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Follow-On to Redstone
Pershing 1 is Born
Orlando Development
Flight Tests at Cape Canavera l
Battalion Activation
Ice. Snow. and 50 Below
Panama
White Sands Testing
Deployment in Europe
Pershing Improved for QRA
Eglin Environmental Testing
Orlando Environmental Tests
Green River Road March
Operation SWAP - U.S. Preparation
Operation SWAP - Delivery in Germany
P1 -A in Europe
Pershing Project Managers

Pershing 1 1s Born

1958

Persh ing 1 . as conceived in 1 958 by the

Advanced Ballistic Missile Agency. weighed
10.000 pounds at liftoff. The 2-stage solid
prope llant missile had a range of 400 m iles and
was guided to the target by jam-proof inertial
gu idance.
A complete firing unit was composed of an
erector-la uncher to transport the m issile to the
launch site and serve as a launch pad. a
programmer-test station to preset the missile
trajectory and te st missile electrica l systems
before flig ht. a power station to supply required
electrica l power to launch the missile . a radio
term ina l set to communicate with higher
headquarters. and a wa rh ea d carrier. Four
modified M - 11 3 t racked vehicles t ransported
the missile and lau nch equipment to the firing
site.

Pershing Missile and

Erector- La uncher
2 Radio Te rminal Set
3 Warhea d Carrie r
4

Programmer-Test/ Power
Stati on

A member of the Pershing

team c he cks out the
azimu th laying device
used to accurately target
the missile.

Orlando Development

1958-60

In March of 1958 the Army Missile Command

awarded the Orlando Division of Martin M arietta
a contract to design and develop the Pershi ng
system. Soon after the award the new
Army- Industry team ente red the initi al design
and development phases of the program.
Engineers. designers. pla nners. logistics experts.
and technicians all pitched in to get the program
off to a good start.
Eventually Pershing equi pment. mounted on
modified M - 1 13 tracked ve hicles. was tested in
mud-fi lled swa mps. boun ced over rugged
terrain. assembled. erected. and disassembled
seve ral tim es in preparati on for the first flight
at Cape Ca naveral.

Technicians gave
Pershing a hard pou nding
during early deve lopment.

Flight Tests
at Cape Canaveral
1960-63

An early configuration
R&D round blasts off
at Cape Canavera l.

By January 1960 the first Pershing missile was

ready for launch. Facilities at Cape Ca navera l
were activated by the Army Corps of Engineers.
and the test ve hic le was fired February 25
on a 30-m ile trajectory out over the Atlantic
Test Range.
This initia l fl ight marked the beginn ing of many
successes for Pe rshing. In June of the same
year. another successful launch te sted erratic
motion programmed into the m issile's flight
path to prove stability. In February of 1961.
Pershing was launched and successfu lly
demonstrated its inertial gu idance syste m.
January 1962. Persh ing traveled downrange
400 miles ove r t he Atlantic for its first fu ll fl ight.
And so it went until th e Cape Canavera l test
program ended in April of 1963.
Pershi ng had performed well ... so well in fact
that it had scored more successful launches
during a development p rogram than any
previous majo r missile system.
Lt. Col. Patrick Powers. first Commander of a
Pershing batta li on. summarized the Army's
feelings about Pe rshing w hen he sa id, "From the
standpoint of the troops. we are high ly pleased
with the Pershing Weapon System . .. We th ink
Pershing will be a giant on the nuc lear
battlefi eld."

Lt. Col. Patrick J. Powers

receives the 2nd/ 44th's
colo rs from Dr. Finn J.
Larsen during an
organization ceremony at
Ft. Sill. Oklahoma.

Battalion Activation

1962

While flight testing contin ued at th e Cape .

Pershing troops were being trained. In
September of 196 1. the first of 2 50 key military
and civi lian person nel from Redstone Arsenal
and Fort Si ll arrived in Orlando to receive 16
weeks of training in 12 different Pershing
specialities.
In June of 1962 the first Pershing battalion. the
2nd/ 44th. was activa ted at Fort Sill. and in July
classes opened at Fort Sill to familiarize the
troops with the new Pershing system.
By October the men were ready. and on the
13th of that month the 2nd/ 44th was forma lly
orga nized. Dr. Finn J. Larsen. Assistant
Secretary of the Army. was on hand to present
the unit colors to Lt. Col. Patrick J . Powers.
Commanding Officer of the new Pershing unit.
Next. Pershing troops and Martin Ma rietta
engineers would take the system to A laska fo r
environmenta l testing.
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Ice, Snow, and 50 Below

1962

Alaska with its ice. snow. and 50 degree below

zero temperatures poses a formidable
environmental challenge to any weapon system.
The question was. then. how wou ld the Pershing
system's 10.000 pounds of missile and tons of
support equipment perform in this environment?
Would system lubricants remain fluid at these
temperatures. and could rubber-coated cables
and tubing stand the extreme cold? How well
would the tracked vehicles perform on A laska's
frozen slopes?
In December of 1962. test engineers and troops
of the United States Army went to Alaska to
find the answers.
While in Alaska the Army- Industry team

performed normal assembly. erection. checkout.

and countdown procedures to determine system
performance in this environment. When the
Arctic tests were over. Capt. Warfield Lewis.
Testing Chief of the Test and Evaluation Branch
of the Pershing Project Manager's Office.
announced that the system had performed
successful ly in the Alaskan environment.

Troops and engineers

tested Pershing
equ ipment in subzero
weather at Ft.
Wainwright. Alaska .

Panama

1963

A few months after returning from Alaska test

engineers and U.S. Army personnel were on the
road aga in. This time they headed for Panama
to te st Pershing 's performance in a tropica l
environment.
Once in Panama. the m issile and ground support
equipment were su bjected to heavy rains. mud.
high humidity. and oppressive heat. Exhaustive
tests were conducted to identify and co rrect any
problems indu ced by this tropical environment.
In August of 1 963 Pershing was successfu lly
demonstrated at Fort Sherman in the Canal
Zone for Major General T. F. Bogart.
Commanding Genera l. U.S. Army Southern
Command. By September all tests were
completed and the Pershing team began
packing for home. Tests in Panam a had further
demonstrated Pershing's rugged all-weather
capabi lity.

White Sands Testing

1963

the south. This marked the first time Pershing

was fired over populated areas to test the full
range of the missile.
The White Sands test se ri es ended late in 1963
w ith launches from the Devil Mountain area
near Gallup, New M exico. by the 2nd/ 44th and
the 4th/ 4 1st. the second Pershing un it to be
activated. With the successful completion of this
phase of the development program. the
Pershing syste m was now ready for deployment.

Pershing round No. 32

blasts off from Heuco
Range. Texas. and heads
for a target area on the
W hite Sands Missile
Range. A second
Pershing missile
(foreground) has been
counted down and st an ds
ready for launch.

After Panama. the Pershing system was ready

for its final tests ... tactical firings onto White
Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The plan
ca lled for U.S. Army artillerymen to fire Pershing
overland onto t he White Sands Range from
launch sites in Texas. New Mexico. and Utah
. .. the four Corners area of the Southwest.
Troops of "A" Battery. 2 nd Battalion/44th
Artillery. under the command of Capt. Donald
Phipps. opened this series of tests with
successful launches from Heuco. Texas. on
August 20. 1963. In October the unit trave led
630 miles into the rugged desert and mountain
areas nea r Blanding, Uta h. where. in a period
of one week. they successfully fired five
Pe rshing missiles over three st ates to impa ct on
White Sands Missil e Ran ge nearly 400 miles to
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Deployment

in

Europe

1964

Pershing troops undergo

a combat- readiness che ck
at a firing site in Western
Germany. These troops
retu rn to the United
States annually for
operational test firings
onto White Sands Missile
Range. New Mexico.

In the Spring of 1964 the Pershing system was

dep loyed in Western Germany. Tested in Arctic
and tropical extremes and launched from rugged
terrain under simulated combat cond itions.
Pershing was now ready to assume its tactical
role in the European theater.
Taking the new missile system to Europe was
the 4th/ 41 st. later to be joined by the 1 st/8 1st
and the 3rd/ 84th . The 4th/ 41 st is now the
1st/41 st. Meanwhile. the 2nd/ 44th. today
known as the 3rd/ 9th. took up its home station
at Fort Sill. Oklahoma.

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Pershing I mproved for ORA

19 6 5-6 7

The Pershing system had come a long way since

the first 30-mile test flight at Cape Canaveral
ea rly in 1 960. The Pershing Project Office. first
under the com m and of Col. 0. M . Hirsch
fo llowed by Col. Edwin I. Donley. had developed
Persh ing into a ru gged. reliable. all-weather
weapon. But late in 1965. Persh ing was given
an add itiona l role ca lled Quick Reaction A lert.
requirin g new improvements to the system.
The improved system. called Pershing 1-A.
included a new programme r-test station w ith a
digital computer for se lf test and fault isolation.
a battery control centra l to coordinate
commands from headquarters to individua l firing
batteries. and a new erector-launcher with fast
erection capability and a faster rate of fire.
Additionally. the improved system was mounted
on w hee ls instead of tracks to speed Persh ing
to the firing site faster and w ith fewer
maintenance problems.
W ith these im provements. Pershing would
assume its new ORA role. prepared to serve as
a nuclear dete rrent in support of NATO as well
as perform its basic mission of providing
massive firepower in support of the Field Army.

By early 1967. the new Pershing system was

successfully demonstrated for A rm y officials at
Martin Marietta's Orlando faci lity. and P1 -A was
on its way.

Programmer-Test/ Pow er
Station
2 Radio Terminal Set
3 Battery Control
Centra I
4 Pers hing Missile and
Erector- Launcher

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Eglin Environmental Testing

Green River Road March

1967-68

1968

Late in November 1967, a 13-vehicle Pershing

convoy ro lled through early morn ing fog to begin
a road ma rch from Martin Marietta's Orlando
Division to Eglin A ir Force Base in northern
Florida where Pershing would undergo severe
environmental testing in a mammoth climatic
laboratory.

Early in August 1968, men of the 2nd

Battal ion/ 44th A rtill ery under the command of
Capt. Thomas Fitzgera ld. left Fort Sill .
Okl ahoma, and road -m arched Pe rsh ing to
Gilson Butte near Green River. Utah . There.
under simulated combat conditions. P1 -A
underwent its first service test firings when
troops successfu lly launched three missil es to
impact on W hite Sands Missile Range .

For 12 weeks the missi le and grou nd support

equ ipment were subjected to temperatures
ranging from 1 50 F to -55 F. In addition. ra in.
snow. ice. and sleet were hurled at the system
and rapid temperature changes were set up to
induce thermoshock in vital electrical and
mechanica l components. A countdown and
simulated launch followed each temperature
change.

P1 -A firing s were conducted as a combined

effort of the Army Test and Eva luat ion
Command. Aberdeen Proving Grounds. and the
Army Artillery Board at Fort Sil l.

With the successful completion of these tests.

all P 1-A equ ipment returned to Orlando.

Orlando Environmental Tests

1968

Once back in Orlando. the P1 -A system was

subjected to another series of rigorous
environmenta l tests. P1 -A equipment mounted
on M -757 trucks was driven t hrough mud.

tested on a rugged road course. and frozen in

an environmental test chamber. A simulated
countdown and launch followed each test to
determ ine system integrity.

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Operation SWAP - U.S. Preparation

1968

U.S. Army and Martin

Marietta representatives
at Cape Canaveral
prepa re documentation
for new P1 -A equipment
shipped to Europe u nder
Project SWAP.

Once the P1 -A syste m had been developed and

tested. there was the problem of supplying
troops in the fi eld with t he new gear whi le
maintaining co mbat read iness.
In July of 1968. M artin Marietta. working
closely w ith the U.S. Army Missile Command.
solved this problem through a massive logistics
program to supply Pershing units in Europe and
the United States w ith t he new P1 -A ground
support equipm ent. This program. called Project
SWAP. centered around Hanger N of the Air
Force Eastern Test Range at Cape Ca navera l.
The mission was to exchange . item by item. the
new equipment for the old in a direct
contractor-to-troop del ivery system. bypassing
the traditional Army supply line.
By April of '69. the first of several t ra inloads of
missile and launch support equ ipment for the
new P1 -A system wa s on its way to Fort Si ll.
Oklahoma . to equip the 2 nd/ 44th. In Au gust of
the same year. the Adm. William Callaghan. the
world's largest dry ca rgo vesse l. sh ipped out of
Port Canaveral with the first battalion-sized
package of new P 1 -A gear for troops in
Germany.

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Operation SWAPDelivery in Germany

1969-71

From Port Canaveral the shipload of new ground

support equipment headed for the North Sea
port of Bremerhaven. Germany. There. P1 -A
rolled off the Callaghan and headed for a staging
area at Fischstein. Germany. where old P1 gear
was swapped for the new Pershing 1-A
equipment.
One by one Pershing firing batteries moved into
Fischstein. exchanged their equipment and. after
a concentrated training period. returned to their
firing sites in the forests of Western Germany.
Three such SWAP shipments were completed
by mid- 1970. and U.S. Army Pershing missile
units were then fully equipped with the new
fast- reacting Pershing 1-A system . By early
1971 Federal Republic of Germany Air Force
troops had also received the new P1 -A gear
through the same contractor-to-troops SWAP
program .

P1 -A gear was shipped to

West German Air Force
troops early in 1971 .

U.S. Army troops check

Pershing equipment lists
after de livery to
Fi schstein . Germany.

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P1 -A m Europe

1970

In October of 1972, Pershing marked its te nth

yea r of active duty. Deployed in Europe w ith
troops of the U.S. Army and the Federa l
Republi c of Germany Air Force. rugged.
reliable Pershing with its massive. mobile
f irepower is playing a major rol e in defense
of the free world.

At sites throughout
Western Germany troops
keep Pershing ready to
meet any threat.

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Pershing Project Managers

Col. Oliver M. Hirsch (1962 - 1963)

Col. Edwin I. Donley (1963 - 1966)
Mr. Carl A. Pinyerd - acting - (1966)
Col. Edwin A. Rudd (1966 - 1969)
Col. Rutledge P. Hazzard (1969 - 1970)
Col. Samuel C. Skemp, Jr. (1970 -

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