1st Field Artillery Regiment (Belgium)
Encyclopedia
The 1st Field Artillery Regiment or 1A was an artillery
battalion
in the Land Component
of the Belgian Armed Forces
. The regiment was the field artillery
battalion of the 7th Brigade
until 2010.
The unit was stationed in Bastogne
and was equipped with the M109A2
self-propelled howitzer of 155mm and later the Mortier 12O RT
heavy mortar.
s. During the Second World War, it remained active after the Eighteen Days' Campaign, the campaign of the Belgian army in May 1940 when Belgium was invaded by Germany
. The First Belgian Battery, which was created in the United Kingdom
in February 1941, participated as part of the Brigade Piron
in the Battle of Normandy
and in fights in Belgian
and Dutch Limburg
during the liberation of Western Europe. For this reason, the regiment's first battery, A Battery, is known as Batterie Libération (French
for "Liberation Battery").
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
in the Land Component
Belgian Army
The Land Component is organised using the concept of capacities, whereby units are gathered together according to their function and material. Within this framework, there are five capacities: the command capacity, the combat capacity, the support capacity, the services capacity and the training...
of the Belgian Armed Forces
Military of Belgium
The Belgian Army is the national military of Belgium. The Belgian Army was established after Belgium became independent in October 1830...
. The regiment was the field artillery
Field artillery
Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, long range, short range and extremely long range target engagement....
battalion of the 7th Brigade
7th Brigade (Belgium)
The Light Brigade, formerly the 7th Mechanised Brigade, is a Brigade of the Land Component of the Belgian Armed Forces. Its headquarters is located in Marche-en-Famenne.-Organisation:The 7th Brigade comprises the following units:...
until 2010.
The unit was stationed in Bastogne
Bastogne
Bastogne Luxembourgish: Baaschtnech) is a Walloon municipality of Belgium located in the province of Luxembourg in the Ardennes. The municipality of Bastogne includes the old communes of Longvilly, Noville, Villers-la-Bonne-Eau, and Wardin...
and was equipped with the M109A2
M109
M109 may be:* M109 howitzer, a self-propelled 155 mm howitzer* M-109 highway , a state highway in Michigan* Messier 109 , a spiral galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major* Barrett XM-109, an anti-material weapon...
self-propelled howitzer of 155mm and later the Mortier 12O RT
Mortier 120mm Rayé Tracté Modèle F1
The MO-120 RT-61 or MO-120-RT is a heavy mortar of French origin. It was designed by Thomson-Brandt as the successor for the MO-120 AM-50...
heavy mortar.
History
The 1st Field Artillery Regiment was established on 21 February 1836, when the Regiment of Artillery was split up into three new regiments. The regiment participated in both World WarWorld war
A world war is a war affecting the majority of the world's most powerful and populous nations. World wars span multiple countries on multiple continents, with battles fought in multiple theaters....
s. During the Second World War, it remained active after the Eighteen Days' Campaign, the campaign of the Belgian army in May 1940 when Belgium was invaded by Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The First Belgian Battery, which was created in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in February 1941, participated as part of the Brigade Piron
1st Belgian Infantry Brigade
The Belgian 1st Infantry Brigade, also known as the "Brigade Piron", after its commander, Jean-Baptiste Piron, was a Belgian and Luxembourger army unit which fought in World War II...
in the Battle of Normandy
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
and in fights in Belgian
Limburg (Belgium)
Limburg is the easternmost province of modern Flanders, which is one of the three main political and cultural sub-divisions of modern Belgium. It is located west of the river Meuse . It borders on the Dutch provinces of North Brabant and Limburg and the Belgian provinces of Liège, Flemish Brabant...
and Dutch Limburg
Limburg (Netherlands)
Limburg is the southernmost of the twelve provinces of the Netherlands. It is located in the southeastern part of the country and bordered by the province of Gelderland to the north, Germany to the east, Belgium to the south and part of the west, andthe Dutch province of North Brabant partly to...
during the liberation of Western Europe. For this reason, the regiment's first battery, A Battery, is known as Batterie Libération (French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
for "Liberation Battery").
External links
- Section of the website of the Belgian Ministry of Defence about the 1st Field Artillery Regiment - Only available in FrenchFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and DutchDutch languageDutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...