36th Field Artillery served as the provisional headquarters for all American artillery in Sicily. From 29 August to 3 September 1943 the 2d Battalion fired the first American artillery to hit the European mainland, across the straits of Messina in support of the British 8th Army. The battalion set an ammunition dump on fire and silenced five German 170mm gun positions. The 36th Field Artillery landed on the hot Salerno beach beginning on 12 September, and participated in the drive on Naples and the Foggia airfields, then turning north to Cassino. During these operations, Battery C fired a "perfect mission", setting an ammunition train at Avellino on fire with the first round in adjustment at a range of 22,000 yards. Also during this period, the regiment conducted the first operations with high-performance aircraft adjusting artillery fire, cooperating with P-51s and artillery-trained pilots. While the 2d Battalion continued fighting at Cassino, the 1st Battalion withdrew from the line and prepared for the Anzio invasion, landing on D day, and providing the heaviest artillery support on the beachhead for the next five months. Both battalions then participated in the drive which freed Rome and continued into the Alban hills. On 5 March 1944, the regiment was broken up, with Regimental Headquarters, 1st Battalion and 2d Battalion redesignated HHB, 36th FA Group, 36th FA Battalion, and 633d FA Battalion, respectively. On 8 June 1944, the 1st Battalion was again withdrawn from the line for its longest break, this time in preparation for the invasion of Southern France. The battalion landed on D day, 15 August and raced north with VI Corps to the German border. Here, at the town of Mutzig, first section of Battery B fired the regiment's only direct-fire mission of the war using the Long Toms, at a German fort being held by 92 men. From 1 December until the end of the war, the battalion operated with two M12 self-propelled 155mm guns, which were used for special missions, especially direct fire. At the end of the war one battery was in firing position at Seefeld, Austria, prepared to fire on Innsbruck in support of the 103d Infantry Division. Fortunately, negotiations with the city's leaders led to the surrender of the city with no firing. Meanwhile, the 2d Battalion continued northward through Italy, crossing the Po River in April 1945 and reaching the foothills of the Italian Alps. At one