3rd Battalion 6th Field Artillery Regiment - 1st Battalion

1st Battalion

The 1st Battalion 6th Field Artillery Regiment (United States) was constituted 27 April 1798 in the Regular Army as a company in the 3d Battalion, 2d Regiment of Artillerists and Engineers, and organized at Fort Jay, New York, as Captain James Stille's Company, 3d Battalion, 2d Regiment of Artillerists and Engineers. Constituted 27 April 1798 in the Regular Army as a company in the 3d Battalion, 2d Regiment of Artillerists and Engineers, and organized at Fort Jay, New York, as Captain James Stille's Company, 3d Battalion, 2d Regiment of Artillerists and Engineers

Redesignated 1 April 1802 as Captain James Stille's Company, Regiment of Artillerists

Redesignated 9 June 1805 as Captain John Fergus's Company, Regiment of Artillerists

Redesignated 30 June 1808 as Captain William Wilson's Company, Regiment of Artillerists

Redesignated 3 June 1809 as Captain Enoch Humphrey's Company, Regiment of Artillerists

Redesignated 11 January 1812 as Captain Enoch Humphrey's Company, Corps of Artillery

Redesignated 17 May 1815 as Captain Enoch Humphrey's Company, Corps of Artillery, Southern Division

Redesignated 21 August 1816 as Company C, 3d Battalion, Corps of Artillery, Southern Division

Redesignated 1 June 1821 as Company B, 4th Regiment of Artillery

Reorganized and redesignated 13 February 1901 as the 7th Battery, Field Artillery, Artillery Corps

Reorganized and redesignated 11 June 1907 as Battery D, 6th Field Artillery

Inactivated 1 August 1940 at Fort Hoyle, Maryland

Absorbed 4 January 1941 by Battery A, 6th Field Artillery Battalion (active) (Battery A, 6th Field Artillery, reorganized and redesignated 4 January 1941 as Battery A, 6th Field Artillery Battalion; ; inactivated 13 December 1945 at Camp Anza, California; redesignated 24 July 1946 as Battery A, 6th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, and relieved from assignment to the 37th Infantry Division; activated 1 August 1946 at Fort Sill, Oklahoma)

Former Battery D, 6th Field Artillery, reconstituted 15 February 1957 in the Regular Army and redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Howitzer Battalion, 6th Artillery, assigned to the 1st Armored Division, and activated at Fort Polk, Louisiana (organic elements concurrently constituted and activated)

Redesignated 3 February 1962 as the 1st Battalion, 6th Artillery (Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion, 6th Artillery, concurrently consolidated with Battery D, 6th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion, and consolidated unit designated as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion, 6th Artillery)

Relieved 5 May 1971 from assignment to the 1st Armored Division and assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division

Redesignated (less former Battery D, 6th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion) 1 September 1971 as the 1st Battalion, 6th Field Artillery (former Battery D, 6th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion, concurrently redesignated as the 1st Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery – hereafter separate lineage)

1st Battalion, 6th Field Artillery, relieved 21 June 1975 from assignment to the 1st Cavalry Division

Inactivated 1 October 1983 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina

Assigned 16 February 1996 to the 1st Infantry Division and activated in Germany. Assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat team of the 1st Infantry Division and headquartered in Bamberg, Germany, 1–6 FA was only a short distance away from the War in the Former Yugoslavia. In 1997, 1st Battalion, 6th Field Artillery deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina in support of Operation Joint Guard from 10 March 1997 until 10 October 1997. During this time they supported Task Force Eagle from a number of operating bases, providing convoy escorts, security and most importantly, fire support coverage of allied operations in the American area of responsibility. The excellence displayed by 1–6 FA resulted in the reception of the Army Superior Unit award upon return to Bamberg, Germany.

After their return from Bosnia, the Centaurs returned home and in early 1998, began to transition from the older M109A5 SP Howitzer to the highly advanced, highly accurate and extremely lethal M109A6 SP Howitzer, commonly referred to as the Paladin. In November 1999 the battalion was once again deployed, this time to Kosovo, where it pulled security at Camp's Bondsteele and Montieth until redeploying to Bamberg in the summer of 2000. They later deployed to Iraq as part of Multi-National Force - Iraq.

Redesignated 1 October 2005 as the 1st Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Regiment

Relieved 16 April 2007 from assignment to the 1st Infantry Division and assigned to the 3d Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division. 1-6 FA Deployed to Afghanistan June 2008 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. They are expected to redeploy back to Fort Hood, Texas in mid to late 2009. After redeployment 1–6 FA along with the rest of 3rd BDE will move to Fort Knox, KY.