Brief History from 1947 to Date
Title 1938-47 33rd Field Regiment Royal Artillery
Regimental Titles
Apr 1947 24th Heavy Anti Aircraft Regiment RA
? Amalgamated with 59th Heavy Anti Aircraft Regiment RA as 24th Medium Regiment RA
Jun 1960 24th Missile Regiment RA
31 Mar 1977 Suspended Animation
Batteries
Apr 1947 51 Bty, 2 Bty & 128 Bty
Jan 1958 76 Bty from 30 Regt (Equipment and Troops from 128 Bty)
128 Bty into Suspended Animation
Jan 1959 – HQ Bty formed
Aug 1960 34 Bty from 12 Regt
Jul 1972 2 Bty to JLRRA
Nov 1972 19 Bty from 39 Regt
34 Bty to 45 Regt
Feb 1977 51 Bty to 50 Regt
76 Bty to 26 Regt
Mar 1977 19 Bty to 50 Regt
Equipment
25 Pdr ?-1955
5.5 Gun Jul 1955
Honest John (76 Bty & 51 Bty) Jun 1960
8″ Howitzer (2 Bty & 34 Bty)
M110 (2 Bty & 34 Bty)
Locations
Apr 1947 ?
? Sheernes (? Bks) 51 Bty (There 1953)
Gillingham (Hoath Lane Camp) 2 Bty (There 1953)
? 1955 Carlisle (Durranhill Camp) (Temporary Camp)
Jan 1956 Luneburg (Wyvern Bks)
? Neinburg (Assaye Bks) (There in 1961)
? 1962 Paderborn (Barker Bks)
Nov 1972 Dortmund (Ubique Bks)
24 Missile Regiment RA (BAOR) – 1960/61 to 1977
In 1956, the 24 Medium Regiment Royal Artillery moved from Carlisle to Luneburg, Germany and then to Nienburg (Assaye Bks), Germany.
In June 1960 the Regiment was redesignated as 24th Missile Regiment RA.
In 1960 the Regiment began its conversion to a nuclear role with Honest John. This was completed by 1961.
Initial organization of 24th Msl Regt RA:
Hq Bty
2 Bty (8″ gun)
34 Bty (8″ gun)
51 Msl Bty (Honest John)
76 Msl Bty (Honest John)
The 24th Missile Regiment moved to Paderborn (Barker Bks) in 1962 and then to Dortmund (Ubique Bks) in 1972.
In Jul 1972 – 2 Bty transferred to JLRRA
Nov 1972 – 19 Bty transferred from 39th Missile Regt to 24th Missile Regiment and 34 Bty transferred to 45th Regt
In February 1977, 24th Missile Regiment disbanded in Dortmund
In Feb 1977 – 51 Bty transferred to 50th Msl Regt; 76 Bty transferred to 26th Regt; in Mar 1977, 19 Bty transferred to 50th Msl Regt.
15th US Army Missile Detachment
The 24th Missile Regiment was supported by the 15th US Army Missile Detachment.
Constituted 14 December 1960 in the Regular Army as the 15th United States Army Missile Detachment
Activated 11 February 1961 at Fort Sill, Oklahoma
Inactivated 15 September 1966 in Germany
Reactivated 1 May 1969 in Germany
Reorganized and redesignated 12 September 1970 as the 15th United States Army Artillery Detachment
Inactivated 15 October 1988 in Germany
(Source: Email from John C. Calhoun, 15th USAFAD, 1974-75)
I served with the 15th USAFAD which was part of the 570th Artillery Group, 59th Ordnance Brigade (SASCOM).
The 15th USAFAD was operationally attached to NORTHAG – BAOR – 1st British Corps – 1st Division – Division Artillery – 45 (pronounced FOUR FIVE) Medium Regiment Royal Artillery. This unit was stationed at Barker Barracks (the Germans called it Panzer Kaserne) in Paderborn, FRG. It supported M109A1 and M110 self propelled howitzers on the Northern Plain & Harz Mountains “AO.”
Also on the kaserne was the Queen’s Royal Irish Hussars, a Chieftain Tank Armour unit. Tenant units were a medical clinic and REME workshopps. I was stationed there in 1974 & 1975.
The commanding officer (OC to our British partners) was a Cpt Dullaghan. It was interesting as he was a conscript, native of Ireland, who attended OCS after Vietnam. He was particularly disliked (behind his back) by the British because of his ancestry. This artillery unit did two Northern Ireland six month tours while I was there. Our unit was approximately 31 men – 1 captain; 2 lieutenants, one E-7 first sergeant; one E-4 admin clerk; one E-6 supply sergeant; one E-4 supply clerk; one E-6 Crypto sgt.; one E-4 Crypto clerk; one E-7 mess sergeant; one E-5 cook; one E-4 cook; one E-3 cook; 3 sets of Artillery MOS teams made up of one E-6 sergeant; an E-5 sergeant; two E-4 specialists and two E-3 batterymen. (One Artillery Team supported each firing battery in the 45.)
The firing batteries in the 45 were:
34 SERINGAPATAM BATTERY (8 INCH M110)
52 NIAGRA BATTERY (155 M109A1)
170 IMJIN BATTERY (155 M109A1)
170 Battery was one of the few foreign military units to win the US Presidential Unit Citation (in Korea). They had a special ceremony every year celebrating this award on St. George’s Day.
Today, the 45 and 34 have had their colours retired. 52 and 170 have been amalgamated into other units. All these units changed throughout the 1980s until their re-alignment in the early 1990s.
I understand that the 15th (now the 15th Artillery Detachment) was brought back in the late 1990s and serves in Germany but is part of our American corps stationed there.
The 570th Artillery Group was headquartered in Münster on a British kaserne. I knew of the following detachments (besides the 15th USAFAD) in the 570th in 1974:
1st USAFAD stationed in Wesel and supporting the Dutch
22nd USAFAD stationed in Sennelager 12 miles from Paderborn and supporting the British 39 Regiment RA
69th USAFAD were attached to the British 50 Missile Regiment in Menden (part 8 inch part Honest John), with some of the personnel staying in 2 Field Regiment’s Barracks in Deilinghofen (Hemer)
The 5th Artillery Group was located near Paderborn in Büren (20 minutes away) and was really much closer to us than the 570th. The 5th supported Belgian units.
As you know these were all custodial units. The 15th and 22nd USAFAD were so close to each other that we shared a common custodial site which relieved much of the guard duty burden which became acute when the last draftees left the Army in 1974. Because of the lack of security clearances some draftees had to involuntarily extend and I know of some who violated rules so they had their clearances pulled and were eligible to be sent home.
All information courtesy of Mr John C. Calhoun and Phillip Perry.