The 6th Field Artillery Regiment is a Field Artillery Branch regiment of the United States Army first activated in 1907 from numbered companies of artillery. It was first organized with two battalions.
6th Field Artillery assigned 8 June 1917 to the 1st Expeditionary Division [later redesignated as the 1st Division]; relieved 16 October 1939 from assignment to the 1st Division; assigned 22 June 1940 to the 8th Division; relieved 20 July 1940 from assignment to the 8th Division. The lineages of some of the units that make up the 6th Field Artillery include campaign credit for the War of 1812.
Note that the lineage of the "6th Regiment of Artillery" constituted 8 March 1898 is carried by the 6th Air Defense Artillery Regiment.
The regiment currently has five battalions.
1st Battalion The 1st Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Regiment was constituted 27 April 1798 in the Regular Army as a company in the 3d Battalion, 2d Regiment of Artillerists and Engineers, and organized at Fort Jay, New York, as Captain James Stille's Company, 3d Battalion, 2d Regiment of Artillerists and Engineers. Constituted 27 April 1798 in the Regular Army as a company in the 3d Battalion, 2d Regiment of Artillerists and Engineers, and organized at Fort Jay, New York, as Captain James Stille's Company, 3d Battalion, 2d Regiment of Artillerists and Engineers
Redesignated 1 April 1802 as Captain James Stille's Company, Regiment of Artillerists
Redesignated 9 June 1805 as Captain John Fergus's Company, Regiment of Artillerists
Redesignated 30 June 1808 as Captain William Wilson's Company, Regiment of Artillerists
Redesignated 3 June 1809 as Captain Enoch Humphrey's Company, Regiment of Artillerists
Redesignated 11 January 1812 as Captain Enoch Humphrey's Company, Corps of Artillery
Redesignated 17 May 1815 as Captain Enoch Humphrey's Company, Corps of Artillery, Southern Division
Redesignated 21 August 1816 as Company C, 3d Battalion, Corps of Artillery, Southern Division
Redesignated 1 June 1821 as Company B, 4th Regiment of Artillery
Reorganized and redesignated 13 February 1901 as the 7th Battery, Field Artillery, Artillery Corps
(6th Field Artillery Regiment organized in 1907, with Colonel Montgomery M. Macomb as its first commander.)
Battery reorganized and redesignated 11 June 1907 as Battery D, 6th Field Artillery
Inactivated 1 August 1940 at Fort Hoyle, Maryland
Absorbed 4 January 1941 by Battery A, 6th Field Artillery Battalion (active) (Battery A, 6th Field Artillery, reorganized and redesignated 4 January 1941 as Battery A, 6th Field Artillery Battalion; [6th Field Artillery Battalion assigned 8 August 1942 to the 37th Infantry Division]; inactivated 13 December 1945 at Camp Anza, California; redesignated 24 July 1946 as Battery A, 6th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, and relieved from assignment to the 37th Infantry Division; activated 1 August 1946 at Fort Sill, Oklahoma)
Former Battery D, 6th Field Artillery, reconstituted 15 February 1957 in the Regular Army and redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Howitzer Battalion, 6th Artillery, assigned to the 1st Armored Division, and activated at Fort Polk, Louisiana (organic elements concurrently constituted and activated)
Redesignated 3 February 1962 as the 1st Battalion, 6th Artillery (Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion, 6th Artillery, concurrently consolidated with Battery D, 6th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion [all organized in 1898 as the 6th Regiment of Artillery], and consolidated unit designated as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion, 6th Artillery)
Relieved 5 May 1971 from assignment to the 1st Armored Division and assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division
Redesignated (less former Battery D, 6th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion) 1 September 1971 as the 1st Battalion, 6th Field Artillery (former Battery D, 6th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion, concurrently redesignated as the 1st Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery – hereafter separate lineage)
1st Battalion, 6th Field Artillery, relieved 21 June 1975 from assignment to the 1st Cavalry Division, and assigned to the 18th Abn Corps Artillery, Ft Bragg, NC
Inactivated 1 October 1983 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Assigned 16 February 1996 to the 1st Infantry Division and activated in Germany. Assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat team of the 1st Infantry Division and headquartered in Bamberg, Germany, 1–6 FA was only a short distance away from the wars in the former Yugoslavia. In 1997, 1st Battalion, 6th Field Artillery deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina in support of Operation Joint Guard from 10 March 1997 until 10 October 1997. During this time they supported Task Force Eagle from a number of operating bases, providing convoy escorts, security and most importantly, fire support coverage of allied operations in the American area of responsibility. The excellence displayed by 1–6 FA resulted in the reception of the Army Superior Unit award upon return to Bamberg, Germany.
After their return from Bosnia, the Centaurs returned home and in early 1998, began to transition from the older M109A5 SP Howitzer to the highly advanced, highly accurate and extremely lethal M109A6 SP Howitzer, commonly referred to as the Paladin. In November 1999 the battalion was once again deployed, this time to Kosovo, where it pulled security at Camp Bondsteel and Camp Montieth until redeploying to Bamberg in the summer of 2000. They later deployed to Iraq as part of Multi-National Force - Iraq.
Redesignated 1 October 2005 as the 1st Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Regiment
Relieved 16 April 2007 from assignment to the 1st Infantry Division and assigned to the 3d Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division. 1-6 FA Deployed to Afghanistan June 2008 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. They were deactivated along with 1st Infantry Division 3rd Brigade Combat Team after their deployment.
1-6 FA is now stationed in Grafenwoehr, Germany under the 41st Field Artillery Brigade since 11 July 2019 as an FAB MLRS unit.
Campaign participation credit
War of 1812: *New Orleans
Indian Wars: *Creeks; *Seminoles; *Modocs; *Bannocks; *Utah 1860
Mexican War: *Buena Vista
Civil War: *Peninsula; *Manassas; *Antietam; *Fredericksburg; *Chancellorsville; *Gettysburg; *Wilderness; *Spotsylvania; *Cold Harbor; *Petersburg; *Maryland 1863; *Virginia 1863
War with Spain: *Santiago; *Puerto Rico
Mexican Expedition: Mexico 1916–1917
World War I: *Montdidier-Noyon; *Aisne-Marne; *St. Mihiel; *Meuse-Argonne; *Lorraine 1917; *Lorraine 1918; *Picardy 1918
World War II: *Northern Solomons; *Luzon (with arrowhead)
War on Terrorism: *Iraq 2004 to 2005 Baqubah, Iraq. *Afghanistan 2011. *Afghanistan 2013
Decorations Valorous Unit Award for BAQUBAH, IRAQ, FEB 2004 to Feb 2005, Permanent Order # 104–08, 14 April 2005 Army Superior Unit Award for 1997 French Croix de Guerre with Palm, World War I for LORRAINE-PICARDY French Croix de Guerre with Palm, World War I for AISNE-MARNE and MEUSE-ARGONNE French Croix de Guerre, World War I, Fourragere Philippine Presidential Unit Citation for 17 OCTOBER 1944 TO 4 JULY 1945
2nd Battalion The 2nd Battalion, 6th Field Artillery was constituted 5 July 1838 in the regular army as Battery K, 1st regiment of artillery. It was organized 11 August 1838 at Fort Hamilton, New York.
Reorganized and redesignated 13 February 1901 as the 2d Battery, Field artillery, artillery Corps. reorganized and redesignated 11 June 1907 as Battery A, 6th Field Artillery.
6th Field Artillery was assigned 8 June 1917 to the 1st Expeditionary Division [later redesignated as the 1st Division]; relieved 16 October 1939 from assignment to the 1st Division; assigned 22 June 1940 to the 8th division; relieved 20 July 1940 from assignment to the 8th division.) reorganized and redesignated on 4 January 1941 as Battery A, 6th Field artillery Battalion.
6th Field Artillery Battalion was assigned on 8 August 1942 to the 37th infantry division. It was inactivated on 13 December 1945 at Camp Anza, California.
Redesignated on 24 July 1946 as Battery A, 6th armored Field artillery Battalion, and relieved from assignment to the 37th infantry division.
Reorganized and redesignated on 1 October 1957 as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 2d Howitzer Battalion, 6th artillery, and assigned to the 3d Armored Division (organic elements constituted 30 August 1957 and activated 1 October 1957).
Redesignated 1 September 1963 as the 2d Battalion, 6th Artillery (Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 2d Battalion, 6th artillery, concurrently consolidated with Battery A, 6th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion [organized in 1898], and consolidated unit designated as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 2d Battalion, 6th artillery). Reorganized and redesignated (less former Battery A, 6th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion) on 1 September 1971 as the 2d Battalion, 6th Field Artillery (former Battery A, 6th Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion, concurrently redesignated as the 2d Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery—hereafter separate lineage).
2d Battalion, 6th Field artillery, inactivated 16 June 1988 in Germany and relieved from assignment to the 3d Armored Division. All personnel were assigned to the 4th Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment on 16 June 1988.
Campaign participation credit Mexican War Monterey Vera Cruz Cerro Gordo Contreras Churubusco Chapultepec Mexico 1847 Civil War Peninsula Manassas Antietam Fredericksburg Chancellorsville Gettysburg Wilderness Spotsylvania Cold Harbor Petersburg Shenandoah Maryland 1863 Virginia 1863 Indian Wars Comanches War with Spain Santiago Mexican expedition Mexico 1916–1917 World War I Montdidier-Noyon Aisne-Marne St. Mihiel Meuse-Argonne Lorraine 1917 Lorraine 1918 Picardy 1918 World War II Northern Solomons Luzon (with arrowhead)
Decorations French Croix de Guerre with Palm, World War i, Streamer embroidered Lorraine-Picardy (6th Field artillery cited; Wd GO 11, 1924) French Croix de Guerre with Palm, World War i, Streamer embroidered Aisne-Marne and Meuse-Argonne 6th Field artillery cited; Wd GO 11, 1924) French Croix de Guerre, World War I, Fourragere (6th Field artillery cited; Wd GO 11, 1924) Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, Streamer embroidered 17 October 1944 to 4 July 1945 (37th infantry division cited; da GO 47, 1950)
3rd Battalion
The 3rd Battalion, 6th Field Artillery was constituted 13 February 1901 in the Regular Army as the 22d Battery, Field Artillery, Artillery Corps. It was organized 5 October 1901 at Fort Douglas, Utah
Reorganized and redesignated 11 June 1907 as Battery B, 6th Field Artillery. It was inactivated 31 March 1930 at Fort Hoyle, Maryland. Activated 1 July 1940 at Fort Hoyle, Maryland
Reorganized and redesignated 4 January 1941 as Battery B, 6th Field Artillery Battalion (which was assigned on 8 August 1942 to the 37th Infantry Division).
Inactivated 13 December 1945 at Camp Anza, California
Redesignated 24 July 1946 as Battery B, 6th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, and relieved from assignment to the 37th Infantry Division
Activated 1 August 1946 at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where it supported the Field Artillery School.