US AIRBORNE

The 462nd Field Artillery Battalion was constituted on February 25, 1943. On June 15, 1943, the 462nd was activated by General Order No. 44 with the headquarters of the Airborne Command at Camp Mackall, NC. The activation order did not specifically designate it as an airborne force, but the TO&E (Table of Organization and Equipment) was the same as the one developed during the experimentation of the first Parachute Test Batteries under Airborne Command. This organizational structure remained the same throughout the war with only minor changes in 1945.

The battalion was placed under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Forrest R. Armstrong, who came from the 458th PFAB, which had been activated at Fort Bragg four months earlier. Initially, the battalion consisted of 55 officers and 285 men. An additional surplus of artillery officers and qualified paratroopers was formed into a reserve. They were later used to form several artillery battalions. Over a period of four months, Lt. Col. Armstrong and his staff officers examined reports and drew from this pool over 200 officers and several hundred enlisted men. Armstrong made selections based on experience and attitude, so when the regiment left the United States to fight overseas, the 462nd included a large number of regular soldiers considered “old soldiers,” including more than 30 men from the original battery who had over a year and a half of jumping experience.

In October 1943, for health reasons, Lt. Col. Armstrong was replaced by Major Donald F. Madigan. Following this, replacements and reinforcements came from jump schools and recruitment services.

By mid-February 1944, the 462nd was put on alert to be sent overseas. On Monday, February 28, 1944, the battalion, with all its equipment, left for the west, heading to Camp Stoneman in California, near San Francisco.

On March 11, the 462nd boarded the SEACAT, a Victory-class cargo ship converted into a troop transport. After 22 days at sea, the ship arrived in Brisbane, Australia, on April 2.

In early July 1944, the 462nd left Brisbane for the island of Noemfoor, which it reached on August 7, 1944, joining the 503rd PIR and Company C of the 161st Parachute Engineers. Together, they formed the 503rd Parachute Regimental Combat Team (RCT). Arriving too late to provide much support for the offensive, the 462nd served as support for patrols and training. During one of its training exercises, Lt. Col. Donald Madigan was seriously wounded. He was accompanying a patrol as an observer, adjusting fire for his batteries when a shell exploded in a nearby palm tree. A fragment pierced his chest near the heart. He survived. He was evacuated to Hollandia and then to Walter Reed in Washington, DC. He was replaced by Major Arlis E. Kline. During the operation on Corregidor, Major Kline was also seriously wounded during his reception after the parachute jump. But despite his severe injuries, he remained on the island until he could be evacuated safely. He was replaced by Major Melvin R. Knudson.