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The Italian Campaign At The Front Books Armies Maps 85th Division GI Biographies Websites
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Italian Campaign At The Front Books Armies Maps 85th Division GI Biographies Websites
Dated:  Nov 1, 2006

 
Top Menu of

328TH FIELD ARTILLERY BATTALION
ITALIAN CAMPAIGN - MAY 1944 - MAY 1945

    The menu below provides a detailed history of this unit from the official Operational Reports obtained from the National Archives.  It includes an official report of the training of the unit during 1942 and some stories of combat as told by my Dad and his friend, Lt. Sullivan, at a reunion of this unit.

 
Brief History
  The 328th Field Artillery Battalion is one of the 3 artillery units that made up the artillery support of the 85th Custer Division. The 328th Field Artillery(or FA) Battalion trained at Camp Shelby, MS and entered combat in May 1944 with the Custer Division. They participated in capture of Rome, attack of the Gothic Line, heavy fighting in the Appenine Mountains, crossing of the Po River and drive to the Alps. 

    The 85th Division consisted of 328th, 329th, 403rd and 910th FA Battalions. A typical Battalion consisted of 3 batteries, each containing four 105mm howitzers and one battery of 155mm howitzers. Each battery was sighted in together and could fire at same targets simultaneously after initial ranging shot. In July of 1944, two additional guns were added to the battery.  Later, a Tank Destroyer battalion, operating self-propelled artillery, became designated as Battery "D" of 328th FA Battalion. 

   Also, generally, one artillery battalion was assigned to one infantry regiment and one battery was assigned to a specific infantry battalion (or 4 infantry companies). Thus, 328th FA was assigned to support the 337th Infantry Regiment and Battery B was assigned to support 2nd Battalion of that Regiment. However, due to the fluidity of the battle command, this changed a lot as the groups rotated through reserve status.

Staff Sergeant Newton F. Cole, Battery B, at his Observation Post somewhere in Italy. 

Main Menu of 328th FA Battalion

Origin in WW1 -  Brief history and photos from World War I.

Re-activation in WW2  - Brief history of early formation and organizaton at Camp Shelby.

Operational Reports - Monthly Reports of 328th FA's action in Italy obtained from the National Archives.

General Order No 1  & General Order No 10  - Some examples from files of 328th FA Battalion; includes names of members receiving the Good Conduct Medal.

Stories from Italy - by Sgt. N. F. Cole and Lt. W. E. Sullivan and other veterans.

Photo of Battery B - Group photo taken December 1943 before departure for Italy.
                                        Includes Roster with Names, rank & serial number.

Photo of Battery C - Group photo of Captain Dempsey's battery.

Photo of Battery HQ - Group photo of Headquarters Battery of 328FA.

Photo of Service Battery -  A smaller unit that maintained the equipment.

Officers of 328th FA  -  A Group photo & a complied list of all officers of 328FA.  NEW

Duties of a Battery Detail  - Copy of a 1939 Artillery Field Manual.

 

Lieutenant Bill Neubel(far left) poses with other officers of the 328th FA.
Photo courtesy of Bill Dempsey, son of Lt. Bill Dempsey, Battery C, and the nephew of Lt. Neubel.
 
Other Related Links

Camp Shelby  -  History of this basic training camp and modern museum.

Desert Training Center  - History of the camp for desert warfare training.

310th Engineer Battalion   - History of support unit.

Biography of S/Sgt Newton F. Cole of Battery B.

Biography of 1st Sergeant Erich Bauch of Battery B.

Biography of Captain William Dempsey of Battery C.

Biography of PFC Clarence Mills of HQ Battery.


 

  Distinguishing 
         Unit 
             Insignia
 
 

  328th Field Artillery Battalion
 
 
 

     Ram's Horn
     13 shells:   3+2+8  or 8+5
     Scroll:  " WE ARE READY "
 
   The DUI pin for the 328th Field Artillery was a brass pin with red enamel.  The pin has a band forming an inverted "V", which contained 13 shells.  Below this was a rams' horn and the motto: "WE ARE READY".

Explanation of pin:   Red is the traditional color for the artillery. The ram's horn refers to the Battle of Little Big Horn and General George Custer, which ties this unit to the 85th 'Custer' Division that was formed at Camp Custer, Michigan during WW1.  The 13 shells can represent both the 85th Division and the 328th FA Battalion.  By summing the number  3+2+8 or the number 8+5, the total will still add up to 13.
 
    Another example of the 328FA pin.  I recently bought this 
    DUI.  It is a little different style with curved side to shield 
    and Horn is reversed.  It does not have a banner under
    the shield with the motto.
 

     I'm trying to research this pin to find out when it was 
     made and when(or if) it was worn.

  A posed photo of PFC Finnis Treadway, Battery B, of Moulton, AL.  This photo was taken with his brother but I have edited him out of the picture.
  PFC Treadway is wearing a 328 FA DUI pin on only one of his lower lapels.  The round pins on the upper lapel are the "US" & artillery collar devices and a marksmanship badge is pinned to his pocket flap.  This is the only photo record that I have seen of this DUI pin.

  PFC Treadway is not wearing the DUI correctly.  The DUI pin is optional, but if worn, then one is centered on each lower lapel.  The DUI in the photo is too low and only one is shown. It may also be worn on the overseas cap, in place of the "US" disc.
  My guess is that he was wearing the DUI pin on his overseas cap.  When he posed for this photo with his visor cap, he quickly decided to take the pin off of his overseascap and temporarily pin it to his uniform.

 Insert - closeup of DUI pin.
   Photo provided by Midshipman Matthew Roberts, grandson
   of Finnis Treadway.  Matt is currently a cadet at the
   Merchant Marine Academy in NY.

For more examples of DUI pins worn by units that served in Italy, go to: DUI Pins.


 

  An Action photo of 328th Field Artillery Battalion.
Photo shows a crude shelter with a stove pipe sticking out the top.
In the background, a 105mm fires, while a GI reads the newspaper
in the foreground.
Photo is on display at the Armed Forces Museum at Camp Shelby, MS.

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