Item number: M430

Year: AD 1922-1959; AD 1971-present

Material: Copper Alloy

Size: 51.0 x 10.6 x 0.9 mm

Weight: 1.65 g

Provenance: Private Collector, USA, 2025

This is a tie pin bearing the distinctive unit insignia (DUI) of the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment of the United States Army.

The insignia takes the form of a heraldic shield with a red field. The white chevron and four blue stars symbolise the regiment’s antecedent service in the American Civil War; the four stars represent the four artillery batteries that fought in that conflict. The lion’s head in the upper left denotes England and alludes to the regiment’s lineage participation in the Anglo-American War of AD 1812. The Chinese dragon in the upper right signifies service in China, representing the China Relief Expedition of AD 1900 undertaken during the Boxer Rebellion, in which United States forces were deployed to protect foreign nationals and suppress the uprising. The fleur-de-lis at the base symbolises France and commemorates the regiment’s service alongside French forces during the First World War. The crest comprises a rising sun and an Aztec banner, representing respectively the continental United States and service in the Mexican–American War; the Aztec motif exhibits minor variation, the reason for which remains uncertain.

The reverse consists of a brass pin with a sparsely threaded pattern, attached to the insignia by a circular metal base.

The 3rd Field Artillery Regiment’s combat tradition spans more than two centuries. Although the regiment was formally constituted in AD 1907, several of its component units trace their lineage to the field artillery of the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, thereby inheriting honours earned in earlier conflicts such as the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War. During the First World War, the regiment was assigned in AD 1917 to the 6th Division and deployed to the European theatre, where it provided fire support, suppressive bombardment and counter-position fire in operations including the Meuse–Argonne Offensive. In the Second World War, the regiment was reorganised in AD 1942 as the 3rd Armored Field Artillery Battalion and assigned to the 9th Armored Division. Between AD 1944 and 1945 it took part in the Battle of the Bulge and the crossing of the Rhine. During the Battle of Remagen, its artillery fire played a decisive role in suppressing German positions and enabling American forces to seize and hold the Ludendorff Bridge before its destruction, thereby facilitating the Allied advance into Germany. In the post-war and Cold War periods, elements of the regiment continued to see active service: personnel were deployed in support of the Korean War, certain sub-units rotated into Vietnam for fire support and base-defence missions, and in AD 1991 the regiment’s battalions, attached to armoured divisions, participated in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm during the Gulf War. In the twenty-first century, the regiment’s units have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, conducting urban fire-support missions, counter-battery radar operations and forward observation duties.

物件編號: M430

年代: 公元 1922-1959 年；公元 1971 年至今

材質: 銅合金

尺寸: 51.0 x 10.6 x 0.9 mm

重量: 1.65 g

來源: 美國私人收藏 2025

這是一枚領帶針，圖樣為美國陸軍第3野戰砲兵團的「特色單位徽章」(distinctive unit insignia, or DUI)。

章體為盾徽，以紅色為底色。橫槓的白色「人」字型條帶和四顆藍星，象徵該團前身於南北戰爭中的戰歷。四顆藍星分別代表於南北戰爭中參戰的四個砲兵連。左上角獅首象徵英格蘭，代表該團前身於公元1812年美英戰爭中的戰歷。右上角的中國龍象徵中國，代表於義和團運動中，美軍於公元1900年派軍營救僑民及鎮壓義和團的「中國救援遠征」。下方鳶尾花則象徵法國，代表第一次世界大戰中，與法軍並肩作戰的經歷。盾徽頂飾為昇陽和阿茲特克旗，分別代表美國本土及美墨戰爭。其中阿茲特克圖樣稍有不同，原因待考。

背面為銅針，與章體背面接觸處為圓盤。銅針上有稀疏的螺紋。

美國陸軍第三野戰砲兵團的作戰傳統橫跨兩個世紀，其組成雖於公元1907年正式成團，但其下屬若干單位的血統可追溯至18、19世紀的早期美國砲兵部隊，使其戰鬥榮譽包括1812年戰爭、美墨戰爭與南北戰爭等早期衝突。第一次世界大戰期間，該團於公元1917年編入第六師投入歐洲戰場，執行默茲–阿戈訥攻勢等行動中的火力支援、陣地壓制與反機槍據點射擊。第二次世界大戰中，本團於公元1942年改編為第三裝甲野戰砲兵營，隸屬第九裝甲師，並於公元1944年至1945年間參與突出部之役與萊茵河作戰。在雷馬根戰役中，其砲兵火力對壓制德軍橋頭堡、掩護美軍奪取並維持魯登道夫大橋發揮關鍵作用，使盟軍得以在德軍尚未摧毀大橋前跨越萊茵河。戰後，第三野戰砲兵團的各營隊在冷戰與後冷戰時期亦持續參戰，包括派遣人員支援朝鮮戰爭、部分編制輪調至越南執行砲火支援與基地防禦任務，以及在公元1991年的海灣戰爭中隸屬裝甲師砲兵參與沙漠盾牌與沙漠風暴行動。進入21世紀後，該團單位亦部署至伊拉克與阿富汗，執行城市砲擊支援、反炮兵雷達運作與前線觀測任務。