44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment (United States)

The 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment is an Air Defense Artillery regiment of the United States Army first Constituted 1918 in the Regular Army.

Lineage
Organized 26 March 1918 in the Regular Army from existing units in France as the Howitzer Regiment, 30th Brigade, Coast Artillery Corps

Redesignated 7 August 1918 as the 44th Artillery (Coast Artillery Corps)

Inactivated 31 August 1921 at Camp Jackson, South Carolina

Redesignated 1 July 1924 as the 44th Coast Artillery

Redesignated 13 January 1941 as the 54th Coast Artillery

Activated 10 February 1941 at Camp Wallace, Texas

Regiment broken up 28 February – 5 June 1944 and its elements reorganized and redesignated as follows:

Headquarters and Headquarters Battery on 5 June 1944 as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 152d Coast Artillery Group 1st Battalion on 5 June 1944 as the 606th Coast Artillery Battalion 2d Battalion on 28 February 1944 as the 49th Coast Artillery Battalion 3d Battalion on 5 June 1944 as the 607th Coast Artillery Battalion

After 5 June 1944 the above units underwent changes as follows:

Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 152d Coast Artillery Group, disbanded 3 August 1944 at Camp Livingston, Louisiana Reconstituted 28 June 1950 in the Regular Army as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 54th Field Artillery Group Activated 17 January 1955 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina Redesignated 21 June 1958 as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 54th Artillery Group Inactivated 7 November 1969 in Vietnam

606th Coast Artillery Battalion disbanded 3 August 1944 at Camp Livingston, Louisiana Reconstituted 28 June 1950 in the Regular Army; concurrently consolidated with the 54th Armored Field Artillery Battalion (active) (see ANNEX 1) and consolidated unit designated as the 54th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, an element of the 3d Armored Division Inactivated 1 October 1957 in Germany and relieved from assignment to the 3d Armored Division

49th Coast Artillery Battalion inactivated 20 January 1946 in the Philippine Islands Consolidated 28 June 1950 with the 49th Field Artillery Battalion (active) (see ANNEX 2) and consolidated unit designated as the 49th Field Artillery Battalion, an element of the 7th Infantry Division Inactivated 1 July 1957 in Korea and relieved from assignment to the 7th Infantry Division

607th Coast Artillery Battalion disbanded 31 July 1944 at Camp Rucker, Alabama Reconstituted 28 June 1950 in the Regular Army; concurrently consolidated with the 44th Field Artillery Battalion (active) (see ANNEX 3) and consolidated unit designated as the 44th Field Artillery Battalion, an element of the 4th Infantry Division

Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 54th Artillery Group; 54th Armored Field Artillery Battalion; and the 49th and 44th Field Artillery Battalions consolidated, reorganized, and redesignated 7 November 1969 as the 44th Artillery, a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System

Redesignated 1 September 1971 as the 44th Air Defense Artillery

Withdrawn 16 March 1988 from the Combat Arms Regimental System and reorganized under the United States Army Regimental System

The 2nd Battalion, 44th Air Defense Artillery, was for a long period the divisional air defense battalion for the 101st Airborne Division, but now appears to have taken up the C-RAM role.

In 2013, at least two battalions of the regiment are active:
 * 1st Battalion, 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment - 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas
 * 2nd Battalion, 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment - 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, Fort Campbell, Kentucky. The battalion is separated from the other units of the brigade, which are at Fort Bragg, NC.

Distinctive unit insignia
A gold color metal and enamel device 1+1/8 in consisting shield, crest and motto of the coat of arms. The shield is red for Artillery with a gold bend from the arms of Lorraine, cottised potenté counterpotenté as in the arms of Champagne. The units of this organization changed designation five times from 1917 to 1918. They were part of the 6th and 7th Provisional Regiment, C.A.C.; part of the 51st and 52nd Artillery, C.A.C.; and were organized as a unit called the Howitzer Regiment, 30th Artillery Brigade, C.A.C.; later designated the 81st Artillery, C.A.C.; and changed to the 44th Artillery, C.A.C. The variegated chameleon alludes to this fact. The double quatrefoil with the chameleon is an anagram of the figures “44” and “81”; the chameleon divides the figures into two fours and the full number of projections with the chameleon gives eight-one. The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 44th Coast Artillery Regiment on 1 February 1937. It was redesignated for the 54th Coast Artillery Regiment on 13 March 1941. The insignia was redesignated for the 54th Armored Field Artillery Battalion on 22 July 1954. It was redesignated for the 44th Artillery Regiment on 31 December 1958. Effective 1 September 1971, the insignia was redesignated for the 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment.
 * Description
 * Symbolism
 * Background

Blazon
Gules, a bend double cottised potenté counterpotenté Or. On a wreath of the colors Or and Gules, a double quatrefoil Or charged with a chameleon displayed paleways barry of four Gules and Vert. Motto PER ARDUA (Through Difficulties).
 * Shield
 * Crest

Symbolism
The shield is red for Artillery with a gold bend from the arms of Lorraine, cottised potenté counterpotenté as in the arms of Champagne. The units of this organization changed designation five times from 1917 to 1918. They were part of the 6th and 7th Provisional Regiment, C.A.C.; part of the 51st and 52nd Artillery, C.A.C.; and were organized as a unit called the Howitzer Regiment, 30th Artillery Brigade, C.A.C.; later designated the 81st Artillery, C.A.C.; and changed to the 44th Artillery, C.A.C. The variegated chameleon alludes to this fact. The double quatrefoil with the chameleon is an anagram of the figures “44” and “81”; the chameleon divides the figures into two fours and the full number of projections with the chameleon gives eight-one.
 * Shield
 * Crest

Background
The coat of arms was originally approved for the 44th Coast Artillery Regiment on 2 March 1929. It was amended to correct the blazon of the shield on 23 May 1936. It was redesignated for the 54th Coast Artillery Regiment on 11 March 1941. The insignia was redesignated for the 54th Armored Field Artillery Battalion on 22 July 1954. It was redesignated for the 44th Artillery Regiment on 31 December 1958. Effective 1 September 1971, the insignia was redesignated for the 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment.