ETO - Battery B

By 1944, when the 528th FABn was activated, the Army had made a very pivotal decision to ensure success in the European Theatre of Operations (ETO). Artillery Battalions would not longer be attached to Divisional command. Instead, from 1943 onward, Artillery would be assigned to the Corps level command, allowing the maneuverability and flexibility to support all Divisions where the action was taking place.

This partly answers why many Artillery Battalions were hard to trace through 1945 in the ETO. Supporting the Corps level command meant responding to action in the ETO to support any army, division, or unit that required heavy artillery retaliation and therefore not as easily traced as a Divisonal battalion would be.

Another reason that very little material exists for the 528th specifically, was the fact that the Battalion was created in early 1944 and was disbanded in 1946. In this short time, very little was recorded of the newly formed unit until after WWII.

Although the 528th mostly served under the umbrella of the III Corps between the 1st and 3rd Armies during the Rhineland & Central Europe campaigns in '45, they were also dispersed where needed throughout Feb to June 1945.

My research focused predominately on the Battery B, for which my Grandfather served, so I cannot speak for the other two Batteries of the Battalion. I obtained the unit reports where there is a wealth of info. While in the UK, the B-Battery headcount was 35 Private-First Class and 43 Privates. They do not mention Tec/5, Corporal or ranks above for numbers.

Below you will find a summaries of 528th-Battery B through Europe '45:

• Nov 1944- Jan 1945 Landed in Liverpool, stationed at Llanybydder Wales, UK
• Feb 5th Departed for Saint-Pierre-de-Varengeville, France
• Feb 8th Le Havre, France
• Feb 16th Soissons, France
• Feb 17th Morville, Belgium
• Feb 18th Germeter, Germany (Brandenberg Germany)
• Feb 19th First Engagement with Enemy Roer River. Assigned to the First Army, III corps, 211 FA group, 12^th army GP
• Feb 21st 1st Anniversary for unit noted
• March 2nd Frangenheim, Germany (Around Cologne)
• March 4th Mulheim, Germany
• March 7th Bach, Germany (Lohmar)
• March 9th Sinzig, Germany
• March 21th Crossed the Rhine River, Dattenberg, Germany
• March 27th Deesen, Germany
• March 28th Fussingen, Hadamar, Germany
• March 31st 6 enemy prisoners taken
• April 2nd Langenstein, Germany
• April 4th Hallenberg, Germany (1 enemy prisoners taken)
• April 6th Neu Astemberg, Germany
• April 9th Holthausen, Germany
• April 11th Dorlar, Germany
• April 13th Stockum, Germany
• April 14th Benkamp, Germany
• April 18-20th Scheinfeld, Germany (277 miles from last destination)
• April 24th Petersaurach, Germany, assigned from 1^st Army, III Corps to 3rd Army, East Haunstetten, Germany
• April 27th Katharinenberg, Reorged, under 1^st Army
• Arpil 28th crossed Danube Rive to Hornlohe, Germany
• April 29th Gamelsdorf, Germany (6 Months in ETO for unit)
• May 2nd Buch, Germany, assigned from 211^th FA Group to 8^th Tank Destroyer Group III Corps
• May 7th Unit Battle Credits “German Campaign”
• ****GERMANY Surrenders on May 8^th and end WWII****
• May 12th (¼ mile from) NW Kunhofen, reassigned to 408^th FA Group May 13th
• May 16th - June 28th Beresbruck, Germany
• June 27th Battle Credits “ Rhineland” &“ Central Europe”
• July 17th (3^rd Army Bivouac) Aschaffenburg, Germany
• July 20th Camp Lucky Strike (France) St-Valery, Metz, France
• Aug 6th Le Havre, France to USA
• Aug 22nd NJ to Camp Hood, Texas