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29th
Signal Battalion |
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| Battalion History | |||||||||||||||||
 29th Signal Bn Headquarters Building, Sandhofen, early 1950s (Mike Adel) |
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 Two members of the 29th Sig Bn stand next to the battalion sign, early 1950s (Mike Adel) |
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| 1951 - 1963 | |||||||||||||||||
29th Signal Bn DUI |
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| The 29th Signal Construction Battalion was
allotted to the Regular Army on 31 October 1950 and sent to Germany in the early 1950s (1951?). The battalion's initial home station was Kaufbeuren. On 20 October 1953, the battalion was redesignated as the 29th Signal Battalion (Construction). The 29th was inactivated on 12 August 1963 in Germany. |
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If you have more
information on the history or organization of the 29th Signal Battalion,
please contact me . |
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| 1960 | |||||||||||||||||
| (Source: Email from John L. Nicholson) | |||||||||||||||||
| I served in the 29th Signal Battalion in Karlshrue Germany for approx. 1 year (1960) and then in Company C when that company was formed and we moved to Periguex, France where I spent the next year and a half. I rotated out in June of 1962, and Company C was still doing great all by itself in Periguex while the rest of the outfit remained in Germany. We were small, had little to keep us busy...we were given temporary assignments at Air Bases, and other locations and we took the small post (app. 2 acres) and build everything we needed. The old buildings were already in place. I have many fond memories of those days...somany years ago. I can't find any information about the 29th or most especially this Company C. We really never knew why we were down there...except in a support role for the rest of the company. It was the time of the Berlin Wall and many other strange things. I would love to hear from members of that company from those days....another lifetime. |
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| "A" Company | |||||||||||||||||
 Members of A Company at an open wire construction site, c. 1954 (Noel Little) |
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 Group photo of A Company, 29th Signal Battalion (Const), c. 1954 (Noel Little) |
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| (Source: Email from George Linthicum) | |||||||||||||||||
I was assigned to A Company, 29th Sig Bn in October 1953 and stayed until Aug. 1956 when I rotated.
Later, I served with D Company, 26th Sig Bn from November 1961 until April 1964, first as Cable Plt Sgt until December 1963, when it was deactivated, and then I was transferred to C Company as a Plt Sgt and acting 1st Sgt. I left in April 1964 to go to OCS where I graduated in October 1964.
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 A Company motor park at Coleman Barracks (Noel Litter) |
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(Source: Email from Rose Miller, daughter of Noel Little, who served with A Company, 29th Sig Bn, Coleman Bks, Sandhofen, 1953-55)
I have my father's USAREUR - TROOPs Photo Album and am sending some of the photos. If the person or person's family can be located they could have the photos of their loved ones in the military. I also have the formal group picture of the company which I am keeping but will scan and send to you. |
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| (Source: Email from Kenneth F. Cornwell) | |||||||||||||||||
| As I recall, the 29th Signal Bn.was commanded by a Lt Col, during the time I was there from September 1953 to March 1955. I was in A company, third squad, 2nd section. Capt Bethel was the company CO. A 2nd LT was our Paltoon leader. His name was LT John. Sgt. Menard was our paltoon Sgt and Sgt Charles Elliott was our section leader. There were four companys stationed at Coleman Brks, Sandhofen Germany. B Company was stationed in France. Our squads were equipped with one line truck and one pole digger and one 2½-ton truck with a weapons carrier and a jeep for the LT and the Sgt. Our company build open wire telephone lines. We layed cable in ground for guards at ammo dumps. We maintained open telephone lines to the Oppemheim Pontoon Bridge site across the Rhine River. Our squad also patroled telephone lines to Mainz once a week. Most of us were Cpls or PFC's. My wife came to Germany in Dec of 1953 and we lived in a one room apartment on the German economy. While we were there I bought a 1937 Opel which we used to travel to France and Holland and all over Germany. I hope I was able to give you some information about the 29th Signal BN [Const]. Because of working on the lines in Germany I became a LIneman with the Electric company for 39 years. |
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| "B" Company | |||||||||||||||||
| 1955 | |||||||||||||||||
| (Source: Email from Walt Robinson) | |||||||||||||||||
I served with Company B of the 29th Signal Bn from April 1955 through July 1957. Company B was on TDY in Southwest France, St. Jean D'Angely, and was responsible for telephone cable construction on the military bases in France. My mission with the company was that of a telephone cable splicer.
I was on a team of 5 or 6 splicers and about the same number of support personnel. We worked most of then U.S. Bases in the region. If memory serves me correctly, all U.S.Military came to an end in 1958. I have spent a good amount of time searching for information regarding the 29th Signal Battalion and am happy to find this site. Would be happy to share any other information if needed. Contact me any time |
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| 1961 | |||||||||||||||||
| (Source: Email from Allen Braithwaite) | |||||||||||||||||
| I served with the 69th Sig. Bn., Company B. I am writing to meet the request of Kyle who has invited anyone who might have info on the 69th, Vassincourt, France to respond. I graduated from USASESCS, Fort Gordon, Georgia July/August 1961. I was sent to Ft. Meade Md. as an MOS 053 and part of the 2nd Army. By October, we had been alerted, changed our insignia to 3rd Army and shipped out to Cherbourg, France. We arrived in November 1961 and, by train, continued to Vassincourt. Someone has claimed we were a STRAC outfit. I believe this is true, but we were not STRAC 1. In fact, I can recall conversations about how Level 1 must be a big deal because even at our level, we had to be on the street from sound sleep to full field readiness in 5 minutes. (Now I need about thirty to get ready to brush my teeth). I recall, clearly, that we were informed: "No matter how highfalutin you might see yourself, in Signal, you are, first, a soldier with a weapon." I served until January '63, shipped back to New York and was separated there. I write this data for the purpose of filling in the timeline of the 69th with respect to its location in Vassincourt. I cannot find much about our unit or of Vassincourt, and even Wikipedia doesn't help much. Jim Willis is familiar to me, although I do not remember any interaction with him. I operated a Net Control Station on a variety of TDY assignments -- mainly in Germany at Pirmasens attached to the 447th Cable Splicers. (Can you imagine an entire battalion devoted to cable splicing?) I would add that it seemed to me, the Vassincourt location had been previously established out of a former German hospital that had seen better days. If there is anyone out there who was part of Company B, from November '61 to January '63, I would enjoy hearing from you. |
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| Fontainebleau, France | |||||||||||||||||
| 1963 | |||||||||||||||||
| (Source: Email from John Kirsch) | |||||||||||||||||
| I was stationed at (Caserne) Lariboisiere, Fontainebleau for about 26 months, at first we were the 507th Sig. Co. after about 10 months we changed to "B" Co. 29th Sig. Battalion. I don't know what became of the 29th after I rotated back to the states in 62. The 29th may be the same as the 293rd. For the last 3 or 4 years I have been trying to get some photos of the base and put together some sort of history for my children. It appears most of the guy's I was stationed with didn't take many pictures, but the first thing I bought was a good German camera and have recorded my life on film from then on. I have a few of my own pictures of our barracks I took while there but would like to get more shots of the rest of the base. I downloaded some old photos from the internet which are probably pre-WWI French post cards. I did some research on the age of the caserne and I believe it was build for Napoleon's Armies back around the 1820s. I did download a nice aerial photo but again cannot date it because there are no people or vehicles shown nor is our motor pool there yet. I'm sure it was taken from an air plane not the balloon era. Looking at the old French post cards with horses pictured I can still pick out several of the buildings that we used as the EM club, USO club PX etc. Is there any site where I can get more modern pictures and Info on the 507th or 29th? The e-mail from Bob Gaudio in the paragraph on the 293rd is also what we did at the 507th. |
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| (Source: Email from Don Rohrbaugh) | |||||||||||||||||
| I arrived at Caserne Lariboisiere in Fontainebleau in June 1963. Then it was known as Co. B, 29th Signal Battalion. Around September 1963 we changed to 293rd Signal Company, 106th Signal Group. Click here to see more of Don's email about the 293rd Signal Company in France. |
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| "C" Company | |||||||||||||||||
| (Source: Email from Bill Weldon, Company C, 1956-57) | |||||||||||||||||
I served in Co. C, 29th Sig. Bn. (Cons) from June 1956 to Nov. 1957. I was stationed at Gerszewski Barracks in Karlsruhe, Germany. I was the Operations NCO for the Company, with the rank of Sgt.
Co. C's last major project, while I was there, was the underground communication ring around the ammunition depot near Fischbach Germany. My wife, who followed me to Germany, and I lived off post at 21 Bernhard Strasse in Karlsruhe. Our first son was born at the Military hospital in Heidelberg. I was present in the major maneuver "Lion Noir" near Viernheim in March 1957. |
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| Related Links: 29th Signal Battalion - official homepage of the 29th Sig Bn, currently stationed at Fort Lewis, WA |
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