The History of the 184th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Gun Battalion
The 184th Anti-Aircraft Artillery (AAA) Gun Battalion was one of many AAA battalions created during World War 2 by the United States Army. As with most anti-aircraft units formed during World War 2, the 184th AAA Battalion’s roots can be traced to the Coast Artillery Corps. Initially designated as 1st Battalion, 61st Coast Artillery Regiment until August 1943, the 184th AAA Battalion saw combat from January 1944 until the end of the war in 1945, when it returned to the United States and once again became part of the 61st Coast Artillery Regiment.
The 184th AAA Battalion was equipped with the 90mm M2 heavy anti-aircraft gun and proximity fused warheads. According to the TM 9-372 (1944), the M2 had a maximum effective range of approximately 12 kilometers, with a muzzle velocity of approximately 820 meters per second (p. 44). Each of the four batteries, A though D, had 4 guns, giving the battery a total of 16 anti-aircraft guns in all. The M4 tractor moved each gun, thus allowing the battalion to be highly mobile, and not have to rely on a separate transportation unit to move. Because of this high mobility, the 184th was never attached to a single unit. Instead, the battalion moved to wherever anti-aircraft defense was needed.…show more content… While in London, the 184th was credited with shooting down two aircraft of the German Luftwaffe. The battalion arrived in France between the 17th and 20th of June 1944, and remained there until August. While in Normandy, their mission was to protect the Allied beachhead from Luftwaffe air attacks. Due to allied air superiority, these attacks came mostly during the night. The battalion was credited with 5 confirmed kills and another 4 probable kills (184th AAA Gun Battalion, p.
