44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment Tank Tops

The 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment is an Air Defense Artillery regiment of the United States Army, first constituted in 1918 in the Regular Army. During World War II the unit served as the 54th Coast Artillery Regiment (Colored), a segregated unit with mostly African American enlisted men and white officers, one of the few African American artillery units in that war.

The 52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment is an air defense artillery regiment of the United States Army first organized in 1917 as a railway gun unit. It continued in that role unit 1943, when the regiment was broken in separate railway gun battalions, and in the following year the units were reorganized and redesignated as field artillery. On 25 October 1962, in response to the buildup of Russian missiles in Cuba, the 2nd Missile Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery (Nike Hercules) was deployed The south Florida units arrived with conventional high explosive warheads.

The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 44th Coast Artillery Regiment on 1 February 1937. It was redesignated for the 54th Coast Artillery Regiment on 13 March 1941. The insignia was redesignated for the 54th Armored Field Artillery Battalion on 22 July 1954. It was redesignated for the 44th Artillery Regiment on 31 December 1958. Effective 1 September 1971, the insignia was redesignated for the 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment.

The 52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment is an air defense artillery regiment of the United States Army first organized in 1917 as a railway gun unit. It continued in that role unit 1943, when the regiment was broken in separate railway gun battalions, and in the following year the units were reorganized and redesignated as field artillery. On 25 October 1962, in response to the buildup of Russian missiles in Cuba, the 2nd Missile Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery (Nike Hercules) was deployed The south Florida units arrived with conventional high explosive warheads.

Vietnam 2nd (105mm howitzers, towed), 5th (155mm howitzers, self-propelled) and 8th Battalions (175mm gun, self-propelled), 4th Artillery:[9] Counteroffensive, Phase II; Counteroffensive, Phase III; Tet Counteroffensive; Counteroffensive, Phase IV; Counteroffensive, Phase V; Counteroffensive, Phase VI; Tet 69/Counteroffensive; Summer-Fall 1969; Winter-Spring 1970; Sanctuary Counteroffensive; Counteroffensive, Phase VII; Consolidation I

44th ADA traces its lineage back to WWI, where it saw service with the Coast Artillery Corps in France. They returned to France in 1944 and units saw service in the Pacific as well. The 44th was in action in Korea throughout the fighting and also throughout the Vietnam War.

As of 2018, at least two battalions of the regiment are active: 1st Battalion, 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment - 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas 2nd Battalion, 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment - 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, Fort Campbell, Kentucky. The battalion is separated from the other units of the brigade, which are at Fort Bragg, NC.

As of 2018, at least two battalions of the regiment are active: 1st Battalion, 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment - 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas

The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 44th Coast Artillery Regiment on 1 February 1937. It was redesignated for the 54th Coast Artillery Regiment on 13 March 1941. The insignia was redesignated for the 54th Armored Field Artillery Battalion on 22 July 1954. It was redesignated for the 44th Artillery Regiment on 31 December 1958. Effective 1 September 1971, the insignia was redesignated for the 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment.