200th Coast Artillery Anti-aircraft Regiment by MG Sogo

All units of the 200th were assigned to New Mexico communities. This Regiment, before conversion, was the 111th Cavalry, also entirely a New Mexico outfit.

Inducted into active federal service on 6 January 1941, the Regiment arrived at Fort Bliss Texas, about 19 January. There the strength was built, via Selective Services from the 727 original number to 1875 and then within a couple of weeks to a total of 2325. Of this greater number about 300‑325 were not from New Mexico. After another eventual reduction, I imagine we retained about 250‑275 non‑starters.

We were among the favored few Regiments who were permitted to conduct all basic training for its recruits. This had a tremendous effect upon the abilities of our original personnel, since they had to sharpen up in order to train the others. At last gasp, just before embarkation, we did receive five or six good men who had been trained at a Center.

Advanced training was completed, except for the range firing phases. Here shortage of ammo stopped us after only one Battery had fired 12 rounds of 3 in. No Automatic Weapons firing was conducted, for the same reason. So, except for that one Battery, the first shots fired by the Regiment were at Japanese airplanes, bombers and fighters who attacked Clark Field on 8 Dec 41.

Our authenticated record of 86 planes downed during the four months we were in action is, we believe, worth mentioning. Live target practice can be made into profitable training.

We did not know we were to go to the Philippine Islands until the final contingent sailed from San Francisco. However we had accurately G‑2d the thing, even to the Fort Stotsenburg destination.

We had no notion that we might be engaged in a war until about 20 November. Then we began to believe that hostilities easily might occur. Regimental training reflected this opinion and we established an Antiaircraft defense for Fort Stoteenburg and Clark Field (all one piece of ground. Day and night alerts were staged, moving the Regiment from F Fort Stoteenburg to the defense positions. The last of these was at 2 a.m. 28 Nov.

And when the Japanese attack came at us on 8 December we were in those positions, and ready to go.

Automatic Weapons action was hampered because we had been outfitted at Manila with brand new 37 mine. Of the 24 we received, 3 still have not fired a shot because of faulty assembly. Great difficulty was experienced with the others. Strafing planes do not provide an acceptable atmosphere for executing gun repairs.

The 3 in. guns functioned exceptionally well, but the ammo was the leave‑overs from Corregidor target seasons. It came in many lots, each of which must have its own testing before effective use. And the youngest round we had was dated 1928. Verdigris grows rapidly in the P.I. atmosphere and some rounds had a green "blossom" surrounding the fuze that was five inches in diameter. The powder-train amino available rated a maximum vertical range of 18,000 feet. Japanese bombers over Clark field at 23,000 feet didn't get hurt by us too much. But a few came back it a lower range and we caught up with them. Also we let the fighters feel our fire, once the 37's got warmed up.

The 1st BN departed Fort Bliss about 20 Aug. and left San Francisco 29 Aug., arriving In P.I. on 16 Sept. 2d BN and Regt. HQ departed Fort Bliss 31 August, left San Francisco 9 Sept and arrived P.I. 20 Sept.

Training was completed in late July and early August 1941 by a 2400 mile road march, 275 vehicles, through a large part of Now Mexico. At each stop we were, naturally, greeted by a large gathering of our own people and we put on a first‑class parade and retreat for them. It Albuquerque we played this show to more than 10,000 people at the State Fair Grounds.

I mention this only because within 24 hours after the completion of this march and our return to Fort Bliss, we nested received our alert orders for overseas service. It always has pleased us that we had had this farewell trip. Final farewell, as it turned out, for more than one‑half of our Regiment.

I never miss an opportunity to quote Louis Morton in his official "Fall of the Philippines" where he says on Page 452: "The Cavalrymen (26th) evidently did not receive these orders and when the artillery men, a half hour before midnight, occupied the last remaining line, they stood alone."

Those guys standing there, alone, were the 200th, which had given birth to the 515th and then both had been brought in to form the Provisional Coast Artillery Brigade.

The Brigade likes this epitaph.