559th US Army Artillery Group

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559TH US ARMY ARTILLERY GROUP

Official blazon

A Gold color metal and enamel device 1 1/8 inches (2.86 cm) in height consisting of a shield blazoned: Gules, a pale couped chevronwise to chief Or, a fess Sable fimbriated and charged with a fleur-de-lis of the second, in chief a fleur-de-lis and a pruning knife and in base the same reversed all of the like. Attached below and to the sides of the shield a Black scroll inscribed “SPINA FRONTIS” in Gold letters.

Origin/meaning

The colors scarlet and yellow are for Artillery. The three fleurs-de-lis represent battle honors awarded for service in France during World War II, and the two pruning knives for service in Germany. The black fess simulates a section of a gun barrel. The shape of the pointed pale is suggestive of the guided missile. The motto translates to “Backbone of the Front.”

The Distinctive Unit Insignia was originally approved for the 559th Field Artillery Battalion on 15 March 1956. It was amended to change the description on 4 May 1956. It was redesignated for the 559th Field Artillery Missile Battalion and amended to change the description on 11 September 1956. The insignia was rescinded on 3 April 1963. The distinctive unit insignia was reinstated and redesignated for the 559th US Army Artillery Group on 7 September 1967.