USAREUR Units - 97th Sig Bn

Ruhr Valley Campaign
On 18 April 1945 the Ruhr task was completed and on 23 April the Battalion CP, Headquarters, and Able Companies moved to Beckum, Germany. Charlie Company moved to Horne, seven miles East of Beckum. Baker Company moved forward with XVI Corps Headquarters and furnished communications to the units engaged in "moping up operations" in the Ruhr Valley. On 9 May 1945 the war in Europe ended and the 97th Signal Battalion was reassigned to Ninth Army Headquarters. A week later the Battalion was assigned to Third U.S. Army Headquarters.

On 13 June 1945 the Battalion, less Baker Company, moved 459 miles to Augsburg, Germany. The Battalion set up in a vacant field on the outskirts of Augsburg while Baker Company moved to Pilsen, Czechoslovakia. On 27 June 1945 the 97th moved to Bamberg, Germany where Baker Company rejoined the Battalion from Czechoslovakia. The entire Battalion set up in a former German Cavalry garrison called Lagards Kaserne. At Bamberg the unit furnished communications for the Third Army's XV Corps. The mission was installation of XV Corps command post communications and the rehabilitation of open wire and underground circuits. Very High Frequency radio communications was furnished to the 6th Armored Division and the 26th Infantry Division.

On 20 July 1945 Able Company moved to Munich, Germany and took over the mission of picking up wire from the 28th Signal Heavy Construction Battalion. While at Bamberg the 97th established communications for the Stars and Stripes and other press services, put in 10 VHF circuits from Altenburg Castle in Bamberg, and furnished signal communications for the war crimes trails at Burnberg.

U.S. Constabulary Assignment
On 1 May 1946 the unit was reorganized and redesignated as the 97th Constabulary Signal Squadron and assigned to the U.S. Constabulary. Between 10 March and 1 April the 97th established land lines, VHF and HF radio, and a motor messenger service for Constabulary Headquarters at Heidelberg, Germany. The Squadron was also responsible for setting up a Constabulary Signal Center, installation of radios in Constabulary armored vehicles, and formation of radio repair teams. In May the Squadron set up 500 lines of dial telephone and installed radios in over 150 armored vehicles.

On 1 July 1946 the Squadron moved from Bamberg to the Constabulary Headquarters in Heidelberg. The unit now consisted of Headquarters Detachment, Able Troop, Baker Troop, and Charlie Troop. The Medical Detachment and the Photo Platoon were reassigned to the United States. In January 1947 Constabulary Headquarters moved to Patton Barracks on the outskirts of Heidelberg. The communications "shift-over" by the 97th Signal was completed in less than 24 hours. The 301st Signal Battalion stayed in operation at Patton until the 97th had moved all its equipment and personnel to the new site.

The VHF network was rearranged and tied info telephone lines furnished by the Heidelberg Deutsche Post. Patton Barracks did not have telephone equipment, therefore commercial switchboards were installed for Constabulary Headquarters. On 15 July 1947 Able Troop, the mobile unit, was inactivated but a short time later Charlie Troop was renamed as Able Troop.

Move to Boeblingen
Early in 1948 Constabulary Headquarters moved to Patch Barracks in Vaihingen, Germany. This time the Squadron did not establish headquarters with the Constabulary unit but moved to Panzer Kaserne, Boeblingen, Germany, five miles from Patch. The Squadron's signal equipment was set up of Patch, however. Within six days after the move, a multi-position manual switchboard and several VHF and HF radio nets were in operation. The Constabulary Command Post closed at Heidelberg and opened in Vaihingen at 1500 hours on 1 February 1948.

Between 1 February and 1 March 1948 the 97th Signal Squadron installed a complete central telephone office, a cable distribution system, two complete radio stations at Patch Barracks, and mounted VHF and HF equipment in trucks and teletype and radio carrier equipment in tractor vans for operation out of Panzer Kaserne. In January 1949 the Squadron was issued a new AN/MSC-1 mobile com-center mounted on eight, five-ton vans. The units were tested in a field exercise near Ulm.

In March the Squadron mounted all VHF and HF radio equipment on trucks and vans for "Operation April Showers" near Katterbach, Germany. These units were also used in July during "Exercise Grafenwoehr" and in September during "Exercise Harvest." In "Exercise Harvest" the Squadron supplied communications for the Aggressor Forces engaged in mock war against the 1st Infantry Division.

On 4 November 1949 the approved unit insignia with the motto "Tried and True" was issued to all personnel in the Squadron. The insignia depicted a sable shield with bolt of lightning, bunch of grapes, and fleur-de-lis.

Early in January 1950 Headquarters Detachment established a HF radio command net for the commanding general of the Constabulary. After the net was set up, Able Troop took over operation and maintenance of the net.

In February 1950 the Squadron participated in "Exercise Shoepac" near Bretton, Germany. The next month the Squadron furnished communications for Constabulary Headquarters in "Exercise Shamrock" near Kaiserslautern in the French Zone of Germany. During this exercise particular emphasis was placed on radio communications tied with message center cryptographic processing of intelligence reports. The Squadron inaugurated a special VHF radio net for receiving and interpreting S-2 reports. J2-3 Task Force commanders from USAREUR Headquarters stated that communications by the 97th Signal in establishing the special net were by far the best they had witnessed.

Redesignated as Operation Battalion
The 97th was reorganized and redesignated on 5 July 1950 as the 97th Signal Operation Battalion and remained assigned to the U.S. Constabulary. The Battalion consisted of Headquarters and Headquarters Company (formerly Headquarters Detachment), Radio Operation Company (formerly Able Troop), Wire Operation Company (formerly Baker Troop), and a new company, Message Center Operation Company. After the renaming, the mission of Headquarters Company became solely that of furnishing personnel for Battalion Headquarters. Radio Company continued to furnish VHF voice and teletype communications to Constabulary Headquarters.

The construction company, Wire Operation Company, continued to furnish field signal construction and teletype and telephone carrier operations. Message Center Company's mission was to operate the entire message center for the U.S. Constabulary and later for Headquarters, Seventh U.S. Army. Their job included installation and operation of cryptographic and message center facilities.

In July the Battalion was scheduled to participate in a mounted review of Nurnberg, and then proceed to Vilseck for field exercises. However, shortly outer some elements of the Battalion departed for Nurnberg, verbal orders from the U.S. Constabulary commanding general returned the unit to Panzer Kaserne. The reason for the General's abrupt decision, published in a letter a short time later, was due to the mounting tension near the communist border. As tension increased along the Soviet front, a heavy interest was placed on security of information and equipment within the Battalion. Frequent unannounced security checks were made by Constabulary G-2.

With the advent of the Korean conflict, the Battalion prepared an alert plan for evacuation of dependents to France and the United States if such an occasion arose. Dependents were briefed on the plan and several practice alerts for dependents were conducted including simulated loading into evacuation buses and distribution of emergency food and clothing. After the North Korean communists crossed the 38th Parallel, the Battalion initiated a vast training program with the purpose of improving combat readiness in case the unit was alerted for duty in Korea.

By mid-October each company was given advanced training in the .30 and .50 caliber machine gun, 3.5 rocket launcher, and various other small weapons. A series of overnight training exercises were conducted in coordination with the small weapons training. Special courses were given in map reading, first aid, CBR defense, communist propaganda, communist brainwashing, and night warfare. During this time the Battalion S-3 Training office conducted two communications courses in connection with the Military Defense Assistance Program. Representatives from Norway, Netherlands, France, and Italy attended the classes at Battalion Headquarters.

Assigned to Seventh U.S. Army
On 24 November 1950 the Battalion was relieved from duty with the U.S. Constabulary and reassigned to the Seventh U.S. Army. In 1951 the 97th Signal Battalion's sole mission was to furnish radio, teletype, message center, and cryptographic communications for Seventh Army Headquarters in Vaihingen, Germany. On 16 February 1951 the 97th Signal Battalion was allotted to the Regular Army of the United States.

By March 1951 a new note had been added. To cover the Seventh Army command post with a more complete communications net, the Battalion sent men and equipment to key points and sites in Germany and Northeastern France on a permanent basis. A communications "watchdog" system was set up with 24-hour operations in support of Seventh Army infantry, artillery, and armored units. This system served two purposes: It provided Seventh Army Headquarters with top-notch, on-the-spot communications and it served as good on-the-job training for the men in a unit which might have to go to Korea to participate in the United Nations' "police action." Also added to operation "watchdog" was an air section consisting of two L-19s and one helicopter.

The Battalion participated in seven field problems in 1951 - "Lightfoot," "Hotfoot," "Blue Sky," and "Yule Tide" to name a few. On 7 April 7951 a vast motor messenger service was established by the Battalion's Message Center Operation Company. The motor messenger serviced 19 Signal, Ordnance, Armored, Engineer, Transportation, Infantry, Quartermaster, and Medical units from Frankfurt to Munich with a fleet of 24 jeeps. By mid-year Wire Operation Company was responsible for the installation of teletype and telephone circuits in Sandhofen, Heidelberg, Ulm, Sonnenberg, Degerloch, Vaihingen, and Boeblingen, Germany.

In "Exercise Blue Sky," conducted near Mannheim in July, the Battalion pooled talents with the 12th U.S. Air Force. In this joint Army-Air Force exercise, the Battalion furnished communications to the 1st Infantry Division, 2nd Infantry Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, and the 555th Engineer Group, plus the 12th U.S. Air Force Group.

In January 1952 the Signal Corps' newest "electronic brain child," the AN/GRC-26 radio-teletype van, was introduced to the Battalion in "Exercise Northwind." The Battalion operated only two of the AN/GRC-26 sets which were issued on a trial-loan basis from the V and VII Corps. Use of the set proved successful and now the Battalion operates over 50 AN/GRC-26 units.

Facsimile Operation
In June 1952 the Battalion operated a facsimile photo net from VII Corps Headquarters in Moerhingen, Germany. The facsimile process, adopted by the Signal Corps from American Newspaper Photo-Fac, was used to transmit photographs, maps, circuit diagrams, charts, and various typewritten material. The facsimile was first operated by Headquarters Company but later reverted to the control of Radio Operation Company.

In 1952 the Battalion Headquarters operated three schools - a code refresher course, radio-teletype operator's course, and a teletype procedure course. In 1952 the 97th participated in four major field exercises - "North Wind" 4-18 June, "Spring Time" 14-18 April, "Grand Alliance" 16-18 July, and "Rosebush" 4-9 September. In December a photo detachment from the 479th Photographic Service Company was assigned to the Battalion. The Photo Detachment, later renamed the 97th Signal Battalion Photo Platoon, was made up of one officer and 20 enlisted men and furnished signal photo coverage for all Seventh Army activities. By the end of the year the Battalion Air Section increased to five L-19s but the helicopter was dropped from the TO&E. The section now consisted of five pilots and 13 enlisted personnel.