Lineages and Honors of the California National Guard

143d Field Artillery Regiment

 

Organized 20 December 1912 from existing units in the California National Guard as the 1st Battalion of Field Artillery, with Headquarters at Oakland

 

Mustered into Federal service 28 June 1916; mustered out of Federal service 21 December 1916-6 January 1917

 

Expanded, reorganized, and redesignated 3 August 1917 as the 1st Field Artillery Regiment

 

Drafted into Federal service 5 August 1917

 

Reorganized and redesignated 24 September 1917 as the 143d Field Artillery and assigned to the 40th Division

 

Demobilized 28 January 1919 at the Presidio of San Francisco, California

 

Reorganized 1 November 1921 in the California National Guard as the 1st Separate Battalion of Field Artillery, with Headquarters at Oakland

 

Expanded, reorganized, and redesignated 1 July 1924 as the 143d Field Artillery and assigned to the 40th Division; Headquarters Federally recognized 30 July 1924 at Oakland

 

(Location of Headquarters changed 11 October 1928 to Stockton)

 

Inducted into Federal service 3 March 1941 at home stations

 

Regiment broken up 18 February 1942 and its elements reorganized and redesignated as follows:

Headquarters and the 1st Battalion as the 143d Field Artillery Battalion, an element of the 40th Infantry Division

 

2d Battalion as the 164th Field Artillery Battalion, an element of the 40th Infantry Division

 

(Headquarters Battery as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 204th Field Artillery - hereafter separate lineage)

 

 

After 18 February 1942 the above units underwent changes as follows:

143d Field Artillery Battalion relieved 1 September 1942 from assignment to the 40th Infantry Division and assigned to the 27th Infantry Division

Relieved 30 October 1942 from assignment to the 27th Infantry Division and assigned to the 40th Infantry Division

Inactivated 7 April 1946 at Camp Stoneman, California

Reorganized and Federally recognized 22 April 1947 as the 629th Field Artillery Battalion, with Headquarters at Alameda, and assigned to the 49th Infantry Division

 

164th Field Artillery Battalion relieved 1 September 1942 from assignment to the 40th Infantry Division

Assigned 1 April 1943 to the 40th Infantry Division

Inactivated 7 April 1946 at Camp Stoneman, California

 

Reorganized and Federally recognized 18 February 1947 with Headquarters at Stockton and assigned to the 49th Infantry Division

 

164th, 629th, 636th (see ANNEX 1), and 637th (organized and Federally recognized 17 February 1947 with Headquarters at San Jose as an element of the 49th Infantry Division) Field Artillery Battalions and the 149th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion (see ANNEX 2) consolidated, reorganized, and redesignated 1 May 1959 as the 143d Artillery, a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System, to consist of the 1st Rocket Howitzer Battalion and the 2d, 3d, 4th, 5th, and 6th Howitzer Battalions, elements of the 49th Infantry Division

 

Reorganized 1 March 1963 to consist of the 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, and 5th Battalions, elements of the 49th Infantry Division

 

Reorganized 4 December 1965 to consist of the 1st, 2d, 4th, and 5th Battalions, elements of the 49th Infantry Division, and the 3d Battalion, an element of the 49th Infantry Brigade

 

Reorganized 29 January 1968 to consist of the 1st Battalion and the 3d Battalion, an element of the 49th Infantry Brigade

 

Redesignated 1 May 1972 as the 143d Field Artillery

 

Reorganized 13 January 1974 to consist of the 1st Battalion, an element of the 40th Infantry Division

 

Withdrawn 19 January 1988 from the Combat Arms Regimental System and reorganized under the United States Army Regimental System

 

 

Annex 1

 

Organized and Federally recognized 14 June 1926 in the California National Guard at Sacramento as Battery D, 143d Field Artillery, an element of the 40th Division

Inducted into Federal service 3 March 1941 at Sacramento

 

Reorganized and redesignated 18 February 1942 as Battery A, 164th Field Artillery Battalion, an element of the 40th Infantry Division

 

(164th Field Artillery Battalion relieved 1 September 1942 from assignment to the 40th Infantry Division; assigned 1 April 1943 to the 40th Infantry Division)

 

Inactivated 7 April 1946 at Camp Stoneman, California

 

Redesignated 5 August 1946 as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 636th Field Artillery Battalion, an element of the 49th Infantry Division

 

Reorganized and Federally recognized 18 September 1947 at Sacramento (organic elements subsequently organized from existing units)

 

 

Annex 2

Constituted 5 August 1946 in the California National Guard as the 681st Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion

 

Organized and Federally recognized 27 February 1947 with Headquarters at Belmont

(Location of Headquarters changed 14 December 1947 to San Mateo)

 

Redesignated 1 February 1949 as the 149th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion and assigned to the 49th Infantry Division

 

Redesignated 1 October 1953 as the 149th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion

 

 

Campaign Participation Credit

 

World War I

Streamer without inscription

 

World War II

Bismarck Archipelago
Leyte
Luzon (with arrowhead)
Southern Philippines (with arrowhead)

 

Headquarters Battery (Walnut Creek), 1st Battalion, additionally entitled to:

 

World War II - Asiatic Pacific Theater

Aleutian Islands

 

World War II - Europe Africa Middle East

Silver band without inscription

 

Battery B (Woodland), 1st Battalion, additionally entitled to:

 

World War II

Aleutian Islands
Eastern Mandates (with arrowhead)
Ryukyus

 

Battery C (Santa Maria), 1st Battalion, additionally entitled to:

 

World War II

Normandy
Northern France
Rhineland
Ardennes-Alsace
Central Europe

 

Korean War
Second Korean Winter
Korea, Summer-Fall 1952
Third Korean Winter
Korea, Summer 1953

 

Service Battery (Richmond), 1st Battalion, additionally entitled to:

 

War with Spain

Manila

 

Philippine Insurrection

Manila

 

World War I

St. Mihiel
Meuse-Argonne

 

World War II

Central Europe

 

 

Decorations

 

Battery A (Lodi), Battery B (Woodland), and Service Battery (Richmond), 1st Battalion, each entitled to:

 

Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, Streamer embroidered 17 JULY 1944 TO 4 OCTOBER 1945

 

Battery C (Santa Maria), 1st Battalion, entitled to:

 

Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, Streamer embroidered KOREA

 

BY ORDER OF THE SECRETARY OF THE ARMY:

 

JOHN W. MOUNTCASTLE

Brigadier General, United States Army

Chief of Military Gistory

 

12 September 1996

 

 

 

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Updated 18 November 2018