In late 1941, the 218th Field Artillery was ordered to head to the
Philippines to guard against possible Japanese attack. When the
Attack on Pearl Harbor occurred, the 218th was at sea, and was immediately rerouted back to
San Francisco to rejoin the 41st Division at Fort Lewis. America had entered
World War II, and the 41st Infantry Division was sent to the
Pacific War to fight against the
Empire of Japan. In the summer of 1943, the 162nd Infantry Regiment alongside a
Brigade of
Australian troops
assaulted Nassau Bay on the north coast of
New Guinea in order to drive the Japanese out of
Salamaua. The landings were disastrous, and heavy surf swamped may landing craft. The infantry struggled to get ashore, and the invasion was soon called "shipwreck landing." The 218th Field Artillery Battalion was slated to follow the 162nd Infantry in, but not enough boats were available anymore, so B and C Batteries landed several days later. Japanese snipers, booby traps, and jungle ambushes greeted the artillerymen starting the first day, and the constant rain broken by periods of intense steamy heat marked a difficult campaign ahead. The 80 men of C Battery hauled their 4
M116 howitzers through 5 miles of jungle by hand, and were forced to cross and recross rivers in the twisting terrain. Despite the difficulties of moving howitzers through the jungle, the men were dug in on 8 July 1943, six thousand yards from a Japanese controlled hill called, "the Pimple." On 8 July, the men of C Battery gathered to sign their names on the first shell to be fired by the 218th in combat in World War II. For several days, the 218th shelled the Pimple and its Japanese defenders in support of the US and Australian infantry assaults. The men were forced to hand carry the heavy shells hundreds of yards from the beach in order to resupply the howitzers. Some ammunition was air-dropped but most rounds were destroyed or damaged on impact. The 218th's
NCOs organized working parties to sift through the damaged shells and salvage what primers and projectiles they could from the dented casings. On 10 July, C Battery fired in support of Australian assault and managed to destroy an entire Japanese company with nine
high-explosive shells fired in thirty-six seconds. The enemy company had stopped for a rest while marching, and made a perfect target for the 75mm howitzers; at least 50 were killed and many more were wounded. The Australians took the Pimple the next day. As the
New Guinea Campaign continued, the 218th Field Artillery supported infantry assaults on countless ridges and enemy strongpoints. On 4 August, the unit suffered its first combat fatalities when an Australian mortar round fell short and killed a
forward observer team of five men. On 1 September, as the
Battle of Salamaua was nearing its conclusion, the Japanese counterattacked. Dawn Company,
15th Brigade, Australian Army was cut off on a steep jungle ridge, and was low on ammunition. Captain Burelbach, the 218th's FSO (Fire Support Officer) attached to Dawn Company expertly called for fire on the attackers, and all the 218th's guns opened fire, driving the Japanese back, and rescuing Dawn Company.
Japanese Marines took up the assault the next day, and the beleaguered Australians seemed on the verge of collapse. CPT Burelbah again called for the 218th to support, and the Japanese were once again thrown back. Later in the day, Dawn Company's CO, Captain Provan, hobbled into the 218th perimeter to thank the Oregon artillerymen who saved the lives of his men. The regiment would go on to serve in the
Philippines Campaign from 1944 to 1945, and returned home when the war ended. The 41st Infantry Division was deactivated in 1946. == Deployments to Iraq ==