1038
Year 1038 (MXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.


1038 Tuckia
1038 Tuckia, provisional designation 1924 TK, is rare-type Hilda asteroid from the outermost regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 58 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 24 November 1924, by German astronomer by Max Wolf at Heidelberg Observatory in southwest Germany. The asteroid was named after American banker and philanthropist Edward Tuck and his wife.


1038 Tuckia, Classification and orbit
Tuckia is a member of the Hilda family, an orbital group of asteroids in the outermost main-belt, that stay in a 3:2 orbital resonance with the gas giant Jupiter. This means that the asteroid makes 3 orbits for every 2 orbits Jupiter makes.


1038 Tuckia, Classification and orbit
It orbits the Sun at a distance of 3.1–4.9 AU once every 7 years and 11 months (2,902 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.22 and an inclination of 9° with respect to the ecliptic. The asteroids's observation arc begins with its official discovery observation at Heidelberg.


1038 Tuckia, Physical characteristics
In the Tholen classification, Tuckia is a rare DTU:-type, a subtype of the dark D-type asteroids.


1038 Tuckia, Physical characteristics, Lightcurves
In the 1990s, a rotational lightcurve of Tuckia was obtained from photometric observations by Swedish astronomer Dahlgren and colleges during a survey of Hildian asteroids. Lightcurve analysis gave a somewhat longer than average rotation period of 23.2 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.1 magnitude (U=2).


1038 Tuckia, Physical characteristics, Diameter and albedo
According to the survey carried out by the Japanese Akari satellite, Tuckia measures 52.69 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.030, while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link derives an albedo of 0.0304 and a diameter of 58.36 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 10.82.


1038 Tuckia, Naming
This minor planet was named after American banker and philanthropist Edward Tuck (1842–1938) and his wife. He is the son of Amos Tuck who was a founder of the Republican Party in the United States. The name was suggested by G. Camille Flammarion. The official naming citation was published by Paul Herget in The Names of the Minor Planets in 1955 (H 99).


1039
Year 1039 (MXXXIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.


1039 Sonneberga
1039 Sonneberga, provisional designation 1924 TL, is a dark background asteroid, approximately 34 kilometers (21 miles) in diameter, located in the central region of the asteroid belt. It was discovered on 24 November 1924, by German astronomer Max Wolf at Heidelberg Observatory in southwest Germany. The asteroid was named for the German city of Sonneberg, where the Sonneberg Observatory is located.


1039 Sonneberga, Orbit and classification
Sonneberga orbits the Sun in the central main-belt at a distance of 2.5–2.8 AU once every 4 years and 5 months (1,603 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.06 and an inclination of 5° with respect to the ecliptic. The body's observation arc begins with its official discovery observation, as no precoveries were taken, and no prior identifications were made.


1039 Sonneberga, Naming
This minor planet was named for the city of Sonneberg, Thuringia in Germany and location of the Sonneberg Observatory. It was founded in 1925 by astronomer Cuno Hoffmeister after whom the minor planets 1726 Hoffmeister and 4183 Cuno are named. The official naming citation was also mentioned in The Names of the Minor Planets by Paul Herget in 1955 (H 99).


1039 Sonneberga, Physical characteristics
In the SMASS classification, Sonneberga is an X-type asteroid. It has also been characterized as a very dark P-type asteroid by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer.


1039 Sonneberga, Physical characteristics, Rotation period
In March 2005, a rotational lightcurve of Sonneberga was obtained by French amateur astronomer Laurent Bernasconi. Lightcurve analysis gave a longer-than average rotation period of 34.2 hours with a brightness variation of 0.41 magnitude (U=2).


1039 Sonneberga, Physical characteristics, Diameter and albedo
According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS, the Japanese Akari satellite, and the NEOWISE mission of the WISE space-telescope, Sonneberga measures between 30.17 and 36.70 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has an albedo between 0.042 and 0.059. The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link derived an albedo of 0.033 and a diameter of 36.60 kilometers using an absolute magnitude of 11.5.


103P/Hartley
Comet Hartley 2, designated as 103P/Hartley by the Minor Planet Center, is a small periodic comet with an orbital period of 6.46 years. It was discovered by Malcolm Hartley in 1986 at the Schmidt Telescope Unit, Siding Spring Observatory, Australia. Its diameter is estimated to be 1.2 to 1.6 kilometres (0.75 to 0.99 mi).


103P/Hartley
Hartley 2 was the target of a flyby of the Deep Impact spacecraft, as part of the EPOXI mission, on 4 November 2010, which was able to approach within 700 kilometers (430 mi) of Hartley 2 as part of its extended mission. As of November 2010 Hartley 2 is the smallest comet which has been visited. It is the fifth comet visited by spacecraft, and the second comet visited by the Deep Impact spacecraft, which first visited comet Tempel 1 on 4 July 2005.


103P/Hartley, Discovery and orbit
Comet Hartley 2 is a small Jupiter-family comet having an orbital period of 6.46 years. It was discovered by Malcolm Hartley in 1986 at the Schmidt Telescope Unit, Siding Spring Observatory, Australia. It has the perihelion near the Earth's orbit at 1.05 AU from the Sun.


103P/Hartley, Discovery and orbit, 2010 Earth approach
The comet passed within 0.12 AU (18,000,000 km; 11,000,000 mi) of Earth on 20 October 2010, only eight days before coming to perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) on 28 October 2010. From northern latitudes, during early November 2010, the comet was visible around midnight without interference from the Moon.


103P/Hartley, Discovery and orbit, 2010 Earth approach
Despite its current close passage by Earth's orbit, the comet is not yet a known source of meteor showers. However, that could change. Dust trails from the recent returns of 103P/Hartley 2 move in and out of Earth's orbit, and the 1979-dust trail is expected to hit in 2062 and 2068.


103P/Hartley, Discovery and orbit, 2010 Earth approach
After the 2010 perihelion passage, not accounting for nongravitational forces, Hartley 2 is estimated to come back to perihelion around 20 April 2017.


103P/Hartley, Characteristics
Observation by the Spitzer Space Telescope in August 2008 showed the comet nucleus to have a radius of 0.57 ± 0.08 kilometers (0.354 ± 0.050 mi) and a low albedo of 0.028. The mass of the comet is estimated to be about 300 megatonnes (3.0×1011 kg). Barring a catastrophic breakup or major splitting event, the comet should be able to survive up to another 100 apparitions (~700 years) at its current rate of mass loss.


103P/Hartley, Characteristics
Radar observations by the Arecibo Observatory during the comet's 2010 apparition revealed that the nucleus is highly elongated and rotates over an 18-hour period. The project manager of the EPOXI mission described its shape as "a cross between a bowling pin and a pickle".


103P/Hartley, Characteristics
In 2011 Herschel Space Observatory detected the signature of vaporized water in the comet's coma. Hartley 2 contains half as much heavy water as other comets analyzed before, with the same ratio between heavy water and regular water as found in Earth's oceans.


103P/Hartley, Characteristics
For many years, it was known that few comets produced more water vapor than it should by the redirection of nucleus of water ice. The flyby of Hartley 2 showed that many of the icy grains in the coma are driven out by the outgassing of carbon dioxide. It is believed that this is the source of much of the water coming from the comet.


103P/Hartley, Characteristics
Observations of Hartley 2 showed the importance of carbon-monoxide ice to carbon-dioxide ice in comets. After a reexamination, it was found that the abundances of carbon-monoxide ice and carbon dioxide ice show that short-period comets formed under warmer conditions, than the longer period comets. This shows that the short-period comets formed closer to the Sun, than the long-term comets. This discovery goes well with the measurements of Heavy Water in Hartley 2.


103P/Hartley, Deep Impact flyby (EPOXI mission)
The EPOXI mission flyby showed that the material being ejected from the comet is primarily composed of CO2 gas. Michael A'Hearn, the science team leader for the EPOXI mission, stated "Early observations of the comet show that, for the first time, we may be able to connect activity to individual features on the nucleus".


103P/Hartley, Deep Impact flyby (EPOXI mission)
A University of Maryland-led study published in the 17 June issue of the journal Science described an analysis of the mission. Key findings from the mission include:  (1) the smooth, relatively inactive waist of the peanut shaped comet has probably been re-deposited; (2) Hartley 2  spins around one axis, but also tumbles around a different axis; and (3) on its larger, rougher ends, the comet's surface contains glittering, blocky objects that are about 165 feet (50 meters) high and 260 feet (80 meters) wide (as big as a 16-story building). Moreover, these objects appear to be two to three times more reflective than the surface average.


103P/Hartley, Deep Impact flyby (EPOXI mission)
"Hartley 2 is a hyperactive little comet, spewing out more water than other comets its size", said University of Maryland Astronomer Michael A'Hearn, who is lead author on the Science paper and principal investigator for the EPOXI and Deep Impact missions. "When warmed by the Sun, dry ice [frozen carbon dioxide] deep in the comet's body turns to gas jetting off the comet and dragging water ice with it."


103P/Hartley, Deep Impact flyby (EPOXI mission)
It is now believed that some of the dust, icy chunks, and other material coming off the ends of the comet are moving slowly enough to be captured by even the weak gravity of the comet. This material then falls back into the lowest point—the middle.


103P/Hartley, Deep Impact flyby
The Deep Impact spacecraft, which had previously photographed Comet Tempel 1, is now being reused by NASA to study Hartley 2. The initial plan was for a flyby of Comet Boethin. However, Boethin had not been observed since 1986, and its orbit could not be calculated with sufficient precision to permit a flyby, so NASA re-targeted the spacecraft toward Hartley 2 instead. The spacecraft came within 435 miles (700 km) while moving at 27,500 miles per hour (44,300 km/h) on 4 November 2010. The data from the flyby were transmitted back to Earth through NASA's Deep Space Network.


103P/Hartley, Deep Impact flyby
The flyby was able to show that the comet is 2.25 kilometers (1.40 mi) long, and "peanut shaped". Some jets of material are being ejected from the dark side of the comet, rather than the sunlit side. Scientists involved in the EPOXI mission describe the comet as being unusually active, with mission scientist Don Yeomans stating that "It's hyperactive, small and feisty."


103P/Hartley, Deep Impact flyby
NASA's scientists reported that the rays coming off the rough ends consist of hundreds of tons of fluffy ice and dust chunks – the largest particles are of golf ball to basketball-size – and they are ejected by jets of carbon dioxide. The scientists also said that this is the first time that comet activity powered by sublimation of frozen carbon dioxide is observed as the comet nears the sun; the CO2 ice within the comet must be primordial, dating from the beginnings of the solar system.


103d Attack Squadron
The 103d Attack Squadron is an active unit of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard previously known as the 103d Fighter Squadron (103 FS). It is assigned to the 111th Attack Wing, stationed at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove, Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. The squadron was inactivated on 31 March 2011 and later reactivated as the 103d Attack Squadron at the new Horsham Air Guard Station, on the grounds of the former Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove. Along with these name changes came a change of mission. The 103d Attack Squadron now flies the MQ-9 Reaper Remotely Piloted Aircraft.


103d Attack Squadron
The squadron was a descendant organization of the Pennsylvania National Guard 103d Observation Squadron, formed on 27 June 1924. It was one of the 29 original National Guard Observation Squadrons of the United States Army National Guard formed before World War II.


103d Attack Squadron, History, Pennsylvania National Guard
The Militia board authorized the Pennsylvania National Guard 103d Observation Squadron in June 1924. The 103d was founded and eventually commanded by Major Charles J. Biddle, who had flown in World War I as part of the famous American volunteer Lafayette Escadrille. This new National Guard squadron was based on the sod fields of Philadelphia Airport as a unit in the Army 28th Division.


103d Attack Squadron, History, Pennsylvania National Guard
The pilots of the 103d flew a wide variety of observation aircraft for the next 18 years. The most well-known of these aircraft was the JN-4 Jenny. The Jenny was an open-cockpit bi-plane; but was replaced in the 1930s and early 1940s with metal-skinned, prop-driven observation monoplanes. The list is long but shows the steady improvement in aircraft: PT-1, BT-1, O-1, O-2H, O-11, O-38, O-46,-47A, O-47B, O-49, O-52, O-57 and P434-1. The squadron also flew liaison aircraft such as the L-4 and L-1B.


103d Attack Squadron, History, Pennsylvania National Guard
The squadron conducted summer training at Langley Field, Virginia, 1924–27 and Middletown Air Depot, Pennsylvania, 1928–40. They also flew reconnaissance operations in support of the 28th Division and 5nd Cavalry Brigade during summer training; flew tracking missions for the 213th Coast Artillery Regiment (AA); and flew spotter missions for the 107th, 108th, 109th, and 176th Field Artillery Regiments at Tobyhanna Firing Range. The entire squadron was called up to support flood relief efforts in central and eastern Pennsylvania in March–April 1936.


103d Attack Squadron, History, World War II
Inducted into active Federal service 17 February 1941 at Philadelphia, and transferred to the Harrisburg Municipal Airport, arriving there 27 February 1941.


103d Attack Squadron, History, World War II
In February 1941, as the war in Europe raged, the unit was ordered to active service, performing antisubmarine patrols off the coast of New England. In 1943, the 103d finally moved into the latest combat aircraft. First, the pilots and maintenance personnel were given steady upgrades in equipment beginning with the P-39 Airacobra, P-40 Warhawks, and then the B-25 Mitchell. Eventually this culminated in training on the photo-reconnaissance variant of the P-38 Lightning called the F-5C. The twin-engine F-5C had all of the P-38's guns replaced by cameras.


103d Attack Squadron, History, World War II
After a year's worth of training, the 103d deployed to the China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater of war in 1944 where it operated out of various fields in India and Burma. It was heavily involved in photo reconnaissance activities over Burma, supporting the US Army forces fighting the Japanese in the jungles there. The 103d personnel stayed in that theater until the end of the war.


103d Attack Squadron, History, Pennsylvania Air National Guard
The wartime 40th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron was re-designated as the 103d Bombardment Squadron and allotted to the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, on 24 May 1946. It was organized at Philadelphia International Airport, and was extended federal recognition on 20 December 1948 by the National Guard Bureau. The 103d Bombardment Squadron was bestowed the history, honors, and colors of the 40th PRS. The squadron was equipped with B-26 Invader light bombers and assigned to the 111th Bombardment Group.


103d Attack Squadron, History, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, Korean War Activation
The 103d was federalized on 10 October 1950 along with its parent 111th Composite Wing due to the Korean War. Many of the pilots and maintenance personnel were split off and sent for duty overseas as individuals assigned to other combat units there. Eventually the B-26 bombers were sent as reinforcement aircraft to Far East Air Force for use in Korea.


103d Attack Squadron, History, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, Korean War Activation
On 10 April 1951 the squadron and Wing were moved to Fairchild AFB, Washington and re-equipped with RB-29 Superfortress reconnaissance aircraft. Based on the World War II B-29 Bomber, the RB-29s were instead configured with multiple aerial cameras for mapping and reconnaissance missions. These RB-29s were used like the reconnaissance satellites of today, except they required actual over flight of the countries to be photographed.


103d Attack Squadron, History, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, Korean War Activation
On 13 June 1952, two 111th pilots were flying an RB-29 over the Soviet Union when they were shot down by a pair of MiG-15s. The RB-29 was never recovered, having crashed in the waters off of Vladivostok, Russia. The Pennsylvanian families of the Air Guard pilots were told they had simply "vanished" in a weather-reconnaissance flight near Japan. It wasn't until the fall of the Soviet Union and the opening of communist archives that the relatives found out the truth in 1993. It is unknown as to whether any of the pilots or crew of this aircraft were captured by the Soviets at that time.


103d Attack Squadron, History, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, Cold War Air Defense
The 103d and the 111th were returned to control of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard in late November 1952, and the units were re-formed at Philadelphia International Airport by 1 January 1953. The 103d was re-equipped with the F-51D Mustang World War II fighter because of a lack of available jets at the time due to the Korean War. It was re-designated as the 103d Fighter Bomber Squadron and assumed an air defense mission. In 1955, Air Defense Command upgraded the group to the F-84F Thunderstreak, and it received new aircraft. In July 1956, the 103d FIS switched to F-94A and B Starfigher interceptors; to F-94Cs in 1958 and the F-89H Scorpion in 1959.


103d Attack Squadron, History, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, Airlift mission
In 1962, the unit transitioned from the F-89J jet interceptor to a large, heavy transport, the Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter, a double-decked, four-engine airplane. The new mission moved the wing into the Military Air Transport Service (MATS), and its successor Military Airlift Command (MAC) in 1966.


103d Attack Squadron, History, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, Airlift mission
In 1963, the 111th ended its 39-year history at Philadelphia airport and moved to brand new facilities on the north end of the Willow Grove Naval Air Station. From Willow Grove, the C-97 was used to transport troops and cargo all over the world. The unit's flying personnel were used heavily during the Vietnam War and over two hundred members earned Vietnam Service Medals for their flights into that war zone.


103d Attack Squadron, History, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, Airborne Forward Air Control
In 1969, the unit changed mission yet again, returning to its original roots as an observation unit. The new 111th Tactical Air Support Group initially flew the U-3A Blue Canoe, a Cessna-310, as an intermediate aircraft until it received the aircraft it needed for Airborne Forward Air Control (AFAC): the O-2A Skymaster. The O-2 was a two propeller aircraft used early in the Vietnam War for coordination between ground forces and fighter aircraft (the "O" stands for observation).


103d Attack Squadron, History, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, Airborne Forward Air Control
The Forward Air Control mission was sustained with the unit's switch to the OA-37 Dragonfly in 1981. The OA-37, was a heavier derivative of the T-37 trainer, and had been developed specifically for the Vietnam War. The unit made several deployments to Central America in the 1980s to fly with US allies there, who had been sold the A-37 as part of the US Foreign Military Sales program.


103d Attack Squadron, History, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, Airborne Forward Air Control
The A-37s were retired in 1988, and the 111th received the A-10A Thunderbolt II ground support aircraft. It was also used as a FAC aircraft (OA-10). Pilots continued their previous mission of providing AFAC and Combat Search and Rescue, although in a much more combat-hardened attack plane. The A-10 allowed the wing to take part in the new deployments to Southwest Asia following Operation Desert Storm. The unit was re-designated as the 111th Fighter Group in 1992 and then as the 111th Fighter Wing in 1995.


103d Attack Squadron, History, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, Airborne Forward Air Control
Participating in Operation Southern Watch, the wing took advantage of this aircraft upgrade by volunteering for a 90-day deployment to Kuwait in 1995, to support joint combat flight operations for Operation Southern Watch over Iraq. Twelve aircraft were deployed to Al Jaber AB – a joint-use base by U.S. and Kuwait Air Forces. The base was fairly austere as it had suffered considerable war-damage from Desert Storm. Missions included Combat Search and Rescue alert, Kill Box flights over Iraq, Airborne Forward Air Control and joint training missions over Kuwait. About 40% of the wing participated in the deployment


103d Attack Squadron, History, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, Airborne Forward Air Control
Another interesting element was a small side deployment to Qatar. The 111th was the first Air Guard fighter unit deployed to Al Jaber and also the first ANG Wing to volunteer for a solo 3-month Operation Southern Watch deployment. The combat flight missions over Iraq were to enforce United Nations resolutions and occurred during the 1990s post Cold War era.


103d Attack Squadron, History, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, Ground Support
In 1996, the 111th FW pilots transitioned from the OA-10 AFAC mission to the universal A-10 "attack" mission. Now the pilots' primary task was to provide Close Air Support (CAS) for joint service ground forces, as well as performing AFAC and CSAR duties as before. This change to the normal A-10 role aligned the wing with all the other A-10 units in the active duty and Air Reserve Component (ARC).


103d Attack Squadron, History, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, Ground Support
The second 111th FW deployment to Al Jaber AB occurred in 1999, again to support joint combat flight operations for Operation Southern Watch over Iraq. Missions included Combat Search and Rescue alert, Kill Box flights over Iraq, Airborne Forward Air Control and joint training missions over Kuwait. Use of the A-10 was more limited than before, due to the aircraft's relative lack of a precision weapon capability [except the AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground tactical missile].


103d Attack Squadron, History, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, Global War on Terrorism
Immediately following the 9/11 attacks on NYC and Washington, DC, the 111th FW voluntarily deployed on very short notice back to Al Jaber AB to support joint combat flight operations for Operation Southern Watch over Iraq and Operation Enduring Freedom over Afghanistan. Missions included Combat Search and Rescue alert and joint training missions over Kuwait. 111th Weapons personnel assisted in the loading of combat ordnance for the first sorties into Afghanistan in November, 2001.


103d Attack Squadron, History, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, Global War on Terrorism
From October 2002 – January 2003, the wing was the lead unit for a short notice, voluntary, out-of-cycle AEF deployment to Bagram AB, Afghanistan. Bagram had been a massive Soviet base during the decade when they occupied Afghanistan (1979–89), but was almost completely destroyed in that period and civil war afterwards. The 111th aircraft supported joint combat flight operations with US Army, Special Forces, and coalition ground forces in Afghanistan.


103d Attack Squadron, History, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, Global War on Terrorism
The A-10s were flown and maintained in the most primitive conditions, yet the 111th personnel flew 100% of the assigned tasking for their entire deployment – at four times the normal sortie rate of home. Other unique aspects of the operation were total 'blacked out' night-time operations (no lights on the field or camp – everything was done by night vision goggles); an extensive number of mines/UXOs around and on the air field; extreme weather conditions and enemy shelling using BM-12 107mm rockets.


103d Attack Squadron, History, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, Operation Iraqi Freedom
Upon returning to the U.S. in January 2003, the 111th FW again volunteered to participate in another SWA deployment to Al Jaber AB, Kuwait [fourth visit] from February 2003 – May 2003. The wing deployed for joint combat flight operations, in support of US Army, Marine and British ground forces as part of the initial phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Wing personnel were initially stationed at Al Jaber before transferring to Tallil AB, Iraq, midway through the initial campaign. Tallil was a former Iraqi air force base, which had not been used in a decade.


103d Attack Squadron, History, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, Operation Iraqi Freedom
During this campaign, which included direct support for coalition armor forces during the entire invasion from the Kuwait border, through Basra and Baghdad, the wing pilots and maintainers successfully operated at a very high sortie rate. Tallil AB operations set another milestone due to its austere nature and forward location (which was essential to support the armor's thrust toward the capital).


103d Attack Squadron, History, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, Operation Iraqi Freedom
The 111th Fighter Wing's achievement of voluntarily deploying to austere bases in two separate combat operations within a five-month period [2003] was part of the reason the unit was awarded the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, with Valor, in 2005. It also was awarded the Reserve Family Readiness Award in 2003 and the ANG Distinguished Flying Unit Award in 2004.


103d Attack Squadron, History, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, Transition to UAVs, 2011-2013
In its 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommendations, DoD recommended the 111th Fighter Wing be inactivated and its assigned A-10 aircraft reassigned to the 124th Wing (ANG), Boise Air Terminal Air Guard Station, Boise, ID (three primary aircraft); 175th Wing (ANG), Warfield Air National Guard Base, Baltimore, MD, (three primary aircraft); 127th Wing (ANG), Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mount Clemens, MI (three primary aircraft) and retire the remaining aircraft (six primary aircraft).


103d Attack Squadron, History, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, Transition to UAVs, 2011-2013
This recommendation was part of a larger recommendation that would close NAS JRB Willow Grove. DoD claimed that this recommendation would enable Air Force Future Total Force transformation by consolidating the A-10 fleet at installations of higher military value. Despite appeals from Ed Rendell, the Governor of Pennsylvania, the recommendations were upheld and the A-10s departed during 2010. The 103d Fighter Squadron inactivated on 31 March 2011.


103d Attack Squadron, History, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, Transition to UAVs, 2011-2013
On 7 June 2014, during the Pennsylvania ANG's annual Flight of Freedom event, the wing was formally redesignated from the 111th Fighter Wing to the 111th Attack Wing, and the 103rd Fighter Squadron became the 103rd Attack Squadron.


103d Attack Squadron, History, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, Transition to UAVs, 2011-2013
The renamed 103rd Attack Squadron officially reached initial operational RPA capability with the launch of its first combat air patrol sortie at Horsham AGS on 3 April 2016.


103d Attack Squadron, References, Bibliography
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website .


103d Rescue Squadron
The 103d Rescue Squadron (103 RQS) is a unit of the New York Air National Guard 106th Rescue Wing stationed at Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base, Westhampton Beach, New York. The squadron has no assigned aircraft; the squadron is composed of Air Force pararescue specialists (PJs) that use aircraft of the 101st and 102d Rescue Squadrons of the Wing.


103d Rescue Squadron, Overview
Established in 2004 by the Air Force Special Operations Command as part of a re-organization of Air National Guard rescue wings which created separate squadrons for fixed-wing, helicopter and pararescue elements of the 106th Rescue Wing.


103d Rescue Squadron, Overview
The squadron consists of pararescue and support personnel, using the HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters of the 101st Rescue Squadron and the HC-130J Combat King II transports of the 102d Rescue Squadron. All three squadrons are assigned to the 106th Operations Group.


103rd (Lancashire Artillery Volunteers) Regiment Royal Artillery
103rd (Lancashire Artillery Volunteers) Regiment Royal Artillery is part of the Army Reserve and primarily has sub-units throughout the Greater Manchester and Merseyside area of the North-West of England, in recent years it has extended its footprint to Wolverhampton, Isle of Man, Carlisle and Nottingham. Its purpose is to provide reinforcements for units that use the 105 mm L118 Light Gun.


103rd (Lancashire Artillery Volunteers) Regiment Royal Artillery, Formation
The Lancashire Artillery Volunteers were first raised in 1859 as part of the Volunteer Force raised in response to threats of French Invasion. A total of 23 Artillery companies were raised initially. However, in Manchester, numerous units that would later form the Lancashire Artillery Gunners had existed from as early as 1804, when the Duke of Gloucester inspected the Heaton Artillery Volunteers before they were shipped off to the fronts of the Napoleonic Wars.


103rd (Lancashire Artillery Volunteers) Regiment Royal Artillery, 20th Century History
Officers and men of the Lancashire Artillery Volunteers continued to give service during the two world wars of the 20th Century.


103rd (Lancashire Artillery Volunteers) Regiment Royal Artillery, 20th Century History
In 1967, some of these units were amalgamated to form 103rd (Lancashire Artillery Volunteers) Light Air Defence Regiment Royal Artillery (Volunteers). Its units were Headquarters Battery at Liverpool, 208 (3rd West Lancashire) Light Air Defence Battery at Liverpool and 209 (The Manchester Artillery) Light Air Defence Battery at Manchester. In 1969 213 (South Lancashire Artillery) Light Air Defence Battery was formed at St Helens and joined the regiment.


103rd (Lancashire Artillery Volunteers) Regiment Royal Artillery, 20th Century History
In 1976, the regiment changed its designation to 103rd (Lancashire Artillery Volunteers) Air Defence Regiment Royal Artillery (Volunteers) upon being equipped with the Blowpipe missile air-defense weapon. Then, in 1986, 216 (The Bolton Artillery) Battery was formed at Bolton and joined the regiment.


103rd (Lancashire Artillery Volunteers) Regiment Royal Artillery, 20th Century History
In 1992, as a result of the Options for Change, the regiment lost one Air-Defence Battery (213 Air-Defense Battery, which was amalgamated with HQ Battery at St Helens) and Regimental Headquarters were moved from Deysbrooke Barracks, Liverpool, to St. Helens to be co-located with HQ Battery.


103rd (Lancashire Artillery Volunteers) Regiment Royal Artillery, Modern day
In 2001, the regiment transferred from Air Defence to the Field Artillery as a Light Gun Regiment.


103rd (Lancashire Artillery Volunteers) Regiment Royal Artillery, Modern day
Under Army 2020, 209 (Manchester & St Helens) Battery Royal Artillery increased to a battery size. 210 (Staffordshire) Battery Royal Artillery, based in Wolverhampton, joined this regiment from 106th (Yeomanry) Regiment Royal Artillery, and re-roled to a light gun battery. 103 Regiment is paired with the regular 4th Regiment RA under the 1st Artillery Brigade.


103rd (Lancashire Artillery Volunteers) Regiment Royal Artillery, Equipment
The 103rd Regiment is equipped with the 105mm Light Gun, a versatile, air-portable and air-mobile artillery piece.


103rd (Lancashire Artillery Volunteers) Regiment Royal Artillery, Freedoms
The regiment has received the freedom of several locations throughout its history; these include:


103rd (Tyneside Irish) Brigade
The Tyneside Irish Brigade was a British First World War infantry brigade of Kitchener's Army, raised in 1914. Officially numbered the 103rd (Tyneside Irish) Brigade, it contained four Pals battalions from Newcastle upon Tyne, largely made up of men of Irish extraction. (Another Newcastle brigade — the 102nd (Tyneside Scottish) — contained Tynesiders with Scottish connections).


103rd (Tyneside Irish) Brigade, History
The brigade's four battalions were known as the 1st to 4th Tyneside Irish. When taken over by the British Army, these became battalions of the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers:


103rd (Tyneside Irish) Brigade, History
The reserve battalions were the 30th and 34th (Reserve) Battalions, Northumberland Fusiliers (Tyneside Irish).


103rd (Tyneside Irish) Brigade, History
Along with the 101st and 102nd Brigades, the Tyneside Irish made up the 34th Division which arrived in France in January 1916 and first saw action in the Battle of the Somme that year. On the first day on the Somme, the 34th Division attacked astride the Albert-Bapaume road at La Boisselle. The brigade's task was to follow up the main attack by the 101st and 102nd Brigades and advance on a line from Pozières to Contalmaison.


103rd (Tyneside Irish) Brigade, History
Advancing at the same time as the main attack, the brigade started from the reserve trenches on the Tara-Usna Line. The four battalions, marching in extended line (from left to right; the 2nd, 3rd, 1st and 4th), advanced down into Avoca Valley and then up the other side to the British front-line trench. From there they had to cross no man's land, pass through the German front-line and advance to their objectives. However, the main attack was an almost complete failure and the Tyneside Irish were utterly exposed to the machine guns of the German defences.


103rd (Tyneside Irish) Brigade, History
The brigade suffered heavy casualties even before its battalions reached the British front-line. Opposite La Boisselle the brigade was halted but on the right, elements of the 1st and 4th battalions were able to advance up 'Sausage Valley' and pass through the German front-line. Two small parties met up behind the German support trench and pushed on towards their objective of Contalmaison. Their effort was in vain as they were eventually killed or captured.


103rd (Tyneside Irish) Brigade, History
The 1st battalion suffered 620 casualties on 1 July (18 officers and 602 other ranks), its commander, Lieutenant Colonel L.M. Howard, was among the dead. The 4th battalion suffered 539 casualties (20 officers and 519 other ranks). While the commanders of the 2nd and 3rd battalions were both wounded, as was the Brigade commander, Brigadier General N.J.G. Cameron.


103rd (Tyneside Irish) Brigade, History
The brigade's losses on 1 July were so severe that on the 6th, it, along with the 102nd (Tyneside Scottish) Brigade, was transferred to the 37th Division, swapping with the 112th Brigade. The two brigades returned to the 34th Division on 22 August.


103rd (Tyneside Irish) Brigade, History
In February 1918 the 1st, 3rd and 4th Tyneside Irish battalions were disbanded and the remaining battalion, the 2nd, was transferred to the 116th Brigade of the 39th Division. From then on the Tyneside Irish Brigade ceased to exist and the brigade was simply the 103rd Brigade.


103rd Aero Squadron
The 103rd Aero Squadron was an aviation pursuit squadron of the U.S. Air Service that served in combat in France during World War I. Its original complement included pilots from the disbanded Lafayette Escadrille and Lafayette Flying Corps. One of those pilots, Paul F. Baer, became the first ace of an American unit in World War I.


103rd Aero Squadron
The 103rd Aero Squadron was the first U.S. pursuit squadron in action during World War I and had the longest combat service, from 19 February to 11 November 1918. It earned six battle participation credits, flew 470 combat missions, engaged in 327 combats, destroyed 45 German aircraft in aerial combat and claimed an additional 40 as probably destroyed, shot down two balloons, flew 3,075 hours over the front lines, and dropped 4,620 pounds of bombs. Its casualties were five killed in action, two killed in flying accidents, four prisoners of war, three wounded in action, and one injured in a forced landing.


103rd Aero Squadron
The commander of the 1st Pursuit Wing, in general orders, said of the 103rd:


103rd Aero Squadron
"In February last the Lafayette Escadrille of the French Army was transferred to the 103rd Aero Squadron, United States Army. It was the first, and for nearly two months it was the only American Air Service organization on the front. Since that time it is not too much to say that pilots who served in this squadron have formed the backbone of American Pursuit Aviation on the front... No task was too arduous or too hazardous for it to perform successfully. In the recent decisive operations of the First American Army the 103rd Aero Squadron has done its share." – Lt. Col . Burt M. Atkinson, 16 November 1918


103rd Aero Squadron
The history and lineage of the 103rd Aero Squadron continues as part of the 94th Fighter Squadron of the United States Air Force.


103rd Aero Squadron, History
The 103rd Aero Squadron was organized on 31 August 1917 at Kelly Field, Texas, where its enlisted members, drawn from other units, trained until being moved to Garden City, New York for preparation for overseas movement. On 23 November 1917 the unit sailed on board the RMS Baltic from its port of embarkation at New York City. The Baltic joined a convoy at Halifax, Nova Scotia and arrived at Liverpool on 7 December 1917.


103rd Aero Squadron, History
Because of a measles outbreak, it was quarantined at Winnall Down Camp outside Winchester until 23 December 1917, when it proceeded to France through Southampton and Le Havre. The squadron arrived at Issoudun on 28 December 1917, where it spent the month of January constructing hangars for the instructional school being built there. On 1 February it resumed training for combat at the front.


103rd Aero Squadron, History
On 11 February 1918 Major William Thaw, formerly with the Lafayette Escadrille, took command of the 103rd Squadron at the Ferme de La Noblette, near La Cheppe, followed on 18 February by the assignment of 17 former pilots of the Lafayette Escadrille and Lafayette Flying Corps. Combat operations began almost immediately in early March, using Spad VII fighters, and flying with the newly formed Groupe de Combat 21 (21st Pursuit Group) of the Aéronautique Militaire in support of the French 4th Army, and the squadron recorded its first aerial victory on 11 March.


103rd Aero Squadron, History
At La Noblette, the squadron was relieved by another French Escadrille and moved west on 10 April to the Reims area, in support of the French 6th Army, then north to the coast of the North Sea at Leffrinckoucke on 2 May, to support the French Detachment of Army of the North until 29 June. While at Leffrinckoucke its airdrome was subjected to frequent air attacks, and it received a citation 22 October 1918 from the commander in chief of the French Armies of the North and Northeast for its "brilliance" in operations in the face of adversity.


103rd Aero Squadron, History
The display of its distinctive "Indian Head" insignia from the Lafayette Escadrille was authorized by the Chief of Air Service AEF, Brig. Gen. Benjamin Foulois, on 6 May 1918. Two days later 1st Lt . Paul F. Baer shot down two German airplanes to become the first ace of an American unit. By mid-May the 103rd was the leading American pursuit squadron, with half of the AEF's 28 aerial victories.


103rd Aero Squadron, History
Baer was the sole ace of the AEF, with nearly one-third of all victories, but he was shot down in a fight with eight Albatros D.Va fighters of the Leutnant der Reserve August Raben-led Jasta 18 near Laventie on 22 May, after Gefreiter Deberitz of Jasta 18 severed the flight control cables of Baer's SPAD VII with the gunfire from his Albatros, and Baer was captured following his crash, with only a broken knee as his sole injury.


103rd Aero Squadron, History
On 4 July 1918 the squadron relocated to Toul and was assigned to an American command, the 2nd Pursuit Group. On 29 July Thaw moved up to command of the new 3rd Pursuit Group and was replaced by Lafayette Escadrille veteran Capt. Robert L. Rockwell. The 103rd relocated to Vaucouleurs in the Meuse department of France for operations with the 3rd Pursuit Group. In September the squadron shifted northwest to Lisle-en-Barrois to support the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. On 18 October, Capt. Robert Soubiran, another Escadrille veteran and a former member of the 103rd, returned to the squadron to take command. The squadron recorded its last aerial combat on 4 November near Montmédy, claiming three aircraft destroyed. At the hour of the armistice, the squadron had 21 Spad XIIIs and 21 pilots available for operations.


103rd Aero Squadron, History
Three of the five pursuit groups operational at the end of the war were commanded by former pilots of the 103rd Aero Squadron, and ten other pilots were selected to command pursuit squadrons. 14 pilots received 21 awards of the French Croix de Guerre, and eight received 17 awards of the Distinguished Service Cross. Seven pilots were recognized as aces with five recording all their kills with the 103rd. Beginning 13 September 1918, 1st Lt


103rd Aero Squadron, History
. Frank O'D. Hunter shot down eight German aircraft in six weeks, tying Baer for the lead in squadron victories, for which he received five awards of the DSC and the Croix de Guerre with palm. Baer was released at the Armistice by the Germans and returned to the squadron. He submitted a claim for a kill occurring on the morning he was shot down, which was confirmed, and became the leading ace of the 103rd with nine victories.


103rd Aero Squadron, History
After the armistice, the squadron was based at Foucaucourt and assigned to the First Army, alerted for possible occupation service with the Third Army. It received nine new pilots in early December, but was taken off operations on 14 December. The squadron's SPAD aircraft were delivered to the Air Service American Air Service Acceptance Park No. 1 at Orly Aerodrome to be returned to the French. There practically all of the pilots and observers were detached from the squadron. All of its pilots except four were transferred out of the squadron by 4 January 1919, and those four by 24 January.


103rd Aero Squadron, History
The remainder of the squadron and its equipment followed by truck within a week. Soubiran turned over command to the squadron adjutant, 1st Lt . John P. Healy, at Colombey-les-Belles on 1 February 1919. Personnel at Colombey were moved to their port of embarkation at Brest and sailed to New York aboard the armored cruiser USS Frederick on 19 February 1919. The 103rd returned to Garden City to muster out its personnel, and became a unit on paper only by 18 March. It officially demobilized on 18 August 1919.


103rd Aero Squadron, History
On 8 April 1924 the 103rd Aero Squadron was reconstituted and consolidated with the 94th Pursuit Squadron to maintain its history and lineage.


103rd Aero Squadron, History, Other personnel
DSC: Distinguished Service Cross; SSC: Silver Star Citation; KIA: killed in action


103rd Aero Squadron, History, Officers assigned during hostilities
Former members of Lafayette Flying Corps in italics; former members of Lafayette Escadrille in boldA ♦ symbol indicates present for duty on 11 November 1918Pilots


103rd Air Control Squadron
103rd Air Control Squadron is a National Guard squadron assigned to the Connecticut Air National Guard. It provides theater command with air battle management, radar surveillance, air space control, and long haul communication capabilities to plan and execute combined air operations, air superiority and air strike ground attack operations, and provides state authorities with a dedicated force ready to react to local and national emergencies. The unit is located on Orange Air National Guard Station in Orange, CT.


103rd Airlift Wing
The 103rd Airlift Wing (103 AW) is a unit of the Connecticut Air National Guard, stationed at Bradley Air National Guard Base at Bradley International Airport, Windsor Locks, Connecticut. If activated to federal service with the United States Air Force, the 103 AW is operationally-gained by the Air Mobility Command (AMC).


103rd Airlift Wing
The 103 AW was first activated in 1943 as the 324th Fighter Group of the United States Army Air Forces. During World War II, the 324th served in combat with Ninth Air Force and Twelfth Air Force, primarily in the Mediterranean, African, and Middle East Theater. It received two Distinguished Unit Citations for engagements in the Mediterranean and the French Croix de Guerre with Palm for supporting French forces during the campaigns for Italy and France from 1944 to 1945.


103rd Airlift Wing
In 1946 the 324th Fighter Group was redesignated as the 103rd Fighter Group and allotted to the National Guard.


103rd Airlift Wing
The 118th Airlift Squadron, assigned to the wing's 103rd Operations Group, was first established during World War I as the 118th Aero Squadron on 31 August 1917. It was reformed on 1 November 1923, as the 118th Observation Squadron, and is one of the 29 original National Guard Observation Squadrons of the United States Army National Guard formed before World War II.


103rd Airlift Wing, Overview
The "Flying Yankees" of the 103rd Airlift Wing are the eleventh oldest Air National Guard unit in the United States, including a squadron that has served over 90 years in military aviation. They currently fly the C-130H Hercules, a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed Aircraft, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport aircraft. Its mission is providing theater cargo and passenger airlift.


103rd Airlift Wing, Units
The 103rd Airlift Wing consists of the following major units:


103rd Airlift Wing, History, World War II
The wing was constituted as the 324th Fighter Group in 1942 and activated on 6 July at Mitchel Field, New York. Its original squadrons were the 314th, 315th, and 316th Fighter Squadrons. The group moved immediately to Baltimore Municipal Airport, where it trained with Curtiss P-40 Warhawk fighters until October, while its squadrons trained at Baltimore and bases in Pennsylvania and Virginia.


103rd Airlift Wing, History, World War II
The group moved to the Middle East between October and December 1942 for operations with Ninth Air Force along with its 314th and 316th squadrons, while the 315th remained behind until January 1943. The group trained for several weeks with P-40 aircraft. While group headquarters remained in Egypt, the squadrons of the group began operating with other organizations against the enemy in Tunisia. Reunited in June 1943, the 324th group engaged primarily in escort and patrol missions between Tunisia and Sicily until July 1943. It received a Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for action against the enemy from March 1943 to the invasion of Sicily.


103rd Airlift Wing, History, World War II
The unit trained from July to October 1943 for operations with the Twelfth Air Force. It resumed combat on 30 October 1943 and directed most of its attacks against roads, bridges, motor transport, supply areas, rolling stock, gun positions, troop concentrations, and rail facilities in Italy until August 1944. During the assault on Anzio in January 1944, it patrolled the beaches and protected convoys.


103rd Airlift Wing, History, World War II
It aided the Allied offensive in Italy during May 1944, receiving another DUC during the Battle of Monte Cassino for action from 12 to 14 May when the group bombed an enemy position on Monastery Hill, attacked troops massing on the hill for counterattack, and hit a nearby stronghold to force the surrender of an enemy garrison.


103rd Airlift Wing, History, World War II
The 324th continued to give close support to ground forces until the fall of Rome in June 1944. The group converted to Republic P-47 Thunderbolts in July and supported the assault on southern France in August by dive-bombing gun positions, bridges, and radar facilities, and by patrolling the combat zone. The unit attacked such targets as motor transport, rolling stock, rail lines, troops, bridges, gun emplacements, and supply depots after the invasion, giving tactical support to Allied forces advancing through France. The unit aided the reduction of the Colmar bridgehead in January and February 1945, and supported Seventh Army's drive through the Siegfried defenses in March. It received the French Croix de Guerre with Palm for supporting French forces during the campaigns for Italy and France in 1944 and 1945.


103rd Airlift Wing, History, World War II
The 324th Fighter Group returned to the United States between October and November 1945 and was inactivated in November 1945.


103rd Airlift Wing, History, Connecticut Air National Guard
The wartime 324th Fighter Group was redesignated as the 103rd Fighter Group, and was allotted to the National Guard, on 24 May 1946. It was organized at Bradley Field, Windsor Locks, Connecticut in July 1946 and was extended federal recognition on 7 August 1946. At the time, the group's mission was the air defense of the State of Connecticut. It was assigned the 118th Fighter Squadron and equipped with Republic P-47D (later F-47D) Thunderbolts. In September 1947, with the establishment of an independent United States Air Force, the 324th Fighter Group became part of the newly established Air National Guard.


103rd Airlift Wing, History, Connecticut Air National Guard
The 103rd Fighter Wing was formed in the fall of 1950 when the Air National Guard converted to the wing base organization system. In addition to the 103rd Fighter Group, the wing included the 103rd Air Base Group, the 103rd Maintenance & Supply Group, and the 103rd Medical Group.


103rd Airlift Wing, History, Connecticut Air National Guard, Korean War activation
With the surprise invasion of South Korea on 25 June 1950, and the regular military's lack of readiness, most of the Air National Guard was federalized and placed on active duty alongside the Regular Air Force. The 103rd was federalized on 2 March 1951 and the group and wing were subsequently redesignated as fighter-interceptor units.


103rd Airlift Wing, History, Connecticut Air National Guard, Korean War activation
The 103rd Fighter-Interceptor Wing (103 FIW) was assigned to the Eastern Air Defense Force of the Air Defense Command (ADC) and moved to Suffolk County Air Force Base, New York on 1 June 1951, flying air defense missions with their F-47N Thunderbolts. However, ADC was experiencing difficulty under the wing base organizational structure in deploying its fighter squadrons to best advantage. It therefore reorganized its wings on a regional basis and dispersed support units to the locations of the fighter squadrons.


103rd Airlift Wing, History, Connecticut Air National Guard, Korean War activation
On 6 February 1952, the 103 FIW and its assigned groups were inactivated and most of its operational squadrons assigned to the 4709th Air Defense Wing at McGuire AFB, New Jersey. During its period of federalization, the 118th FIS transferred many of its pilots and ground support personnel to Regular Air Force units.


103rd Airlift Wing, History, Connecticut Air National Guard, Cold War
The 103rd was reactivated on 1 November 1952 with the end of the units federalization period and redesignated as the 103rd Fighter-Bomber Wing, operationally-gained by the Tactical Air Command (TAC). However, air defense remained as a secondary mission.


103rd Airlift Wing, History, Connecticut Air National Guard, Cold War
Upon the 118th's return, the F-47s were sent to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base for storage and the squadron was re-equipped with very long range F-51H Mustangs by TAC with an assigned mission of close air support (CAS). In January 1953, the 103rd received several F-84D Thunderjets for maintenance instruction and the squadron was fully equipped with the Thunderjet during the summer of 1953. In the spring of 1955, the F-84Gs were transferred to the Georgia Air National Guard's 128th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron and the 118th converted to the F-94B Starfire. However, the F-94Bs only remained with the 118th for about a year when they were replaced by the F-86H Sabre tactical fighter in 1957. At this time the wing, now designated the 103rd Air Defense Wing was inactivated.


103rd Airlift Wing, History, Connecticut Air National Guard, Cold War
The Sabres were then replaced by F-100A Super Sabres during the summer of 1960 and the Wing becoming ADC-gained. The F-100As gave way to Convair F-102 Delta Daggers in January 1966, standing a 24-hour air defense alert. then in 1971 the group transferred back to Tactical Air Command, becoming an F-100D Super Sabre Group.


103rd Airlift Wing, History, Connecticut Air National Guard, Cold War
From 1971 to 1979, the 103rd flew the F-100 Super Sabre and its mission was close air support and it began a NATO commitment, deploying frequently in the 1970s to bases in West Germany to reinforce United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE). In 1979, the unit was assigned new A-10 Thunderbolt IIs as part of the "Total Force" concept which equipped Air National Guard units with front-line USAF aircraft. The USAFE commitment continued, deploying the "Warthog" to bases in West Germany and Italy.


103rd Airlift Wing, History, Connecticut Air National Guard, Cold War
In 1990 the 103rd was programmed to receive the specialized Block 10 F-16A/B Fighting Falcon, also referred to as the F/A-16 due to its close air support configuration. The 1990 Gulf Crisis, however, delayed this transition. During Operation Desert Storm, the F/A-16 was battle tested and it was discovered that the close air support F-16 project proved to be a failure. Subsequently, the conversion of the wing was cancelled in 1993, and the 118th squadron remained an A-10 Thunderbolt II close air support squadron.


103rd Airlift Wing, History, Connecticut Air National Guard, Air Combat Command
In March 1992, with the end of the Cold War, the unit was redesignated as the 103rd Fighter Group. In June, Tactical Air Command was inactivated as part of the Air Force reorganization after the end of the Cold War. It was replaced by Air Combat Command (ACC). In 1995, in accordance with the Air Force "One Base-One Wing" directive, the 103rd adopted the Air Force Objective Organization plan and was changed in status back to a wing, with the 118th Fighter Squadron being assigned to the new 103rd Operations Group.


103rd Airlift Wing, History, Connecticut Air National Guard, Air Combat Command
In what is believed to be the 103rd Fighter Wing's first "rainbow deployment" – where unit aircraft and personnel deploy and operate with aircraft and personnel from other units – members of the unit departed for Aviano Air Base Italy starting 15 November 1993 for participation in Operation DENY FLIGHT alongside A-10s and personnel from the Maryland and Michigan Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve based at Barksdale AFB Louisiana.


103rd Airlift Wing, History, Connecticut Air National Guard, Air Combat Command
The 60-day deployment allowed active duty personnel supporting the operation to return to their home station during the holiday period, and marks the first time Connecticut A-10s are used in a contingency operation where they could see combat. Operation DENY FLIGHT aircraft enforced the no-fly zone over Bosnia and provided close air support to UN troops, conducting approved air strikes under a UN command arrangement. Aircraft and personnel returned from this critical mission by 15 January 1994.


103rd Airlift Wing, History, Connecticut Air National Guard, Air Combat Command
In late 1995 forces associated with DENY FLIGHT were transferred to Operation DECISIVE ENDEAVOR—as part of the overall NATO operation JOINT ENDEAVOR—to provide support to NATO's Implementation Force (IFOR) and close air support for UN forces in Croatia in accordance with the Dayton Peace Accord. Connecticut Guardsmen were called to support this joint NATO and UN operation in the Balkans in late August 1996. Six aircraft and the first of what would be 350 unit personnel departed for Aviano Air Base in Italy where they would operate from 25 August through 1 November as part of Operation DECISIVE ENDEAVOR. A milestone for this deployment was the wing being the first Night Vision Imaging System capable A-10 unit to deploy to a contingency operation.


103rd Airlift Wing, History, Connecticut Air National Guard, Air Combat Command
In mid-1996, the Air Force, in response to budget cuts, and changing world situations, began experimenting with Air Expeditionary organizations. The Air Expeditionary Force (AEF) concept was developed that would mix Active-Duty, Reserve and Air National Guard elements into a combined force. Instead of entire permanent units deploying as "Provisional" as in the 1991 Gulf War, Expeditionary units are composed of "aviation packages" from several wings, including active-duty Air Force, the Air Force Reserve Command and the Air National Guard, would be married together to carry out the assigned deployment rotation.


103rd Airlift Wing, History, Connecticut Air National Guard, Air Combat Command
Other deployments of the 118th EFS were made to augment combat operations during Operations Deny Flight/Southern Watch to Al Jaber Air Base Kuwait in April 1999 and again in September 2001. The Connecticut Air National Guard was mobilized by Presidential Order in February 2003 along with units of the Massachusetts Air National Guard for deployment to Southwest Asia for what was to become Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. There the unit, operating as part of the 387th Air Expeditionary Group flew over 892 combat missions over western Iraq from March through April 2003.


103rd Airlift Wing, History, Connecticut Air National Guard, Airlift mission
In its 2005 BRAC Recommendations, DoD recommended to realign Bradley International Airport Air Guard Station by distributing the 103rd's A-10s to the 104th Fighter Wing, Barnes Municipal Airport Air Guard Station, MA (nine aircraft) and retirement (six aircraft). The wing's expeditionary combat support (ECS) elements would remain in place at Bradley and Bradley would retain capability to support a Homeland Defense mission. By combining the two units into one squadron the Air Force would retain the trained A-10 pilots and maintenance technicians in the area and create an optimum-sized and more effective squadron.


103rd Airlift Wing, History, Connecticut Air National Guard, Airlift mission
In April 2008, the 103rd became an Airlift Wing. Its new missions now include; a bridge mission flying C-21A Learjets supporting JOSAC VIP airlift, counter drug operations in the U.S., Central America, South America and the Caribbean, A Centralized Intermediate Repair Facility (CIRF) for TF-34 engines used on A-10 attack aircraft and an Air Operations Center (AOC) responsible for Command and Control operations during wartime.


103rd Airlift Wing, History, Connecticut Air National Guard, Airlift mission
Sometime between FY 2012 and 2014, the 103rd was programmed to receive the new Joint Cargo Aircraft, the C-27 Spartan. However, the Air Force has recently announced the end of the C-27 Spartan program, eliminating the aircraft from Air National Guards units. Instead, in September 2013 the unit received eight C-130H Hercules aircraft, the first aircraft of this type to serve the 103rd Airlift Wing.


103rd Airlift Wing, References, Bibliography
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website .


103rd Airlift Wing, References, Bibliography
4 August 2015 at the Wayback Machine Department of the Air Force, Washington, DC, 30 September 1976


103rd Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery
The 103rd Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery (103rd A/T Rgt) was a short-lived unit of the British Army during World War II. Initially raised as an infantry battalion of the South Staffordshire Regiment in 1940, it transferred to the Royal Artillery in late 1942 after serving for two years defending the coast of Norfolk. During 1943 it was broken up to provide independent air-landing batteries for 6th Airborne Division.


103rd Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery, 14th Battalion, South Staffordshires
The unit was originally formed on 4 July 1940 at Lichfield  as 14th Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment. On 30 September it joined 213th Independent Infantry Brigade (Home), which was being organised by No 13 Infantry Training Group as a static defence formation in East Anglia, first under II Corps and then 18th Infantry Division. It was charged with defending the Norfolk coast against invasion. The brigade became part of Norfolk County Division when that formation became operational in II Corps on 24 December 1940. Norfolk County Division was redesignated 76th Infantry Division on 17 November 1941, but it remained a second-line (lower establishment) formation.


103rd Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery, 103rd Anti-Tank Regiment
At the end of 1942 14th South Staffords was selected to be retrained in the anti-tank (A/T) role. It left 213Th Bde on 8 December and on 22 December 1942 it transferred to the Royal Artillery (RA) as 103rd Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery, comprising Regimental Headquarters (RHQ) and 189, 190 and 191 A/T Batteries. By this stage of the war the standard armament of an A/T unit was the 6-pounder gun, but the 17-pounder had just started to appear.


103rd Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery, 103rd Anti-Tank Regiment
103rd A/T Regiment  was first assigned to the GHQ Reserve, then in February 1943 it was transferred to Western Command, in which it served as an independent regiment with its own Light Aid Detachment of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.


103rd Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery, 103rd Anti-Tank Regiment, Disbandment
Between 1 and 9 July 1943, at Marlborough Barracks, Bulford Camp, 189 and 190 A/T Btys were converted into 3 and 4 Airlanding A/T Btys respectively, while 191 Bty was broken up to make up deficiencies among the other two. RHQ was then due to disband on 30 July, and this was actually carried out on 10 August 1943.


103rd Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery, 103rd Anti-Tank Regiment, Disbandment
3 and 4 Airlanding A/T Btys joined 6th Airborne Division on 9 July 1943 and served with it in the Normandy campaign as independent batteries. A new 2nd Airlanding Anti-Tank Regiment was formed in February 1945 to command these batteries for the Rhine crossing (Operation Varsity).


103rd Armor Regiment
The 103rd Armor Regiment is an armored regiment in the Pennsylvania National Guard first formed in 1941. Its legacy unit, 3rd Battalion, 103rd Armor, is a subordinate command of the 55th Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division.


103rd Armor Regiment, Operation Enduring Freedom, 3rd Battalion, 103rd Armor
In July 2002, A, B, C & HQ Companies of the 3rd Battalion, 103rd Armor were activated to perform Force Protection Operations on Kasernes throughout Germany as Task Force Keystone. Those unites trained at Ft. Dix prior to deployment to Germany. Once in Germany, they took over Security and Force Protection Operations for the U.S. Army Kasernes (posts) throughout Germany. They completed their mission in March 2003.


103rd Armor Regiment, Operation Iraqi Freedom, 2nd Battalion, 103rd Armor
In January 2004, B and C Companies of the 2nd Battalion, 103rd Armor were activated and, with attachments from several other Pennsylvania Army National Guard units, reconfigured as military police companies and trained at Ft. Dix for deployment to Iraq. They were designated as companies of the 89th MP Brigade and left for Iraq in March 2004 within days of each other. Once in Iraq, they were assigned to some of the most sensitive missions of OIF II.


103rd Armor Regiment, Operation Iraqi Freedom, 2nd Battalion, 103rd Armor
Three platoons of Bravo Company (1st, 3rd and Headquarters) were attached to the Iraq Survey Group, while 2nd and 4th Platoons served in military police operations. Their missions included area patrols and traffic control points supporting the 1st Marine Division from Camp Fallujah. They were eventually relocated to the Green Zone/International Zone as security escorts attached to the U.S. Navy for high-ranking Interim Iraqi government officials. Charlie Company was assigned to the HVD facility at Camp Cropper, with an entire platoon assigned solely to former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. The units both redeployed in March 2005.


103rd Armor Regiment, Operation Iraqi Freedom, 1st Battalion, 103rd Armor
In June 2004, the 1st Battalion, 103rd Armor was activated at Fort Bliss, Texas and deployed to Iraq in November for Operation Iraqi Freedom. This marked the first deployment of a 28th ID combat battalion to a war zone since World War II. The battalion, now designated as Task Force Dragoon, was stationed at Forward Operating Base Summerall, near Bayji.


103rd Armor Regiment, Operation Iraqi Freedom, 1st Battalion, 103rd Armor
Attached initially to the 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, and then to the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, the 800-man TF 1–103rd Armor, commanded by LTC Philip J. Logan, engaged in combat operations for 12 months before redeploying to the United States in November 2005. Thirteen soldiers from TF Dragoon were killed in action during combat operations in Salah Ad Din Province, a heavily Sunni Muslim area in the north part of the "Sunni Triangle".


103rd Armor Regiment, Decorations, 3rd Battalion
Headquarters Company, and Company A, 3d Battalion, additionally entitled to:


103rd Battalion, CEF
The 103rd Battalion, CEF, was an infantry battalion of the Great War Canadian Expeditionary Force. The 103rd Battalion was authorized on 22 December 1915 and embarked for Britain on 23 July 1916. There, it provided reinforcements for the Canadian Corps in the field until 7 January 1917, when its personnel were absorbed by the 16th Reserve Battalion, CEF. The battalion disbanded on 1 September 1917.


103rd Battalion, CEF
The 103rd Battalion recruited in, and was mobilized at, Victoria, British Columbia.


103rd Battalion, CEF
The 103rd Battalion was commanded by Lt.-Col. E.C.J. Henniker from 23 July 1916 to 7 November 1916.


103rd Battalion, CEF
The 103rd Battalion was awarded the battle honour THE GREAT WAR 1916-17.


103rd Battalion, CEF
The 103rd Battalion, CEF, is perpetuated by The Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary's).


103rd Battalion, CEF, Sources
Canadian Expeditionary Force 1914–1919 by Col. G.W.L. Nicholson, CD, Queen's Printer, Ottawa, Ontario, 1962


103rd Cavalry Regiment
The 103rd Cavalry Regiment was a unit of the Pennsylvania National Guard that existed from 1921 to 1940, when it was re-designated the 190th Field Artillery Regiment.


103rd Cavalry Regiment
The regiment was constituted in 1921 from the 1st Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment and had its headquarters in Philadelphia and later Tyrone. The regiment was assigned to the 21st Cavalry Division. The 103rd Cavalry provided relief assistance during floods in 1936. During 1937-1938, Maurice Rose was a regular army instructor to the 103rd Cavalry. The regiment was relieved from the 21st Cavalry Division and assigned to the 22nd Cavalry Division in January 1939. On 23 September 1940, the regiment was converted to the 190th F.A. Regiment.


103rd Delaware General Assembly
The 103rd Delaware General Assembly was a meeting of the legislative branch of the state government, consisting of the Delaware Senate and the Delaware House of Representatives. Elections were held the first Tuesday after November 1 and terms began in Dover on the first Tuesday in January. This date was January 6, 1925, which was two weeks before the beginning of the first administrative year of Governor Robert P. Robinson and James H. Anderson as Lieutenant Governor.


103rd Delaware General Assembly
Currently the distribution of the Senate Assembly seats was made to seven senators for New Castle County and for five senators to each Kent and Sussex counties. Likewise the current distribution of the House Assembly seats was made to fifteen representatives for New Castle County and for ten representatives each to Kent and Sussex counties. The actual population changes of the county did not directly affect the number of senators or representatives at this time.


103rd Delaware General Assembly
In the 103rd Delaware General Assembly session the Senate had a Democratic majority and the House had a Republican majority.


103rd Delaware General Assembly, Members, Senate
About half of the State Senators were elected every two years for a four-year term. They were from a district in a specific county, with the number of districts determined by the state constitution, not the size of the population.


103rd Delaware General Assembly, Members, House of Representative
All the State Representatives were elected every two years for a two-year term. They were from a district in a specific county, with the number of districts determined by the state constitution, not the size of the population.


103rd Division (1st Formation)(People's Republic of China)
The 103rd Division((Chinese: 第103师) was created in October 1948 basing on defected 155th Reorganized Brigade of 96th Reorganized Corps, Republic of China Army.


103rd Division (1st Formation)(People's Republic of China)
In February 1949 the division absorbed 47th Division of Luzhongnan Column of the People's Liberation Army. 3 regiments from the original 161st Reorganized Brigade were merged as 308th Regiment, and 307th and 309th Regiments were reorganized from 139th and 140th Regiments from 47th Division, respectively.


103rd Division (1st Formation)(People's Republic of China)
In April 1949 the division took part in the Nanjing Campaign.


103rd Division (1st Formation)(People's Republic of China)
From January 16 1950 the division was acting as Taizhou Military Sub-district.


103rd Division (2nd Formation)(People's Republic of China)
The 103rd Division(Chinese: 第103师)(2nd Formation) was activated on February 26, 1951 from 5th Military Sub-district and elements from the former 103rd Division. The division was composed of:


103rd Division (2nd Formation)(People's Republic of China)
In June 1952 the division was disbanded along with its 308th Infantry Regiment. Its 307th Infantry Regiment was transferred to Wenzhou Military Sub-district, while 309th Infantry Regiment was transferred to Taizhou Military Sub-district's control.


103rd Division (Imperial Japanese Army)
The 103rd Division (第103師団, Dai-hyakusan Shidan) was an infantry division of the Imperial Japanese Army. Its call sign was the Steed Division (駿兵団, Shun Heidan). The division was formed 15 June 1944 in Luzon. The nucleus of the formation was the 32nd Independent Mixed Brigade. The 103rd division was a Type C (hei) security division therefore the division backbone has comprised independent infantry battalions instead of infantry regiments.


103rd Division (Imperial Japanese Army), Action
Initially 103rd division was tasked with the garrisoning of north Luzon, with 79th infantry brigade covering north-west and 80th infantry brigade covering north-east quarter of the island.


103rd Division (Imperial Japanese Army), Action
During the Battle of Luzon since 9 January 1945, the 103rd division zone of responsibility was from Aparri to west. Soon the 103rd division has retreated to the mountains inland and largely survived around Magat River until surrender of Japan 15 August 1945.


103rd Division (Imperial Japanese Army), Notes and references
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103rd Engineer Battalion (United States)
The 103rd Engineer Battalion is an engineer battalion of the United States Army, raised from the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. It is one of several current units with extensive Colonial era roots and campaign credit for the War of 1812.


103rd Engineer Battalion (United States)
The 103rd Engineer Battalion traces its origins to the Associators, constituted on 21 November 1747, at Philadelphia by Benjamin Franklin. The original Associators included several companies of artillery, which were combined on 29 December 1747, to form the Train of Artillery of Philadelphia. It is from these artillery companies that the 103rd Engineer Battalion is derived. During the French and Indian War, these companies served at Forts Pitt and Erie.


103rd Engineer Battalion (United States)
In 1775 when the Associated Regiment of Foot of Philadelphia was reorganized as the Associators of the City and Liberties of Philadelphia, it included one battalion of artillery. On 1 May 1775, this artillery battalion underwent further reorganization to form the Philadelphia Artillery Battalion under the command of Colonel Samuel Mifflin.


103rd Engineer Battalion (United States)
Its Revolutionary War Campaigns include the Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, Germantown, and New Jersey 1777.


103rd Engineer Battalion (United States)
The Philadelphia Artillery Battalion was ordered into Continental Service on 2 July 1776, at Philadelphia, and mustered out in January 1777 at Morristown, New Jersey. During this period, the unit served in New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and participated in the Trenton and Princeton campaigns.


103rd Engineer Battalion (United States)
At the Battle of Fort Washington, Margaret (“Captain Molly”) Corbin, the wife on an enlisted man in one of the companies of the Philadelphia Artillery Battalion, became the first American woman to be wounded on the battlefield and later the first woman to be paid a pension by the U. S. government for her service. When her husband, John Corbin, was killed during the assault on Fort Tryon, a small outer redoubt of Fort Washington, she took his place in the gun crew, cleaning and loading the cannon. She was seriously wounded by grapeshot shortly before the Hessians overran the battery. Margaret was put on the rolls of the Invalid Regiment at West Point. She died in Highland Fall, New York, in 1800 at the age of 49. She is buried in the post cemetery.


103rd Engineer Battalion (United States)
Another story about another "Molly" who distinguished herself on the battlefield has come down to us from the Battle of Monmouth, which was fought on a sweltering day in late June 1778. According to the legend of Molly Pitcher, Mary Hays, the wife of William Hays, a soldier in Proctor’s 4th Continental Artillery, was bringing pitchers of water from a nearby spring to the cannon crews when she saw her husband collapse. Mary is then reported to have picked up the rammer, joined the gun crew, and continued to work the cannon for the rest of the battle.


103rd Engineer Battalion (United States)
It is further reported that for her heroism General Washington warranted her as a non-commissioned officer and awarded her a pension for life. There are eyewitness accounts that verify that Mary was present at the battle, that there was a woman bringing water to the cannon crews, and that a woman was seen assisting her husband at a gun. There is no record of any woman receiving a military title after the battle or any record of Mary receiving a federal pension (although she did receive a pension from the State of Pennsylvania for her war service, not her husband’s).


103rd Engineer Battalion (United States)
Her contemporaries referred to Mary as "Captain Molly" or "Sergeant Molly," not as "Molly Pitcher." The name "Molly Pitcher" appeared in print for the first time in 1837 and was greatly popularized by the painting "Molly Pitcher: Heroine of Monmouth," by Nathaniel Currier. William Hays survived the war, after which he and Mary settled in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. William died in 1789, after which Mary married another Revolutionary War veteran, George McCauley. She died in 1832, and is buried in Carlisle.


103rd Engineer Battalion (United States)
Beginning in 1784 and culminating in 1794, Proctor’s Artillery Battalion and the Philadelphia Artillery Battalion were consolidated to form the Regiment of Artillery of the City of Philadelphia, which was mustered into federal service during the War of 1812 as the Regiment of Artillery. Thus the Battalion is among Army National Guard units with campaign credit for the War of 1812.


103rd Engineer Battalion (United States)
The current 103rd Engineer Battalion's lineage is traced to the 1st Regiment, Infantry, Pennsylvania National Guard. This regiment was in federal service on the Mexican Border (during the Pancho Villa Expedition) from June to October 1916. On 5 August 1917, it was drafted into federal service and became the 109th Infantry Regiment. However, it was redesignated to the 1st Infantry, Pennsylvania National Guard in October 1919. The 1st Infantry was converted and redesignated as 103rd Engineer Regiment, an element of the 28th Infantry Division 1 April 1921. The 103rd Engineer Regiment was an element of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard's 28th Division. It was organized and federally recognized in Philadelphia, Pa. 18 July 1921. It was inducted into Federal service for World War II in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 17 February 1941.


103rd Engineer Battalion (United States)
On 17 February 1942, the regiment was broken up and its elements reorganized and redesignated as follows: Regiment (less the 2nd Battalion) as the 103rd Engineer Battalion, an element of the 28th Infantry Division. The 2nd Battalion was redesignated as the 180th Engineer Battalion and relieved from assignment to the 28th Infantry Division.


103rd Engineer Battalion (United States)
On 1 August 1942, the 180th Engineer Battalion was redesignated as the 180th Engineer Heavy Pontoon Battalion. On 27 November 1945, the 180th Engineer Heavy Pontoon Battalion was inactivated at Camp Miles Standish, Massachusetts. On 24 May 1946, the 103rd Combat Battalion (the 103rd Engineer Battalion was redesignated the 103rd Combat Battalion 9 March 1943) and the 180th Engineer Heavy Pontoon Battalion consolidated and were designated as the 103rd Engineer Combat Battalion.


103rd Engineer Battalion (United States), Shield
The shield of the Distinctive Unit Insignia is white to indicate early service as Infantry, whereas service as Infantry during the Civil War and World War I is indicated by the blue chevronelles, blue being the more recent color for Infantry. The red border signifies that the organization is now an Engineer unit. The ten stars represent ten battle honors in the Civil War, while the six fleur-de-lis represent World War I service. The red lion signifies service against the British in the War of 1812.


103rd Field Artillery Regiment
The 103rd Field Artillery Regiment (103rd FAR) is a regiment of the United States Army. The only currently existing component is the 1st Battalion, 103rd Field Artillery Regiment (1-103rd FAR), a unit of the Rhode Island National Guard. The regiment was originally constituted in 1917, but it descends from predecessor units dating back to 1801.


103rd Field Artillery Regiment, Predecessor units (1801 to 1917), Providence Marine Corps of Artillery
The 103d Field Artillery Regiment traces its origins to the Providence Marine Corps of Artillery (PMCA). (Despite the similarity of their names, the PMCA has no connection with the United States Marine Corps.) The PMCA was originally organized in 1801 by the Providence Marine Society (founded in 1798). The PMCA's original purpose was to provide trained gun crews to merchant ships based in Providence, Rhode Island, which had been threatened by the French during the Quasi War (1798–1800) as well as the increasing menace of the Barbary pirates in the Mediterranean Sea. The PMCA's first commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel Commandant Seth Wheaton (1759–1827), who had served as a lieutenant in the Rhode Island Militia during the American Revolution.


103rd Field Artillery Regiment, Predecessor units (1801 to 1917), Providence Marine Corps of Artillery
With the pacification of the Barbary states, the PMCA continued as a chartered command of the Rhode Island Militia. As a chartered command, it had the privilege of electing its own officers and was subject only to the authority of the Governor of Rhode Island – as it was not part of the "regular" militia structure of the state – rather than the senior officers of the state militia. Its membership consisted of leading citizens of Providence and was, thereby, considered an "elite" military unit.


103rd Field Artillery Regiment, Predecessor units (1801 to 1917), Providence Marine Corps of Artillery
About 1850, the PMCA acquired the use of a castle-style armory, which is known as the Benefit Street Arsenal, from the Providence Light Infantry. The arsenal, completed in 1839, still serves as the headquarters of the PMCA and holds a large collection of military artifacts ranging from the Civil War to the Second World War. The arsenal is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.


103rd Field Artillery Regiment, Predecessor units (1801 to 1917), American Civil War
During the American Civil War, the PMCA was activated twice. The first time was at the outbreak of the war when it served from April 18 to August 1, 1861, as the 1st Rhode Island Battery under the command of Captain Charles H. Tompkins. The unit was armed with 14-pounder James rifles at the First Battle of Bull Run near Manassas, Virginia, where weapons of this type are emplaced as of 2015 in the Manassas National Battlefield Park to commemorate the battery's service.


103rd Field Artillery Regiment, Predecessor units (1801 to 1917), American Civil War
The second time was from May to August 1862, when it served as the 10th Rhode Island Battery under the command of Captain Edwin C. Gallup. The 10th Battery was deployed, along with the 9th and 10th Rhode Island Infantry regiments, to defend Washington, D.C. The battery moved to Washington, D.C., May 27–29, 1862, and was attached to Whipple's Command, Military District of Washington. Served duty at Camp Frieze, Tennallytown, until June 23. At Cloud's Mills until June 30, and then near Fort Pennsylvania until August when the battery returned to Rhode Island and was mustered out of service August 30, 1862.


103rd Field Artillery Regiment, Predecessor units (1801 to 1917), American Civil War
The Benefit Street Arsenal not only served as the mobilization site for the PMCA but, also, for all eight batteries of the 1st Rhode Island Light Artillery Regiment, which was organized in 1861. As a result, the PMCA is considered the "Mother of the Rhode Island Batteries" – as is stated on a plaque affixed to the Benefit Street Arsenal.


103rd Field Artillery Regiment, Predecessor units (1801 to 1917), American Civil War
As a result of desiring a veteran's organization under their own authority, veteran members of the PMCA formed the Veteran Association PMCA. This association, composed of past and honorary members of the Providence Marine Corps of Artillery, was organized on January 21, 1874. Its object was to "afford occasional opportunities to revive pleasant memories of the past, to unite in sympathy graduates separated by many years, and to secure for the active corps the benefit of their interest, influence, and strength". A large number of leading citizens of Rhode Island were members of the Veteran Association – including governors William Sprague, Henry Lippitt and Elisha Dyer Jr.. The Veteran Association continues to exist as a private organization and is the de facto veterans association for the 103d Field Artillery Regiment.


103rd Field Artillery Regiment, Predecessor units (1801 to 1917), Light Battery A
On April 19, 1875, the PMCA voted to make itself subject to the state militia laws and, on May 1, 1875, the PMCA was re-designated as Light Battery A of the 1st Artillery Battalion of the Rhode Island Militia. The other unit of the battalion was designated as Light Battery B. Battery B and the battalion were disbanded in 1879 when Light Battery A continued as a separate unit within the Rhode Island Militia.


103rd Field Artillery Regiment, Predecessor units (1801 to 1917), Light Battery A
Battery A was mobilized on June 25, 1898, for service in the Spanish–American War under the command of Captain Edgar R. Barker. The battery did not serve overseas but was stationed at the Quonset Point militia training camp in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. It was mustered out of service on October 26, 1898.


103rd Field Artillery Regiment, Predecessor units (1801 to 1917), Light Battery A
Battery A became part of the Rhode Island National Guard when the Guard was organized from units of the Rhode Island Militia in 1907. The National Guard was created by the Militia Act of 1903 which provided federal funding for state militia units in exchange for the units being trained and equipped to federal standards. While some militia units declined to be governed by federal regulations, Battery A, along with most of the other Rhode Island Militia units, chose to become part of the National Guard.


103rd Field Artillery Regiment, First World War (1917 to 1919)
Light Battery A was expanded on June 15, 1917, to form the 1st Separate Battalion, Rhode Island Field Artillery. It was mustered into active service on July 25, 1917, at Quonset Point and drafted into federal service August 5, 1917. The unit was reorganized and redesignated on August 20, 1917, as the 1st Battalion of the newly formed 103d Field Artillery Regiment, an element of the 26th Division. The 26th Division, nicknamed the "Yankee Division", was formed from National Guard units of all six New England states.


103rd Field Artillery Regiment, First World War (1917 to 1919)
The 103d Field Artillery Regiment consisted of two battalions of three batteries each. It served with the 101st and 102d Field Artillery Regiments in the 51st Field Artillery Brigade of the 26th Division. Along with the rest of the 26th Division, the 103d was shipped to France in late 1917. Overseas, the regiment participated in six campaigns prior to the Armistice on November 11, 1918. The six campaigns were: Champagne-Marne, Aisne-Marne, St. Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne, Ile de France and Lorraine.


103rd Field Artillery Regiment, Interwar period (1919 to 1941)
The 103d was demobilized, along with the 26th Division, on April 29, 1919, at Camp Devens, Massachusetts. It was reorganized between April and November 1921 in the Rhode Island National Guard at Providence, Rhode Island, as the 1st Battalion, Field Artillery, with the headquarters being federally recognized on 17 November 1921 at Providence.


103rd Field Artillery Regiment, Interwar period (1919 to 1941)
The 1st Battalion was redesignated on November 25. 1921 as the 1st Battalion, 103d Field Artillery (1st/103d FA), an element of the 43rd Infantry Division, a newly formed National Guard division with units from Rhode Island, Connecticut, Maine, and Vermont.


103rd Field Artillery Regiment, Interwar period (1919 to 1941)
The regiment was consolidated on January 2, 1930, with the 2d Squadron, 122nd Cavalry Regiment which became the 2nd Battalion, 103d Field Artillery (2nd/103d FA) and the consolidated unit was reorganized and redesignated as the 103d Field Artillery, with headquarters at Providence.


103rd Field Artillery Regiment, Interwar period (1919 to 1941)
During the interwar period the 103d was activated by order of the Governor of Rhode Island for the following state emergencies:


103rd Field Artillery Regiment, World War II (1941–1945)
The 103d was inducted into federal service, as a unit of the 43rd Infantry Division, on 24 February 1941 at home stations and was ordered to Camp Blanding, Florida. The 103d Field Artillery Regiment was broken up on 19 February 1942 and its elements reorganized and redesignated as follows: 1st and 2d Battalions as the 103d and 169th Field Artillery Battalions, respectively, elements of the 43d Infantry Division; the Regimental Headquarters was disbanded at this time.


103rd Field Artillery Regiment, World War II (1941–1945)
During the Second World War, the 103d and 169th Field Artillery Battalions served with the 43rd Infantry Division in the Pacific Theater. Both units earned campaign credit for service in the New Guinea, Northern Solomons, and Luzon campaigns. Additionally, the 169th Field Artillery Battalion earned credit for the Guadalcanal campaign.


103rd Field Artillery Regiment, World War II (1941–1945)
Captain Elwood Joseph Euart of the regiment was the only member of the 103rd lost in the sinking of the U.S. Army transport USAT President Coolidge on October 26, 1942. Captain Euart had safely got off President Coolidge when he heard that there were still men in the infirmary who could not get out. He returned through one of the sea doors, successfully rescued the men but was then unable to escape himself and went down with the ship. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroic actions.


103rd Field Artillery Regiment, World War II (1941–1945)
The 43d Division was located in the Philippines at the time of the Japanese surrender on September 2, 1945.


103rd Field Artillery Regiment, Post–World War II (1945 to 2001)
The 103d Field Artillery Battalion was inactivated on October 22, 1945, at Camp Stoneman, California. It was reorganized and federally recognized in the Rhode Island National Guard on 15 October 1946 with headquarters at Providence.


103rd Field Artillery Regiment, Post–World War II (1945 to 2001)
The 169th Field Artillery Battalion was inactivated on 22 October 1945 at Camp Stoneman, California. On 21 May 21, 1946, it was relieved from assignment to the 43d Infantry Division. Reorganized and federally recognized 19 January 1948 with headquarters at Providence. Reorganized and redesignated 1 March 1949 as the 169th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion and assigned to the 43d Infantry Division.


103rd Field Artillery Regiment, Post–World War II (1945 to 2001)
Shortly after the outbreak of the Korean War, in June 1950, the 103d and 169th battalions, as units of the 43d Infantry Division, were ordered into active federal service September 5, 1950, and spent three years in Germany replacing Regular Army units which had been sent to fight in Korea. The 43d Infantry Division was demobilized shortly after the armistice was signed in July 1953.


103rd Field Artillery Regiment, Post–World War II (1945 to 2001)
The 103d Field Artillery Battalion and the 169th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion were consolidated April 1, 1959, with Headquarters, 103d Field Artillery (concurrently reconstituted in the Rhode Island Army National Guard) to form the 103d Artillery, a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System, to consist of the 1st Rocket Howitzer Battalion and the 2d, 3d, and 4th Howitzer Battalions, elements of the 43d Infantry Division. The 103d FA Battalion was re-designated as 1st Battalion, 103d Artillery Regiment (1st/103d) on June 19, 1961.


103rd Field Artillery Regiment, Post–World War II (1945 to 2001)
The 103d Artillery Regiment was reorganized 18 March 1963 to consist of the 1st, 2d, and 3d Howitzer Battalions. Reorganized on January 1, 1965, to consist of the 1st, 2d, and 3d Howitzer Battalions and Battery F. Reorganized  March 1, 1966, to consist of the 1st, 2d, and 3d Howitzer Battalions.


103rd Field Artillery Regiment, Post–World War II (1945 to 2001)
The 43d Infantry Division was disbanded on December 16, 1967, and its units were assigned to other organizations. The 103d Artillery was reorganized on February 1, 1968, to consist of the 1st and 2d Battalions.


103rd Field Artillery Regiment, Post–World War II (1945 to 2001)
The 103d Artillery Regiment was redesignated on 1 March 1972 as the 103d Field Artillery Regiment.


103rd Field Artillery Regiment, Post–World War II (1945 to 2001)
In February 1978 the 103d Field Artillery was mobilized, along with the entire Rhode Island National Guard, to provide emergency service in response to the Great Blizzard of 1978, which paralyzed the state with over 3 feet of snow.


103rd Field Artillery Regiment, Post–World War II (1945 to 2001)
In 1979 the Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the 103d Field Artillery Brigade was constituted to provide commanded and control of the 1st/103d and the 2nd/103d. The 103d FA Brigade also had operational control of three other field artillery battalions under the CAPSTONE program which integrated Regular Army, Army Reserve, and National Guard units. While the 103d FA Brigade shared the same numerical designation as the 103d FA Regiment, it did not share the same lineage and honors as it was a newly created unit.


103rd Field Artillery Regiment, Post–World War II (1945 to 2001)
As of 1984 the 1st and 2nd Battalions were part of the 103rd Field Artillery Brigade, headquartered at Providence, both equipped with 155-mm towed artillery pieces.


103rd Field Artillery Regiment, Post–World War II (1945 to 2001)
The 2d Battalion, 103d Field Artillery Regiment was inactivated in April 1990. The 1-103d remained under the 103d Field Artillery Brigade. In the late 1990s the Cranston Street Armory in Providence was closed and the headquarters of the 103d Field Artillery Brigade, as well as the Headquarters Battery, Battery A, and Service Battery of the 1st-103d, were relocated to the Armory of Mounted Commands on North Main Street in Providence. Battery B of the 1-103d was located at a former Nike missile site in North Smithfield and Battery C was located in Bristol adjacent to the Rhode Island Veterans Home.


103rd Field Artillery Regiment, Recent conflicts (2001 to present)
Elements of the 1st Battalion, 103d Field Artillery Regiment were mobilized for service in Iraq and Kuwait during Operation Iraqi Freedom. From January 2004 to April 2005 batteries A and B of the 1-103d served on active duty and supported combat operation in Iraq for nearly 13 of the 15-month mobilization. On December 3, 2014, Battery A (Forward) was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation along with the 1st Battalion, 206th Field Artillery Regiment for meritorious service during the deployment.


103rd Field Artillery Regiment, Recent conflicts (2001 to present)
Headquarters and Headquarters Battery of the 103d Field Artillery Brigade was mobilized in August 2004, was sent to Iraq, and served until August 2005. C Battery, 1-103d deployed to Iraq from September 2007 to September 2008.


103rd Field Artillery Regiment, Recent conflicts (2001 to present)
The Headquarters of the 103d Field Artillery Brigade was inactivated on September 6, 2008. As a result, the 1st Battalion, 103d Field Artillery was reassigned to the 197th Field Artillery Brigade (New Hampshire Army National Guard) in its operational chain of command and to the 43rd Military Police Brigade (Rhode Island Army National Guard) in its administrative chain of command. At the same time as the inactivation of the 103d Field Artillery Brigade, the 1207th Transportation Company and the 1043d Maintenance Company were consolidated to form the 1207th Forward Support Company (FSC) to provide logistical and maintenance support to 1st Battalion, 103d Field Artillery.


103rd Field Artillery Regiment, Recent conflicts (2001 to present)
As of 2020, 1st Battalion, 103d Field Artillery continues to serve in the Rhode Island National Guard. The 1st BN 103d FA consists of five units: Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, Batteries A, B and C (C Btry re-stationed to NH Army National Guard in 2019), and the 1207th Forward Support Company (FSC).


103rd Field Artillery Regiment, Veterans association
In the post World War II era, the name "Providence Marine Corps of Artillery" has been used by a private non-profit entity that functions as the de facto veterans association of the 103d Field Artillery. (Its membership is primarily current and former members of the 103d Field Artillery with a select group of other individuals.) It holds a long term lease on the historic Benefit Street Arsenal which houses numerous artifacts that commemorate the history of the 103d Field Artillery. The arsenal is also used for meetings of Elisha Dyer Camp 7 of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) and the annual encampment of the Rhode Island Department of the SUVCW.


103rd Grey Cup
The 103rd Grey Cup was a Canadian football game that was played on November 29, 2015 between the East Division champion Ottawa Redblacks and the West Division champion Edmonton Eskimos to decide the Canadian Football League (CFL) championship for the 2015 season. The game was played at Investors Group Field in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Shaw Communications was the presenting sponsor of the game; it was the first time in CFL history that the Grey Cup has been sponsored. The Eskimos won the contest 26–20 to claim their 14th Grey Cup championship in franchise history and first since 2005. Mike Reilly was named Most Valuable Player and Shamawd Chambers received the Dick Suderman Trophy as Most Valuable Canadian. It was the Eskimos' first Grey Cup win that did not involve Hugh Campbell in any capacity with the organization since the 1975 Grey Cup.