We would love more information on 94th Signal Battalion during WWII. My wife’s Grandfather was part of this unit. We do not have much information on his service other than a bring back pistol and the knowledge he crossed the Remagen bridge. His name was Ed Kegeris.
Mr. Howell,
Please copy and paste links into your web browser here is some information. Try contacting the US Army Signal Corps Museum.
https://history.army.mil/museums/TRADOC/fortGordon_usSignal/index.html
Hope this helps,
Elliot Schneider
Dear Mr. Howell,
Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!
In regards to your question about records regarding the 94th Signal Battalion, please see our recent response to a similar question from Mr. Freeman at Seeking records of 94th Signal Battalion.
In regards to records of your grandfather's service, we suggest that you request a copy of his Official Military Personnel File (OMPF). OMPFs and individual medical reports for enlisted men of the U.S. Army who were separated from the service after October 1912 and before 1959 are in the custody of NARA's National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis. In many cases where personnel records were destroyed in the 1973 fire, proof of service can be provided from other records such as morning reports, payrolls, and military orders, and a certificate of military service will be issued. Please complete a GSA Standard Form 180 and mail it to NARA's National Personnel Records Center, (Military Personnel Records), 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO 63138-1002. If there is any information requested by the form that you do not know, you may omit it or provide estimates (such as writing “World War II” for dates), but the more information you provide, the easier it will be to locate the correct file if it survived the fire. For more information see Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF), Archival Records Requests.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NPRC is closed except for emergencies. Currently, NPRC will continue servicing requests ONLY associated with medical treatments, burials, and homeless veterans seeking admittance to a homeless shelter. If your request is urgent, please see Emergency Requests and Deadlines. Please refrain from submitting non-emergency requests such as replacement medals, administrative corrections, or records research until NPRC returns to pre-COVID staffing levels. Please check archives.gov/veterans for updates to the NPRC operating hours and status. We apologize for any inconvenience.
We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your family research!
David,
I think that I can help you as I myself spent the last 8 months researching the 94th Signal Battalion which my dad served during WW2. I wanted to learn more about the unit as they received the Presidential Unit Citation (highest military award given to a unit) as well as really understanding what the unit did, etc. I am going to provide you with some information that you will be astonished with as it will provide everything that you want to know about the 94th signal battalion during WW2. After you read the following I can walk you through it if we are able to somehow connect safely via telephone, etc. Not sure how we do that but here you go:
There is a book entitled History of the 94th signal battalion written by Carl. E. Bennetts who was a Colonel within the 94th Signal Battalion. There are only two books on file as the book was never officially published. One is in the U.S. Army Military Library Archives in Carlisle Pa. The other is with the Buena Vista University Library in iowa. I contacted both places who confirmed the book is on file. You can visit the U.S. Army Military Library once it re-opens as Covid has closed it for visitors. I actually have the other book now and am returning it to the Buena Vista University Library next week. Once I return it, you should be able to receive the book via an exchange program from your library who will enter the request which the University library receives and sends the book to your library for you to take out then return to them who then returns it to the University. That all said, the book is incredible as it provides the day the 94th Signal battalion was created May 18, 1942 starting with 9 officers and 24 enlisted men, my dad being one of the original enlisted. The book takes you through all of the U.S. training facilities they were at on through the day they left to go overseas in 1944 including the exact boat (USS West Point), where they landed (Utah Beach) then every town/city and country the unit was in during the war. My dad told me a few stories growing up that I was a bit hesitant to believe but those stories are documented in the book by several individuals who recounted the events. Example, One was in Arlon Belgium on New Years even 1945 where German planes bombed the building that the 94th was in and the bomb failed to detonate. Went right through the ceiling. Dad told me that story when I was a child. The book also describes the campaigns they were in: Rhineland Campaign (crossing of the Rhine which is where the unit received the Presidential unit citation award - highest military award given to a unit), Ardennes-Alsace Campaign (Battle of the Bulge) where the unit became famous because they got the first messenger to reach the famous 101st airborne unit who were holding down Bastogne. If you watched the TV mini-series Band of Brothers that was about the 101st airborne unit. Well the 94th became famous as they were the first unit to get a messenger to those guys for re-enforcements. Central Europe Campaign, They received a special award, "The Battle Participation Award (Metz). The book contains one thing that not many people know. The unit under Patton travelled so fast that they got ahead of the infantry. Also, part of the unit captured the Ludendorf Bridge which if you read history has no mention that ties it back to the 94th. It does and you will read it in the book. I can go on and on about the 94th signal battalion but there is not enough time. I hope that you can get your hands on the book as your wife will be extremely fond of it and proud of her grandfather. Among other things, The unit was responsible for creating the communication lines between company headquarters and the front line, created lines to direct artillery, coding machines and had a special secret team. They were experts in "Cryptography" ...used extensively during World War II, with a plethora of code and cipher systems fielded by the nations involved. Those guys ciphered and deciphered secret code. basically, those guys were able to identify through the secret code when bombing would occur, date, time and up to how much artillery by example. Good news is they did not have to perform at the front line but you will read in the book that all men, regardless of job were told by Patton (think it was during the Bulge) that they are to drop normal responsibilities, pick up your rifles and defend your country so there was a point in the war that they had to actually engage. I hope that this helps and it can enlighten your wife on her Grandpa. As there is only two copies on file, I made copies of the entire book so that I can share with my children/grandchildren. If you need more information I can discuss with you but we would need to figure out how to contact each other. Good Luck!
Dave,
To be clear on my response earlier and the Remagen Bridge. In my previous response I note the Ludendorff Bridge. The Ludendorff Bridge is the bridge that was captured at Remagen. Yes, the 94th crossed that Bridge and is where they earned the Presidential Unit Citation AWARD. Just a note: the bridge was under heavy German artillery but they couldn't blow it up. The bridge actually collapsed and killed many construction repair guys within the unit. The bridge was repaired and eventually crossed. As another FYI, the 94th Signal battalioin is the only signal unit to cross the Rhine River during WW2. There is also a great note in the book on page 277. It reads:
"There is one great thing you men will be able to say after this war is all over and you are at home once again. And you may thank God for it. You may be thankful that twenty years from now when you are sitting by the fireplace with your grandson on your knee and he asks you what you did in the great World War II, you won't have to cough, shift him to the other knee and say, "well , your granddaddy shoveled shit in Louisiana, "No Sir! You can look him straight in the eye and say, "Son, your Granddaddy rode with the great Third Army and s*h name Georgie Patton."
I found this to be fantastic.
Best, Joe R
Joe, I'm also researching my grandfather the 94th Signals Battalion, but I'm out in California and getting that book out here from the library in Iowa might not be possible once you're done with it (still checking with my local library folks). I'd like to get in touch directly if possible to talk about what was in the book. You can look me up by my name on Facebook - my picture has me standing in front of a restored SdKfz 222.
Clinton,
I will look you up sometime today. My plan is to document the 94th's trail from their creation on through the war's end. I can do that as I now have all of the information and will share the detail with you and any others who want information regarding the 94th Signal Battalion. The funny thing is that there is not much published on the Battalion if you google it.
best regards, Joe
Clinton
I could not locate you on facebook. What is your grandfathers full name. The book notes many, not all members of the 94th signal battallion, who received an award. Some were left out not by intent but by circumstances beyond the author.
joe
I have created a Facebook group for the 94th Signal Battalion where hopefully we can all share info and communicate. I am part of another one for the 81st Infantry Division and it has been a good group for us family members and friends of that unit to get together and share information.
I'd just like to add for those interested and not aware of the Book, The Bridge at Remagen by Ken Hechler. 1957. It's been republished many times. Hechler was an army historian who was there at the taking of the bridge. The 94th Signal Battalion is mentioned as one of the many units who participated. The 94th was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, not all units were. From the 94th History it states that the 94th was the only Signal Battalion to receive the PUC in WWII.
Hi David - I've searched Facebook but could not find a group for the 94th Signal Battalion. Is there a group name we need to use to search for it? thanks Peter
