240th Field Artillery Battalion

Camp White was not only the home of the 91st Division, but also several smaller units as well.  Many of these battalions were not attached to divisions while training but would find themselves being assigned to several different Divisions, Armies and Groups when they reach their theater of operations.

This was true with the 240th.  The Battalion sized field artillery unit was formed at Camp White on 20 August 1942.  The unit was originally equipped with  105 MM Howitzers.  The 240th was a separate Battalion of the Army Ground Forces Command and wore the circular Red, White and Blue shoulder patch.

Originally, enlisted men which filled the Battalion’s ranks were from Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky.  They arrived for their 13 week basic training course on 12 September 1942.

Basic training began the moment they stepped off the troop train.  The troops quickly began the transition from civilian to military life with their indoctrination of Army Regulations, military skills, and job training.  From these ranks, the 240th would provide two Cadres which would serve as the basis for the formation of other Artillery Battalions.  This required that new replacements were required until the time the unit was shipped over-seas.

As was true with other units, the 240th formed it’s own band.  M/Sgt. Douglas “Grady” Gowan, organized a group of ten enlisted men which became know as “The Syncopators”.  They quickly became popular furnishing music for various officer and enlisted men functions.

From Camp White, portions of the unit would move to Camp Elma, Elma, Washington; Camp Adair, Corvallis, Oregon; Grays Harbor, Aberdeen, Washington; The Strait of Juan De Fuca, Port Angeles, Washington; Fort Clastsop, Astoria, Oregon; Camp Murray, Annex, Fort Lewis Washington; and the Yakima Firing Center, Yakima, Washington.  By the Fall of 1943, the Battalion would join the 91st Division for field maneuvers in eastern Oregon.

Battery “A” while on their overnight stop at Camp Adair, had several enlisted men come down with the measles and the unit was promptly quarantined thus extending their stay.  The favorite of all these posts was Fort Clastsop as passes allowed the troops to visit the communities of Astoria and Seaside, Oregon.

By February of 1944, the 240th was re-designated as a 155 MM “Long Tom” gun Battalion.  By March, the unit was attached to the 411th Field Artillery Group and assigned to Fort Lewis, Washington.

By May, the Battalion had received an alert for overseas duty and by June had arrived in Glasgow, Scotland.  August 10th became a memorable day for members of the Battalion as they disembarked on Utah Beach in France.  The first major engagement of the Battalion would come on 18 August, 1944, at the Argenton-Falaise Pocket.  The Battalion would continue operations until it’s de-activation on 3 October, 1945, receiving Battle Stars for Northern France, Ardennes, Rhineland, and Central Europe.

The Camp White Association would like to thank Mr. Ned W. Barraclough who served as a T-5 in the Service Battery of the 240th for providing information on the Battalion.