Artillery Battalion (http://donl702.tripod.com/191st/) in this excerpt describing their action on the Our River in February 1945 (see http://donl702.tripod.com/191st/Combat_Operations-1945.html)
On 5 February the Fifth Division started reassembling for an attack across the Our River into Germany and positions were occupied North of Consdorf. Warmer weather had set in, a general thaw was in progress, and again much rain. Battery "C" 558th Field Artillery Battalion, was attached to the 191St FA Bn. The attack progressed slowly, the defenses and terrain were very difficult, and it was twelve days before a further displacement was possible. Germany was entered at 1003 on 17 February by the main column. Positions were occupied near Ferschweiler.
Lineage and Honors of the 558th
As of 9 Feb 1983
World War II
Constituted 25 February 1943 in the Army of the United States as the 558 th Field Artillery Battalion
Activated 10 May 1943 at Camp Robert, California
Inactivated 10 February 1946 at Camp Hood, Texas
Campaign Participation Credits: Northern France, Rhineland , Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe
Post War
Allotted 3 July 1952 to the Regular Army
Redesignated 18 March 1955 as the 558 th Field Artillery Missile Battalion
Activated 1 May 1955 at Fort Bliss, Texas
Inactivated 25 June 1958 in Germany
Headquarter, 558 th Field Artillery Missile Battalion, redesignated 16 April 1960 as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 558 th United States Army Artillery Group
Activated 20 May 1960 at Fort Sill, Oklahoma
