US AIRBORNE

Henry LT. Koren

The 676th Glider Field Artillery Battalion (GFAB) was was activated on 13 August 1943 at Fort Bragg, NC under the command of Lt Col Clark Lynn as part of the new 13th Airborne Division. The battalion gre in size throughout the late summer and fall of 1943. Young inductees from the New England States and former ASTP men who had come from everywhere by way of the 72nd Replacement Battalion at Fort Bragg continued to arrive until November 1943 at which time the 676th GFAB reached full strength. At that time Lt Col Henry L.T. Koren assumed command (picture right), Basic Training began and the 676th started to truly colasce as a battalion of fighting men. During Basic Training the 676th GFAB moved from Fort Bragg, NC to Camp Mackall, NC where Basic Training ended on a Saturday in February, 1944. During April of that year the 676th GFAB undertook Airborne Training over the tobacco fields and pine trees of North Carolina in the belly of a CG-4A glider. After this training 60 percent of the 676th GFAB personnel trained as parachutists at Fort Benning Parachute School in Georgia during midsummer 1944. The remaining personnel gave glider training at Camp Howze, TX to the 103rd Division. By September, 1944 the battalion was back together training for night landings at Camp Mackall. After attaining a high score on its Army Ground Forces Test the battalion was ready for overseas deployment.
On the 19th of January 1945, the 676th moved from Camp Mackall NC to Camp Shanks, NY for overseas deployment. Six days later the battalion arrived by train to New York and embarked on the U.S.S. General George O. Squier and landed in LeHarve, France on February 7th. On that same day the regiments were packed into 40 and 8s bound for the staging area called Camp Lucky Strike, 200 miles SE of Le Harve in the town of Auxerre, France.
During the months in waiting in France the 676th offered parachutist training to those men who were not already qualified. Also, during this time the 13th Airborne Division was alerted several times for possible operations, however each time the fast moving Army ground forces preempted the need for an airborne operation.
After the German surrender on May 7, 1945 the 13th and 101st Airborne Divisions were notified of their reassignment to the Pacific. In July, 1945 the battalion left Sens, France and made stops at Camp Pittsburgh and Camp Philip Morris. The dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan in August, 1945 cancelled the redeployment of the 676th to the Pacific. That same month the regiment was shipped home aboard the U.S.A.T Thomas H. Barry. The 676th GFAB arrived in New York Harbor on August 20th and was deactivated soon after at Camp Kilmer, NJ.