World War I Diary of Lt. John McElroy, 315th Field Artillery (Heavy), 80th Division, A.E.F.

By Gary Schreckengost

The War Diary of John Lee McElroy, 1st Lieut. 315th Field Artillery, 155th Field Artillery Brigade was originally published as a "very limited" edition sometime during the 1920s. Like many such works, very few copies remain today. This copy, edited by Maj. Gary Schreckengost (USA, ret.), a Cold War, Bosnia and Iraq War Veteran of the 80th Division, and a Life Member of the 80th Division Association, is an attempt to ensure that his important work lives on for future generations. The Introduction section provides a brief summary of the history of the division up to Sept., 1918, a description of the M1917 French Schneider 155mm Howitzer, and an explanation of what it was like to serve in a heavy field artillery battery in the A.E.F. The pagination is the same as the original copy, although the formatting has been slightly altered (written out at bottom as per the original, one thru fifty). Most if not all of the verbiage in the Introduction can be found in Maj. Schreckengost's volumes: Only Moves Forward The 80th Division in W.W. I. The 315th Field Artillery Regiment (Heavy), 155th Field Artillery Brigade, 80th (Blue Ridge) Division (B/1/315th Arty) was raised at Camp Lee, Va, during the summer-fall of 1917, mostly from draftees from West Virginia and Pennsylvania. The 155th Arty Brig., which provided fire support for the 80th, 33rd, 4th, 5th, and 90th Divisions during the war-ending Meuse-Argonne Offensive of Sept.-Nov., 1918, consisted of a brigade headquarters commanded by a brigadier general, three field artillery regiments, two light and one heavy, the 305th Ammunition Train, and the 305th Trench Mortar Battery. While the 313th and 314th Arty consisted of two battalions of French M1897 75mm Field Guns (Batteries A-D and E-H), the 315th Arty consisted of three battalions of M1917 French 155mm Schneider Howitzers (Batteries A and B, C and D, and E and F). Generally, the artillery brigade H.Q. was co-located with division H.Q. with the 315th Arty (H), 314th M.G. Battalion, and 305th Trench Mortar close-by. Depending on the mission, the division commander would attach and detach his artillery battalions to better weigh the main effort. It was a very practical, sensible, and flexible system. McElroy's diary provides the reader with day by day summaries of the operations as well as descriptions of how he survived the ordeal.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 179878906X
• ISBN13: 9781798789063
• Release Date: March 2019
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 228 Pages
• Weight: 0.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"