The 24th Field Artillery Regiment (Philippine Scouts) (24th FA (PS)) was a

Philippine Scouts The Philippine Scouts ( Filipino: ''Maghahanap ng Pilipinas''/''Hukbong Maghahanap ng Pilipinas'') was a military organization of the United States Army from 1901 until after the end of World War II. These troops were generally Filipinos and ...

unit, part of the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

's Philippine Division, formed in 1922 and active until April 1942. Antecedent units dated back to 1899.

History

The 24th Field Artillery Regiment (Philippine Scouts) was constituted as a

Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following: * a ...

unit on 22 December 1920, part of the

Philippine Department The Philippine Department (Filipino: ''Kagawaran ng Pilipinas/Hukbong Kagawaran ng Pilipinas'') was a regular United States Army organization whose mission was to defend the Philippine Islands and train the Philippine Army. On 9 April 1942, duri ...

. It was organized at

Fort Stotsenburg Fort Stotsenburg, during the World War II era, was the location of the Philippine Department's 26th Cavalry Regiment (PS), 86th Field Artillery Battalion, and 88th Field Artillery Regiment; along with the Philippine Division's 23rd and 2 ...

on 15 May 1921 from the 1st Philippine Field Artillery Regiment (Provisional) (Mountain) and the 11th and 12th Infantry Battalions (Philippine Scouts) with the Philippine Division. Initially equipped with the 2.95-inch Mountain Gun, it converted to the truck-drawn 75 mm M1917 guns on 2 September 1931. During 1924 and 1925 it helped build a bridge over the Pinatubo River, and in the 1920s and 1930s also participated in the construction of an artillery trail from Fort Stotsenburg to the

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by South China, in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan island, Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luz ...

via the

Zambales Zambales, officially the Province of Zambales (; ; ; ; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines, region. Its capital is Iba, Zambales, Iba, which is located in t ...

Pass. The 1st Philippine Artillery Regiment had been provisionally formed, in 1917, at Fort Stotsenburg, from the 11th and 12th Philippine Scout Battalions, by the United States 2nd Field Artillery Regiment (Mountain). The 11th and 12th Philippine Scout Battalions (12th PS) had been formed in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

in 1901. They were primarily composed of men from various provisional

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

companies A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether natural, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specifi ...

, of

, formed in 1899. Both battalions were involved in combat at

Samar Samar ( ) is the third-largest and seventh-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 1,909,537 as of the 2020 census. It is located in the eastern Visayas, which are in the central Philippines. The island is divided in ...

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...

, and

Jolo Jolo () is a volcanic island in the southwest Philippines and the primary island of the province of Sulu, on which the capital of the same name is situated. It is located in the Sulu Archipelago, between Borneo and Mindanao, and has a populatio ...

. By July 1941 the regiment, with two battalions of the now

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

-vintage 75 mm guns, along with the one battalion- 23rd Field Artillery, formed the entire artillery support of the Philippine Division. On the last day of the month it had a strength of 843 – 904 Philippine Scouts enlisted men and 39 officers, five of whom were Philippine Scouts. During the Battle of the Philippines against the Japanese, the 24th FA participated in the withdrawal, on

Luzon Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...

, to the

Bataan Peninsula Bataan (, , , ; ) , officially the Province of Bataan, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines, region of the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Balanga, Bataan, Balanga while Mariveles, ...

and the

Battle of Bataan The Battle of Bataan (; 7 January – 9 April 1942) was fought by the United States and the Philippine Commonwealth against Imperial Japan during World War II. The battle represented the most intense phase of the Japanese invasion of the Phi ...

. In the Bataan defensive line set up in January 1942, the regiment's 1st Battalion provided direct artillery support to the 57th Infantry (Philippine Scouts), holding positions on the coastal road and the beach on

Manila Bay Manila Bay (; ) is a natural harbor that serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. Strategically located around the Manila, capital city of the Philippines, Manila Bay facilitated commerce and trade between the Philippines and ...

on the right flank of the position. Two batteries of the battalion were emplaced near

Abucay Abucay, officially the Municipality of Abucay, (), is a municipality in the province of Bataan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 42,984 people. History The first printing press in the archipelago was found in t ...

while the remaining battery was on the main defensive line. The regiment's 2nd Battalion, southeast of Abucay, provided additional artillery support to

II Philippine Corps II is the Roman numeral for 2. II may also refer to: Biology and medicine *Image intensifier, medical imaging equipment *Invariant chain, a polypeptide involved in the formation and transport of MHC class II protein *Optic nerve, the second c ...

and the 41st Division. On the night of 11 January the regiment's guns replied to a Japanese artillery barrage that preceded an attack on the 57th Infantry's main line of resistance. The 24th surrendered in April 1942. The regiment was awarded the Philippines Islands Campaign Streamer. It was officially disbanded on 25 March 1952. Members of the 24th Field Artillery Regiment included

Juan Reyes Fabia ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. The name is of Hebrew origin and has the meaning "God has been gracious." It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking countries around the world and in the Philippi ...

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

Edward H. Brooks, and Elias Coloma.

Distinctive unit insignia

* Description A Gold color metal and enamel device in height consisting of a shield blazoned: Parti per chevron couped and concave Argent and Gules in chief a sun in splendor between three six-pointed mullets one and two all of the second, on a canton of the like a mule with mountain artillery pack Or (for the Second Field Artillery). * Symbolism The white portion of the shield is symbolic of the old Infantry alluding to the fighting of the scouts. The red charges refer to Artillery. The base is the outline of Mt. Arayat and the red six-pointed stars and sun are from the flag of the Philippine Insurrection. The canton with the yellow pack mule and mountain gun is from the arms of the Second Field Artillery. * Background The distinctive unit insignia was approved on 12 September 1923. It was rescinded on 21 April 1959.

Coat of arms

*Blazon ** Shield- Parti per chevron couped and concave Argent and Gules in chief a sun between three six pointed mullets one and two all of the second, on a canton of the like a mule with mountain artillery pack Or (for the Second Field Artillery). ** Crest- None. ** Motto- CRESCIT SUB PONDERE VIRTUS (Virtue Increases Under A Load). * Symbolism **Shield- The white portion of the shield is symbolic of the old Infantry alluding to the fighting of the scouts. The red charges refer to Artillery. The base is the outline of

Mount Arayat Mount Arayat is an isolated, potentially active stratovolcano in the Central Luzon plains. Located within the vast agricultural lands of Pampanga, it rises to a height of above sea level. Its southern half lies within the municipality of A ...

and the red six-pointed stars and sun are from the flag of the Philippine Insurrection. The canton with the yellow pack mule and mountain gun is from the arms of the Second Field Artillery. ** Crest- None. * Background- The coat of arms was approved on 27 July 1922. It was rescinded on 21 April 1959.

Notable personnel

Paul D. Phillips Paul David Phillips (March 9, 1918 – August 27, 2023) was a United States Army Brigadier General and government official. Early life He was born in Denver, Colorado on March 9, 1918, the son of Floyd E. Phillips and Josephine Scureman. He later ...

, assistant to Chief of Staff, G-2 and later G-3; moved up through staff and field positions while serving the Visayan Mindanao Force (1941-1942); former oldest living West Point graduate, retired as a Brigadier General.WPAOG Recognizes BG(R) Paul D. Phillips ’40 as the Newest Oldest Living West Point Graduate
/ref>

References

Citations

Bibliography

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External links

24th Fd Arty Regt within Philippine Division 8 December 1941
{{Artillery Regiments (United States) Military units and formations established in 1922 Military history of the Philippines 024, Field Artillery 024 Military units and formations disestablished in 1942