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PRIVATE ROBERT G. PACKER was born in New Jersey in 1905 tp Raymond and Etta Packer. Besides Robert there were two older sisters, Anna and Sarah, and four younger children, John Joseph, Mildred, and Adelaide. When the census was taken in 1920 the family lived at 1543 Federal Street in East Camden, near the Warren Webster Company factory. At the time of the Census Raymond Packer worked in a candy factory. Robert Packer did not attend high school, not uncommon during the Depression years in a factory town such as Camden. When the census was taken again, in April of 1930, Robert G. Packer was working as a short order cook on a lunch wagon. He was boarding at the home of Arthur and Theresa Milne, at 126 White Horse Pike in Collingswood NJ. Other boarders included a ticket agent at nearby Central Airport and the night manager of a bus company. Robert G. Packer was single when drafted at Camden NJ on July 11, 1942. Private Packer was serving with the 151st Signal Company, 11th Armored Division, when he was killed in action on March 21, 1945 at Meisenheim, Germany. |
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151st Signal Company History In 1942 the world began making preparations to strike back at the Axis forces and stop their advance of destruction against humanity. In order to successfully wage an offensive war against the Axis powers, the Armed forces were being rapidly streamlined to meet the demands of the United States military experts. The 151st Armored Signal Company was organized at Leesville, LA, on August 15, 1942 as part of the 11th Armored Division. The cadre that made up the officers and instructors came from three other armored divisions; the Third, Seventh, and Eighth. Draftees and enlisted men brought the battalion up to more than 300 men It was designed to be the voice and the ears of the division. The Signal Company was in charge of all communications for the Eleventh Armored Division. Commanded by 1st Lieutenant John F. Ross, the battalion trained in Leesville and participated in the Third Army's Louisiana-Texas maneuvers in June-August 1943. In September, the division moved to Camp Barkeley, TX. While at Camp Barkeley, they participated in desert maneuvers from Yuma to Goffs which caused them to end in the Mojave Desert at Camp Ibis near Needles, CA. When they got to Ibis, they blitzed the tracks and trucks, loaded them on to flat cars, hauled them to Camp Cooke and donated them to the scrap drive. Camp Cooke was the division home from February 1944 to September 1944. It is situated on 'Point Pneumonia," where the Chamber of Commerce says, "The climate is ideal." O.D. uniforms were worn year round. Reveille sounded like a consumptive�s convention and the First John's voice would come out of the fog: "You guys ain't gettin' out here fast enough". After eight months at Camp Cooke, the men were boarded on the train to make the long trip east to Camp Kilmer. The trip lasted seven days, but the officers saw to it that the men were in good shape. Wherever they stopped they participated in 15 or 20 minutes of calisthenics: the desert of California, the stockyards of Chicago, or the grassy plains of New Jersey. As they were coming through the Eastern section of the states, the expressions on the faces of the men as they passed their home towns and cities, made some wonder if they were ever coming home again. Upon arriving at Camp Kilmer, the men were anxious to put their feel on solid ground for awhile. A ride was expected to take them to their new quarters, but laughs and groans came when they had to walk two miles with full field packs. Things moved fast at Kilmer, and the time was short. The seven days were spent in classes, training, boat loading and unloading, climbing down rope ladders, use of emergency rations, life rafts, and how to act in case of fire at sea. On September 28, 1944, they received their orders to leave. It was a slow tedious trip aboard the HMS Samaria with little to do. Finally on the 13th day, October 12, 1944, they arrived in Liverpool, England. They were trooped off the ship through a dark passageway, and loaded onto cars that, in the dark, looked as though they were for cattle. They were then taken to a little English town called Erlestoke. They were moved into little apartments. This did not last long, because the general arrived and decided that it was an ideal location for his men. Therefore the 151st was moved to Stockton House. After their two-month stay in England, they were alerted on the first of December that they were leaving. Last minute preparations, twenty-four hour shifts, details, and everything had to be accomplished to get the company ready for battle. They left Stockton House on December 13 and arrived in Weymouth to guard duty, rain, C-rations, and sleet. From Weymouth they embarked across the English Channel. They had an excellent trip but they were suddenly stopped with a cracked keel. They left the leaking ship, charged Cherbourg borrowed a ship and slept sound until leaving for Bricabeque. They crossed into France on December 21 arriving at a house near Bricabeque, where the prepared vehicles and equipment for a long move The 151st moved through Normandy and Damville arriving at Camp Sissone on Christmas Eve. They spent Christmas Eve in the camp's permanent barracks with B-rations, running water, cots, lights and mail call, and enjoyed a big Christmas dinner. They headed out for Belgium on December 27. From January to March they made their way through Belgium and Luxembourg. Preparing to enter Germany the 11th Armored entered Germany to find ruin wherever they went. They found seemingly endless stocks of wine. On March 29 they crossed the Rhine at Oppenheim and made a long drive to Crainfeld with nearby towns and wreckage still burning. Their drive led them through Schlitz, Hunfeld, Morles, Steinbach, and Halienberg. On April 12 the Thunderbolts arrived at Gestungshausen. They found themselves faced on two sides by Germans. They watched the air support in action until the C-rations were hot. From Gestungshausen they moved through Mainleus, Bayreuth, Grafenwohr, and Schraittenbach to arrive in Stamsried on April 23. In Stamsried they witnessed the surrendering of the Hungarian forces as well as the death march. Mess had appropriated 1000 eggs and the men shared their chow and vehicle rations with the victims of the SS. From Stamsried they moved ahead on their way to Austria with a much appreciated and steady diet of eggs. Passing through Schonberg they witnessed a city ablaze. They stopped for a few days in Freyung to give the supporting infantry division a chance to catch up. They traveled in convoy over the Austrian border to Rohrbach on May 2. They were met with steady rain. The one steady thing that Austria offered to them. On May 4 the 151st arrived in Obemaukirchen. They heard artillery in the distance pounding Linz, the gateway to the Russians and Victory. They arrived in Hellmonsoodk as Linz fell. The Thunderbolts watched as the leaders of 250,000 SS. Wehmmachl and enemy Russians drove by to headquarters to surrender. The war ended on May 8, 1945 and the 151st moved to Linz and Urfahr where they enjoyed women, movies, wine and especially rest. Redeployment came on June 8 and that was the end of the 151st Armored Signal Company of the 11th Armored Division "Thunderbolts'' The Meritorious Service Unit Plaque was awarded to the 151st Armored Signal Company 19 December 1944 to 19 February 1945. The plaque read: "From the time it was forced to abandon ship in the English Channel to the successful assault upon the Siegfried Line… the personnel of Signal Company have performed their duties in a superior manner in spite of adverse weather and hazardous tactical situations… Although the difficulties of signal maintenance and supply of the division were great, multiplied by distances from depots up to 300 miles, signal equipment was on hand when needed, and no vehicle or piece of equipment was out of action in the company for more than 24 hours."
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151st Armored Signal Company We pay tribute to our dead ROBERT C. PACKER, killed in action at Meisenheim, Germany, 21 March,1945. In the year 1942 when the black Axis war clouds were reaching across Europe like hungry tentacles, about to crush the World in the grip of Nazism, the rest of the World began making preparations to strike back at the Axis partners and stop their advance of destruction against humanity and civilization. Uncle Sam, having awakened to the ultimate dangers lurking at his back door, was also in the process of expanding his Armed Forces to gigantic proportions. Never before in the entire history of the world had any military scheme, so tremendous, been undertaken. In order to successfully wage an offensive war against the Axis criminals, the Armed Forces were being rigidly streamlined to meet the demands of our military experts. For this purpose it was necessary to organize fast moving combat units with a terrific firepower. The result was eight Armored Divisions. These divisions were tested in hard, rough, and under what we call, impossible conditions. The lessons learned, and the valuable experiences gained by these tests, caused our experts to streamline these divisions further and reduce the size to bare necessity to obtain greater mobility with the same firepower. Further tests proved so conclusively the need for this type of combat division that more of them were organized. Out of this new group came the ELEVENTH ARMORED DIVISION, commanded by Major General Edward Brooks, who saw the activation of this new �THUNDERBOLT". This August 15, 1945, the Signal Company will be three years old. In that time we have made and lost friends, made new acquaintances and lost track of many old ones. The cadre that made up the 'instructors' in the do's and don�ts of the Army came from three other Armored Divisions, the Third, Seventh, and Eighth. Some of the old timers, that some never knew, and that others wished they had not known at times, are now elsewhere in this man's Army �remember Sgt. Houstin, C. Green, Sgt. Yonan, Sgt. Rocanova, and Sgt. Bouril? As a matter of fact, there are just about a dozen left out of the forty or so that made up the Cadre. This brings us up to the day when "we' started arriving in the 151st Armored. Signal Company. A rattling troop train, antique day coaches smelling of mothballs, and a bunch of pessimistic guys realizing that they were in Louisiana -- not much of an outlook. Leesville -- not much of a metropolis, pine trees, sand, swamps. Debarkation � a complete physical check up (?), an interview. "l know anything about radio?' "No Sir, not a thing". At the Signal Company the new guys soon found that the cadre was made up of specially picked, indefatigable, inhuman bastards that specialized in making life miserable. "Fall out in ten minutes in leggings and full field equipment.'' The formation was out there in ten minutes. � all but John Dehlin, and he barrel-assed out the door, conspicuous as hell,� a ragged looking cadet. ''Adjust your equipment." That took the best part of the morning and we fell out for chow. Basic training was well under way and we learned that the hooks go on the outside of the leggings. "Huey Long" Weimar found this out the hard way, � doing a "Red Skelton'' flat on his face in some of his own beloved Louisiana dust. The most unforgettable night. A road march with ''full field" and we bivouacked only to get the order "we are moving out", further back into blackness. It was raining now and a new site was picked. A gully � seemed like the SCOUT MANUAL said something about bedding down in a low spot but this was "war" and we had to get tough. Ghiloni cussed out the C. O. in the dark�something about the ''sunufabitchin lame brain who picked this spot." Next morning nobody could recognize the guy next to him and Lycan looked like a character out of a horror movie. Sick call wound around the orderly room three times. In three years so much has happened it is almost impossible to make a complete history or men and events. There are a few unforgettable characters, some gone, some still with us, and some instances that are humorous to remember. Sgt. Houstin Green, I believe, is near the top of the list. "I'm a sad bastard"; more than once Houstin�s patience and understanding would give out on him. After basic came our "specialized training," radio operators, radio maintenance, motor maintenance, wire, message center, supply, and administrative force. Some were fortunate enough to go to Fort Knox for their training. From the stories I heard, most of the boys, particularly on Monday mornings, did a bit of sleep walking � I seem to recall one man marching down the street in an officers formation going to school, and for some reason not aware of it. One man, that, I am sure, gave many a platoon Sgt. a gray hair or two, was the man who always appeared out of step � Earl Middlesworth, an easy man to pick out of any marching group, his feet were in step but his body out of step. LOUISIANA MANEUVERS. Consensus of opinion had it that the French gave us a "Rooking" and if they wouldn't take it back, we should pull out the cork and let the whole damn state drain into the Gulf. It was there we learned the meaning of true love. "Through the black of night, I gotta go where you are.� Any guy, who would pound his way through the black of night looking for the old witch Chloe, is either in love or out of his mind, � cause Chloe is no chicken anymore. The first thing that comes to mind at the mention of those maneuvers is "scratching� chiggers. Oh, there were snakes, ticks and other things too, but I think chiggers took first place. Again there were many interesting incidents � a few I can remember, such as a certain driver trying to wake "Smokey" for K. P. Watermelon was an important item, and I remember occasionally a little "M. R.'' (midnight requisition) was done on them. Charlie Muller was somewhat of an expert in that line, although listening for the crack of a shotgun made a fellow a little nervous when Charlie tapped the end of a melon and said "No, that one is not so good.'' Another incident I recall, when Frank Cowan was guarding the entrance to the bivouac area of CCA with orders to stop all vehicles and make the occupants walk into the C. P. - all except General Kilburn and Col. Bell. Well … One evening about dusk a peep pulled up, Cowan saluted the officer, and informed him that he would have to dismount and walk into the C. P., only the General and Col. Bell could take their peep in. The officer took off his driving goggles and said "Who the hell do you think I am?" It was General Kilburn. Camp Barkeley was our next stop. This spot was a nice place when you could open your eyes to see it. We stood formations in goggles and dust respirators. The "Hot Rock'' who sold the respirators to the Army knew Texas. We took off on desert maneuvers in the finest equipment the Army had and raised dust from Yuma to Goffs. Came back to Ibis, blitzed the tracks and trucks, loaded them on flat cars, hauled them to Cooke and donated them to the scrap drive. Camp Cooke is situated out on "Point Pneumonia", where the Chamber of Commerce says "The climate is ideal". O. D. uniforms are worn year round. Reveille sounded like a consumptives� convention and the First John's voice would come out of the fog: "You guys ain't gettin' out here fast enough.'' Marcone fell in love in Santa Barbara with a Great Big Marine, but the romance was torpedoed and his theme song was, "Somebody Stole My Gal" Of the two towns close by, Santa Maria and Lompoc, Lompoc held a slight edge on popularity � maybe, for those who rode the bus, the 30 cents roundtrip appealed more than the 90 cents to Santa Maria. Those with cars got a remarkable mileage on an "A" book. Right, Marcone? There were, of course, many interesting incidents at Cooke, but I think the mention of a few will suffice. Most of them concern our P. O. M. qualifications; our infiltration course, where one or two of the men got hung up on barbed wire; our tough P. O. M. physicals that dropped SO many men. One man even started reading up on heart trouble. After eight months at Cooke the rumors started to flow like wine. From the last few weeks there to the eventful day of the train ride to the P. O. E., the company was just "Hubba Hubba." As the time drew closer, the men began to react to the world around them and many comical events took place. One morning, as the C. Q. came through the Radio Section barracks blowing his whistle and crying "Hit the floor dog-faces, it's time for the races!" A peaceful G. I. raised his head and commented, half asleep, "Don't be so rough honey.� Yes, the truth came out, the fellows really were going to miss the semi-civilian days with their wives It was rough going the last few days, and as the C. O. put it, "The fun is gone for awhile boys, it is all work from now on." We worked like fools, and finally came that sad day to board the train. It was a long cramped ride, a whole seven days of it, but the kind hearted officers saw to it that the boys were always in good trim. They gave us 15 or 70 minutes of calisthenics every day, it made no difference where we stopped. The desert of California, the stock yards of Chicago, or the grassy plains of New Jersey. Every time we fell out to do our jumping around, there were comments from the fellows like, 'Where the hell do they think we are going, to a show?� "I wonder if we are going to do the same when we swap lead with the krauts?" "The kind of exercise I need is done in my bunk." Finally we came to the Eastern section of the states, and if you could have seen the expressions on the faces of the fellows as they passed by their home towns and cities, it would have touched you deeply. Only GOD above knew who the fortunate ones were who would some day come back over the same tracks and laugh at the same things. The only state that was perfect was the home state. On arriving at Camp Kilmer, the boys were anxious to put their feet on solid ground for awhile. A ride was expected to their new quarters, but the laugh and groans came when they had to walk two miles with full field pack. Yet, it was good to see the familiar sight of the barracks after the train ride. Things moved fast, and the time was short. So the company, entering into the spirit, turned up with short hair cuts. One fellow started the style and in no time the whole company was making comments. �Egg Head, Coconut Bob, Andy Gump, Baldy, Flat Top," and such were quickly attached to the men. To get out of Kilmer, for that last fling, was what all of us sweated out. We finally got twelve-hour passes, and the excuses the officers got for them were terrific. One G. I. claimed that his mother was sick and he did not get to see her on the pass he had had last night. The rest of our six days was spent in classes, training, boat loading and unloading, climbing down rope ladders, use of emergency rations, life rafts, how to act in case of fire at sea. Little did we dream some of it would come in handy. We cannot forget the physical they gave us. We stripped and went before the medical officers. One would look in your mouth, another in your ears, and any warmth shown in the body passed you with flying colors. On the sixth night, September 28, 1944, we were ready. We had our orders, and were waiting for the cover of darkness for the first lap of our journey overseas. We marched to the dock, and a SLEEK steamer was there awaiting us, the HMS SAMARIA. We filed aboard into the holds, everyone was assigned to a hammock, and it was his for better or for worse. The first morning at sea found us all hungry. Ham, bacon, eggs and potatoes were awaited. Of course we knew not that our ship was English. As we stood around, in walked a small Limey with a handful of tickets for the first fellow at each tab1e. He was to get the food for the rest of his table. About ten minutes later he came with our meal: smoked herring, potatoes, hot prunes, and hot colored water, called coffee. It was a tedious trip. All we did was play cards, write 1etters, swap yarns, run for the rail, boat drills, and try to down the food. Finally on the 13th day, October 12, 1944, it was time to disembark. Our boat pulled up to the dock, and we collected our gear for the march to the train Not to be forgotten, one poor little fellow came up on deck loaded like a pack horse, wearing a wool cap instead of his steel helmet. From the other end of the deck, a loud voice called out "Applebaum, put on your helmet." He did not have a liner and the helmet dropped around his ears. All the tension was broken and the best laugh was had by all since we had left the States. We trooped off the ship through a dark passage-way, and loaded onto cars that, in the dark, looked as though they were for cattle. That was our only view of Liverpool, for from there we were whisked to a little town in England called "Erlestoke." We were moved into little apartments with double bunks, six men to a room. We had a fireplace, table, chairs and a nice grassy background. After a few days of cleaning, we settled down to living. This did not last long however, because a General came by and found that it was an ideal spot for his men. Out we went to another place, large lawn, big mansion, and a lot of little Nissen huts, the mansion being for the officers. This was called "Stockton House." We went to work again and cleaned it up, put up a white fence, flag pole for retreat and this place was soon livable. Then the passes started. To London for a weekend. It was a wild time for a few, bruises for others. Bikes became the fad, and nearly everyone had to have one, regardless of cost. The fancy figures should not be mentioned. During our stay in England, we had our favorite sports: football, baseball and many others. These two months, we can truthfully say we had a good time. Dances every week, with the Division hand as our source of music. Trucks ran around the countryside, picking up lovelies for partners. We had girls in civilian clothes and girls in uniform. Every good thing must come to an end. On the first of December we were alerted. Last minute preparations, twenty-four hour shifts. details, and all had to be accomplished to get the Company- ready for the battle. After enjoying our stay in England, the day arrived for us to leave. For the rest of the tale, a diary is preferable to a story, so here goes. ******
December 16 - 21: Embarked LST 510, 1300. Excellent essen, long layover, gentle journey, sudden stop, cracked keel � Left leaking ship, charged Cherbourg, borrowed ship, slept sound, debarked in the morning. FRANCE December 21: Arrived house near Bricabrac, prepared vehicles and equipment for a long move. December 22: Convoy cleared area 0630, cleared Normandy, headed S. E. December 23: Arrived Damville 0600. Departed Damville 0900. Arrived Soissons via Paris 2400. Slept on cobblestones. December 24: Cleared Soissons 1130, arrived Sissone via Rheims 1630. Spent Christmas Eve in permanent French barracks. Camp Sissone, B-rations, running water, cots, lights, mail call. December
25-26: Enjoyed big Christmas dinner � cleared Sissone 1330. Arrived
Poix-Terron 1800. Atmosphere tense, weather cold, food low, mail
plentiful, reveille none. BELGIUM Dec. 27 - Jan. 2 Cleared Poix-Terron, Guinicourt Area 0900. Arrived Longlier, Belgium via Sedan, France. Enemy air activity on road, bitter cold. January 2-10: Arrived Vaux-Les-Rosieres, continuous artillery, cold and snow. January 10-19: Moved from Vaux-Les-Rosieres to Sibret. Dead Germans, wrecked vehicles, destroyed homes. Jan.
19 - Feb. 5: Traveled to Chateau on outskirts of Bastogne. Good food,
movies, first thaw, COGNAC! LUXEMBOURG Feb. 5 - Mar. 5: Journeyed in convoy to Wilwerdange. Different language, A.P. mines, G. I.'s. last legal fraternizing. First legal liquor ration. GERMANY March 5-9: Entered Germany, Hqs. And billets in Rommersheim. March 9-11: Arrived Mayen, city half destroyed, excellent opportunity for �Looters.� March 11-18: Moved north to Nieder-Mendig. Endless stock of Rhine wine, acute shortage of Bromo. March 18-19: Moved south to Lutzerath. Limited stock of Moselle wine. Slight shortage of Bromo. March 19-20: Advanced to Kirchberg across Moselle. Found German stock of Bromo. Everything cleared up. March 20 - 22: Billeted in Meisenheim pocket area: Little liquor or loot. March 23 - 29: Moved to Alzey. Great supply of wine. Alzey voted place most likely to succeed in getting the Third Army soused. March 29: Crossed the Rhine at Oppenheim, proceeded via Darmstadt to Grossauheim, south of Hanau. Big rail guns, dead SS in station. March 30: Next stop Langenselbold � preparation for big drive. March 31: Long drive to Crainfeld, nearby towns and wreckage still burning. April l - 2: Record drive to Unterweid via Schlitz, Hunfeld, Morles. Dead and dying lined roads, houses and vehicles still blazing. Droves of prisoners marched to the rear. Furthest division east, cut off. April 3-4: Drove in convoy to Steinbach - Hallenberg. Many liberated D. P.'s welcomed our entrance. Snipers in surrounding hills also planned reception. Signal men collaborated on true story �A Night in the Polish Barracks." April 5-8: Pushed on to Zella-Mehlis� Pistols, cameras, pistols, field glasses, pistols, rifles, pistols, good wine, and pistols. Wotta town! Voted as place a G.I. would love to be left behind to guard duffel bags. April 8 - 9: Arrived in Themar 1900. Good beer for all. Town badly battered. April 10-11: Entered Rodach�Toy tanks and cigarette lighters. Also plentiful multicolored Champagne (Pink & White). April 12: Arrived at Gestungshausen. Faced on two sides by Germans. Continuous S/A fire. Watched air support in action till C-rations were hot. April 13-17: Moved to Mainleus�set up beyond CCB Hq. April 18-19: Entered Bayreuth, home of Wagner and large supply of typewriters. The typewriters were still there. Town largely destroyed. April 19 - 21: Arrived in Grafenwohr. Dismal and damp, destroyed. April 22: Arrived Schnaittenbach. No liquor, no loot, no lush deals, no comment. April 23: Arrived Stamsried � witnessed the surrendering of Hungarian forces as well as the death march. Mess appropriated 1000 eggs. Shared our chow and vehicle rations with the victims of the SS. April 24: Set up in Patersdorf. Egg diet, liquor diet declining, bromo unneccessary. Hungarians still moving back, harems included. April 25: Entered Schonberg. City ablaze, blasted building, burned all night. Hi! Ho! Silver Star. April 26 - 30: Moved to Freyung�prosperous city. Gave supporting Infantry Divisions chance to catch up � Mortar fire on motor pool. April 30: Arrived Somlen. �We should have stayed in Freyung," is consensus of opinion. Snow flurries began. May
1: Entered Wegscheid � less than a mile from Austrian border. May 2: Traveled in convoy over Austrian border to Rohrbach. Egg diet on further rise � taste of powdered eggs only a memory. May 3: Set up in Neufelden, steady rain. One steady thing Austria offered us. May 4: Arrived Oberneukirchen. Heard artillery in distance, pounding Linz, the gateway to the Russians and Victory. May 5: Arrived Hellmonsodt � Linz fell�Leaders of 250,000 SS, Wehrmacht and enemy Russians drove by to headquarters to surrender. WARENDED) MAY 8, 1945. The whole damned outfit! Dead drunk! May 11: Moved to Linz � Beautiful women, movie house, German K.P.�s, "and lest we forget," Mauthausen/Gusen. May 18: Moved to Urfahr � Apt. Building � Swimming Pool, separate movie house, circus, balmy weather, rest. Hell! June
8: Set up in Gmunden. Eternit Zement factory, beautiful scenery, short
move to flying school, cold spot, beautiful view, everyone settled, then
REDEPLOYMENT! ****** To the Men of the 151st Armored Signal Company Three years of living, working, and fighting with you men has done something to me. It has made me proud to be a member of the 151st Armored Signal Company, and I have even a greater feeling of pride to be your company commander. I�ve learned a great many things from you men, and I�m happy to have had the opportunity to soldier with you. I am very proud of every one of you for the men that you are, and for the magnificent job you have done in combat. When I see you leaving the outfit, it puts a big lump in my throat that isn�t easy to swallow. God bless you and good luck to you, wherever you go and whatever you do.
John
F. Foss
Under
the provisions of AR 600-45, as amended, and in accordance with the
authority contained in Circular No. 6, Hq Third United States Army, 26
April 1944, the Meritorious Service Unit Plaque is awarded to the
following named unit: MERITORIOUS SERVICE UNIT PLAQUE 151ST ARMORED SIGNAL COMPANY, 11th Armored DIVISION;, United States Army. � 19 December 1944 to 19 February 1945. From the time it was forced to abandon ship in the English Channel to the successful assault upon the SIEGFRIED Line by the division, the personnel of SIGNAL COMPANY have performed their duties in a superior manner in spite of adverse weather and hazardous tactical situations. Line men, messengers and signal center operators were called on to work long periods under the most difficult conditions, and have uniformly accomplished their tasks with outstanding devotion to duty. The standards of exacting accuracy necessary in the sending and receiving of vital messages on a 24-hour basis were met throughout the period in a superior manner. Although the difficulties of signal maintenance and supply of the division were greatly multiplied by distances from depots up to 300 miles, signal equipment was on hand when needed, and no vehicle or piece of equipment was out of action in the Company for more than 24 hours. The achievement and maintenance of a high standard of discipline is evidenced by superior military courtesy and appearance of personnel, installations, and equipment; and by a record during the period of no cases of venereal diseases, no disciplinary action, no convictions by courts-martial, and no unauthorized loss of time whatsoever. SILVER
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