Korean War Era
29th Field Artillery
Notes of the Time
Friedberg, Germany
Friedberg, Germany
He notes that in early April 1951, the 29th FA Bn was just being reactivated. He and his
group, arriving from the states, first went to Mannhein, Germany, where they were issued
their new vehicles. They then drove to Friedberg, where the 29th FA Bn was based. At that
time, it was part of the 4th Infantry Division.
The battalion was commanded by a LTC Brewer. The Headquarters Battery was commanded by a
CPT Brown. The S3 was CPT Earl Thomas, his boss. John was in FDC, and was the driver for CPT Thomas.
Also he was a radio/telephone operator, and sometimes the computer, sending elevation and deflection
to the firing batteries. The Sergeant was SGT Vilkas.
In Friedberg, the unit was housed in one building unit. The first floor
was Headquarters Battery,
2nd A Battery, 3rd B Battery, 4th D Battery.
The basement was for the Arms room and storage for FDC; SURVEY, and others.
The motor pool was nearby and it even had a couple of tanks in it.
The other buildings housed 1 or more 4th Infantry Division units, our
Battalion Headquarters, and the most important, the Finance office in another.
There was of course the NCO club, the PX , a Rec hall and a beer hall
for the rest of us. There was also a basketball court.
This information was provided by John E. Grimes !
