5 HQ Sigs in France 1945

Hi

Does anyone know anything about 5 HQ Sigs and 148 Line Section which seems to have been part of it? I believe they were signals support for SHAEF HQ and were in the Paris area in 1945.

Thanks

 

I have found three War Diaries at Kew which refer to the unit:

WO171/2066 5 HQ Sigs - ATS July - Dec 1944
WO171/6002 5 HQ Sigs Jan - Aug 1945
WO219/4295 5 HQ Sigs Dec 1944 - July 1945

 

....... and this recommendation for MIDs which mentions 148 Line Section:

 

Hi, Please bear with as I am a little new to this forum, I have my fathers WW2 military record, I have always known he was in the Royal Corps of Signals,and attached to SHAEF restoring and maintaining telephone communications ,as for your query about Paris area, I have a photograph that I believe was taken when the headquarters was at the Trianon palace hotel, Versaille, The photo is the kind of where you stand behind and have the top half of your body to the photographer, the scene is a biplane meant to be flying over the Eiffel tower and Notre dame, Is military record states being part of 5 HQ sigs until 15 th June 1945, and then to Berlin HQ Sigs until 16th April 1946, I do sincerely hope you will find this helps, Chris Bowler.

 

Hi Chris

Yes, it is very interesting. I am wondering when 5 HQ Sigs moved on from Paris and whether this was when the HQ moved or afterwards.

Thanks
Tony

 

Hi Tony , sorry I have no specific dates only that SHAEF and 5 HQ moved to Reims and then Frankfurt, I forgot to mention the photo described shows my father and five others with the SHAEF shoulder patch, left shoulder of course, many thanks, Chris.

 

No. 5 Headquarters Signals was the British element in support of Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force; it included an ATS company. The US element in support of the HQ was 3118th Signal Service Battalion. Both units were an integral part of SHAEF and moved with it (indeed facilitated those moves in advance of the staff). There's plenty online about the various headquarters locations, all of which were supported by these units.
Regarding the MiD recommendations, Sergeant Wood's was not awarded. The other two were published in the London gazette in August 1945.

 

Company 5th Headquarters Signals became Berlin District Signals (British Element) after WW2.

 

Hi Nick

Thanks for the response. Since posting this I have been to Kew and took out two of the files recording the activities of the unit in 1945. In the War Diary entries (WO171/6002 5 HQ Sigs Jan - Aug 1945) there isn't a huge amount of detail but there is an organisation file (WO219/4295 5 HQ Sigs Dec 1944 - July 1945) where there are letters and papers from which one can gleam the structure of the unit and outline of its activities etc.

On 15 June 1945 the Signal Centre closed at SHAEF Main, Reims and at the same time opened at the IG Farben Building in Frankfurt. The Command Group and Unit HQ was based in ‘D’ Barracks in Frankfurt. 148 Line Section were included in the Basic Unit but effectively much of 5 Headquarters Signals was broken up at this time and the elements (and there were lots of them) parcelled up into Companies and despatched to support other large units in Europe. 148 Line Section was part of a Company that was sent to support 8 Corps who were in Schleswig Holstein.

If anyone wants copies of the files please 'start a conversation'

 

An org chart for the various Companies from 11 May 1945

 

A few years ago I was able to visit and IIRC have a meal in the massive IG Farben Building in Frankfurt. Since the US Army handed it over as part of the "peace dividend" it has become a University of Frankfurt building. I don't think any of the students noticed their dining hall was named after Colin Powell. See: Goethe-Universität — The IG Farben Building 1945 – 1995

 

Most useful. Thanks for posting.

 

The Reims building:

An ordinary red-brick school | Chemins de mémoire

Reims, May 7, 1945. The German surrender | Chemins de mémoire

 

Many thanks Skoyen89

My information is taken from HQ Line of Communication and HQ Berlin District war diaries showing 2 Company moved to 8 Corps District Signals 1 Jul 45 along with the formation of a company for Berlin, hoping you can help with more.

21st Army Group later British Army of the Rhine (under construction)

 

Have Dropboxed you the two Kew files.

Good luck

 

Thanks very much.