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Blue Knights   
                                           

    Home                                               contributed by
  
                                        Hector Marin
                                                 

                                           writer, professional historian; presently writing a book
                                           about WWII, and has contributed the following information                                            about Puerto Rican units that served in WWII.

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The Puerto Rico National Guard was called into Federal Active Service in October 1940, and assigned to the Puerto Rican Department in accordance with the existing War Plan Orange. At the start of active U.S. participation in WWII, the Puerto Rico National Guard was composed of the following organizations:

•   State Headquarters & Headquarters Detachment, 92d Infantry Brigade
  
         295th Infantry Regiment
         296th Infantry Regiment
         1st Battalion, 162d Field Artillery
                  [later redesginated 162d Field Artillery Battalion]
         1st Battalion, 130th Combat Engineers
                  [later redesignated 130th Engineer Battalion (Combat)]
         1st Battalion, 253d Coast Artillery (Mobile) (155mm
                    guns) (Tractor Drawn)
          1st Battalion 201st Coast Artillery (Anti Aircraft)
                   [later redesignated 123d Coast Artillery (AA) (Composite)]
  
  There was also a considerable number of Puerto Rican organizations and units made up of draftees, and which were also assigned to the Puerto Rican Department:
  
                Field Artillery
  
             
•  1114th Field Artillery Battalion
  
  
  Coast Artillery
  
  
•   51st Coast Artillery Regiment (Mobile) (155mm guns) (TD)
            [later redesignated 145th Coast Artillery Group]
  
•    801st Coast Artillery Battery (Harbor Defense) (Separate)
            (12-inch guns) (Battery Reed)
  
•    816th Coast Artillery Battery (Anti Motor Torpedo Boat)
  
•    817th Coast Artillery Battery (Anti Motor Torpedo Boat)
  
•    817th Coast Artillery Battery (Anti Motor Torpedo Boat)
  
  
                    Anti Aircraft Artillery   
  
  
•     66th Coast Artillery Regiment (Anti Aircraft)
              [later redesignated 135th Anti Aircraft Artillery Group ]  
  
•      88th Anti Aircraft Artillery Battalion (Automatic Weapons)
  
•      243d Anti Aircraft Artillery Battalion (Gun)
  
•      341st Anti Aircraft Artillery Battalion (Searchlight)
  
•      342d Anti Aircraft Artillery Battalion (Gun)
  
•       346th Anti Aircraft Artillery Battalion (Searchlight)
  
•       746th Anti Aircraft Artillery Battalion (Gun)
  
•        761st Anti Aircraft Artillery Battalion (Gun)
  
•        763d Anti Aircraft Artillery Battalion (Gun)
  
•        766th Anti Aircraft Artillery Battalion (Gun)
  
•        860th Anti Aircraft Artillery Battalion (Automatic Weapons)
                   (Self-Propelled)
  
•        892d Anti Aircraft Artillery Battalion (Gun)(Semi-Mobile)
                   
  
•        913th Anti Aircraft Artillery Battalion (Automatic Weapons)
  
  
          Engineers               
     
  
•         265th Combat Engineer Company
  
•         1566th Combat Engineer Company
  
•         1557th Combat Engineer Company
  
•         1558th Combat Engineer Company
  
•         2700th Engineer Truck Company
  
•         2701th Engineer Truck Company
  
•        2702d Engineer Truck Company
  
•        2702d Engineer Truck Company
  
•        2703d Engineer Truck Company
  
•        2703d Engineer Truck Company
          
•         2704th Engineer Truck Company
  
  
  
                                         Quartermaster
  
•         27th Quartermaster Company (Car)
  
•         36th Quartermaster Company (Light Maintenance)
  
•         43d Quartermaster Company (Light Maintenance)
  
•         44th Quartermaster Company ( Light Maintenance)
  
•         45th Quartermaster Company (Heavy Maintenance)
  
•         51st Quartermaster Battalion (Truck)
  
•        75th Quartermaster Company (Bakery)
  
•        245th Quartermaster Battalion (Service) (Labor)