Boston Area  AAA Gun Sites

These pictures are from the 70th AAA Battalion (90mm Gin) which defended Washington, DC's Maryland suburbs.

90mm gun battalions activated or federalized included the 16th [April 19, 1952], 685th [MA ARNG, May 1, 1951] and the 704th [MA ARNG, March 16, 1951]. In the last few months of 1952 and first few of 1953, federalized ARNG AAA battalions were demobilized for return to the control of their respective states. Simultaneously new active army battalions were to be activated to replace the demobilizing units. since most of the federalized guard units had long been filled with draftees, the actual effect was merely a change of designation. Equipment and personnel remained. In the Boston defense area, the 685th AAA Battalion was replaced by the 514th AAA Battalion on January 1, 1953. The 704th AAA Battalion was replaced by the 605th AAA Battalion on February 16, 1953. A table showing the Mass National Guard's AAA organization during the gun era.  

          Originally the Army established a series of Antiaircraft Artillery (AAA) gun sites on leased land around Boston or in installations previously used as coast artillery forts. Most of these former installations (such as Fort Banks, Nahant and Fort Dawes] had previously been closed and had to be reopened. The on-site gun  program was considered a temporary measure until the first generation of surface-to-air missiles (Nike-Ajax) would be deployed later in the decade. Additionally, as the active Army deployed Ajax, the Army National Guard deployed AAA batteries to the gun sites.  The M1 or M2 90mm antiaircraft gun was the weapon deployed at these sites. These sites evolved over their short history as follows: In February, 1951, the Army Antiaircraft Command [ARAACOM, predecessor to ARADCOM] recommended that AAA units in the Continental US be deployed to tactical positions near the vital areas they were to defend.  The previous policy was overly dependent upon an adequate early warning for the initial attack. In June, 1951, the Department of the Army (DA) authorized funds to lease sites and improve them. The funds were limited and did not provide for permanent stationing of batteries at the sites. Accordingly, ARAACOM adopted a policy that all units had to be able to deploy to their sites within six hours. Additionally, batteries were rotated through the sites in a manner that one battery from each battalion was deployed at a site at any given time [25% rotation plan]. In April 1952, DA authorized the construction of housing [barracks] on 25% of the sites. This, coupled with ARAACOM's previous policy, resulted in 50% deployment of each battalion's firing batteries. In July, 1952, DA approved the permanent on-site stationing of all firing batteries. By the end of September, 1952, ARAACOM had deployed all but 20 of its 220 batteries to tactical sites.  

          As the active Army converted to Nike-Ajax, the Boston area gun sites were manned by ARNG units. Each battery had roughly 18 fulltime soldiers. The remaining guardsmen trained on-site or at the unit's home armory. The 704th and 772d AAA Battalions of the MA ARNG manned the Boston area sites roughly during the period 1955-58. After 1955, the only active Army gun unit remaining in the Boston defense was the16th AAA Battalion. This unit was inactivated in December 1957 and was never converted to Nike status

THE SITES [NOTE: Information is currently incomplete on several of these sites]

Belmont (B-8?) 
 

Fort Banks (B-21) 
 

Background: Old coast artillery mortar and headquarters post closed in 1950 then reopened for AAA mission. Remained headquarters post during AAA gun and early Nike era. Also location of AAA gun site.

704th AAA Battalion (90mm Gun) (mobilized MA ARNG)
HHB Fort Banks (B-22) (52)/ Fort Dawes (B-21) (52-53)
A Nahant (B-17) (52-53)
B Saugus (52-53)
C Fort Dawes (B-21) (52-53)
D Lynn (B-10) (52-53)
The battalion was demobilized in February 1953 and replaced in place by the newly activated 605th AAA BN.

605th AAA Battalion (90mm Gun)
HHB Fort Dawes (B-22) (53-56)
A Nahant (B-17) (53-56)
B Saugus (53-56)
C Fort Dawes (53-56)
D Lynn (B-10) (53-56)
The 605th converted to Nike-Ajax in Apr 56 and its sites were taken over by the 772d AAA Bn (MA ARNG) and 16th AAA Bn. Nahant was converted to Nike and manned by the same battery (A-605).

685th AAA Battalion (90mm Gun) (mobilized MA ARNG)
HHB Fort Banks (B-21) (52-53)
A Hyde Park (B-51) (52-53)
B Milton (B-50) (52-53)
C Quincy (B-40) (52-53)
D Fort Duvall (B-31) (52-53)
The 685th was demobilized in Jan 53 and replaced in place by the newly activated 514th AAA BN:

514th AAA Battalion (90mm Gun)
HHB Fort Banks (B-21) (53-55)
A Hyde Park (B-51) (53-55)
B Milton (B-50) (53-55)
C Quincy (B-40) (53-55)
D Fort Duvall (B-31) (53-55)
The 514th was converted to Nike-Ajax in January 1955 and its sites were taken over by the 16th AAA Bn and the 704th (MA ARNG). Fort Duvall was converted to Nike and manned by the same battery (D-514).

16th AAA Battalion (90mm Gun) (activated Apr 52; inactivated Dec 57)
HHB- Fort Banks (B-22) (52-57)
A- Belmont (52-57)
B- Brighton (52-Jan 55)/ Quincy (B-40) (Jan 55-Apr 56)/ Fort Dawes (B-21) (Apr 56- Dec 57)
C- Newton (52-57)
D- Medford (B-90) (52- Apr 56)/ Lynn (Apr 56- Dec 57)

704th AAA Battalion (90mm Gun) (MA ARNG) (On-site Program)
HHB- Boston
A- Brighton (Feb 55-Jul 55)/ Milton (B-50) (Jul 55-Feb 58)
B- Hyde Park (B-51) (Feb 55-Feb 58)
C- Quincy (B-40) (Feb 55- Feb 58)
D- Fort Banks (B-22) (Feb 55- Feb 58)
The 704th converted to Nike-Ajax in February 1958.

772d AAA BN (MA ARNG) (On-site Program)
HHB- BostonA- Medford (B-90) (Apr 56- Feb 58)
B- Newton??? ( Apr 56- Feb 58)
C- Saugus ( Apr 56- Feb 58)
D- Brighton (Apr 56- Feb 58)
The 772d converted to Nike-Ajax in February 1958.

| Site List | Unit List| Location Map | Home |   
This Page Last Updated: Saturday, August 19, 2000