MARCH 1942 – JUNE 2, 1944
THIS is a story of the 345th in combat. It is a story of success, for it is a tale of a unit which
fought the Krauts for 332 days, and fought them well. Our narrative could not possibly include the tale
of all the man-hours of work, sweat, anguish, anxiety, fear, joy, and pride that went into its making. Nor
can it hope to do justice to the individual men who worked so hard and so long to earn the battalion its
excellent reputation in garrison and in combat. This is an overall picture of our operations with a few
events spotlighted for posterity. There were many more that will be known only by word of mouth and
in the minds of those who were there. Back of our combat performance lay 800 days of training-days of
confusion, of disappointments, of anger, of discomfort, and occasionally, of joy. Sometimes the
training task appeared too difficult, yet we stuck to the job and became soldiers. The 345th came to life
when the 90th Division was activated at Camp Barkeley, Texas on March 25, 1942. However, before
activation, the cadre of officers and enlisted men who were to lead us through our first difficult period
had spent months preparing to train us. Even now, forty months later, we owe much to that group of 79
enlisted men of the veteran 80th Field Artillery Battalion of the 6th Infantry Division and to the officers
of the Reserve Corps, National Guard, and the regular Army who gave us our start. From March
through December of 1942 we received our basic training, our unit training, and our combined training.
In August we lost a number of our key officers and men when we sent a cadre to form the 155 Howitzer
Battalion for the 104th Division at Camp Adair, Oregon; also OCS was a continual drain on our
experienced personnel. However, each day we learned some soldier skill; and our selectees carried on
well for the men we lost. Gun drill, calisthenics, lectures, close order drill, night schools, driver's
training, carbine firing, day schools, athletics, service practice, survey work, wire laying, RSOP’s, radio
procedure, preventive maintenance, night exercises, 25 mile marches, reveilles, Saturday inspections,
retreats, training films, proficiency tests, obstacle courses, parades – these and hundreds of similar
activities kept us on the go. By the time we had completed our “D” exercises in December; we could
march; we could shoot; we could communicate. We were artillerymen.
But, we were not ready for combat. We were not field soldiers; so off we went to Louisiana for
maneuvers. There we learned how to keep ourselves neat and well-disciplined while living in the field.
We put to practical use all of the technique and book-learning which we had acquired at Barkeley. Best
of all, we became accustomed to the confusion which is a part of all military operations. We became
flexible in mind and method. Appropriately enough, we celebrated our first birthday by winching
ourselves out of the worst swamp in Louisiana. When our maneuvers ended in April, we were ready to
fight real war against a real enemy.
“D” Day, however, was fourteen months in the future; so back we went to Camp Barkeley.
From May to September, we polished off the rough spots which maneuvers had developed. Many men
were trained in two or more duties, and we steadily improved our technical abilities. Service practice,
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