32nd Signal Battalion
As part of the restructuring of US forces in Europe and the transformation of the US Army as a whole, the 22nd Signal Brigade was inactivated on 22 May 2007. The remaining battalions assigned to the Brigade, the 32nd and 440th Signal Battalions, were also inactivated at that time.
The mission of the 32nd Signal Battalion was to, on order, rapidly deploy to provide signal support to V Corps or other headquarters in support of conventional or contingency operations.
The 32nd Signal Battalion was made up of 5 companies. The Headquarters and Headquarters Company consisted of the battalion staff and support elements including food and fuel. A, B and C companies were identical area signal companies with 2 node centers and numerous smaller switches providing support to unit commands under V Corps. D Company contained a Large Extension Node which supported a Corps command post.
On 20 March 1943, the Battalion was initially organized and activated as the 32nd Signal Construction Company at Chicago, Illinois. It was then transferred without soldiers or equipment to the Signal Corps Unit Training center at Camp, Missouri where, on 25 March 1943, it was ordered into active military service as the 32nd Signal Construction Battalion. Training for shipment overseas began immediately for the new battalion, which consisted of 2 construction companies (A and B Companies) and a headquarters company. After training at Camp Crowder, and aiding in flood rehabilitation work in Missouri, the Battalion moved to Camp Shanks, New York prior to shipment to Europe on 27 February 1944. When the Battalion sailed out of the North River Harbor, it consisted of 23 officers, one warrant officer and 570 men.
In England, the Battalion began preparing, along with the rest of the allied forces, for the famous 6 June 1944 invasion of the Normandy beaches of France. On D-day plus 2, 8 June 1944, Detachment A of the Battalion crossed the channel and began installing wire for communications lines. On 14 June 1944 the remainder of the Battalion crossed to France and began to work. Moving with the fighting forces across France, the Battalion entered German territory at Munster on 16 September 1944. After capture of the Lundendorf Bridge near Remagen, the Battalion installed 2 captured German submarine telephone cables across the Rhine river while under attack from small arms fire and aircraft. The cables provided dependable communications between the American forces on either side of the river at the breakthrough point.
Communications support continued until the German surrender on 9 May 1945. On 19 May 1945, the Battalion moved via motor convoy from, Germany, to Marseilles, France, where it was reorganized as a Signal Light Construction Battalion and boarded ships to the still embattled Pacific theater of operation. On 1 August 1945, while still at sea, the ship's Captain announced the end of hostilities with Japan. The Battalion debarked at Hagas Ti Port, Okinawa, and set up camp on 1 September 1945. On 30 December 1945, the Battalion was reorganized as a corps-type signal battalion. One month later, in January 1946, the Battalion was inactivated on Okinawa.
Nine years later, on 28 January 1955, the 32nd Signal Battalion (Corps) was reactivated at Cambri Fritch Kaserne, Darmstadt, Germany under V Corps, US Army Europe (USAREUR). The old 32nd Signal Battalion, a reserve unit, was inactivated and became the men and equipment of the 32nd Signal Battalion (Corps).
After that reactivation, the 32nd Signal Battalion provided critical communications support for every field exercise in which V Corps was been involved. When the Battalion was reorganized under the D-Series TOE in October 1961, the Battalion's cable construction capability was eliminated. In March 1964, after spending 9 years in Darmstadt, USAREUR moved the Battalion to McNair Kaserne in Hoechst, Germany, just outside Frankfurt. The Battalion increased in size from 3 to 5 companies under USAREUR General Order 381 on 21 May 1964. On 26 June 1969, the 201st Signal Company was attached to the Battalion by V Corps General Order 139, bringing the number of assigned personnel over 1000.
On 16 March 1981, the 32nd Signal Battalion (Corps) was split into a command operations battalion, designated the 17th Signal Battalion (Command), a corps radio battalion, designated the 32nd Signal Battalion (Radio) and a new brigade headquarters, for the 22nd Signal Brigade, under whose command structure the 2 Battalions fell. The 32nd Signal Battalion (Radio) had 4 companies, which provided the command multichannel radio systems, radioteletype and FM in support of V Corps. In June 1986, the 32nd Signal Battalion (Radio) was reorganized as a corps-area Battalion and redesignated the 32nd Signal Battalion (Area). In addition to providing command multichannel and radioteletype support, the Battalion also provided 3 Corps Area Signal Centers, complete with automatic switching to support V Corps' tactical area of operations.
From September through December 1990, the Battalion was reorganized as a Corps Mobile Subscriber Equipment (MSE) Battalion, conducting an 100 percent swap-out of its equipment and reactivating D Company. The 32nd Signal Battalion (MSE) consisted of 5 companies, and was authorized over 600 personnel. The radioteletype and cable installation capability of the Battalion was eliminated, but the capabilities gained with Mobile Subscriber Equipment were enormous. The Battalion's primary mission was to provide 6 MSE node centers for the Corps Area Support Network, one large extension node, and up to 40 small extension switches to support Corps units.
In January 1992, the 32nd Signal Battalion moved back to Darmstadt to Kelley Barracks. On 22 March 1993, the 32nd Signal Battalion was presented the United States Army Superior Unit Award for meritorious achievement. From April to July 1999 the Battalion deployed to Albania in support of Task Force Hawk and Operation Joint Forge during the Kosovo crisis.
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