Robert Riensche, a Past President of the 3 AD Assn. served in the 143rd. Armored Signal Company of The Third Armored Division during WW II. He contributed this bit of History about his Company.
Capt. John L. Wilson was the Company Commander and coordinated with Lt.. Col. George V. Bussey the Division Signal Officer.
The 143rd. Armored Signal company was activated April 15, 1944 at Camp Beauregard, LA. There were four hundred enlisted men, one Warant Officer and twelve Commission Officers in the ETO. Services provided were as follows:
MC - Message Center, W - Wire, RO - Radio Operations, RM - Radio Maintenance,
SS - Signal Supply, SO - Signal Office, M - Mess, A - Administrative, MM - Motor
Maintenance, CS - Company Supply.
Signal company men operated at Division Headquarters, Combat A, Combat Command b and Division Trains. Signal Company personnel provided communications throughout the 3 rd Armored "Spearhead" Division in all five campaigns. We were the vital nerve center for the Division. Signal men covered ten times the mileage distance covered by the Division in Combat to provide these services.