Other Resources

Lists of web links and relevant books. We're only just getting started here... much more to come.

Military History Online: Antiaircraft Artillery

Ever wonder about the difference between a AAA "AW" battalion and a "Gun" battalion? Or just what consitutes a AAA "Group" or "Brigade"? This article by Rich Anderson answers these questions and more. It offers a readable and succinct introduction to the organization of AAA in the U.S. Army during WW2.

225th AAA Searchlight Bn (the "Skylighters")

This is an outstanding site for all sorts of antiaircraft artillery information and a Must See. Like the 115th, the 225th was part of the 49th AAA Brigade and shared a variety of locations. Besides many links and photos, it includes a copy of the Camp Davis (NC) orientation booklet and a history of Camp Blandford (England). You haven't really seen this site until you find the photo of the Eiffel Tower illuminated by the 225th.

467th AAA Automatic Weapons Battalion Association

The 467th was also part of the 49th AAA Brigade. This valuable site includes personal photos and is the source of the 49th AAA campaign map.

"The Hammer of Hell" by Colonel E. Paul Semmens

A fascinating history of how the WW2-era mobile AAA units originated and evolved, originally printed in ADA magazine. The current link is to an archive maintained on the Skylighters web site. See especially Chapter 5: The First Antiaircraft Artillery Command. Includes Army politics and an explanation of the "mass through mobility" doctrine, as well as an inside look at the incorporation of the British "simultaneous movement and reconnaisance" practices that were put to such good use by the 115th. This treatise can be read freely online through ADA magazine. It culminates in a detailed look at the First Army's decisive AAA victory at Remagen that gives some of the flavor of the 115th Bn's experience at Dexheim two weeks later in the AAA defense of the Third Army's first Rhine crossing.

4th Armored Division

A web site devoted to the progress of the 4th Armored Division from Utah Beach into Germany and the end of the war. The 4th Armored was a well-known part of Patton's Third Army. The 115th AAA Bn often moved in association with units of the 4th AD. The 4th Armored web site is a rich source of varied material, including unit histories, veteran's memories, and even the music of Edith Piaf. It also has lots of links.

6th Armored Division (the "Super Sixth")

Like the 4th, the 6th Armored Division was a primary component of the Third Army's armored spearhead. Their web site contains a particularly good collection of unit histories, as well as much other material. The campaign maps have good detail, and correspond to the movements of the 115th AAA Bn in many instances.