 |
 |
 |
All or most of the information on this page came from one of the contacts listed below. If you have comments or can add any information, please send e-mail to the Webmaster, or postal mail to Rodney Young, 251 Pine Mdw, Spring Branch, TX 78070. Thank you very much.
On this page:
General Information
A Historical Note
Memorial Monuments
Shoulder Patches
World War II Service Data
Korean War Service Data
World War II Honor Roll
Korean War Honor Roll
Shoulder patches: The men of the 2nd wore the shoulder patch shown above left, as well as others shown at patches, and the metal insignia shown above right. Also, the Patch Page displays all the patches we have been able to obtain of this and other chemical mortar battalions.
Nickname: The Red Dragon
Motto: FLAMMIS VINCIMUS(We conquer with fire)
Association: The Red Dragons Association
Contact: Walter Eldredge
Web site: Red Dragons Association
Newsletter online: Red Dragon Newsletters
Reunions of WWII group:
Reunions of Korean War group:
Includes WWII group after 2003
A historical note -
The 2nd Chemical Mortar Bn is a direct descendant of the 1st Gas Regiment which served in France during WWI with the Stokes 4" smooth-bore mortar developed by the British, and was redesignated the 1st Chemical Regiment in 1929 and inactivated 15 Apr 1935 at Edgewood Arsenal, MD. Its personnel and equipment were transferred to the 2nd Separate Chemical Bn, activated the next day. The unit was the only chemical mortar battalion in service at the outbreak of WWII, the only such unit to serve in the Korean War, and the last one to exist in the U.S. Army.This distinguished combat unit of the Chemical Corps, armed with the 4.2" chemical mortar, served in the Korean War from 8 October 1950 until the truce signing on 27 July 1953. In the last six months of that period, it was designated the 461st Infantry Battalion (Heavy Mortar). Unlike most other combat units, the Battalion stayed in the line in close support of the infantry from the time it fired its first round until the truce – 1007 consecutive days in action without relief. Of the ten campaigns during the Korean War, The Red Dragon participated in all but the first one. It served in all three corps of the Eighth Army, supporting six United States divisions, eight Republic of Korea divisions, and the British Commonwealth Brigade.
The lineage of The Red Dragon has passed to the 2nd Chemical Battalion. Stationed currently at Fort Hood TX, the unit is capable of smoke generation, NBC detection and decontamination. The battalion served in Iraq from March 2003 through February 2004.
Memorial Monuments
All CMB Memorials at Fort Leonard Wood: The Battalion's WWII group placed a memorial monument at Fort McClellan, Alabama, well before 1999. The Army closed that post on 15 September 1999, and all six (2nd, 3rd, 81st, 83rd, 86th, 91st) chemical mortar battalion monuments there were moved to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, along with that of the 1st Gas Regiment whose lineage passed to the 2nd CMB. The monuments are now emplaced in the Memorial Grove at Fort Leonard Wood near the Chemical Corps Museum there, and three more CMB monuments have been dedicated since 1999: the 2nd's Korean War group, 82nd and 84th. See photos of all CMB memorial monuments at FLW.
Dedication of Red Dragon Memorial at Edgewood: On 15 September 2000, exactly fifty years after the Battalion left Edgewood for Korea, its veterans dedicated a monument and plaques to Those Who Did Not Return. The post, known as the Army Chemical Center in 1950, was originally called Edgewood Arsenal and by 2000 had become the Edgewood Area of Aberdeen Proving Ground. A photo of the monument is on the Memorials page and also here to the right (click to enlarge). Below are links to the invocation and speeches that were delivered on this memorable occasion, plus the banquet address that was delivered that evening. 
- Memorial Invocation by Carl H. Hulsman
- Memorial Dedicatory Address by R. Bruce Elliott
- Tribute to the Men of the 2nd by William R. Thomas
- Banquet Address by Maj Gen John C. Doesburg
Dedication of Red Dragon Memorial at Fort Leonard Wood: On 26 September 2003, the Battalion's Korean War group dedicated a memorial monument at Fort Leonard Wood to the unit's service in that conflict and to the 61 men who did not return home. A photo of that monument is on the Memorials page and also here to the right (click to enlarge). Below are links to the invocation and speech that were delivered on this very special occasion, plus the banquet address that was delivered that evening in Branson, Missouri. 
- Memorial Invocation by Carl H. Hulsman
- Memorial Dedicatory Address by R. Bruce Elliott
- Banquet Address by LTC William E. King
Shoulder patches of the 2nd Chemical Mortar Bn
Shoulder patch of the 461st Infantry Bn (Heavy Mortar)
 |
Obviously the 461st Inf Bn (Heavy Mortar) was not a chemical mortar battalion. However, it was the direct successor to the 2nd Cml Mortar Bn. In January of 1953, the 2nd was disbanded and the 461st was organized, the latter taking over all the men and equipment of the 2nd, and continuing with the same mission and methods of operation until the signing of the armistice in July of that year. The shoulder patch of the 461st is identical to that of the 2nd except for the addition of the tab. Members of the 2nd in Korea did not wear any tab. |
World War II
Activated: 16 Apr 1935 as 2nd Separate Chemical Bn at Edgewood Arsenal, MD, less Med Det and Companies B and C, all of which were activated 1Apr 1942 at Fort Bragg, NC.Redesignated 20 Aug 1943 as 2nd Chemical Bn Motorized, and on 31 Dec 1944 as 2nd Chemical Mortar Bn
Inactivated 26 Jul 1946 in Germany
Overseas: Arrived HRPE 4 Jun 1943, North Africa 22 Jun 1943, Sicily 10 Jul 1943, Italy 9 Sep 1943, France-ETO 15 Aug 1944
Campaigns: Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe, Naples-Foggia, Rhineland, Rome-Arno, Sicily, Southern France
Histories, books and articles
- History of 2nd Cml Mortar Bn in WWII, by Bob Ladson
- First Shot in Anger, 2nd Cml Mortar Bn in Sicily, by Walter J. Eldredge
- My Army Service in World War II, by Craft Harrison
- Finding My Father's War: A Baby Boomer and the 2nd Chemical Mortar Battalion in World War II. The book, by Walter J. Eldredge, is available for purchase through the website in paperback, laminated hardback and collector's editions (clothbound with dust jacket). Walter's father served in Co D of the 2nd CMB.
Number of men killed in action: 56 (see Honor Roll of names)
Number of men wounded in action: 201
Number of days in combat: 511
Number of rounds fired: 137,124
Korean War
Activated 1 Feb 1949 at Army Chemical Center, MD (formerly Edgewood Arsenal), taking over the men and equipment of the 91st Chemical Mortar Bn that was inactivated there that same day.
Redesignated 22 Jan 1953 as 461st Inf Bn (Heavy Mortar) in Korea
Overseas: Arrived SFPE (Camp Stoneman and Oakland Army Base, CA) 19 Sep 1950; Pusan, Korea, 8 Oct 1950.
Campaigns (8):
UN Offensive (16 September to 2 November 1950)
CCF Intervention (3 November 1950 to 24 January 1951)
First UN Counteroffensive (25 January to 21 April 1951)
CCF Spring Offensive (22 April to 8 July 1951)
UN Summer-Fall Offensive (9 July to 27 November 1951)
Second Korean Winter (28 November 1951 to 30 April 1952)
Korea Summer-Fall 1952 (1 May to 30 November 1952)
Third Korean Winter (1 December 1952 to 30 April 1953)
Number of men killed in action: 62 (see Honor Roll of names)
Number of days in combat: 826 to 22 Jan 53 [date redesignated 461st Inf Bn (Heavy Mortar)]
Number of rounds fired: 431,249 to 22 Jan 53 [date redesignated 461st Inf Bn (Heavy Mortar)]
Histories and articles as published in The Red Dragon
- Command Reports, Sep 1950 through Aug 1951 (declassified official reports)
- History of 2nd Cml Mortar Bn in Korean War, by Richard L. Slick, 1st Sgt, Co B, 2nd Cml Mortar Bn
- A Soldier's Diary, by Carl H. Hulsman, 2nd Cml Mortar Bn, Korean War
- Sometimes it was rather cool, by Carl H. Hulsman, 2nd Cml Mortar Bn, Korean War
- A Commander's Reflections, by Benjamin G. Moore, Col, USA (ret), CO of 2nd Cml Mortar Bn in Korea
- Gunners help turn the tide at Kap'yong, by New Zealand historian Ian McGibbon
- Gettysburg: The Big Question, by Benjamin G. Moore, widely recognized authority on the Civil War, CO of 2nd Cml Mortar Bn in Korea