The 3rd Infantry Division Artillery (DIVARTY) is the divisional artillery command for the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia. The DIVARTY has served with the division in World Wars I and II, the Korean War, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and in peacetime at Fort Stewart and Germany. The DIVARTY was inactivated in 2004 as part of transformation to modular brigade combat teams, but was reactivated on 17 October 2014 to provide fire support coordination and mission command for the training and readiness of Field Artillery units across the division.
History
World War I
The 3rd Field Artillery Brigade was constituted in the Regular Army as part of the 3rd Division (later 3rd Infantry Division) on 12 November 1917, and organized at Camp Stanley, Texas, on 26 November 1917. Besides the headquarters, the brigade’s initial units were the 10th Field Artillery Regiment, stationed at Fort Douglas, Utah, with 24 75mm guns; the 76th Field Artillery Regiment, at Fort Bliss, Texas, with 24 75mm guns; the 18th Field Artillery Regiment, with 24 155mm howitzers at Fort Ethan Allen Vermont; and the 3rd Trench Mortar Battery, with 12 6-inch trench mortars. The 3rd Division was never concentrated at a single location before departure to France. After sailing to France in March and April 1918, the units of 3rd Field Artillery Brigade began training at Camp Coetquidan, France
World War II
Pentomic
On 1 July 1957, the DIVARTY reorganized under the pentomic organization. The pentomic DIVARTY organized with a direct support 105mm battalion (1st Howitzer Battalion, 10th Artillery), with five firing batteries to support the divisions five battle groups and a composite general support battalion (1st FA Battalion, 9th Artillery), with two 155mm howitzer batteries of six guns, a four gun battery of 8-in howitzers, and an Honest John rocket battery with 2 launchers.
In April 1958, the 3rd Infantry Division rotated to Germany under Operation Gyroscope, replacing the DIVARTY of the 10th Infantry Division at Kitzingen, West Germany.
On 1 April 1960, the DIVARTY was reorganized with a five composite 105mm/155mm direct support battalions (one for each battle group; three towed and two self-propelled) with the composite general support battalion consisting of 8-inch howitzers and Honest John rockets. The DIVARTY's new direct support battalions were 1st Howitzer Battalion (Self-Propelled), 10th Artillery; 6th Howitzer Battalion, 18th Artillery; 2nd Howitzer Battalion (Self-Propelled), 39th Artillery; 2nd Howitzer Battalion, 41st Artillery; 3rd Howitzer Battalion, 76th Artillery.
ROAD
In August 1963, the DIVARTY reorganized under the Reorganization Objective Army Division (ROAD) organization. The DIVARTY now fielded three DS battalions (one for each of the division's three brigades) equipped with self-propelled 105mm howitzers (1st Bn, 10th Arty; 2nd Bn, 39th Arty; 2nd Bn, 41st Arty), a composite 155mm and 8-inch general support howitzer battalion (3rd Bn, 76th Arty), and an Honest John rocket battalion (1st Bn, 9th Arty). By 1965, the M108 self-propelled 105mm howitzers in the DS battalions had been replaced with 155mm M109 howitzers.
In 1972, the 3rd Bn, 76th FA reflagged as the 1st Bn, 76th FA.
In the 1970s, as a result of increasing weapons capability and unit zones, the DIVARTY activated a target acquisition battery. In 1984, this battery was designated Battery A, 25th Field Artillery.
In 1987, as part of the conversion to the "Army of Excellence" organization, 1-76 FA was reorganized and redesignated as Battery A, 76th FA. The division lost its 8-in howitzers, and retained a single firing battery of [M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System|MLRS].
In 1988, the DIVARTY reflagged 1st Bn, 10th FA and 2nd Bn, 39th FA as 5th and 6th Bns, 41st FA, grouping three battalions from the 41st FA in the DIVARTY. The separate target acquisition and MLRS batteries retained different regimental lineages.
Post Cold War. In 1990 2-41 deployed to Desert Shield from Bad Kissengen Germany