The "RED SCARF CLUB" Veterans of the 553rd Field Artillery Battalion 36th Field Artillery Group - V Corps - 7th Army Fort Sill, Oklahoma - Darmstadt, Germany, 1956-1958 info@redscarfclub.com

Home	Our History	Current Photos	Old Photos	Juke Box	Bulletin Board	Taps	Events	Links	Contacts

Click on picture for "Genesis Of The Artillery"

During the Civil War, at the Battle of Gettysburg, the ancesterial units of the 553rd Field Artillery Battalion held their position.. Major General H. W. Slocum's Union Army reserve artillery was in the area of the "Fish Hook" defensive line indicated with a blue line and a red star on the map below, and so illustrated by a white fish hook and star on our battalion crest.

The direct genealogy of our unit is hazy up to the early 1950's, although some reports indicate that it was activated and deactivated several times, both in and out of battle, before it was again reactivated in Ft. Sill, Oklahoma in 1950. It's purpose at that time, was to train artillerymen and their officers.

In early 1956, the 553rd FA Bn was ordered to gyroscope (which meant move as a complete unit, and replace another unit), to Darmstadt, Germany. An advance party was sent first in May of that year to make arrangements for an orderly transfer. After spending 11 days aboard the troop ship U.S.S Gen. Alexander M. Patch, the remainder of the battalion joined them in July of 1956. (My recollection is that it was more like 13 days due to a bent propeller shaft, which "thumped" throughout the ship all the way.) Our bunks were actually below the water line near the rear (stern) of the ship - well, most of us anyway.

Finally, after getting our "Land Legs" back, we embarked on a train at Bremerhaven, Germany on our way to our new home - away from home.

Ernst Ludwig Kaserne
Click on pictures to enlarge.

1957 Arial view
NOTE: Original RED SCARF CLUB building in lower left quadrant of picture (with cupola)


(left) Mess hall - (middle) Front Gate & Battalion Headquarters - (right) Headquarters and B Battery's Barracks

During their stay at the Ernst Ludwig Kaserne in Darmstadt,
the enlisted men enjoyed their off duty time at the original;

RED SCARF CLUB:
Click on picture to enlarge
.


Click logo to see inside

which offered a taste of home, including a juke box filled with the latest music.....

CLICK ON THE JUKEBOX TO GO TO THE SONG FILES.

i.e., Elvis Presley, Sonny James, Patti Page, Teresa Brewer, Doris Day, Bill Haley and the Comets, Dinah Shore, Pat Boone, The Everley Brothers, Joni James, Kay Star, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, and many more, with hamburgers and cold beer, (American and German)......
and of course, a pin ball machine

The RED SCARF name comes from the color of the artilleryman's parade neck scarves. (ie; The infantry color is blue, the engineers - green, the artillery - red, and so on. Each section of the army, has its own designated color.)

Our present day club was loosley formed by a small group of 553rd FA Bn veterans, their wives, friends and familys, to get together once or twice a year in Branson, Missouri for a "Dinner and a Show", and share old "War Stories" - as we call them - and each others company, for a couple of days.

We chose the name RED SCARF CLUB for our gathering as a reminder of the off duty comradeship that we enjoyed together so many years ago - just like now.

We are an informal club, with no elected officers, dues or fees. Participation and memberships are approved by all active members and invitations sent out. If any 1956-1958, 553rd FA Bn veteran or family member would like to join us, please contact either Gene Selby or myself through the contact page on this site.
Paying little attention to past rank, we are all the same - VETERANS.

I have volunteered to manage the web site - Gene is our event "Co-or-duh-na-tor" (as he likes to call himself), and all others fill in as needed within our club, strictly on a volunteer basis .

The two pictures below are meant to explain a little about our unit crest, and our ancestrial artillery position on the battle field known as "Gettysburg". The "Fish hook" and star on our crest, is representative of the actual battle formation of the Union Army at that time, with the star being the position of our ancestrial artillery unit, as indicated on the reprint of the drawing below. The original hangs in the Library of Congress today. (I have taken the liberty of adding the blue outline and the red star here only for clarity.)

Thank you for your interest in our site.

Jim Thompson
Webmaster

Patch replicating the 553rd FA Bn crest as we wore it in 1956-1958
CHI DURA VINCE: "WHO ENDURES - CONQUERS"

NOTE:

The descriptions of the 553rd Field Artillery Battalion crest as listed in the ASMIC (American Society of Military Insignia Collectors) catalog is as follows below. You will notice that it describes our crest as: "Gold and Red", and not the Silver and Red that we wore. It is known that the 553rd FA Bn Gold and Red crest was worn in WWII, but somehow was changed to the Silver and Red about the time that we went to Germany in 1956. There is no official record of this - that anyone has found yet. But.....We did wear the Silver and Red - That we do know for sure. The WHY is still to be determined.

Scan of original WWII 553rd FA BN crest

"On a dark blue shield three white sinister bendlets and a gold double cottised potente counter potente bend: on a red canton a star within a fishhook fesswise, ring to Dexter and barb to base, both white, within a gold and red gyronny border. 
The motto : "CHI DURA VINCE" (He who endures, overcomes ) is red on a gold scroll." 
(Underline put in for effect.)

(Map borrowed from a page in the National Geographic - star and frame added later for illustrative purposes only.)

DISCLAIMER:-
This is a non-profit, informational web page, meant in some instances to be a reminder of the music we listened to 50 years ago.which are put there for an educational and informative purpose.
Use of copyrighted material is consistent with the "fair use" provisions contained in section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976;
the use of copyrighted material is of a nonprofit, educational nature, intended for the sole purposes of research and comment
and does not significantly negatively affect "the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work(s)."

Home	Our History	Current Photos	Old Photos	Juke Box	Bulletin Board	Taps	Events	Links	Contacts