United States Army In World War II: The Technical Services
The Signal Corps: The Outcome (Mid-1943 Through 1945)
by George Raynor Thompson and Dixie R. Harris
Center of Military History
United States Army
Washington, D.C.
1991
. . . to Those Who Served
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Looking Toward the Theaters of Combat
Signal Corps Organization and Status, Mid-1943—The Signal Corps Mission in the Theater of Operations—Summary
Chapter 2: The Signal Corps in Sicily and Italy
The Signal Section, AFHQ—The Sicily Campaign—The Italian Campaign
Chapter 3: The Signal Corps in the ETO: To Mid-1944
Invasion Plans and Preparations—The Invasion
Chapter 4: The Signal Corps in the ETO: To V-E Day—I
Signal Techniques With the Armies—The Invasion of Southern France—The Continental Communications System
Chapter 5: The Signal Corps in the ETO: To V-E Day—II
Signal Supply Problems in the ETO—Communications in the Ardennes Counteroffensive—The Closing Months of the Campaign
Chapter 6: The Signal Corps in the CBI
CBI Signal Officers and Their Problems—The Calcutta-Kunming Pole Line—Combat Communications
Chapter 7: The Signal Corps in the South and Central Pacific
The South Pacific Area—The Central Pacific Area
Chapter 8: Communications in the Southwest Pacific: To Mid-1944
The Unique Over-all Control of the SWPA Signal Officer—Task Force Communications by Coordination—The Signal Corps in Jungle Operations—Radio Relay and Communications Ships to Hollandia—Signal Supply From Australia to Jungle Beaches
Chapter 9: Communications in the Pacific: To V-J Day
Underground in the Philippine Islands—Afloat and Ashore at Leyte and Luzon—Okinawa t o Tokyo
Chapter 10: Electronic Combat: Countermeasures
Radar and Radio Countermeasures, a New Arena of Conflict—Organizing for RCM—RCM Equipment and the Laboratories—Some RCM Problems—RCM Units on the Ground and Ferrets in the Air—RCM in the Attack—RCM for CROSSBOW—RCM to the War’s End—The Signal Corps Restricted to Ground RCM—RCM’s Status in 1945
Chapter 11: Signal Security and Intelligence
Evolution and Development of the Signal Security—Intelligence Activity—Signal Security and Intelligence in World War I I—Signal Security and Intelligence Transferred to General Staff
Chapter 12: Signal Corps Production at Full Tide
Organizational Improvements—Requirements—The Effect of Overseas Procurement on Signal Corps—Requirements—Developments in Production Control Measures, 1944-45—The Crisis in Wire and Batteries: A Case Study in Supply—Summary
Chapter 13: Distributing Signal Supplies on a Worldwide Scale
Storage Operations—Stock Control Measures: Mid-1943 to 1945—Protecting and Maintaining Signal Equipment—Evaluation and Summary
Chapter 14: Equipment: The Laboratories—AAF Items and Their Transfer
Cutbacks in Laboratory Personnel and Projects—Equipment Problems—Transfer of Communications Equipment Responsibilities to t h e AAF—Signal Corps Research and Development at War’s End
Chapter 15: Equipment: Elaborations and Developments to V-J Day
A Few Examples—From Wire Equipment to Electronic Fuzes—Missile Controls—Meteorology—Microwave Radars on the Ground, AN/CPS-1 and -6 and SCR-584—The SCR-584 Radar, VT Fuzes, and the Buzz Bomb—SCR-584 Modifications—Airborne Microwave Radars—Radios—Equipment Situation at the End of the War
Chapter 16: Innovations in Signal Training
Military Manpower—Military Personnel Procurement, 1944-45—Training—Summary
Chapter 17: Army Photography At Home and Overseas
The Army Pictorial Service Organization and Mission—Problems of Policy and Production Control—Motion Picture Services—Still Pictures—Photographic Equipment Supply and Research—Photographic Troops—Summary
Chapter 18: Signaling the World
ACAN Facilities and Techniques—Telecommunication Group Conference Facilities—Communications for VIP Conferences—Expansion Through V-J Day—Special Services—The Around-the-World Belt Line
Chapter 19: The Army Signal Situation at War’s End
OCSigO Organization in 1945—Some Continuing Questions of Mission—Toward the Future: Shooting for the Moon—In Retrospect: A Summary
Appendix: Signal Corps Equipment, World War II
Tables
1. Status of the CBI Pole Line, December 1944
2. Dollar Value of Spare Parts Accepted July-December 1943
3. ACAN Radio Facilities, June 1944
4. Comparison of Commercial Communications With Signal Corps Communications Organization
Illustrations
Maj. Gen. Harry C. Ingles—Maj. Gen. James A. Code, Jr.—Maj. Gen. Roger B. Colton—Dr. William L. Everitt—Maj. Gen. William H. Harrison—Brig. Gen. Jerry V. Matejka—SCR-511 in Use, Sicily—Stringing Wire Beside a Road—Field Wire Along a Mule Trail—Brig. Gen. Richard B. Moran—Sweeping an Italian Beach for Teller Mines—Signal Repairman Testing Telephone Wire—Underground Switchboard at Nettuno—Camouflaged SCR-584 Radar and IFF—Wiring the Royal Palace, Caserta—Brig. Gen. William S. Rumbough—Wacs Operating a Radio-Telephoto Transmitter—Brig. Gen. Francis H. Lanahan, Jr.—First ANTRAC Station in Europe—AEF Public Relations Activities, SHAEF Headquarters—Invasion Picture Taken by Capt. Herman Wall—555th Signal Air Unit Spotting Enemy Planes, France—Signal Couriers in Germany—Swimming Wire Across the Moselle River—Paris Signal Center—Lineman Repairing Wire in the Ardennes—IFF Antenna Near Bastogne—Sigcircus—Burying Spiral-4 With a Cable Plow—Hand-Generated Radio in Burma—Brig. Gen. William O. Reeder—Elephant Draws Wire Taut During Pole Line Construction—General Sun Li-gen Using SCR-300—Linemen Stringing Wire Beside Stilwell Road—Message Center in a Cave, Vella Lavella—Signal Supply Dump, Leyte—Wires Strung in a Coconut Palm—JASCO Team Using M-209 Cipher Converter, Luzon—Maj. Gen. Spencer B. Akin in Hollandia—Camouflaged SCR-270 Van, Finschhafen—SCR-399 in Dukw, New Guinea—Plowing In Cable, Hollandia—LW Radar Mounted on LST, New Guinea—Drawings of Canteen Radio—Army Radio Ship PCE (R) -848—Walkie-Talkie SCR-300—ANTRAC Truck, Luzon—Wire Crew With Water Buffalo—LW Radar Station, Tori Shima—Sketch Showing How Chaff Operated—SCR-300 in Operation, Hürtgen Forest—Preinvasion Stockpile of Telephone Wire in England—Checking the Frequency of a BC-779-A Receiver, Burma—P-61 With Mounted AI Radar Antenna—SCR-658 Trained on Radiosonde AN/AMT-2—Base of SCR-270 Radar, Showing Azimuth Scale—Microwave Early Warning Antenna, Okinawa—Drawing of an AN/AGL-Type Radar in Tail Gun Turret—Eureka Ground Beacon in Operation—Throat Mike and Lip Mike—SCR-193 Mounted in a Jeep—AN/TRC-6 Antenna Array—Portable Field Message Center Switchboard—Waterproofing Boxes at Processing and Packing School—Prop Department of Photographic Center—Maj. Frank Capra—Mobile Photo Lab and Movie Show in the Field—Photographers and Their Cameras in the South Pacific—Combat Cameraman on the Job—Processing Pictures in a Portable Laboratory—Adjusting V-mail Enlarger—Wacs Operating Teletypewriters—Teletype Conference—Radio Tehran, Iran—Army Command and Administrative Network Overseas, 1943—Army Command and Administrative Network Overseas, 1945—Giant SCR-271 Antenna Beamed on the Moon
All illustrations are from the files of the Department of Defense.