Most of the stories that we write are about PSYOP units in the heat of battle.
We illustrate the leaflets and posters they printed, translate their loudspeaker messages,
and discuss the general philosophy of their war. This story is a bit different. We used to
say, “Many are called but few are chosen.” The same is true in the military.
Many units are put together in a great rush, hurriedly trained and deployed overseas.
However, they are not always sent into battle. Often, they are deployed to replace another
unit that has gone to the front. That was true to a great extent recently in Operation
Desert Storm where most Reserve medical units replaced hospitals overseas so that active
duty troops could deploy to the war zone. In the case of the 301st RB&L Group they
were the first to bring a PSYOP unit to Germany during the Korean War. With the North
Koreans on the attack, troops were training frantically at Ft. Riley. About half of the
new Psywarriors in training were sent to Korea or Japan, the rest to Germany.
It 1950, the United States Army had little interest in psychological operations.
Their field manual sums it up thusly:
The outbreak of the Korean conflict, in June 1950, was to be the first major
postwar test of countering the emerging threat of communism. In 1950, there was only one
psychological warfare unit; the Army had no PSYOP plans, no PSYOP doctrine, and virtually
no trained PSYOP personnel despite the success during WWII.
When the Korean War broke out in June 1950, the Tactical Information Detachment
at Fort Riley, Kansas, was the only operational psychological warfare troop unit in the
Army. After its deployment to Korea, the detachment became the 1st Loudspeaker and Leaflet
Company and it served as the 8th Army’s tactical propaganda unit throughout the
conflict. By April 1951, Major General Robert McClure requested the activation of the 1st
Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet Group to assist the Far East Command (FECOM), in conducting
strategic propaganda; the 2nd Loudspeaker and Leaflet Company at Fort Riley, Kansas, a
prototype unit; the 5th Loudspeaker and Leaflet Company at Fort Riley, scheduled to be
sent to FECOM but actually deployed to Boeblingen Military Sub-Post, Germany; and the
301st (Reserve) Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet Group, to be trained at Fort Riley, and
then shipped to Europe. No sooner had the two groups been deployed than a third, the 6th
Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet Group was formed at Ft. Riley. They were not deployed and
eventually ended up at Ft. Bragg, N.C. General McClure moved quickly to assist FECOM in
its organization and conduct of both psychological warfare and unconventional warfare,
while he concurrently helped the European Command prepare for the employment of both
capabilities in the event of war with the Soviet Union.
The National Broadcasting Corporation Building
In the late 1940s, the 301st (Reserve) Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet Group met
one weekend a month in the studios on the National Broadcasting Corporation in New York
City. The unit was made up of about 35 reservists. Bob Rudick worked for NBC as a studio
engineer and had been invited to join the unit on numerous occasions. He had previously
served as a corporal in the 258th Field Artillery Battalion of the New York State National
Guard on 155 mm howitzers. The Reserve unit wanted him because of his radio experience and
contacted the Adjutant General the State National Guard to arrange for the transfer.
With the onset of the Korean War, Bob decided it was time to look again at the
Reserve unit. They offered him a staff sergeant position and he accepted. In a very short
time he was surprised to receive orders stating that the entire unit was being called up
and sent to Ft. Riley, Kansas for training. In those days, all of the PSYOP units were
trained at Ft. Riley. On 1 May 1951, SSG Rudick found himself in Kansas as a member of
the 301st RB&L Group. He was probably spared going to Korea with the 1st Group because
he spoke German. At this time it was certainly just the luck of the draw where you were
assigned.
Mike Paschkes’ story is
similar with just a few minor differences. He joined the 301st in the fall of 1950. He
says that the reservists were primarily advertising people, and he was brought in by a
co-worker at an advertising agency. He then brought in some high school and college
friends. The commanding officer was Colonel Gruber, a linotype setter by day for the NY Daily News.
Mike had already taken his draft physical, so the Army drafted him right out of the 301st
and sent him to the 540th Field Artillery Battalion at Ft. Bragg. He says:
I kept in touch with Colonel Gruber, and after a few
weeks was transferred to Ft. Riley into the 5th Loudspeaker and Leaflet Company. One day,
the Company Commander called me in and told me the 301st was being activated and was
coming to Ft. Riley. He offered to let me re-join them. When I asked what they would be
doing, I was told 16 weeks of infantry basic. I said thanks but no thanks.
In August 1951 the 5th Loudspeaker and Leaflet
Company was shipped to a beautiful panzerkaserne in Boeblingen, Germany. I stayed with
them for about six months as a writer and was then transferred to 7th Army Headquarters as
an editor of the 7th Army Sentinel. I was sent to Non-Commissioned Officers school in Munich
and was the honor graduate, but promotions were frozen so I came home in January 1953
still a Private First Class.
The 301st Mobile Radio Company
The best part was that most of the people were NBC employees and as a result
already knew their business. Often new units are put together with people of various
backgrounds and it takes a long time for them to bond and be trained to an acceptable
level. In this case, the majority of members were radio people already so they were able
to hit the ground running. The unit soon started to receive draftees, but most were either
college graduates, instructors, professionals or writers. Since it was the height of the
Cold War, all the unit members were required to get a clearance. Allegedly, some of the New
York City members had their entire apartment building interrogated, in one case 65
families.
SSG Bob Rudick plays tanker as his riggers lift the antenna
The unit was made up of three companies; Headquarters, Mobile Radio Company,
and the Leaflet Company. Some of the staff were sent on temporary duty assignment to Quincy,
Illinois to be trained by the Gates Radio Company. They were assigned professional riggers
and taught how to install a 180-foot radio tower in a chicken farm outside of town.
Speaking of the tower, Art Martin was also a member of the 301st Mobile Radio
Broadcasting Company. He worked on erecting the 180-Foot tower and its maintenance, as
well as the PE-95 generators, the emergency Hydrogen barrage balloon and a long-wire
antenna. The model PE-95 generator was made by D.W. Onan & Sons for the US Army Signal
Corps starting in 1944. The unit weighs approximately 1550 pounds and is powered by a
4-cylinder Willy’s Jeep engine.
He remembers driving the two and one-half ton truck full of hydrogen cylinders used
to fill the barrage balloon from Sullivan Barracks cross country to maneuvers in a forest.
He spent much of his workday in a portable equipment shelter in the bed of another REO
2-1/2 ton truck. The M35 truck is in the 2 1/2 ton weight class and was one of many
vehicles in US military service to have been referred to as the “deuce and a
half.” The basic M35 cargo truck carried 5000 pounds across country or 10,000 pounds
over roads. The M35 series formed the basis for a wide range of specialized vehicles. The
M35 started out in 1949 as a design by the REO Motor Car Company.
His task was radio intercept: voice-to-tape and teletype hard copy. He had a BC-610
multi-band short-wave transmitter inside the shelter. The BC-610 radio transmitter is a
medium power r-f transmitter which will transmit AM or CW signals over a range of more
than 100 miles. The BC-610 radio transmitter assembly is made up of three chassis.
The top chassis includes all of the r-f components. The center section contains most
of the audio and modulator equipment. The bottom chassis includes the h-v power
supply and overload relay. The three chassis are assembled in a sheet steel cabinet
with a front panel upon which the external controls and metering instruments are mounted.
The cabinet is bolted to a shock-mounted base. The weight is approximately 400
pounds.
Corporal Herb Herman was a member of the Headquarters Company of the 301st from 1951
to 1953. He talked about the many members of the unit that were college students,
especially those like himself from New York University and 1st Lieutenant (professor)
Albert Somit. He recalls that the unit met in the NBC studios next to the Tonight Show that
starred Jerry Lester, Morey Amsterdam and the voluptuous Dagmar. I may be showing my age
now, but I remember all of them.
He recalls that after 90 days in Germany every member of the unit was awarded the
“Army of Occupation” medal. He adds that a good number of the unit personnel had
language skills and were used to translate radio transmission and printed material. The
analysts within the unit compiled and catalogued intelligence.
Several of the men were then put through an infiltration course three times
because they were expected to be sent into Germany on a “secret” training
mission to set up a radio. After each round of training the mission was cancelled.
Meanwhile the unit continued to train. In July 1951 the MRB detachment operated a
radio station at Fort Riley and published a daily bulletin. By 14 August they were
producing propaganda as part of their advanced training.
The USS General Maurice Rose
The unit eventually ended up on the USS General Maurice Rose. They departed in
November of 1951 and immediately ran into a storm. For 3 days and nights everyone was
confined to below decks as the ship rocked and the screws lifted up out of the stormy
waters. The entire unit could be found circling barrels placed in the open areas for
vomiting. The trip took nine long miserable days.
Staff Sergeant Larry Berman inspects a photograph negative with his loupe
Staff Sergeant Lawrence Berman of the Reproduction Company recalls the trip to Germany.
He said:
We went over on the General Maurice Rose and I vomited for 8 days.
The Group’s Men Train on the Radio Equipment
The broadcast crew train on the radio equipment. This mock program was programmed at
an Army base in Germany to demonstrate what a propaganda broadcast would sound like.
Standing at the left is Corporal John O'Keefe. Corporal Len Geriputto and Private First
Class Michael Stoppleman sit at their microphones and Staff Sergeant Bob Rudick at the
control panel.
The Group's Barracks in Germany
Staff Sergeant Bob Rudick stands
by the sign of the
301st Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet Group near Mannheim
By Thanksgiving Day, 1951, the unit was deployed to Germany, stationed in
Sullivan Barracks, Mannheim. SSG Rudick was the chief rigger and he finally got permission
to put up his 180-foot radio antenna. But, Washington DC decided that any broadcasting
from the new radio might be seen as an overt act of aggression by the Russians so the
unit, although ready to broadcast was kept silent. They broadcast some very low power
music and news to their own people, but otherwise it was a case of train and wait for the
call.
At the end of November 1951, the unit exhibited PSYWAR products in Frankfurt. By
January the reproduction personnel were training in the Seventh Army Printing Plant in
Leiman.
European Command Patch
Nobody knew quite what to do with them in Germany. They were issued the European
Command patch to wear on their left sleeve (General Eisenhower’s old SHAEF insignia)
and their collar brass was first Signal Corps, then Military Intelligence, and finally a
plain American Eagle since they were unassigned to any major military organization.
PFC Michael Stoppleman,
CPL John O’Keefe, CPL Len Geriputto and
SSG Bob Rudick of the 301st Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet Group study
the “Bible of PSYOP,” Paul Linebarger’s Psychological Warfare
To keep the men busy, several were sent around Germany to visit the American
GIs and explain the value of psychological warfare and what it could do to benefit
American forces. Bob Rudick said:
We were looking for something to do and travel and lecture was the answer. We would
go from one base to another all over Germany. It was a great tour if you wanted to
sightsee, but the training kept on and on. The leaflet company got some beautiful
6-color presses and they did a great job of turning out beautiful menus for the mess hall
but they were never used to win the hearts and minds of an enemy. They constantly trained
at psychological warfare but I never a part of it. I spent my year and half training and
traveling and then it was home.
Staff Sergeant Berman of the Reproduction Company remembers being ordered to try and
keep the peacetime unit busy:
We did not print any propaganda leaflets. In fact, we did not do a whole lot of any
constructive work. What did we do? We ate well, frequented the Harmony Club,
played ball, trained constantly and polished the multi-million dollar printing equipment.
Our Company Commander Captain Peck ordered me to get the men busy on some kind of a
printing project. As a training exercise I had the men print one side of a dollar
greenback and they circulated them all over the Post Exchange as gag. Needless to
say, the Inspector General in Washington found out about it and had no sense of humor. I
was “reamed” by our company commander till I was raw, but he didn't take away my
stripes. Hell, he ordered the printing exercise!
The unit must have been doing some PSYOP work. In a unit publications entitled Who’s
Who and where they hang their hats the Reproduction company apologizes for the delay
by saying:
The incessant cried for publication of a long-awaited unit directory made the task
of placing it at the bottom of the pile difficult; but the reproduction of PSYWAR
material, deemed more important, necessitated it.
Reproduction Company, already working two shifts and lacking sufficient personnel to
initiate a “lobster shift,” was floundering amid the ever-increasing material to
be printed.
For instance, on 1 May 1952, the unit’s first anniversary on active duty, they
staged a leaflet drop in front of group headquarters. On 20 May the 7878 Augmentation
Detachment (Balloon) was attached to the 301st. On 23 May, they broadcast their first
radio program from Sullivan Barracks.
By this time the unit had grown to about 125 enlisted men and 37 officers. The
unit commander was Colonel Gruber. In his civilian life he was a printer for the New York
Daily News. The newspaper was owned by the Patterson family, and by some coincidence his
son Robert Patterson was assigned to the Headquarters Company as were Colonel
Gruber’s two sons.
The Announcer's Booth
The Control Room in the Studio Trailer
Just about all of the equipment in the radio station was supplied by Gates
Radio. The studio had one control room and one announcer booth. It also had Gates
turntables and tape recorders. The transmitter could push out 50,000 watts.
The Portable Mixer
A portable mixer is a panel for multiple Microphones. The photograph above depicts a
three-position mixer that can accept three microphones and balance the output of each
microphone and a master overall output control. If more than three microphones are in use
you can wire more of the mixers together.
The Group’s 33-foot Studio Trailer
In addition, there were two 33-foot trailers, one for the studio and the other
for the transmitter. Both were run by diesel generators.
SSG Rudick left the 301st Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet Group in December 1952
after serving his two-year tour of duty.
Sergeant Robert W. Beller wrote a poem about the unit. I quote a small part of it here:
Our Army has something it has not had before,
Its tactics have turned pedagological;
This new kind of fighting is labeled PSWAR,
But it’s somewhat more psycho than logical.
In the past our men knew the meaning of strife,
Each man was well-armed and a killer
But he fought with a Mauser a Luger or knife
Not a page out of Goethe or Shiller.
Peck’s Bad Boys
I have been unable to find any of the leaflets or posters created by the 301st during
their deployment to Germany. I did find a small souvenir booklet created by the unit to
commemorate their tour, and with the title honoring the Reproduction Company Commander
Captain Roy Peck.
Captain Roy Peck
The booklet says in regard to Captain Peck:
He was a newspaperman - a publisher from Riverton, Wyoming – when he was
recalled to active duty [He was in the 84th Infantry Division during WWII] and assigned to
the 301st RB&L Group at Ft. Riley Kansas. He knew the printing business first-hand
from leads and slugs to four-color pictorials…He was a captain who knew his army from
buck private to combat-experienced commanding officer, decorated several times, an old
hand at leading men.
His men were a mix of specialties:
Then we started arriving – Peck’s Bad Boys – some from the infantry,
some from the engineers, from ordnance, the artillery, the signal corps, quartermaster and
armor too…Most of us were fresh out of basic training. We had been sent to join
Captain Peck in forming one of the first reproduction companies of its type in Army
history.
Cynical, thankless, apathetic
when we walked in – new men with a company spirit de corps and sincere gratitude when
we walked out.
This ends our brief look at one of the early PSYOP Groups that was not sent
into battle. At present we have little information on the 301st but we hope that our
readers will remedy that situation. They must have been doing something important in Germany
because the Army Field Manual on Psychological Warfare says:
Both the 1st [in Korea] and 301st [in Germany] RB&L Groups concurrently
engaged in psychological warfare and support to unconventional warfare (UW).
The author would like to hear from other members of the group and members of
other units that are seldom mentioned in psychological warfare articles. Kindly contact
the author
at sgmbert@hotmail.com.
