UNIT HISTORY
Nike Hercules Missiles PREPARING TO FIRE AND DESTROY AN APPROACHING ENEMY TARGET
NIKE HERCULES (NH) MISSILE BATTALION HAVING RECEIVED A RELEASE MESSAGE TO ENGAGE HOSTILE THREATS (AIRCRAFT) ISSUES THE PROPER COMMAND TO ITS FIRING BATTERY'S ENGAGEMENT STATUS. THE MISSILE FIRING BATTERY’S ARE FULLY LOADED AND READY TO ENGAGE THE ENEMY. THE INTEGRATED FIRE CONTROL (RADARS) ACQUIRES THE TARGET, WHILE TRACKING THE TARGET AND ALSO TRACKING THE FIRED MISSILE TO THE TARGET. ENGAGES THE (HOSTILE) ENEMY AIRCRAFT ALSO LOADED WITH NUCLEAR WEAPONS. THE NIKE HERCULES MISSILE BATTALION WAS FOREVER VIGILANT AND READY TO ENGAGE THE ENEMY BY MAINTAINING A 24 HOUR DAY, 7 DAYS A WEEK, 365/ DAYS A YEAR MISSION READINESS PROFILE. FOREVER GUARDING THE SKIES TO PREVENT THE ENEMY THE OPPORTUNITY TO CARRY OUT IT’S MISSION. THE “NH” MISSILE SYSTEM NEVER IN IT’S HISTORY HAD TO ENGAGE ENEMY TARGETS. THE MISSION WAS HARD BUT THE MEN AND WOMEN THAT SERVED IN THE 3RD BATTALION 71ST AIR DEFENSE ARTILLERY HELPED MOLD AND SUPPORT THE CAUSE OF FREEDOM. THE NIKE HERCULES MISSILE HAVING SERVED BOLDLY FOR 27 YEARS and WAS RETIRED FROM ACTIVE SERVICE IN 1985.
THIS MANUAL IS DEDICATED TO THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO SERVED IN
THE 3RD 71
ST AIR DEFENSE ARTILLERY What Keeps Us Running? If you
will donate $20.00 once a year. This $20.00 will help to pay
administrative functions, help support our Reunion and
Banquet, prizes are given throughout the Reunion. This
will be a non deductible gift.
A Little Bit Of History
I looked up the history on the web-site as you suggested and conclude that you did a good job. Obviously, the reason the batteries were not where some may have remembered them had to do with deactivation of one Nike battalion. Hqs and two batteries of 1/67, and two batteries of 3/71 were deactivated, with the residual assets consolidated as 3/71 as you explained. It seems to me this was part of a shuffling when 24th Inf Div was returned to the States. That's when 32d got a little more recognition of its size. The high command said US was not downsizing a division, because the 32d was about the same size. That opened the opportunity to organize the Brigade as a Command with a major general commanding and a general staff. I was a captain in S-3 at the time and headed up a couple of other captains (Jim Surber, Wayne Stoller and Phil Mason) to put together such a proposal. Nothing happened to it before I left in 1964, but at a
subsequent conference the Seventh Army CG was surprised to learn that 32d was not a general staff-sized outfit. He directed BG Richard Cassidy to "look into that." Cassidy went back to 32d, dusted off the earlier proposal and sent to Seventh Army. MG G.V. Underwood became the first 2-star in the new 32d Army Air Defense Command.
COL Thomas Manning (RET)
|
3rd Battalion 71st Air Defense Artillery "Battalion Commanders" LTC Clements, Ted 1982_ 1984 LTC Epperson, Gary 1980 – 1982 LTC Webb, James 1978 - 1980 LTC Leach, James 1976 – 1978 LTC Everett, Jim 1975 – 1976 LTC Schulz, Otto 1973 – 1975 LTC Leger, Jean 1972 – 1973 LTC Manning, Tom 1970 - 1972 LTC Herrick, Stephen 1969 – 1970 LTC Roberts, Ernst 1968 – 1970 LTC Brackett, Charles 1966 – 1967 LTC Stempsen, Kenneth 1964 – 1966 LTC Kennedy, Ralph P. 1962 – 1964 LTC Maldonado, Jack 1959 – 1962 LTC Corso, Phillip J. 1957 – 1958 (It was under Corso’s command when the 552nd AAA gun systems converted to 3rd 71st (AJAX) Missile Battalion), West Germany Organized as 552nd AAA Battalion stationed on Virginia Coast 1942 - 1957
|
GREETINGS Greetings to those who served in the 3rd Battalion 71st Air Defense Artillery, in Germany where it was located from 1947 to 1984. We all did not all serve in the Battalion at the same time, however, over time we have had the privilege of meeting and getting to know many of these individuals. We all faced the hardships that came with serving under isolated conditions, manpower shortages, family separation, while maintaining a high state of readiness that seemed to last forever.
Over the years we look back
with fond memories at those times.
Today we salute the soldiers of today for they
also will develop memories of their
own. We in 3/71 ADA have an avenue available to
us to maintain and continue these friendships
and that is through our Battalion Reunion we
hold every two years. Our next one will be
in 2010, I look forward to seeing and greeting
you there.
|
Go ahead make my day
A Battery 3/71 Today
LINKS TO OTHER NIKE HERCULES WEB-SITES (Use Ctrl+Click to follow a Hyperlink)
Delta http://dbtry371ada.org - - - http://dbtry371ada.org
http://chadogroup.com/bravo/ - - - Bravo Battery 3rd Battalion 71st ADA
http://www.bravo256ada.org - - - B Battery 2nd Battalion 56th Air Defense Artillery
www.hardheim-hardtimes.com - - - - - C Battery 3rd Battalion 71st Air Defense Artillery
jsmith5bn6ada@netscape.net- - - 5th Battalion 6th Air Defense ArtilleryREUNION: 162nd Ordnance Detachment GMDS (Nike Ajax) and HHB (DSP) 5th Missile Battalion 6th Artillery (Nike Hercules) Hoppstaedten, Germany APO NY 09034 October 19 - 21, 2009 in Gatlinburg, TN in the Great Smokey Mountains and right by Dolly Parton's "Dollywood" in Pigeon Forge. Would have made a great radar site. All vets, all ranks, all years. This will be a great time. Contact Richard "Vince" Vincell, 13835 141st Terrace, Olathe, KS 66062, phone 913-782-1939, cell 913-205-2255, e-mail rvincesr@sbcglobal.net for details.
3RD BATTALION 71ST AIR DEFENSE ARTILLERY SITE LINKS
LINKS that may aid in locating personnel.
Use Ctrl+Click to follow a hyperlink
http://ed-thelen (Look in 94th Group for Battalion and Batteries)
www.gather.com/d652ada/roster.htm
ALPHA BATTERY 3/71 ADA DALLAU WEB-SITE
http://goerigk-jever.de/dallau.htm
BRAVO 3/71 ADA WEB-SITEhttp://bravo3_71nike.tripod.com/
CHARLIE BATTERY 3/71 ADA WEB-SITE
www.gather.com/d652ada/roster.htm
TOM FISH B-3/71 ADA
http://fish-house.org/gallery/b-3-71
Go to www.Yahoo.com,type in "Nike Hercules" and push search button
