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Army
Security Agency, Europe |
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| ASA-Europe History | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1945 - 19.. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source: various sources, Walter Elkins) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Signal
Security Detachment D,
Signal Intelligence Div, HQ ETOUSA was attached to the 12th Army
Group and operated under the control of G-2 Division, 12th AG. The
unit furnished signal intelligence support at the army group level.
Immediately after the war, the Detachment was located in Rüsselsheim and became a major unit of USFET (and probably under direct control of that HQ) in mid Sept 1945. The Det has its own teletype circuit (DANA) to HQ USFET (DAAA). |
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In
late 1946, the following units were attached to ASAE:
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In
March 1946, HQ ASAE was moved to Gutleut Kaserne in Frankfurt for
billeting purposes. Operations were conducted in the IG Farben Hochhaus
in Frankfurt.
At some point, probably early 1950, HQ ASAE was redesignated as the ASA Europe, Hq Co, 8620th DU. Sometime before 1970, ASAE left Gutleut Kaserne and moved into Kennedy Kaserne, which was closer to the IG Farben Building. HQ USASAE moved to Flak Kaserne, Augsburg in June 1971. This move was a preamble to the consolidation of assets required for establishing Field Station, Augsburg. By June 1972, FSA was in full swing; the three supplanted stations, one large border site, three smaller sites, and HQ USASA Europe had been closed. |
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| CORRECTIONS & ADDITIONS (Source: Email from Bill Wagner, April 1949 to May 1952) Headquarters and Headquarters Company, ASAE, was billeted at Marbach Kaserne (Gibbs Barracks, Block#1 until August, 1951, when it moved to Block#3).
In December, 1951, Hq and Hq Co, ASAE moved to the Gutleut Kaserne, West Block.
The actual Headquarters of ASAE was on the 7th floor, West Block, of the I.G. Farben Building. HQ ASAE was redesignated as the Headquarters, Army Security Agency Europe, 8620th Administrative Area Unit (AAU) sometime before 31 August, 1950. |
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| (Source: Email from Brock Carr, HQ ASE-Europe, 1952-54) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I was with ASA, first at Vint Hill Farms, then Arlington Hall and ultimately in Gutleut Kaserne (behind the Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof (train station). I spent 28 months in Frankfurt and returned to the US in September 1954. Naturally I have a few memories that I could share. It would be remarkable if some of my old chums from ASA were still around. I haven't had a chance to read all of the material on the net, yet. I was telling my wife about the story about the pilot that was supposedly court martialed because of the I.G. Farben Building. As the story went, the pilots were told to level Frankfurt, except for this particular building, because it was planned to be the new European Command Headquarters (EUCOM). They were told that it would be a Court Martial Offense if they damaged it. Sure enough, one poor pilot's bombs "SKIP BOMBED" and took out a small corner of the building -- and he was Court Martialled, or so the story goes.
When I arrived there in early 1952, the Germans were working 7 days a week to rebuild Frankfurt, and it was almost complete. The exception was the "OPERA HOUSE" -- I believe all of the exterior walls were still standing, but it was only a shell, with nothing left standing inside. I believe you could see it, looking up the main street (strasse) from the Bahnhof. I spent a fair amount of my leisure time in a Bavarian Gasthaus at the Bahnhof, called Maiergustls'. It was quite popular for all GI's. As I recall there were four divisions located in and around Frankfurt, they were the 2d Armored (Hell on Wheels) Division, the 43rd Infantry, and two other's - maybe the 28th and 1st Infantry (but I am not certain). Some of the nicer post war activities ASAE performed: In my off duty time I was responsible for the company dark room (I was an amateur photographer (Oh yes, I have some nice shots inside the compound of Gutleut Kaserne, showing the deuce and a halfs in the motor pool all lined up, and some with the troops in formation) and I used to spend time in a small town that (understandably so) didn't like or accept American GI's.) but having a camera, rather than weapon, was accepted. To make a long story short (which I very rarely do), after all the bombings during WWII, there were about 100 or more orphans left in the area to be cared for. There was no orphange in the area to house and care for them, so the townspeople took the children into their homes. When I learned of this, and I saw how beautiful these young children were, I thought it would be nice if the town had a picnic for all of them and I acted as the official town photographer, taking a 8x10 photo of each child, taking it back to our company darkroom, developing and enlarging all pictures, and then going back to this (anti-GI town) and delivering each portrait to each home (I had two buddies, one was an ASA German linguist) , who helped me with the darkroom work and especially with the delivery to each home -- my knowledge of German was lacking, to say the least). The town had a beautiful young girl (named Hanalorre Schwanke) who also acted as my interpreter. The Company Comander (Captain Dugen) approved the use of materials expended (Photo Enlarging Paper and chemicals). We did all of this on our off duty time. The children loved the portraits, and their adoptive families really warmed up to the three of us. They still didn't want Soldiers visiting or dating their young daughters, but we were the privledged few that were invited to their weekly town dance at the townhall.
About ASAE: I was assigned to the Chief of ASAE for my 28 month tour. My memory is a little spotty, we're talking about 52-54 years ago. I never thought I would see info about ASA open for all to see. I remember signing that document swearing not to tell anyone about my service for 10 years. It appears from what I see on the net, that every so many years, they change their name. We were told to wear any patch and brass that we wanted. "Tell people that you are in the infantry, signal corps, etc. " Then, when we arrived in Frankfurt, we were shown a wall with about 500 passport sized photos, and told, "these are all the Soviet agents and sub-agents in the Frankfurt area. Before you got off the ship in Bremerhaven, their people were showing these agents a wall, just like this, and your picture is on it!. They are looking for you! Bartenders, Prostitutes, straight people, all types. When our people have accidents, like falling off trains, or are killed in a so-called drunken brawl in a gasthaus (bar), don't you believe that it was an accident. If you talk in your sleep, don't go with a prostitute, she may be an agent, or working for one. Then we walked out of the meeting, walked out into the motor pool area (middle of Gutleut Kaserne) and saw beautiful ASAE decals on all of our vehicles, telling the whole world that that 'TOP SECRET" ASA was stationed in Frankfurt. Wow!. We couldn't believe it. They even had small decals that you could put on your wallet, how about that. In any case, about 6 months later, all the decals were removed, and we just showed the 8606 AAU signs. We even caught one of our own Com Center officers selling our code rotors to the Russians. When we joined ASA, you wouldn't be accepted if you had a relative or connections with Russia or any countries behind the "Iron Curtain". The Captain who was caught had relatives in a communist country, but he got into ASA before they had that ruling about relatives. Oh well, that's how the cookie crumbles. Oh, info re ASAE: The Chief was Lt. Col. Richard C. Gales, he also had a WAC Major Martha Schuhart assigned to him. There was also a Major Fisher (he was a really nice, down to earth guy-and a good officer). All of us (the Secuity Division and the Operations Division) spent most of our time in the I.G. Farben Building. The company commander, was Captain Dugan, and the First Sgt was Willams (lovingly referred to as "Willie) by those who loved him. I am sorry to see that ASA has evolved to being assigned to different regular Infantry (and other groups). I would have to believe that a lot of secuity could be lost because ASA not being an independent intellegence group, reporting only to Washington. I'll tell you why. A team made up of several of us from HQ went out to see how good the secuity was -- One of our infantry divisions was going on maneuvers in the middle of the winter, with the French Army. Just as the enemy would do, we wore the patches and insignia of that division, went down to France, found the division's main signal battalion, cut into their wire and recorded everything that went through the heart of the division. Not only did we learn the grid coordinates of every outfit in the Division, we even recorded one Battalion Commander talking to another Battalion Commander, reviewing the location (grids) of their outfits. At one point, one officer said to the other, "Hey Joe, we really shouldn't be discussing the locations of our outfits over the wire, security regs and all that." To which the other officer responded, "what are you worried about, those Security people don't know what the hell they are doing." We didn't realize what we had on tape until we got back to Frankfurt. I forget how many days we listened to the tapes, had them all typed up and sent off to Washingtion. Some time later, 1-3 months, the General in charge of the Infantry Division came to see the Chief, and reamed his ass. He screamed "The next time you send your people out against my outfit, you give me advance notice." (As if the enemy would warn him that they were coming!). In any case, as the story goes, this incident was reported back to the Pentagon and a higher ranking General came down on the Infantry Division Gerneral and made it clear that in the future, he would not be warned, and that if he and his people did not comply with security requlations in the future, he may want to kiss his Army career good bye. You see my point. ASA needs to maintain its independance. Another nice story comes to mind. On one of our "The Russians are coming" trips into the hinterlands, we were all set for the night in our pup tents, when we were rousted out, and told that it was discovered that we had been hammering our tent pegs into what once was a WWII mine field that had not completely been cleared of the mines. You can immagine how fast we got out of that area. Let the good times roll. Ho, Ho.
One other fact about ASAE has been bothering me. During my 28 months -- I know Lt. Col. Richard C. Gales was the Chief, ASAE - but my memory is foggy. I'm not sure if there had been Two (2) Chiefs, one when I first was assigned and perhaps he shippen out several months later and was replaced by a new Chief? I don't recall exactly, I"ll have to look at some of the old papers (Orders and that kind of stuff) and in my photo album. In any case, yes, be my guest about any facts I give you. the more I think about it, I believe the first Chief ASAE either retired or rotated back to the United States, several months before I did. |
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| ADDITIONAL INFORMATION I just went through some old promotion orders and a reference letter given to me by the Chief, and I can now say for sure, that the new Chief, Lt. Col. Richard C. Gales arrived in Frankfurt in 1954, before I left in September. I remember that he wanted me sign up (re-enlist) for another three years and offered me an immediate promotion to Sgt. First Class (I was an E-5 Sgt) (and quaranteed me Master Sgt Stripes before the end of my second enlistment. He knew I had been thinking of staying in the Army, but I was so homesick (not being allowed to go home for 28 months, I refused. We (he and I) got along well and he just didn't want to break in a stranger in my place. So I went home, thinking that I still could re-enlist, if I wanted to, after going home. More ASAE facts: I have some names from my old documents. The Adjutant in January of 1953 was Captain Ralph G. Irish. Some of my buddies that I would love to hear from (if they are still kicking): Dale E. McGuire (Sgt) -- came from the mid-west. I remember that he was allowed to rotate back to the US before his scheduled date in order to "bring the crop in" -- obviously, he was a farmer. One of my favorite buddies and mentor was Roger Schleuter. I believe he had been a teacher of English (& perhaps, German?) He was constantly on my back about my NEW YAWK accent! He would constantly correct me, saying IT HAS AN "R" IN YORK, and po-ta-toes are not pronounced pitatis, etc. etc. etc. His constant harping and correcting were largely responsible for my decision to attend college when I returned to the US. I owe him a lot. And to top it off, not only was he a good teacher, he was a good friend and had a good sense of humor. Then there was Jesse L. Inman Jr. from Georgia (Atlanta or Savanah? We were going to buy a shrimp boat when we got out (and have it paid for within 2 years!) Jesse played football for Georgia Tech and was rather large and quite strong. Before leaving the states, he, I and Les Holmes (Maryland) spent some time at Fort Knox. Jesse was so strong, that one time we were kiddingly playing Judo in the barracks, he picked me up over his head, threw me at a wall (sheetrock) and I went right threw it, into the hallway. There I was, stunned, laying against the far wall in the hallway, and big Jesse stuck his head through the hole in the wall that I maded (or he made, depending on how your look at it) saying with his Southern accent, "Brock, Are you all right?" We had some great times. Les Holmes had just married, weeks before we shipped overseas. He was assigned to one of the outstations in Germany for his 28 months. He said the weather was so bad most of the year (lots of mud and rain) that they virtually never wore their Class A uniforms -- just fatigues, all year round. |
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| (Source: Email from Ray Grafflin, 534th AFA Bn and 7734th Sig Svc Pltn) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I browsed the site and noticed that under Signal, another unit I was assigned to isn't listed - the 7734th Signal Service Platoon. This unit was tasked with monitoring Red Army electonic emissions over the Czech border. Base unit was located at various places in Frankfurt - Gutleut Kaserne, next to the Hauptbahnhof, Heddernheim in what normally would have been Dependent Quarters, and at Gibbs Barracks. The forward unit was located up on Mount Meissner with a whole lot of expensive electronics equiptment. We were 32 EM and 3 Officers. No one ever said so, but I suspect we were "owned" by one of the spook agencies. I do know that if we wanted anything for the operational side, a phone call to Washington triggered a next day delivery via air from the States. We had a high proportion of degree level troops, who had a neat lab and really odd senses of humor |
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| (Source: Email from Francis Hamit) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A couple of things about HQ USASA Europe. HQ was located on the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th floors of that end of the building. Travel between floors was a unique elevator system called "paternosters." These were wood cabinets that moved continuously. The building is now the Humanities Building for the University of Frankfurt and these relics have been preserved. HQ for V Corps was on the bottom floors of the building. Kennedy Kaserne was home to HQ & Service Co and Com Unit before 1968, when I arrived there. It was a former girls' school and had an authorized EM club in the basement that served alcoholic beverages. It was called "The Spookeasy". There was also an Arms Room. Armed drills were held about once every three months. The HQ had an award winning unit newspaper, "The Frankfurter Forum," which won both Best in ASA and Best in Army for the multilith category. Copies of this newspaper are now in the Army Intelligence Museum at Fort Huachuca. You'll have to look at a map for exact directions, but my memory is that Kennedy Kaserne was across the street and to the left of the front of the Farben Bldg. It occupied most of the block at the corner of that street and Eschersheimer Landstrasse. The Officer's Club was directly behind the Farben Bldg. You could, if so inclined, walk down the street in front of the Farben Bldg all the way the Hauptbahnhof (main train station). That took you through the Kaiserstrasse area, where all the strip clubs and like amusements were located. Walking the other way took you to the Hauptwache, which was this great shopping area that had movie theaters that showed films in English and German on alternative showing. Took one of my German girlfriends to see "Easy Rider" there. She was shocked at the violence. The quickest way there was the U-Bahn (subway). Also there was our favorite bar, the Mausefalle (Mouse Trap), which had beautiful Chichi bar maids and one of our CI guys always lurking around. Walking the other way (North?) on Eschersheimer Landstrasse took you to the PX and the Topper Club, which was for E-5's and above and where you could buy a Heineken for 20 cents and a shot of Jack Daniels for two bits. The street between that corner that ran parallel led to the mess hall and the medical dispensary. There was a married housing and an American dependents school beyond the PX. Below the Hauptwache was the Staatsbühne (State Theatre) and the Opera. Next to the train station is the Messe Halle where they have the International Book Fair every October and where touring rock group would also perform. |
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| (Source: Email from Jim Bair, Hq & Svc Co, 1964-68) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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I served in the Personnel and Finance Office from Sept 1964 – sometime in 1966 when I was sent TDY to the 18th F&AO in Frankfurt to help set up a new computerized payroll system that the Army was instituting. |
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| The Early Years | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1945 - 1951 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 114th Signal Service Company | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
114th Signal
Company DUI |
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During World
War II, the 114th Signal Radio Intercept Company was one of several
radio intelligence units allocated in support of 12th US Army Group.
SRICs were attached to the various US Armies, the 114th being in support
of First US Army. The primary mission of a Signal Radio Intelligence
unit was to intercept and record enemy radio transmissions and to
determine their locations by means of radio direction finders. The
SRI Co typically consisted of the following elements: Intercept PlatoonIntelligence and
Analysis PlatoonDirection Finding
PlatoonWire PlatoonIn the immediate post-war period, the 114th was assigned to Signal Service Det D, Special Troops, 12th Army Group in Rüsselsheim, Germany. Det D served as the central command-and-control element for all signal intelligence operations conducted by the 12th Army Group and would eventually become ASA-Europe (Nov 1945). On Jan 10 1946, the 114th SRI Company was reorganized and redesignated as 114th Signal Service Company. The 114th Sig Svc Company was located in Sontra, Germany until May 1947. On 14 May 1947, the Sontra site was closed - the Company with its support personnel were sent to Herzo Base, the radio operators were reassigned to the 116th Sig. Svc. Co. which was located in Scheyern, Germany. In 1949, a detachment of the 114th (Det "A") was located at the old German Fliegerhorst in Rothwesten. With the growing fear of Soviet aggression in Europe after the war in Korea started in the summer of 1950, the 114th and its sister unit, the 116th, were ordered to remount (on 2½-ton trucks) their WWII-vintage intercept and communications equipment (TC-9's and SCR-399's?) and assume a tactical role as support units for 7th Army. (As the SRI's had settled in to occupational duty after the end of WWII, their truck-mounted equipment had been dismounted and operations were performed in a fixed-site mode.) In May 1951, the 114th Sig Svc Co was relocated to Kinglsey Barracks, Hof to be closer to the border. On 25 Oct 1951, the 114th Sig Svc Co was reorganized and re-designated as the 331st Communications Reconnaissance Company and allotted to Regular Army. |
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| Visit Dean Slagle's wonderful page dedicated to the 331st C.R. Co. in Germany. Includes great photos of the 114th's home stations at Herzo and Hof (331st Communication Reconnaissance Company). | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Looking for 114th SRI members who stayed at Avon Tyrrell, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| We're
looking for anyone who was in the US Army 114th Signal Radio Intelligence
unit around D-day and in Germany afterwards. The unit was based at
our house (Avon Tyrrell) in the New Forest,
England before D-day. A couple of vets have visited and have given
us some great memories and photos, and we'd like to see if we can
get more. Avon Tyrrell is now a listed historic building and used
as a childrens activity centre - the US Army being based here, and
massing before D-day, is an important part of its history - we'd like
to keep a record of this and put up some displays for the visitors
that come here. Richard Louis Bonney Centre Director Avon Tyrrell Activity and Residential Centre UK Youth, Bransgore, Hampshire BH23 8EE Email: director@avontyrrell.org.uk Web Site: www.avontyrrell.org.uk |
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| 1945 - 1951 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 116th Signal Service Company | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source: Various ASA related websites, including a unit history posted on the ASA Alpiners website) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The 116th Signal
Radio Intelligence Company, activated on 18 May 1942 at Camp Crowder,
Missouri, participated in several campaigns in the ETO, in support
of the 12th Army Group. The company was one of two Army radio intelligence companies left in Germany after redeployment. Both were located in the First Military District (Land Bavaria) area. On May 17 1945, the 116th had established its command post at Scheyern, Germany, about 35 miles from Munich, and soon began performing its intercept mission from there. The site was located on a former German Luftwaffe air base with family housing in the town of Pfaffenhofen. The operations center was located in the attic of a large German barracks which also contained the enlisted quarters, orderly room, dayroom, mess hall and arms room on the lower floors. A new two-story barracks was completed in 1948 to house new personnel arriving in the unit. The antenna field was located on farmland across from the Kaserne and contained 80-120 foot towers fitted with long-wire and rhombic antennas. On June 30 1945, the 116th was assigned to Det D of Special Troops, 12th Army Group. On July 30 1945, the company was relieved from 12th Army Group and assigned to the Third US Army. On 15 January 1946, the 116th Signal Radio Intelligence Company was redesignated as the 116th Signal Service Company with an effective strength of nine officers and 248 enlisted men. Effective 1 February 1946, the company was relieved from assignment to Third US Army (which was being inactivated at the time) and assigned to Headquarters, ASA Europe. Prior to the outbreak of the Korean Conflict (June 1950), the ASA units in Germany had become largely incapable of mobile operations due to the shortages of personnel and equipment. With tension's rising, the unit's operational shelters were again truck mounted and the unit was prepared for tactical ops. On 10 March 1951, a large contingent of the troops departed Scheyern and moved to Herzogenaurach, Germany, and from there to Coburg (on 16 April 1951), where it assumed full mobile operation. The troops remaining at Scheyern were re-designated as Field Station 8608 and operated as a fixed station. The 116th moved from Coburg, Germany, on 9 July 1951 to Baumholder, Germany, and then to Heilbronn, Germany on 22 August 1951. The unit was reorganized and redesignated on 25 October 1951 as the 332d Communications Reconnaissance Company, and concurrently allotted to the Regular Army. |
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| Visit Wade Temple's wonderful page dedicated to the 332nd C.R. Co. in Germany. Includes great photos of the 116th's home station at Scheyern (332nd Communication Reconnaissance Company). | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source: Email from Patrick Garrison, grandson of Roy Garrison, of the 116th Sig Svc Co) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Roy Garrison served with the 116th Sig Sv Co in Germany at the end of WWII and during the early occupation period. At least that is what Patrick has been able to gather. Roy did not talk much about his unit or specifics of his assignments, but often talked of the people he met and the beautiful German countryside. After Roy passed away recently, Patrick found a cigar box full of photos from Roy's time in Germany. The following photos are a small sampling of these memories. Patrick hopes that someone viewing these images might recognize details or persons and be able to help fill in some of the gaps in his knowledge of his grandfather's unit and activities in Germany in the early days of the Occupation. |
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| 1945 - 1951 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 52nd Signal Service Detachment | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source: Email from Ronald R. Rehrer, 52nd Sig Svc Det, 1947-50) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I was suprised to find such a wonderful website with all the units of ASA Europe included. But I never found my unit which was from 1947 to 1950 at Herzo Base, two years of which I served with the 52nd Signal Service Detachment. Our mission at the time was monitering all United States Army field communications in Germany. Also on base at the time were the 114th and 116th Signal Service Companies who were billeted aside of us. We spent much time in the field monitering US Army communications for violations of procedures. Our MOS at the time was 799 for high speed radio ops. Am enclosing several pictures of our unit between 1947 and 1950 at Herzo Base. Thanks for the visit to your great web site. |
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| 502nd Communications Reconnaissance Group | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1951 - 1957 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source: Various ASA sites including the ASA Vets site) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In
May 1951, HHC, 502nd Communications Reconnaissance
(Comm Rcn) Group was activated
at Ft. Devens, MA. The unit received orders to move to Germany in
June 1952.
Upon arrival in Europe, the Group was assigned
to HQ ASA, Europe and ordered to Badenerhof Kaserne in Heilbronn.
The 502nd was probably further attached to the Seventh Army and assigned
the mission of providing signal intelligence and security support
to the field army and its subordinate units. At this time, the 502d
Group also assumed control of the 302d and 307th Communications Reconnaissance
Battalions which were already in country. In 1952, the 502nd Comm Rcn Gp comprised the following units: |
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| In the mid-50's,
Comm Rcn Bns were involved in the listening role, using TRD-4 DFs
to track movements of equipment such as nuclear weapons systems. During
this period, the 502nd operated detachments at Rothwesten, Tülau
(DF site), Bährdorf (DF site), Söllingen (DF site?) and
several other sites. In late 1956, the Rothwesten and Söllingen dets
were later redeployed to Lüchow and Schöningen. On 1 July 1956, HHC, 502nd CR Gp was redesignated as HHC, 502nd ASA Group as part of a worldwide reorganization of ASA units. (The CR battalions were redesignated as ASA battalions at the same time.) In April 1957, the 502nd ASA Gp comprised the following units: |
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| On 15 October
1957, the 502nd ASA Gp was redesignated as 507th
USASA Gp. Webmaster Note: The 502nd ASA Group had been a TOE (Table of Organization and Equipment) unit while the 507th USASA Group was a TDA (Table of Distribution and Allowance) unit. The underlying reason for the redesignation was in the ASA having been forced to downsize in 1957 after a DoD decision that year to cut the Army's strength by 50,000 personnel. The ASA found itself unable to sustain the manning of its tactical TOE units. In order retain a support structure in the tactical commands, the TOE units were inactivated and replaced by units which were tailored specifically to the needs of their supported command (i.e. mission tailored). These new mission structured units were TDA (Table of Distribution and Allowance) units. The designations of these TDA units also differed from the TOE units they replaced. TOE units were designated as "ASA" whereas TDA units were titled "USASA." |
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Visit the bennettpics Online Photos  website for several photo albums with pictures of Badenerhof Kaserne and the 507th (502nd) ASA Group! |
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| 334th Communications Reconnaissance / 339th ASA Company | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source: From some historical information compiled by Ralph R. Thadeus on his ASA Alpiner website) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
 On 1 July 1954 the 334th Communications Reconnaissance Company (CRC) relocated from Mannheim to Herzo Base. On 25 June 1955 the personnel and equipment were assumed by the 339th CRC which was activated concurrently at Herzo. (1) On 1 July 1956 the 339th CRC was re-designated as the 339th ASA Company and remained at Herzo until September 1957 when it relocated to Rothwesten.(1) Could it be that the 334th was a National Guard or Army Reserve unit that was "returned" to the States and replaced by a Regular Army unit (in this case the 339th CR Co) under the program described on the Seventh Army Page (Release of RC Units)? |
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| (Source: Email from Roman P Weber, 334th CR Company and 328th CR Company) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| August 1951 I was discharged from the USN, Radioman (RM3), morse radio operator aboard ships almost 4 years and last 6 months in Korea. In November I enlisted in the Army. While at Ft Riley for basic I was interviewed by ASA/CIC officers, I believe from Vint Hills Farm Station, Warrenton, VA. Following the "classified interview", I volunteered for ASA. Sent to Vint Hills. TS/Crypto indorsed Clearance approved and went to TSESS, Ft Gordon. Completed the 6 month morse High Speed Operator (MOS 1766) in a few days. Graduated and sent to Ft Devens, MS and assigned to the "newly forming" 334th Comm Recon Co. Trained with an 11-man DF Team for several months. About February 1952, the 334th was stationed at Funari Barracks, Käfertal (Mannheim), Germany. Our shoulder patch was the "Flaming Sword;" brass, "Unassigned (eagle)", although we were permitted to wear any army branch brass we wanted to just so long as our overseas hat braid was the color of the branch. Otherwise hat bread for "unassigned" branch was green. "Green" was the only one issued. If you wanted to wear other branch (Armd, Arty, Inf, etc) brass and hat braid, you had to buy them yourself. Most did that. The 334th, I think, came under the 502nd CR Group. Never heard of the 302nd, 307th, 312th CR Battalions. The only ASA companies I knew of through the earlier 1950s, were the 328th, 332nd and 334th CR Companies. I probably never became familiar with the chain of ASA command, since I was almost always gone from my ASA company with my 11-man DF Team. Maj Kenny, MP, was Company Commander when we first got to Mannheim from Ft Devens, MA. Replaced by Maj Carnine, MP. Neither one could enter "operations", since they did not have, nor need to have, TS/Crypto clearance. My DF Team comprised a SSG, NCOIC (in 1952, E7 was the highest EM grade, 1st Sgts) and 10 Corporals -- five were High Speed Ops (1766) and the other five Intercept Ops. We worked 24/7, two-man shifts, one of each MOS. ALL were cross-trained to the other MOS, although, I think for security reasons, never recorded in Personnel Files. For the first few months in Germany (Mannheim), the DF Teams went TDY to DF Sites of the 332nd CR Co that had already been performing ASA/NSA missions. After HOT with the 332nd a few months, my DF Team was qualified to perform "missions." Our Team moved "all over" W. Germany testing antennas and reception quality/quanity of soviets of their Republics and satellite nations they occupied since the end of WW2. After some months "testing", our Team was more permanently stationed at Sinzig am Rhein und Ahr, a few miles south of Remagen and about 10 miles south of Bonn. After several months at Sinzig, our Team moved back to the Company at Eschwege, near Kassel, where it had moved to from Mannheim. From the back of our van, we could see the E. Zone communist border towers, just a couple kms distant. I was transferred to the 328th CR Co, Bad Aibling, at the foot of the Alps in southern Germany, near Munich and not far from Salzburg, Austria. I was promoted to SP5 (SP2 back then). Sent to a 328th 11-man DF Site at Graz, Austria, near the border of Hungary/Yugoslavia, at a small British Army Intell Kaserne. (International occupation of Austria, Britain, USSR & US, not permitted same as when we were in French Zone, Germay). When packing my suitcase at Aibling before leaving for Graz, the CO personally check each item packed and assured that I carried nothing that could ID me as being an American soldier. Was given a civilian clothing allowance and $77 per month per diem while in Austria (or wherever..) while at Graz. $77 almost matched base pay of an E5 w/8 yrs back then and was tax free. Also, cost to eat 4 meals a day in British mess was only $9 a month. And about all it was worth! Most times we ate "out" in gasthauses. At a "selected location" in the forests of the Alps after leaving Salzburg, the last American Zone camp in the West, we stopped the truck. Changed from fatiques into civilian clothing. From then on, and only if really necessary, used the Black/White w/photo, ID Card, not the regular army ID Card (had but hidden). A 3/4T that followed us took my army clothes back to Aibling for storage. We masked all vehicle US Army, numbers, Star, etc and painted OD over it all. Placed British issued army license plates to the truck (Brit army, at least then, used plates rather than bumper numbers etc as we do). Before leaving for Graz, I was briefed. It included instructions as to what to do in event the Russians attacked while the few of us Americans were hundreds of miles from the US Army in Germany, at Graz. Instructions were that if had to retreat we were not to attempt return to Germany. We were to make our way, "anyway we could, on our own, vehicle or afoot, etc", to the Brenner Pass, in N. Italy Alps. Under no circumstances were we as individuals to permit ourselves to become a POW (won't get into that any deeper..) Went down farther on your ASA Page and read some of he things other ASAE vets wrote. I recall much of what the others have written from the ASA companies I was in (1952-1956). ASA didn't have it's own shoulder patch 1952-56 when I was in it. We wore the "US Forces Europe" "Flaming Sword" shoulder patch. In the 334th CR Company at Mannheim we never were permitted to indicate or say we were "Army Security Agency", nor "Communications Recon." When some guys requested songs on AFN they might say they were calling from 334th "Combat Ranger" CR Company etc. NEVER once did I ever hear those that worked in "operations" (High Speed Morse, RDO Intercept, TFC Analysts, etc) say a word about "on duty" jobs etc. Never. Not even when out drinking, which was most of the off duty time! Someone wrote they had ASA decals etc on vehicles. Guarantee that such was never even dreamed of doing in the 334th nor the 328th CR Companies when I was in both at different times. When we left our trick at operations, the Special Police (MP sort of) gate guards spot-checked that you didn't accidentally carry some little piece of paper that you may have scribbled down some call sign of soviets or satellite countries they occupied. Always, 100%, checked the black and white ASA ID card when entering or leaving operations. Not everyone in ASA had TS/Crypto Clearance. Motor mechanics, cooks, etc didn't need such a clearance any more than any others in the army with those MOS's that didn't work in operations. In the 334 we had an MP major for Co. Cmdr. He couldn't enter operations, since he as most officers don't have, nor need, TS/Crypto clearance. The ASA units I was in, or TDY to, did everything possible not to disclose that we were some sort of Mil Intell army unit. We never 'talked shop" even in our barracks rooms even though operations soldiers had rooms separate from cooks, motor pool, etc unit members. We weren't permitted to write home what our MOS jobs were. Some MOS's were not listed in army MOS job description Pamphlets etc. Once ASA came out with an "ASA" Shoulder patch, the security I knew earlier ASA years, went out the window. The patch says, "I'm a member of ASA/Army Intell"...myself, I think it was a stupid move to "tell the world" whom a soldier of ASA is. We were told that the soviets had the name, rank and serial number of every ASA soldier in Europe. Before going to Graz, at a briefing, they said never to permit yourself to become a POW. In event that the soviets attacked while we few were at Graz, we were not to attempt getting back to Germany, 100s of miles distant, but to make our way, on our own, any way we could to the Brenner Pass, N. Italy and if we made it, to report to the first American commander we met. DF Operations How many DF Teams were in the 334th? Several (I think 334 had 4) in different locations in West Germany - and other places I won't mention. To get a "fix" of where "they" (Threat forces) were at the time, requires you to get at least three "good bearings" (using AN/PDR-1?). "Good" meaning DF bearing accurate within a couple of degrees. Sometimes the bearing swing might be plus or minus 10+ plus degrees. Used if none better from other DF sites, but noted on report not dependably accurate etc. DF Team sites were fairly well fixed. At least for weeks or some months. But not always. My team for example, moved all over West Germany testing reception quantity/quality of signals. Probably our reception reports were filed away by ASAE for possible use in the future. Don't know. Some places were good, others lousy. Sinzig obviously was a "good" reception/DFing site. They kept us there a long time. Months. The site was a few miles out of Sinzig on top of a hill that had been an Italian airfield during WW2, we heard, or so the local Germans told us. (I heard, but don't know for sure, that after our team left, Sinzig became a more permanent ASAE location with more people etc. They built a mess hall and bldgs to house troops, and a bigger detachment of ASA soldiers was assigned. Probably true.) In the French Zone of Germany, although international occupation ageements (France, England, USSR & USA) prohibited soldiers of one nation to be stationed in the zone of another nation. Therefore, we wore civilian clothes (civilian clothes were not allowed in the Army in those days. Get caught and charge might be "intent to go AWOL"). At Sinzig we usually wore fatigues only to work. ASA inspectors almost never came around Sinzig. I don't remember any at all. The WOIC of all 334th DF Teams visited once a month to "inspect" and pay us. (Besides, WO, Mr Whipple, had a fraulein in Sinzig to visit! Heard some years later he died of heart attack in hallway at the Pentagon). Received per diem for board and 2-man rooms at Steineman's Gasthaus in Sinzig. Later we moved to Rheinischer Hof, another Hotel in Sinzing. Although liquor-rations were not authorized other than ranking NCO, each of us Cpls were issued a liquor-ration card. NCOIC, Ralph Newquist (years later heard he became an ASA 1st/Sgt, CA?), monthly dispatched his jeep to the embassy liquor store in Bonn to pick up our liquor rations (in a jeep trailer!). We were paid in cash, mostly D-marks, since no American kaserne, PX etc anywhere nearby. What did a DF Site look like? As I remember, vehicles of a DF Team: a 2½-ton with a hut that contained DF equipment, TS/Crypto documents, our personal M1 rifles w/ammo, basic load of emergency C-Rations, limited spare radio tubes and parts an operator could replace; another 2½-ton troop and equipment carrier; one jeep; one ¾-ton "run around vehicle". Usually we used the ¾-ton to and from the DF site if we lived in a hotel or on a kaserne which was always distant from the DF site and antenna field etc. (As we became friends with some of the German civilians in Sinzig, it was not unusual to use the ¾-ton as a "free" taxi cab to take Germans home from the gasthaus and other not-authorized usage). The ¾-ton was permitted to be used for "recreational purposes", since at Sinzig we didn't have access to kaserne clubs, bowling alleys, army movies, etc. I think our DF site had a 500 gallon gas allowance monthly. But never enforced if more than that needed. We didn't buy German gas, but it came to us in 5-gallon cans. We had a 10kw generator in the trailer that was towed by the DF van. I think the trailoe had 10 gas cans strapped across the back end of it. Plus 5-gallon can on side of trucks or back of the jeep. We had a short, I think, 15' power cable from the DF van to the 10kw in the towed trailer which permitted operating while mobile. I don't remember operating mobile in ASA (did in Signal units later), but we could have if ever would have been needed. Had a long (50' power cable?) from DF van to the 10kw, so when we were set up the noisy generator wasn't near our DF hut. I think the nomenclature of the 10kw was, PE-95, but not certain. I know the 10kw had the same engine as a ¼-ton jeep. Inside the DF hut, some equipment I remember: DF set/rcvr with 360 degree bearing taking scope (AN/PRD-1?). Our DF hut also had a BC-610, 500 watt xmtr. We never used "max" power. One reason for not using "max" was that as you key the big xmtr, a power meter pointer swings up to peak of power tuned. If you used 500 max, the needle pointer would peg the meter every time you keyed. Would risk ruining the meter, plus no need for that much RF power output. Never tuned over 300-350 watts output RF. Often we used "Low" power (a switch). Why permit someone in Moscow hear and DF your xmtr when only communicating shorter distance to Mannheim, for example? Our several DF sites sometimes were very long distances apart, so then you would have to use "High Power" when "tracking/Dfing" some station to the east. The DF site had rather complex antenna systems for intercepting receiver. Long coax connecting to antennas. Sig officers, ASA officers often, too, didn't know much about antennas, coax etc. Once we had an inspecting officer at a DF site. He didn't like the way our long coax didn't have the excess length neatly coiled up, instead of staggered along the ground (always on short wooden stakes at Df sites to keep coax from touching ground/earth). He insisted that the excess coax cable be neatly coiled up and attached to side of the truck. What he didn't realize is that when a coil has RF passing through it, it creates a counter-electromotive force within the coiled cable and reduces reception of signals received. We did what he wanted, but as soon as he left we got rid of he coil. Did we stay at gasthaus or sleep in tents? Never slept in tents. Didn't have any along or that were TO&E to DF teams. Lots of times we stayed in barracks if DF site near to a US kaserne. If so, and they had MPs or CID, we stayed in their barracks. Even then, as most always, DF teams drew per diem. Could eat out or in the army mess hall. Lowest per diem I remember was $77 a month. Most, $110. Good deal back in the days when a Cpl E4 base pay wasn't much more than that. Per diem was tax free and never had to pay that much for food and rooms where ever we were. Small incident when staying in an Armored barracks at Bindlach Kaserne, near to the DF site at Bayreuth. Armored unit gave us one big room to house us 11. DF you always have some just coming off duty, some getting ready to go, and the others on their 3 day break (We worked 6 on and 3 off most times). So the room will be kind of messy. The Armd Col and some senior NCO were inspecting troop rooms. (At the time when 334 first got to Germany, 1952, all promotions in the Army were frozen. No promotions. 334 operations had all Cpls with some being made "acting" buck sgts. Wore sgt bands on arm. In 334, by the way, we had only one Pfc. When the Col came in our room he was shocked. Pissed off at the "mess". People in bed, some in underwear, clothes not hung up in lockers, etc. I remember, just now, the "acting" Sgt of our DF Team wasJoe Greeney, Darnellen, NJ and our NCOIC for a while, including that day. The Col wanted to talk to, and did, to whoever was in charge of this bunch of seemingly to him, "misfits.' He asked Joe what in the hell were the jobs of these soldiers, why they weren't on duty but still in bed, etc. Joe told him that for security reasons he wasn't permitted to answer the Col's questions The Col really go pissed off and had Joe give him the phone numbr of CO, 334. No doubt the Col made a phone call. Don't know what he was TOLD, but he nor anyone else ever came around to our room again. Another thing that happened when at Bindlach/Bayreuth site. In 1952 the Army had mid-night curfew. You could be on 30 days leave, but still had to be off the streets at mid-night. At Bindlach when off duty, including NCOIC Greeney, we'd go out drinking or/and chasing frauliens. Almost never made it through the gate by mid-night and written up, DR Report, by MPs or gate guards. MP station sent DRs to senior person in charge of the DF troops, so Joe Greeney would get them from the Armd Orderly Room. Supposed to send all the DRs (lots of them. Most every night, some) back to the company at Mannheim. Didn't. Shit-canned them all when he got them. Got away with it apparently, because we never heard anything about DRs at the company later. I said DF site operators were not interested in msg texts. Only call-signs. Soviet radio morse call-signs were always number/letter three digits. During several hours on duty, we might intercept many many call signs, but most were not of those assigned to your unit's mission. I'm sure other ASA units all had differing missions and call-signs/soviet commands of interest. (Xmtrs aren't issued to Pfcs. More powerful a xmtr sounds, probably indicated the higher the command. Not necessarily though). I think I wrote that my primary MOS was 1766 High Speed Morse Opr. Original MOS was 052, which changed later to 1766. Both included RTT, but never used RTT much. When mobile, or even mobile-at-halt, reception usually not good enough to copy RTT signals). We mostly all learned the other operator's MOS, Intercept Opr. Always two, one of each MOS, worked DFing. The intercept opr would get a good "mission assigned" call sign, then the 1766 would code with a rapid code means the call sign etc and send it to all other unit DF sites. Within minutes, hopefuly, each site would have sent the site's bearing back to "operations" (Mannheim, Bad Aibling, etc) and there it would be plotted and the "fix" of the soviet xmtr location reported. Each unit was assigned "books" of soviets of interest. At the main unit station many Intercept Oprs were always on duty, "listening" for a book assigned mission call sign. Soviets changed call signs fairly often. We never learned, nor were ever told, the soviet command a call sign belonged to. Intercept was not an easy job, since soviets sent and received on different freqs vs US sending and rcving on same freq. So Intercepts might get only one-end of the "to" and "from" message. Without both ends, intell info not much good. Usually, I think, we got both ends. On a trick were many Intercept Oprs. Each had two receivers and operated split-phone. One receiver in one earphone that stayed on a "special" frequency, just in case that important unit of interest came on the air, which wasn't often. The other earphone used while searching the band for 3-digit call signs. When an operator had a mission assigned call sign picked up, he buzzed the WO trick supervisor. The WO, or maybe an NCO sometimes in place of, would alert intercept operators to look for the other end of the intercepted station. During all this time, the DF sites would also be notified the freq of the other end and get a "fix" on it. Then it would be known exactly where both stations (commands) were located. All DF sites intercepted and tracked the same way, so when I moved from 334 to 328, I could get to work immediately. The only difference being call-sign mission of 328 being other than at 334. Identical equipment, same make up of DF Teams, etc, just in some other location in Europe someplace. I found it very exciting. Especially when getting a call sign "book" not having been heard for a long time. |
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| (Source: Email from Cleve Tarvin, 339th CR Co, 1955-57) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I arrived in Germany in April of 1955 and was sent directly to the 339th CR Co as an 058.0 (old mos 1717). We remained there until early 1957 (I think) when the outfit was moved to Kassel where we stayed until October when we were disbanded and shipped back to Herzo as part of the 319th ASA Battalion.
I was shipped home in December of 1957. As I remember it, our company was fairly small. We had a Lt. for a CO, a W/O for ops, two men in the armory (who we each paid $2 a month to clean our weapons) and a large motor pool staff. Operations had four tricks of about twenty men each. We all worked days, swings and mids, 6-3 6-2 6-3 (6 days, 3 off; then 6 swings, 2 off; then 6 mids and 3 off), so we had a lot of three day passes ! We each had to pay $5 a month to cover paying the people who did KP and the tailor and the guys that cleaned our rooms and showers etc. At Herzo Base we were in a large building on the first floor about 200 yards from the chow hall. Our mission was the Czech border guards and secret police and, of course, general search. At Kassel we were about 50 yards from the snack bar on the main road. Operations was right across the street in a two story building. |
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| 507th USASA Group | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1957 - 1971 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source: Various ASA sites including the ASA Vets and OV-1 Mohawk Association sites) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The 507th USASA
Group was activated in Oct? 1957. The subordinate elements of the
Group expanded their operational sites to 17
spread throughout Germany. Some of the sites were at Lübeck,
Mount Meissner, Gartow, Gusborn, Schneeberg, St. Andreasberg, Wobeck,
Grünstadt (GuardRail) and many other border sites and locations. An Aviation Section was added (probably to HHC) at this time and equipped with two L-19 and one L-20 fixed-wing aircraft and manned by four pilots and five mechanics. The air section operated out of Heilbronn airfield (Mutlangen?). In March 1959, the 251st USASA Processing Co was added to the Group. During the summer of 1960, HQ 507th USASA Gp and the Processing Co were moved to Baumholder where they occupied the facilities previously used by the 11th USASA Field Station (Faulenberg Kaserne?). (Webmaster Note: The field station at Baumholder did not work out, so the ASA established a field station at Harrogate in England and moved the personnel of the 11th FS to Harrogate between April-May, 1960. Then they moved the 502nd Gp to the old 11th FS facility in Baumholder.) In contrast to Vietnam where airborne COMINT was playing a significant role in the 1960s, there was no need for airborne COMINT assets in Europe where the ASA collected COMINT via a well-established network of fixed Field Stations. However, there was a real need for airborne ELINT. The OV-1A model entered US Army service in 1961 and was deployed with the 7th Army (possibly assigned to SRU 2 in Zweibrücken) in Germany in the summer of 1961. By 1962, the 507th ASA Group was collecting ELINT using the OV-1Mohawk (variously called BATTLEAXE, HOT PIPE and SILVER LANCE) and CV-2A Caribou (called SURE THING or GOFER DELTA). G-2 Air, HQ 7th Army, Stuttgart, coordinated all MOHAWK surveillance missions along the border at that time. In April 1962, the 507th USASA Gp comprised the following units: |
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| In May 1965,
the Signal Research Unit 2 at Zweibrücken was assigned to the 507th.
(Webmaster Note: I believe this is the unit that operated the
OV-1A/C Mohawk (BATTLEAXE) and CV-2A Caribou (SURE THING) ELINT aircraft
that had arrived in theater in 1961/62.) The Group's mission changed in the summer of 1966, with the national-level missions being reassigned to other ASA units in Germany. The Group was to provide field army level support to Seventh Army. This change in mission also resulted in a reduction in strength within the Group. The Air Section was discontinued due to personnel shortages (prob. a result of the heavy demand for pilots in VN). In 1968, the Group was moved from Baumholder to Flak Kaserne in Augsburg. On May 3 1971, the 507th USASA Group was redesignated as 502nd ASA Group. |
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| (Source: Email from Bill Shade) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Looking at your website about the 507th ASA Group, you have a note about SRU 2 and the belief that it was the parent unit of the ELINT aircraft.
SRU #2 was a an acoustint (sp) unit used to monitor nuclear events. There were several around the world. SRU 2 did not have any connection to the Aircraft. The aviation units under the group were in the 507th Special Projects Detachment, a TDA organization under Group Headquarters. The SURETHING aircraft was the last of its type to be turned over to the USAF when that decision was made. I was a member of the Group Staff from 1967 through 1970 when I moved to the 318th USASA Battalion in Support of 7th Corps. Bill Shade
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| Visit the bennettpics Online Photos website for several photo albums with pictures of Badenerhof Kaserne and the 507th (502nd) ASA Group! |
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| 502nd ASA Group | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1971 - 19.. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
502nd ASA Group
DUI |
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| On May 3 1971,
the 502nd ASA Group was activated in
Augsburg. At this time, the 502nd ASA Gp comprised the following units: |
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| Between
1971 and 1974, the Group grew in size as additional units were added
to its span of control:202d ASA Co (Direct
Support), activated 1 July 1974 at Ansbach, supported 1st Armored
Division851st ASA Company
(Direct Support), activated 1 July 1974 at Kitzingen, supported 3rd
Infantry Division856th ASA Co (Direct
Support), supported 3rd Armored Division326th ASA Co (Operations
Forward) 409th ASA Co (Operations
Rear) 328th ASA Co (Control
& Processing) 307th ASA Battalion,
activated on July 1 1974 and tasked with supporting VII Corps |
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| In 1974, the
2nd EW Co was split into two units: 335th
ASA Co (Prov) 374th
ASA Co (Prov) On 1 July 1974, the 851st ASA Co (DS) was activated in Germany and assigned the mission of supporting the 3rd Inf Div. That same year, the 374th ASA Co was redesignated 856th ASA Co (Michael Bks, Frankfurt-Höchst) and assigned to the 3rd Armd Div. (Webmaster Note: Another source states that the 2nd EW Co, Flak Ksn, Augsburg became the 202nd ASA Co and moved to Katterbach (1st Armd Div) sometime around 1974-1975. Can anybody provide information on this? - see response from Larry Mellgren) In 1975, the 302d ASA Bn and the 415th ASA Co (Direct Support) (supported 8th Inf Div) joined the Group. The 302nd ASA Bn (Corps) was react at Frankfurt, effective 21 Dec 1975, and assigned to the 502nd ASA Gp in support of V Corps. The 415th ASA Co had been activated in July 1974 at Augbsurg (Flak Ksn) and was later moved to Idar Oberstein which was closer to the 8th Inf Div, the unit that the 415th supported. By December 1976, the Group had also assumed control over the 330th ASA Co (Avn). The 330th ASA Co (EW) had been activated on 30 Sep 1973 to operate the GUARDRAIL system as a theater level asset. Detachment 1 of the 330th ASA Co was deployed to Kitzingen AAF (Sept 1973 - 1975) and later at Stuttgart AAF (1975). The detachment flew the RV-1C's (QUICKLOOK I). (Webmaster Note: COMINT aircraft were first used in Europe in the 1971 REFORGER I exercise. The RU-21G GUARDRAIL I was equipped only for intercept missions. The GUARDRAIL II (RU-21E) was deployed the following year and added a DF capability.) In January 1977, the 502d ASA Group was reassigned to HQ US Army, Europe. This was a result of the deactivation of the Army Security Agency, Europe. The Group downsized shortly thereafter as the 302d (on 1 Jan 1977) and 307th Battalions were reassigned to V and VII Corps and the direct support companies reverted to divisional control. The Group was reorganized and redesignated on 1 Oct 1981 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 502nd Army Security Agency Battalion. |
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| CORRECTION: (Source: Email from Mark L. Streeter) I was assigned to the 502 ASA Group Augsburg in 1976. I noticed in your web page, which is absolutely wonderful, the 415th ASA Co. as being re-assigned in 1975. I may have found an error. I was assigned to the 415th ASA Co., 502 ASA Group which was not re-assigned to the 8th Infantry Division until 1976. I was part of the move north with our new home in Idar Oberstein, Germany. Webmaster Note: Could it be that the 415th was assigned or attached to the 502nd in 1975 (with the mission of providing DS support to the 8th ID), but then reassigned directly to the 8th ID in 1976? |
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| 302nd Communications Reconnaissance Battalion | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1945 - 1956 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source: Historical Summary of the 302nd MI Battalion (Opns), HQ 302nd MI Bn, APO 09710) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
 302nd
US Army Security
Agency Bn DUI |
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| The
lineage of the 302nd MI Battalion (Opns) can be traced to the 3252nd
Signal Service Company which was constituted and activated
in England on 1 April 1944. The unit was
assigned to the European Theater of Operations. After serving in England,
France, and Germany the Battalion was returned to the United States
where it was inactivated, effective 24 November 1945. The 3252nd Signal Service Company was redesignated as the 533rd Signal Service Company on 6 May 1948 and activated at Salzburg, Austria, on 20 July 1948, with assignment to the European Command. It supported the US Forces in Austria. It was inactivated at Salzburg, effective 1 April 1949. The 533rd SSC was redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 302nd Communications Recon |
