The 5th Artillery Group is the Brigade`s largest group, both in the number of service-members it has and the number of detachements it contains. It`s also the most spread out group, with detachements as far south as Frankfurt and as far north as the cold, North Sea.
In all, the group has 10 detachements and one company divided into 30 teams in 31 different locations throughout central and northern Germany.
“Why is it so big?” one might ask. This giant serves as the Brigade`s only air defense artillery group, which is different from the land combat groups and ordnance battalions that make up the rest of the 59th organization.
The group has a history dating back to World War II. Activated on Sept. 5, 1942, the 5th is the oldest artillery group in the U.S. Army. It participated in combat in North Africa and Sicily in 1943 and in France and Germany in 1944 and 1945. It also fought in Korea.
The group came to Germany again in 1963 and currently maintains an assigned strength of over 1500 personnel. It provides custodial support, technical support and custodial maintenance for several weapons systems in support of units from the German, Dutch and Belgian Army and Air Force.
In so doing, the group works closely with  its supported nation counterparts, both in training and in day-to-day operations.
Because the headquarters of the 5th Groups organic detachements support the headquarters of large German, Dutch and Belgian battalions, ample support facilities exist on 5th Group kasernes not found on most NATO installations. These include medical and athletic facilities; movie theaters and saunas; and officers, NCO and enlisted clubs.
The group has had many notable successes in its history,  most importantly in its training programs. The 5th Group detachements have a well known history of receiving superior ratings on inspections; and 5th Group soldiers are also known for high scores on their Skills Qualification Test.

The organic units of the 5th Group, in brief:

The Headquarters and Headquarters Company are situated in Bueren (described by one 5th Group soldier as being “just like home”), along with the 27th Ordnance Company. Bueren serves as a subcommunity with a commissary, education center, finance office, all ranks club, post exchange, post office, theater and Stars and Stripes Bookstore. Medical care is available on the Belgian kaserne and in town. For school children, there is an elementary school, with junior and senior high schools in Frankfurt.

The 35th Artillery Detachment is headquartered in Hohenkirchen, about 30 minutes from the beaches of the North Sea. Community support here comes from Bremerhaven. The detachment has four teams; Alpha in Hohenkirchen; Bravo, in Rodenkirchen; Charly, in Wiesmoor; and Delta, in Dornum.

The 42nd Artillery Detachment, headquartered in Barnstorf, supports the 25th FlaRak (German) Battallion`s Nike-Hercules missiles. Situated about 100 miles due south of Bremerhaven, the units members take advantage of the sailing, swimming, fishing and wildlife preserves to the southwest of them, near the Duemersee. Alpha Team is colocated with the headquarters, while bravo team is 20 kilometers south.

The 43rd Artillery Detachment headquarters, in Dueren enjoys the best of the nearby cities of Cologne and Aachen. It supports the 13th Belgian Missile Wing and receives community support through the Giessen military community. Alpha team is colocated with the detachment headquarters while Bravo team is an hour away from the headquarters in picturesque Kaster; Charlie team is in Euskirchen and Delta team in Blankenheim, both less than an hours drive from the headquarters. The detachment sponsors a soccer program for each of its teams.

The 51st Artillery Detachment, headquarters on the northwest corner of the German metropolis of Bremen in Adelheide, is the only detachment in the group without an Alpha or Bravo team; the two split off during a Brigade reorganization. The 51st places great pride in the quality of training of its soldiers. They hold annual military skills competitions among soldiers of similar military accupational specialties.
The 51st also operates a free lunch program for American elementary school children in nearby Delmenhorst. The detachment has a Charlie team in Westercheps, near Oldenburg, and a Delta team in nearby Syke, south of Bremen.

The 52nd Artillery Detachment, headquartered in Burbach, is close to the 557th Artillery Group headquarters in Herbomseelbach, and about an hour and a half north of Frankfurt. It receives its community support from Giessen, 50 miles distant.

The 66th Artillery Detachment, headquartered in Büecke, is just a foosball’s toss away from the group headquarters in Bueren, enjoying the convenience of the nearby city of Soest. Although they support the 21st (German) FlaRak Battalion, they have their own kaserne four kilometers east of the headquarters in the heart of a Belgian training area.

The 501st Artillery Detachment, headquartered in Kilianstaetten, sits on the north-east section of Frankfurt and is the groups southernmost unit. It supports the 23rd FlaRak Battalion. The detachment  is the most spread out detachment in the Brigade, with four teams scattered over an area the size of Rhode Island. The detachment receives most of its Community support from the Hanau military community and its medical support from Frankfurt. Three of the detachments four teams are located close to major military communities.

The 597th Artillery Detachment, headquartered in Grefrath with its Alpha team, is close to Duesseldorf and supports the 9th Belgian missile wing. Although it ostensibly receives community support from Giessen two and a half hours away, service members of the unit may go to the nearby Schinen, Netherlands, headquarters for Armed Forces Central Europe (AFCENT), for exchange and commissary facilities, as well as other community support.

The 509th Artillery Detachment, headquartered in Voerden, 50 miles southwest of Bremen, supports the 12th Netherlands Missile Group. While the colocated headquarters and Alpha team receive support from the Norddeutschland military community in Bremerhaven, Bravo team in Schoeppingen and Charlie team in Borgholzhausen receive their support from the Giessen military community to the south.
Although the 5th group is the largest group in the Brigade, it gives personal attention to the needs of every soldier, right down to the ones in its 25 man teams. It shows its heart is a big as its numbers are large.
 
 

The 5th U.S. Army Artillery Group was constituted in the Army of the United States in September 1942 as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 5th Armored Artillery Group. The unit was activated that same month at Camp Young, Calif.
The Group was created by taking the Division Artillery Command from the 5th Armored Division and making a separate command. As the first unit of its kind, it was an experiment by the War Department designated to attach a tactical command element to its subordinate battalions. Thus, the Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment was attached to the 65th Armored Artillery Division, which became a separate battalion assigned to the group.
The command deployed to the African-Middle Eastern Theater, arriving at Casablanca in January 1943. While in Africa, the 5th Group received credit for participation in the Tunisian Campaign. Next up was the invasion of Sicily; the 5th was assigned to II Corps. The group was awarded battle credit for the Sicilian Campaign.
At the close of the Sicilian Campaign in August, the unit was reorganized and redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 5th Field Artillery Group. In November 1943, the 5th Group left for the United Kingdom and arrived in Scotland in December. The group remained there until July 1944, when it moved to Normandy and participated in the closing days of that campaign as an element of XX Corps.
In the month that followed, 5th Group, now attached to VII Corps, was an integral element of the push across France into Germany. The Headquarters Battery was awarded approximately 100 combat decorations. For service in the European Theater, the 5th Field Artillery Group received credit for five campaigns. The unit returned to the United States and was inactivated at Camp Myles Standish, Mass, in October 1945.
The 5th Field Artillery Group was reactivated in August 1946 at Fort Sill, Okla. The group performed routine training and administration of the post until August 1950 when, after the outbreak of hostilities, the 5th Field Artillery Group was ordered to action in Korea. Arriving in Korea in late September 1950, the 5th Group actively engaged in combat operations. The 5th received battle credit for its participation in the UN Defensive and UN Offensive Campaigns, the 5th Field Artillery Group was awarded an ROK Presidential Unit Citation.
Following participation in the Communist Chinese Forces Intervention, the 5th Group was allotted to the regular Army in October 1951. For action in February 1952, the 5th Field Artillery was awarded a second ROK Presidential Unit Citation. For service during the period December 1952 through April 1953, the 5th Filed Artillery Group received the Meritorious Unit Commendation. The group was redesigned as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 5th U.S. Army Artillery Group, and it was activated  in July 1962 at Fort Sill.
In February 1963, the 5th U.S. Army Artillery Group arrived in Germany along with one subordinate unit, the 27th Ordnance Company. The groups new home was established in Bueren.
In March 1963 , the 5th Group was assigned to the 514th U.S. Army Artillery Group. Thus, the 5th assumed command of units providing support to the I Belgian Corps, I British Corps, and Second Allied Tactical Air Force.
On 1 July 1967, the 5th Group was transferred from the 514th U.S. Army Artillery Group to the 548th U.S. Army Artillery Group for administrative control. In October 1978, the 5th  U.S. Army Artillery Group was reorganized as the 59th Ordnance Brigades all-air defense detachment group.
The 1980s saw the reduction of mission requirements and a corresponding inactivation of teams as the user nations withdrew the aging Nike Hercules weapons system from service. The 5th USAAG, along with its subordinate units, was officially inactivated in October 1988.

35th U.S. Army Artillery Detachment

The 35th U.S. Army Artillery Detachment was activated in 1944 and served in the European Theater earning five battle credits. In September 1945, the unit returned to the United States and was deactivated.
For a brief period in 1947-48, the detachment was reactivated as the 35th U.S. Army Artillery (Coast) Maintenance Detachment in the Hawaiian Area Command and subsequently inactivated. In December 1958, the unit was reactivated as the 35th U.S. Army Artillery Detachment (Warhead Support) (Nike-Hercules). It was assigned to Fort Bliss, Texas and reorganized.
In April 1962, the 38th transferred to Germany and it was attached to the 2nd Missile Battalion, 56th Artillery headquartered in Pirmasens. In October 1962, the detachment was reassigned to the Special Ammunition Support Command and moved to northern Germany under the command of the 552nd U.S. Army Artillery Group. The 35th was transferred to the 5th U.S. Army Artillery Group in October 1978, and was inactivated with the group in1988.

42nd U.S. Army Artillery Detachment

The 42nd U.S. Army Artillery Detachment was activated in June 1962 at Fort Bliss, Texas. The unit deployed to Europe in December 1962 and was assigned to the 552nd U.S. Army Artillery Group.
In June 1966, the detachment was transferred to the 570th U.S. Army Artillery Group, and in May 1967, it was reassigned to the 552nd. Finally, in October 1978, the 42nd Detachment was assigned to the 5th U.S. Army Artillery Group. The 42nd was inactivated with the group in 1968.

43rd U.S. Army Artillery Detachment

The 43rd U.S. Army Artillery Detachment was activated in May 1962 at Fort Bliss, Texas. The detachment arrived in Germany in January 1963 and was assigned to the 552nd U.S. Army Artillery Group. In March 1963, the 43rd was reassigned to the 5th U.S. Army Artillery Group. The 43rd was inactivated in 1988.

51st U.S. Army Artillery Group

The 51st U.S. Army Artillery Group was activated at Fort Bliss, Texas in December 1951 as the 51st Radio Controlled Airplane Target Detachment. The unit was reorganized and redesignated in October 1952 as the 51st Anti-Aircraft Detachment. It was inactivated in September 1958. The unit was activated in March 1967 as the 51st U.S. Army Artillery Detachment at Fort Bliss. The detachment deployed to Germany in September 1973 and was assigned to the 552nd U.S. Army Artillery Group. In October 1978, the 51st was reassigned to the 5th U.S. Army Artillery Group. The 51st was inactivated in 1988.

52nd U.S. Army Artillery Detachment

The 52nd U.S. Army Artillery Detachment was activated in December 1961 at Fort Bliss, Texas. The unit received movement orders to Germany in March 1962. In June 1962, the 52nd was assigned to the 552nd U.S. Army Artillery Group. In March of the following year, the 52nd was reassigned to the 5th U.S. Army Artillery Group. The detachment was transferred to the  557th U.S. Artillery Group in May 1966, but returned to the 5th Artillery Group in October 1970. The detachment was inactivated with the group in 1988.

66th U.S. Army Artillery Detachment

The 66th U.S. Army Artillery Detachment was organized and activated in October 1962 as part of the U.S. Forward  Support Group, U.S. Army Southern European Task Force in Vicenza, Italy. In December 1962, the 66th Detachment was reassigned to the Special Ammunition Support Command and it was further assigned to the 552nd U.S. Army Artillery Group. In March 1963, the unit was transferred to the 5th U.S. Army Artillery Group. The unit was inactivated with the group in 1988.

501st U.S. Army Artillery Detachment

The 501st U.S. Army Artillery Detachment was activated in October 1962 at Fort Bliss, Texas. The detachment was assigned to the 548th U.S. Army Artillery Group, which further attached it to the 552nd U.S. Army Artillery Group. In May 1966, the 501st was transferred to the 557th U.S. Army Artillery Group. Finally, imn October 1978, the detachment was assigned to the 5th U.S. Army Artillery Group. The 501st was inactivated in 1988 with the group headquarters.

507th U.S. Army Artillery Detachment

The 507th U.S. Army Artillery Detachment was activated in 1970 and was assigned to the 5th U.S. Army Artillery Group in August of that year. The unit was inactivated in 1988.

509th U.S. Army Artillery Detachment

The 509th U.S. Army Artillery Detachment was activated in May 1944 as the 148th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Operations Detachment. After a brief period of organization and training in England, the detachment deployed to the continent where it receives credit for participating in two campaigns. The 148th was inactivated in Germany in October 1945.
In October 1948, the unit was redesignated as the 509th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Operations Detachment and allotted to the regular Army. The 509th was assigned to Seventh Army, Europe, and activated in July 1952. In October 1954, it was redesignated as the 509th Artillery Detachment. The 509th was inactivated in June 1957 and remained in that status until December 1962. At that time, the detachment was redesignated as the 509th U.S. Army Artillery Detachment and activated at Fort Bliss, Texas as a Warhead Support, Nike-Hercules unit. The unit was again inactivated in July 1963. In March 1966, the 509th U.S. Army Artillery Detachment was activated at Fort Bliss, and in March 1967, the unit deployed to Germany. In October 1978, the 509th was reassigned to the 5th U.S. Army Artillery Detachment. The 509th was inactivated in 1988.

History of 514th USAAG

The 514th U.S. Army Artillery Group was constituted in February 1943 in the Army of the United States as the 514th Field Artillery Battalion, (155mm Gun) (Tractor Drawn). The battalion was activated later that year at Fort Lewis, Wash.
After completing unit training, the battalion departed Fort Lewis and traveled to Fort Brag, N.C. where it was assigned to the XVIII Corps for further training in May 1943. The 514th arrived in Europe in October 1944 and received credit for participating in four campaigns. In August 1945, the 514th returned to the United States where it was inactivated in February 1946.
In September 1948, the 514th Field Battalion was redesignated as the 958th Rocket Field Artillery Battalion and allotted to the Organized Reserve Corps. The battalion was active from September 1948 through August 1950 at Fresno, Calif.
In March 1952, the 958th Rocket Field Artillery Battalion was designated the 514th Field Battalion and it was allotted to the regular Army later that year.
Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 514th Field Artillery Battalion was redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 514th U.S. Army Field Artillery Group in May 1961.
Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 514th U.S. Army Artillery Group was activated in Germany and stationed at Moenchengladbach in December 1961. The group was subordinate to the  Special Ammunition Support Command. The 514th mission was to implement the SASCOM Special Ammunition Support Program in cooperation with the Northern Army Group and Second Allied Tactical Air Force.
With the merger of SASCOM and AWSCOM in October 1972, the 514th U.S. Army Artillery Group was deactivated. The Personnel spaces made available from the deactivation were used to establish 59th Ordnance Group Staff Element at NORTHAG. The staff element at NORTHAG was inactivated in April 1992.
 
 

528th USAAG history

The 528th U.S. Army Artillery Group was constituted in January 1944 and activated in the Army of the United States in February 1944 at Camp Hood, Texas as the 528th Field Artillery Battalion.
The battalion deployed to Europe and received credit for participation in the Rhineland and Central Europe Campaigns. The battalion was inactivated in November 1946 at Camp Hood.
In June 1947, the unit was redesignated the 934th Field Artillery Battalion and allotted to the Organized Reserve and it was active in Chicago, Ill. 1947 through 1959. Redesignated as the 528th Field Artillery Battalion in March 1952, the battalion was withdrawn from the Army Reserve and allotted to the regular Army in December of the same year.
The 528th Field Artillery Battalion was active in Korea from March 1955 through June 1956.
In March 1955 it was redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 528th U.S. Army Artillery Group and in April 1959 the unit was activated at Fort Sill, Okla.
The group deployed to Turkey in early 1960 as a subordinate group to the new Special Ammunition Support Command. The 528th was officially known as the Turkish-U.S. Logistic s Detachment 67 (TUSLOG-Det 67). Command and Control of the 528th U.S. Army Artillery Group was transferred to the Southern European Task Force in October 1972 with the merger of AWSCOM and SASCOM.

548th U.S. Army Artillery Group

The 548th U.S. Army Artillery Group was constituted in the Army of  the United States as the 548th Field Artillery Battalion in March 1944. Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 548th Field Artillery Battalion was redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 548th U.S. Army Artillery Group in May 1961. The 548th U.S. Army Artillery Group (Provisional) was organized and assigned to the Special Ammunition Support Command in August 1961. In October 1961, Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 548th U.S. Army Artillery Group was activated and assigned to SASCOM.
In April 1962, the group was further attached to the U.S. Army Element (Support Command), Headquarters, Central Army Group (CENTAG). Concurrently, the 548th Headquarters  and Headquarters Detachment moved to Seckenheim. With the merger of SASCOM and AWSCOM in October 1972, the 548th U.S. Army Artillery Group aws inactivated and its subordinate groups assigned directly under the new 59th Ordnance Group. The liaison role performed by the Headquarters 548th became the responsibility of the 59th Ordnance Group Staff Element at CENTAG which was composed of spaces from the 548th. The staff element at CENTAG was inactivated in June 1992.

558th U.S. Army Artillery Group

The 558th U.S. Army Artillery Group was originally constituted  in the Army of the United States in February  1943 as the 558th Field Artillery Battalion.
The battalion was assigned to the II Armored Corps and attached to the 75th Field  Artillery Brigade until November 1943 at which time it was assigned to the U.S. Army. It was reassigned to the II Corps from January through June 1944. In July 1944, the battalion departed the United States for Europe where it earned battle credits for four campaigns.
In July1953, the 558th Artillery designation was allocated to the regular Army. It was redesignated as the 558th Field Artillery Missile Battalion in March 1955 and activated in May of that year at Fort Bliss, Texas as a Corporal Missile battalion.
Arriving in Germany in March 1956, the battalion was assigned to the 72nd Field Artillery Group of V Corps Artillery. The battalion was inactivated in June 1958 when the Corporal Missile unit was redesignated under the Combat Arms Regimental System.
In April 1960, Headquarters, 558th Field Artillery Battalion was redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 558th U.S. Army Artillery Group and activated in May 1960 at Fort Sill, Okla.
The 558th U.S. Army Artillery Group departed Fort Sill and arrived in Athens, Greece in late November 1960. The 558th Artillery Group was further assigned to special Ammunition Support Command.
Effective 20 October 1972, the 558th U.S. Army Artillery Group was relieved of its assignment to SASCOM and assigned to the Southern European Task Force.
 
 

Some comments by Jeff Hill:

As a former GI in the 5th Artillery Group I found your page very interesting.  You missed a bit of the history of the unit, however.  During it's time in Büren there were several non-Nike detachments that were part of the 5th Group.  In 1969 and 1970 I was stationed in Werl, Westf. with the 4th Missile Detachment, later known as 4th Artillery Detachment.  This unit supported the Belgian 14th and 20th artillery battalions, which were field artillery with 8" (203 mm) howitzers and Honest John (ground-to-ground) rockets.  This was supposed to be a big secret (the types of guns and rockets), but since we had a 10 meter long training rocket on a trailer in the parking lot for every taxi driver in town to see, and since the M-55 (I think) 8" self-propelled howitzer was big as a house, only an idiot would not have known what we supported.  There was another unit like this near Unna, I think in Holzwickede.  There was also one near Cologne / Dellbrück. At that time, also, the Nato support unit in Büren with the 5th Group was Dutch (Netherlands) instead of Belgian.  That might have changed after I left.

Curiously, many of the lower ranking Belgian soldiers thought that the weapons bunkers they were guarding were empty, because they could not imagine the USA giving them weapons in time of war.  They thought it was all a decoy. They were quite wrong.

I believe the 4th Detachment shut down and went home in 1993, and the Belgian 14th and 20th battalions left in early 1995.  There was also GPG 6 - Hawk (ground to air) and a helicopter squadron, the Blue Bees, stationed there, and a bunch of vehicle maintenance facilities, all gone in early 1995.  I visited the site in March 1995 while attending the CeBit computer show in Hannover, and found it was all closed up.  The guard at the gate told me that the Americans had left two years earlier, but the Belgians had just left a couple of months before.  He let me in and said I could look at anything.  I found the weapons bunkers were being used to storage old garbage cans, which I thought was a very appropriate use for them.

I enjoyed this comment from your web page, "Because the headquarters of the 5th Groups organic detachements support the headquarters of large German, Dutch and Belgian battalions, ample support facilities exist on 5th Group kasernes not found on most NATO installations. These include medical and athletic facilities; movie theaters and saunas; and officers, NCO and enlisted clubs."  In Werl there was plenty of married housing for soldiers who brought their families to Germany, but we didn't get any use of Belgian medical, athletic, or recreation facilities, which were sparse at best anyway.  At that time, however, there was a Canadian brigade across town, and they "adopted" us and gave us free use of their facilities.   After I left the Canadians relocated somewhere else and the British moved in.

It's a good thing the 5th Artillery Group never had to go to war in the 60's, 70's and 80's.  They had a lot of weapons, more than most people would imagine.

Jeff Hill

Thanks a lot Jeff!