!!!!! WHO WE ARE !!!!!
97th Signal Activated: 10 Apr 1942 at Fort Sam Houston, Texas Battalion Inactivated: 17 Sep 1993 at Fort Gordon, Georgia
Important dates in the History of the Battalion as seen through the eyes and memories of one "TRIED AND TRUER" that was "THERE".
06 Oct 1944 – Departed Camp Polk, Louisiana by train for Camp Shanks, New York.
09 Oct 1944 – Arrived Camp Shanks, New York. 13 Oct 1944 – Departed Camp Shanks, New York. Boarded (English) ship "Largsbay" 14 Oct 1944 – Departed Brooklyn Harbor, passed Statue of Liberty.
25 Oct 1944 – Arrived Plymouth, England harbor. Debarked.
25 Oct 1944 – Arrived by train Arnsworth House, New Alresford, England.
02 Dec 1944 – Departed New Alresford and arrived 3 December at Weymouth Harbor and boarded an American Navy LST.
06 Dec 1944 – Departed Weymouth, England and arrived LeHarve Harbor, France.
07 Dec 1944 – Departed down Seine River to Rouen, France.
08 Dec 1944 – Arrived Rouen France – Debarked and bivouacked outside Rouen.
09 Dec 1944 – Departed Rouen, France by motor convoy – Bivouacked outside Mons, Belgium overnight.
10 Dec 1944 – Departed Mons and arrived Cortessum, Belgium.
17 Dec 1944 – First strafing & bombing by German planes. (Battle of the Bulge)
22 Dec 1944 – Departed Cortessum, Belgium by motor convoy. Arrived Heerland, Holland
27 Dec 1944 – Departed Heerland, Holland by motor convoy.
28 Dec 1944 – Arrived Awan, Belgium (Near Luxemburg) Received 2nd bombing attack. Observed a V–1 Buzz Bomb shot down by ack–ack (AAA). Departed Awan by motor convoy. Arrived back in Heerland, Holland.
01 & 16 Jan 1945 – Received strafing and bombing attacks.
09 Feb 1945 – Departed Heerland, arrived Leijenbruck, Holland.
04 Mar 1945 – Departed Leijenbruck, Holland, arrived Kaldenkirchen, Germany by motor convoy.
08 Mar 1945 – Departed Kaldenkirchen, arrived Nieder–Eyll, Germany.
19 Mar 1945 – Departed Nieder–Eyll, arrived Linfort, Germany.
29 Mar 1945 – Departed Linfort, crossed Rhine River 1/2 day after the river was taken. Arrived Bruckhausen, Germany.
07 Apr 1945 – Departed Bruckhausen, arrived Recklinghausen, Germany. (Battle for the enemy pocket included; Dusseldorf, Dortmund, Arnsberg, Weidenault, Sieburg, and Essen.) Pocket taken 19 April 1945.
28 Apr 1945 – Departed Recklinghausen, arrived Beckum, Germany. 08 May 1945 – War ended at –––––– European time – 0241
21 Jun 1945 – Departed Beckum, bivouacked outside Erfurt over night.
23 Jun 1945 – Arrived Augsburg, Germany and departed 27 June 1945.
The author and historian (Charles C. Wren) departed Bamberg, Germany 15 September 1945 and arrived back home (discharged) 23 October 1945
OTHER IMPORTANT DATES 1945–1993 – The 97th Signal Battalion supplied communications for the US Constabulary, Seventh US Army and Central Army Group under NATO
Unit was inactivated at Fort Gordon, Georgia September 1993.
In October 1996, a Memorial Plaque was presented and installed by the 97th Signal Battalion Association honoring all the former members of the battalion at the SIGNAL CORPS MUSEUM, FORT GORDON, GA. That plaque is on display at the museum.