The Early Birds

Months before the actual formation of the 440th Signal Battalion, a small number of men, who were already serving in the US Army, were to become the first members of the yet-to-be battalion. Many of these men became the cadre, who's job it would be to train the new incoming men of the young unit. They were stationed throughout the lower forty-eight States: New Jersey, Georgia and Texas as well as several other locations.

Within days following Pearl Harbor, these men were sent to Camp Bowie, Texas. On December 10th 1941, they were placed on 'War-Time Duty' and moved to points along and near the US/Mexican border, including Comstock and Del Rio. The first job at hand was guard duty at rail and other bridges over the normally sleepy Rio Grand river. Some of the men from this time period have said that they were issued arms but not ammunition! At the same time, these early Signal Corpsmen were providing communications between the bridges and command posts by utilizing existing Western Union telephone/telegraph poles for their wires. At some point a few weeks after being sent to the border area for guard duty, the men were relieved by a unit of the 1st Cavalry.

Among one of the first contingents to arrive in Texas, were a dozen members of the 51st Signal Battalion from New Jersey. Most of these men - Regular Army NCO's - would form a growing number of cadre for the training of hundreds of enlistees and draftees who would soon be meeting them in Spokane, Washington.

Orders were issued that would soon include these 'Early Birds' on what would become the longest truck convoy in US Army history. Vehicles, equipment and personnel were being assembled on a crash basis. Their equipment and supplies were, in many cases, years old and consisted of trucks dating back to the late 1920's and early 1930's. Copper wire, C-rations and light arms were loaded into the aging trucks. Some of trucks had received a hasty coat of fresh paint, which did little to hide their antiquity.
The long trek to the Spokane, Washington, area began in the second half of January 1942. Their destination would be Geiger Field near Spokane. The mile-long convoy of trucks was lucky to cover 200 miles per day. They traveled the shortest, most direct route from Texas to Southern California then north to Spokane. Along the route, the men would make evening 'camp' on school athletic fields, public parks or other pre-arranged private land. Ocasionally they were able to use a school gymnasium as a sleeping area. Two 1 1/2 ton trucks were set up as kitchens and the midday meal normally consisted of little more than sandwiches and coffee.
Several of these Early Birds have made similar comments and told the same story about this journey of so many years ago. To a man, they remember the kindness and generousity of the people they met along the way. Local Boy Scouts and other organizations would greet them when they arrived at their designated camp site ad offer them food and encouragement. These meetings of Soldier and Civilian would live on in the memories of the young men.

440th Signal Battalion - The Biginning

Dark clouds were on the horizons in many parts of the world in the late 1930's and into 1940 and 1941. Japan had marched into China and Korea and had become the dominant military power in Asia. Germany had built a huge military capability in Europe, annexed Austria, rolled over Poland and declared war on Great Britain by the beginning of the 1940's. Much of the world was at war. The war came to the United States on the morning of December 7, 1941, when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.

The Peace Time Draft had been in effect in the United States since September of 1940, a fact little known by most Americans. And, that would be a good place for us to start the beginning of the 440th. Many of the future 440th men - the 'Early Birds', as we will call them - had either been drafted well before Pearl Harbor, or, had already been in the military for many years as career soldiers.

Within days after war had been declared on Japan, Germany and Italy, the seeds for the future 440th signal battalion had been planted. Men and equipment from several existing Signal and similar battalions and companies were brought together and married to form the a new signal battalion. With little additional fanfare, the Battalion was formed and constituted on 18 March 1942. A week later it was designated as the 440th Signal Battalion. The men were ready to be trained and outfitted.

After months of training, the 440th was transported by train from Geiger Field, Washington, to San Francisco, to await boarding a ship. Everyone in the unit knew they would be shipped out to the war in the Pacific and most were eager to begin the journey. On the morning of 22 June 1942, they sailed south west aboard the Torrens, destination: Brisbane, Australia.

Their 'great adventure' had begun.

Hello Reader.

This blog has been created for the reader to learn more about the history of the 440th Signal Battalion. It is my hope that the curious and the interested will read a while and perhaps make comments. If the reader was in the 440th, please make contact and tell me a little about yourself: when and where you served, what company you were with, what your duties were, etc. If you are an historian, by all means contact me: lets compare notes. Any information I have found to date is available to everyone: ex-440th persons, historian's or the curious.. Simply make contact and let me know what it is you are interested in. I will reply as soon as possible and offer what I have..

My plan is to first present a short history of the unit. Then, from time to time, I will present the history in much greater detail. This is where the reader may play a part: if I state a name, an area of service, a year, etc., and you feel the statement is in error, let me know. The history I am writing is continuously being updated and corrected. I have been challenged and corrected many times by the men and women who know better: the ones who were there!

I was drafted into the US Army In September 1952. After basic training and MOS training (1238 - Pole Lineman), I was assigned to the 440th in March of 1953. I was rotated back to the States in January 1954 and after serving 21 months, was discharged in June of that year.

Several years ago, I thought it would be interesting to try contacting some of my old Army friends. I came into contact with a group of ex-440th men, who held a reunion each year somewhere in the 48 States. After attending my first reunion, I realized that we were all sitting around a table, recalling old times and friends, but no one was recording the memories. This project was born at that moment.
During the past half dozen years, I have collected hundreds of stories, memories and bits of information from men and women who were in the battalion at different times, staring as early as 1942 and extending into 2007. Along the way, it became clear that it would be necessary to learn and write more about the 'hard' history of the 440th: when and where it served, which campaigns it had taken part, exact dates, times, places, the names of the commanding officers, etc. There are many holes in this history still to be filled but every day it becomes a little more detailed. But thanks to the many contributors found along the way, the history of the 440th Signal Battalion is taking shape, and, it is hoped that one day it will offer a clear and sharp picture of the unit over the many decades it has served our country.
I quickly found there there is only so much history about the battalion available on line or in printed form. Nearly all of the history found to date has been passed on by the men and women who were in the 440th. They will continue to be the principle source of facts and information about the 440th. That is why it is so important to hear from everyone who has every been in the unit: you are the history book. Open up and let everyone hear from you.

A book is being written about the 440th and it will be primarily an oral history. It is hoped that a publication date will be sometime toward the end of 2008. Ordering details will be posted when it is available. In the meanwhile, small portions of material from the draft of the book will be presented here from time to time. I hope the reader will log on and see what has been newly posted.

Thank you for your interest in the 440th Signal Battalion.

James L Hendricks
B Company, 440th Signal Aviation Construction Battalion
Korea 1953-1954