The 32^D 'Red Arrow' Veteran Association
	History of the 32^D 'Red Arrow' Infantry Division During the Berlin Crisis

The Wisconsin Army National Guard’s 32^D ‘Red Arrow’ Infantry Brigade Combat Team Headquarters hosted an event at its Camp Williams armory on 15 Oct. 2011 to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of the 32^D ‘Red Arrow’ Infantry Division’s mobilization for the Berlin Crisis. There were historical displays at the armory, current equipment displays and an official ceremony on the adjacent parade field, and the exhibits of the Wisconsin National Guard Museum were available for viewing as well. Photos from the event are available on the Wisconsin National Guard's Flickr site. There is also some reminiscence about the mobilization from one of the veterans on WisGuard Live, the Official Blog of the Wisconsin National Guard.

On 4 June 1961, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev threatened to implement actions that would restrict, if not end, British, French, and U.S. military forces’ access to Berlin.

On 25 July 1961, President John F. Kennedy, in a nationally televised speech, restated America’s commitment and resolve to help West Berlin. He stated, "We seek peace, but we shall not surrender." That same day he requested that Congress authorize the Army’s strength to be increased from 870,000 to 1,000,000, to include 6 new combat divisions. He also asked for substantially increased strength for the Navy, to include 2 more Marine divisions, and the Air Force. He also asked that draft calls be tripled and requested the authority to mobilize Reserve units and individual Reservists.

On 13 August 1961, East German President Walter Ulbricht ordered the border between East and West Germany closed and construction of the Berlin Wall began. The communists decided to halt the flow of East Germans escaping to the free West. The Berlin Wall completely surrounded and sealed off West Berlin from East Berlin and the rest of East Germany. Tensions between NATO and the Warsaw Pact dramatically increased and for a while it seemed like the Cold War in Europe would turn hot.

On 30 August 1961, President John F. Kennedy issued orders for the mobilization of 148,000 Guardsmen and Reservists for up to a year. He also tripled the draft calls. It was deemed necessary for an overnight strengthening of our conventional forces for the possibility of a less-than-nuclear war.

On 6 September 1961, the 32^D ‘Red Arrow’ Infantry Division of the Wisconsin National Guard was notified that it might be called up for one year of active duty. Several days later the Division learned that it would likely report to Fort Lewis, Washington, if it was called to active duty.

Three other National Guard divisions, 26^TH ‘Yankee’ Infantry Division (New England), 28^TH ‘Keystone’ Infantry Division (Pennsylvania), 49^TH ‘Lone Star’ Armored Division (Texas), plus hundreds of smaller, non-divisional units were alerted to the possibility of being called to active duty.

Nineteen September 1961 is the day that the 32^D Division learned it would indeed be mobilized for the Berlin Crisis. MG Herbert A. Smith, the Division Commander, received a telephone call from the Adjutant General for Wisconsin, MG Ralph J. Olson, with the official notice around mid-day. However, MG Smith had no opportunity to notify his Soldiers through official channels. Most of them had already heard the news several hours earlier, at about 1000 hours, when television and radio broadcasters announced “President Kennedy announced this morning that units of the Wisconsin National Guard are ordered to active duty in response to mounting tensions…”

On 25 September 1961, about 500 Division personnel went on early active duty to start preparing for the impending mobilization. By 8 October that number had increased to 700 personnel.

On 27 September 1961, a liaison group from Fort Lewis arrived at 32^D Division HQs in Milwaukee in order to discuss billeting, training, logistical and administrative issues the Division would encounter when it arrived at Fort Lewis. The group was only in town for one day, but daily telephone conferences between Milwaukee and Fort Lewis commenced the following day.

On 4 October 1961, a liaison group from the 32^D Division went to Fort Lewis for 3 days in order to see the facilities they would fall in on and coordinate with their counterparts. Members of this group included the G-4, Assistant G-1, G-3, Quartermaster, and Headquarters Commandant.

On 5 October 1961, training was conducted at Camp Williams, WI, for the personnel who would supervise the rail loading of the Division’s equipment at 28 rail heads throughout the state.

On 15 October 1961, the 32^D Division began its mobilization and Soldiers reported to their armories. This was 21 years to the day that the Division was activated for World War II. During World War II, then LTC Herbert A. Smith was the commander of the 2^D Battalion, 128^TH Infantry. When the Division was mobilized for the Berlin Crisis, there were at least 83 Soldiers who had been with the Division in 1939, shortly before it was mobilized for WWII on 15 Oct. 1940. At the height of the Division’s assigned strength in 1962, there were 734 WWII veterans and 207 Korean War veterans among its ranks.

By the middle of October, around 150,000 citizen Soldiers had been activated into federal service. About 21,000 of those were officers and men of eleven Air National Guard fighter squadrons, and about 260 high performance jets, which were immediately flown to Europe to reinforce the Seventeenth Air Force.

The National Guard’s 32^D ‘Red Arrow’ Infantry Division (Wisconsin), 49^TH ‘Lone Star’ Armored Division (Texas), and 150^TH ‘Second West Virginia’ Armored Cavalry Regiment (West Virginia), plus other smaller, non-divisional units, were activated and commenced training to be ready to replace the 4^TH ‘Ivy’ Infantry and the 2^D ‘Hell on Wheels’ Armored Divisions in their home posts at Fort Lewis, Washington, and Fort Hood, Texas, if it became necessary for a similar overnight reinforcement of the Seventh Army in Germany. Army heavy equipment for the two Regular Army Divisions was prepositioned in Europe, so the personnel could be quickly flown to Germany if they were needed. The Army Reserve’s 100^TH Division (Training), from Kentucky, was also activated to establish a new training center at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas.

At that time, the 32^D Division, like all U.S. infantry divisions, was organized as a 'Pentomic' Division in accordance with the Reorganization of the Current Infantry Division (ROCID) concept developed by the Army in 1957. ROCID divisions had an authorized strength of 13,748 officers and Soldiers. In 1959, the National Guard and Army Reserve infantry divisions were reorganized around the five battle groups of the 'Pentomic' division, as opposed to the three regiments found in infantry divisions from 1940 until 1959. The ROCID concept would not last long; it was replaced by the Reorganization Objective Army Division (ROAD) concept in 1963.

On 16 October 1961, a small advance liaison from the Division was flown to Fort Lewis to coordinate with their counterparts in the 4^TH Inf. Div. to prepare for the arrival of the 32^D Div. This group included the Deputy Brigade Commander, OIC, Assistant G-1, Assistant G-3, Assistant G-4, Assistant Quartermaster, and Headquarters Commandant.

Between 16 and 20 October 1961, the Division’s equipment was loaded on 710 flatcars and 40 box cars at 28 rail heads throughout the state.

On 20 October 1961, the Division’s advance party of about 500 personnel was flown to Fort Lewis to draw billets and other installation equipment to prepare for the arrival of the main body. The advance party included the Brigade Staff, G-1 Section, most of the AG Section, G-3 Section, G-4 Section (except for the G-4 himself), and similar representatives from all of the major subordinate units.

32^D IBCT Historical Collection Photograph Send-off ceremony for a 32^D Inf. Div. unit in Oct. 1961.

32^D IBCT Historical Collection Photograph 32^D Inf. Div. Soldiers boarding a train bound for Fort Lewis, WA, ca. 23 Oct. 1961

32^D IBCT Historical Collection Photograph Tearful goodbye from Family members as 32^D Inf. Div. Soldiers board a train bound for Fort Lewis, WA, ca. 23 October 1961.

On the evening of 23 October 1961, the first train of the main body left Wisconsin from Milwaukee. The Division’s units departed their home stations at staggered intervals. The majority of the Soldiers made the trip to Fort Lewis by train, 18 trains of approximately 375 personnel each. Some personnel were flown, approximately 1,300 personnel. About 2,050 Soldiers were allowed to travel to Fort Lewis in their privately owned vehicles (POVs). The POVs were directed to take U.S. Highway 10, which at that time originated in Detroit, MI, and terminated in Seattle, WA.

The Division HQs was officially established at Fort Lewis on the afternoon of 26 October.

The Division HHC and majority of 32^D Admin. Co. were flown to Fort Lewis on 26 October.

The 3^D Battle Group, 127^TH Infantry; 2^D Battle Group, 128^TH Infantry; and 724^TH Engineer Battalion arrived at Fort Lewis on 26 October.

The 2^D Reconnaissance Squadron, 105^TH Cavalry, arrived at Fort Lewis on 27 October.

The 2^D Battle Group, 127^TH Infantry; 2^D Battalion, 121^ST Field Artillery; 2^D Battalion, 126^TH Field Artillery; and 132^D Signal Battalion arrived at Fort Lewis on 28 October.

The 1^ST Battalion, 120^TH Field Artillery, arrived at Fort Lewis on 29 October.

The arrivals of the other units will be added when it is found.

Upon arrival at Fort Lewis, the Division occupied a cantonment area known as North Fort Lewis. These were WWII wood-framed barracks, mess halls, and admin. buildings that had stood vacant for quite a few years, so the Soldiers immediately set out to clean them up, paint them, and make them a little more comfortable.

U.S. Army Photograph

Commanders meet at 32^D Inf. Div. HQ at Fort Lewis, WA, for a briefing on 27 Oct. 1961. (L-R) BG John A. Dunlap (Asst. Div. Commander, 32^D Inf. Div.); Gen. Herbert B. Powell (Commanding General, United States Continental Army Command); MG Herbert A. Smith (Commanding General, 32^D Inf. Div.); MG William F. Train, (Commanding General, 4^TH Inf. Div. and Fort Lewis); and BG Francis F. Schwinler (Commanding General, 32^D Div. Artillery). Photograph by SP5 Joseph J. Ray, U.S. Army Garrison, Fort Lewis, WA.

Twenty-seven October 1961 was probably the most contentious day of the Berlin Crisis. That was the day that ten U.S. M-48A1 tanks stood toe-to-toe with about ten Soviet T-55 tanks at Berlin’s Friedrichstrasse Crossing Point, more popularly known as Checkpoint Charlie. The world was anxiously fixated on Berlin while the U.S. and Soviet tanks aimed at each other for about 24 hours at a range of approximately 100 meters.

U.S. Army Photograph U.S. and Soviet tanks faceoff at Berlin’s Checkpoint Charlie on 27 Oct. 1961.

This incident began when a U.S. diplomat was stopped by East German police while attempting to enter East Berlin through Checkpoint Charlie. This was a startling move because it was contrary to agreements from the Potsdam Conference, which stated that Allied personnel would not be stopped by German police anywhere in Berlin. The Army sent tanks and APCs to the checkpoint as a demonstration of U.S. resolve, also because approximately 30 Soviet tanks had suddenly appeared at the nearby Brandenburg Gate. Soon after, about 10 of those Soviet tanks pulled up to the checkpoint. Then the diplomats conferred and both sides eventually agreed to stand down. First a Soviet tank pulled back, and then a U.S tank pulled back. This process repeated until all the tanks from both sides had been withdrawn.

It was about 30 October 1961 that the first of approximately 4,500 replacement personnel began to arrive at Fort Lewis to be assigned to the 32^D Division. At that time, the Division, like most reserve component units, was not at full strength. In those days reserve units had two authorized strengths, peace-time strength and war-time strength (the former normally being about 70% of the later). Now that the 32^D Division was being mobilized, and potentially could be deployed, it needed to be brought up to war-time strength in a hurry. Individual Army Reservists were mobilized and assigned as fillers to the 32^D Division, as well as the other National Guard units that were being activated. Many of these Reservists were the 1961 equivalent of today’s Individual Ready Reserve (IRR), meaning they had served a 2, 3 or 4-year enlistment in the Regular Army but still had time remaining on their, then, 6-year mandatory service obligation. The Division received replacements from 39 states and Puerto Rico; the largest number came from Wisconsin.

When the Division was mobilized on 15 October it had an authorized (war-time) strength of 13,781 Soldiers, but it had an assigned (peace-time) strength of 9,767. After receiving the replacements, the Division attained a peak assigned strength 13,782 Soldiers ca. Feb. 1962. Obviously 4,500 plus 9,767 equals considerably more than 13,782. This was due to some of the Division’s organic and replacement Soldiers being released from the mobilization due to hardships, medical, or other reasons.

Two of the replacements the 32^D Division received were rather famous in their own right because they normally wore a different uniform, the green and gold of the Green Bay Packers. Packers’ linebacker Ray Nitschke (#66) and wide receiver Boyd Dowler (#86) were in the Army Reserve, and they were two of the Reservists who were mobilized and assigned to the 32^D Division. Many professional football players were in the National Guard and Army Reserve in those days. There was a military draft in effect; if they were serving in the Reserve components they couldn’t be drafted. However, they could still be activated if their assigned unit was mobilized or they could be mobilized as individuals and assigned to other units.

PFC Ray Nitschke was assigned to the 32^D Division Quartermaster Company from Janesville and PFC Boyd Dowler was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 32^D Division Artillery, from Milwaukee.

BG Francis F. Schweinler, Commander of Division Artillery, later recalled his first encounter with PFC Nitschke shortly after the later was assigned to the Division, although he did not know exactly who he was the first time he saw him. “I was making a check down on the quartermaster area and here was this great big, husky guy picking up 100-pound sacks of potatoes and tossing them up on a two and one-half ton truck with one hand,” BG Schweinler said. Admiring the Soldier’s strength, BG Schweinler went over to talk to the Soldier and learned that he was a Green Bay Packer.

Not long after Nitschke and Dowler were “drafted” by the ‘Red Arrow’ Division, BG Schweinler received an anxious telephone call from Vince Lombardi. The football season was already underway and the Coach was hoping to work out a deal so he could have his two football players on the weekends. The previous season the Packers had lost a close, well fought championship game and expectations were high for this season (this was Coach Lombardi’s third season leading the Packers, the beginning of the glory years). BG Schweinler obtained the proper permissions and told Coach Lombardi that Nitschke and Dowler would be able to fly home on Friday evenings but would need to return before reveille on Monday morning.

“That’s great,” Lombardi said.

“But just a minute, Coach,” Schweinler replied, “There is a little kicker to this. I would like to get a game film by Tuesday night of the game that was played the previous Sunday.”

“I think we can work that out,” Lombardi said.

After that, the promised game film arrived every Tuesday afternoon and Nitschke and Dowler would take the films around to the different Division units to show and talk football. Of course the Soldiers loved it and it was great for morale.

There were at least three other professional athletes who were assigned to the 32^D Division as replacements. John Gordy, an offensive guard for the Detroit Lions, was a 2LT assigned to Company D, 2^D Battle Group, 128^TH Infantry. Ron ‘Sobie’ Sobieszczyk, a guard for the Chicago Majors professional basketball team, was a PFC assigned to Company D, 2^D Battle Group, 128^TH Infantry. Tony Kubek, a shortstop for the New York Yankees, was assigned to Company A, 3^D Battle Group, 127^TH Infantry.

Soon after arriving, in processing, and getting settled at Fort Lewis, the Division began training in earnest. In addition to Fort Lewis, they also conducted training at Yakima Firing Center, WA, and Fort Irwin, CA. Training started at the individual and small unit level and eventually culminated in two Division-level maneuvers, Exercise ‘Bristle Cone’ and Exercise ‘Mesa Drive’.

Some of the equipment in use by the Division at that time included: M-1 rifles, BARs, Browning .30 caliber machine guns, M-2 .50 caliber machine guns, M-9A1 protective masks; M-38 quarter ton trucks (Jeeps), M-59 APCs, M-56 ‘Scorpion’ SP anti-tank gun; M-41 ‘Walker Bulldog’ light tanks; M-48 ‘Patton’ medium tanks; L-19 ‘Bird Dog’ and L-20 ‘Beaver’ aircraft. Around January of February the Division received 300 M-14 rifles and 60 M-60 machine guns for familiarization and training. More information about the Division’s equipment will be added as it is found.

32^D IBCT Historical Collection Photograph Looking over the Fort Lewis, WA, cantonment area toward Mount Rainier in 1962. These are some of the barracks that the 32^D Inf. Div. occupied while they were there.

32^D IBCT Historical Collection Photograph Wisconsin’s Lt. Gov. Warren P. Knowles meeting with COL Donald P. Radde (Chief of Staff, 32^D Inf. Div.) and MG Herbert A. Smith (Commanding General, 32^D Inf. Div.) during his visit to Fort Lewis, WA, ca. 1962.

On 7 February 1962, the 32^D Division’s Battery B, 3^D Rocket/Howitzer Battalion, 121^ST Field Artillery, (from Milwaukee) made history by being the first National Guard unit to live-fire the ‘Honest John’ rocket.

The ‘Honest John’ was an unguided rocket which was over 27 ft. long, 23 in. in diameter (the warhead was 30 in. in diameter, which gave the rocket a distinctive appearance). It weighed 5,820 pounds and had a maximum range of over 15 miles (a later version had a range of 30 miles). The ‘Honest John’ was the Army’s first nuclear-capable surface-to-surface rocket. It was normally armed with high explosive warheads, but it could deliver chemical warheads as well. The ‘Honest John’ was used by the Army from 1954 until 1973. It was used by some National Guard units until 1982 and some of our allies used it until 1992.

There are several web sites that claim 49^TH Armored Division’s 3^D Battalion, 132^D Field Artillery, was the first National Guard unit to fire the Honest John. However those sources state that they fired their first rocket in May of 1962, approximately 3 months after the ‘Red Arrow’ red legs fired their first Honest John.

On 15 February 1962, the 32^D Division was declared STRAC, meaning it was officially designated a unit of the Strategic Army Corps (STRAC). This was a rare designation for a National Guard division and it meant that the Division was prepared for joint Army and Air Force deployment to any trouble spot in the world on very short notice. This designation was achieved after 3 ½ months of intense training evaluated by inspectors from the Regular Army. Other units of STRAC at the time included III Corps, XVIII Airborne Corps, 82^D Airborne Division, 101^ST Airborne Division, 1^ST Infantry Division, 2^D Infantry Division, 4^TH Infantry Division, 3^D Armored Cavalry Regiment, and the 49^TH Armored Division. At the time, all STRAC divisions were required to have at least a 300-man unit on constant standby, ready to move out within two hours.

The Division received dozens of congratulatory letters from high-level military and civilian dignitaries after their designation as a STRAC unit. Some of those dignitaries included Defense Secretary McNamara; Gen. Lyman L. Lemnitzer, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Gen. Herbert B. Powell, CONARC Commander; MG Ralph Olson, Wisconsin Adjutant General; MG William F. Train, 4^TH Inf. Div. Commander; and governors of 15 states.

An excerpt from Gen. Lemnitzer’s letter was included in the 12 Mar. ’62 edition of the Division’s ‘Red Arrow’ newsletter: “To all members of the 32d Inf Div: I extend best wishes on the occasion of Operation Reward. The celebration…symbolizes the effort and accomplishment through which you have achieved your level of readinesss…an important contribution… to the total military strength of the United States…I express to each of you…hearty congratulations and sincere appreciation…”

It was around this time that the term ‘STRAC’ became Army slang for a unit or Soldier that was ‘squared away’, Skilled, Tough, Ready Around the Clock.

On 24 February 1962, about 20,000 Division Soldiers and their Family members (as well as Soldiers and dependents from the 4^TH Inf. Div. and other Fort Lewis units) were treated to a USO-type show called ‘Operation Reward’. The show was recognition for their sacrifice resulting from the mobilization as well as the hard work and training they devoted to achieve the STRAC designation. Twenty of some of Hollywood's biggest stars of the day (including Mort Sahl, Tom Ewell, Denise Darcel, Ann Richards, Joi Lansing, Frank Gorshin, Leslie Parrish, and the Lettermen) gave the Soldiers a three-hour show at Fort Lewis’ Burris Field. The show had been preceded by Battery B, 3^D Rocket/Howitzer Battalion, 121^ST Field Artillery, firing its second ‘Honest John’ rocket and a Division parade and review.

The 12 Mar. ’62 edition of the Division’s ‘Red Arrow’ newsletter included a summary of ‘Operation Reward’ as well as some powerful sentiments that effectively summarize why all 32D ‘Red Arrow’ Inf. Div. Berlin Crisis veterans should be proud of their contribution to this chapter of our Nation’s Cold War history.

“The appearance here of a million dollars’ worth of Hollywood entertainers for a performance for the 32d Inf Div was a national news event. [Numerous military and civilian] dignitaries used the occasion as an opportunity to extend their greetings and best wishes.

“But it was the spirit behind these expressions which made them significant. The performers were not paid for the show; they came voluntarily despite tight personal schedules to thank us, in the most tangible way they knew, for our sacrifices in the cold war call up. They wanted to show us that our bloodless but forlorn battle here is recognized and appreciated.

“We just want to make it clear that Operation Reward was much more than an enjoyable way to spend a Saturday afternoon. It was meant to remind us that this lonely watch is truly a vital contribution to this country's security -- and that plenty of people care.”

It is likely that the above words are those of SGT Roger L. Bennett, who was listed as the editor and publisher of the Division’s ‘Red Arrow’ newsletter.

"In February and March 1962, the [32^D] Division was at Ft. Irwin, California conducting Division Army Training Tests [ATTs] entitled 'Operation Bristlecone.' The 'aggressor' opposing force was a Brigade [including 1^ST Battle Group, 28^TH Infantry; 1^ST Recon Squadron, 4^TH Cavalry; & 2^D Howitzer Battalion, 33^D Artillery] provided by the 1^ST Infantry Division from Ft. Riley, Kansas. Good Training!", according to J. Parmenter, a visitor to our web site who was a Soldier in the 1^ST 'Big Red One' Infantry Division at that time.

Mr. Parmenter continues, "Our Brigade from the 1^ST Infantry Division wore dark green "aggressor" uniforms (dyed WW II light wool shirts & trousers) and red garrison caps. At that time, as you might recall, Ft. Riley had the Army's 'Aggressor Center' which closed down, I think, in 1962. Air Force F-100s flew very low ground support for both sides. There were some tankers from a reserve Armor unit supporting the aggressors the first week or so then changed sides & supported the 32^D Division. I remember being surprised at how cold the desert was at night. Happily, troops from the 'side of right,' 32^D Infantry Division, overran positions of the nasty old aggressors on the last day of battle."

32^D IBCT Historical Collection Photograph A Soldier from the 32^D Inf. Div. provides security while another Soldier searches an enemy prisoner from the ‘Aggressor Forces’ during Exercise ‘Bristle Cone’ at Fort Irwin, CA, in early March 1962. The Soldier on the left is armed with the M-3, .45 caliber submachine gun (commonly referred to as the ‘Grease Gun’). The Soldier on the right, wearing a Sixth Army patch, could be an observer/trainer from Sixth Army or possibly a replacement assigned to the Division.

U.S. Army Photograph 32^D Inf. Div. artillery Soldiers train at Fort Lewis, WA, ca. 1962.

On 10 August 1962, the 32^D Division was released from Federal service and reverted to State control. The units returned to Wisconsin at staggered intervals, the majority of the Soldiers were home by the middle of August.

The 1^ST Battle Group, 127^TH Infantry departed Fort Lewis on 1 August.

The departures of the other units will be added when it is found.

As the 32^D Division prepared to return home, President John F. Kennedy issued a personal message to the ‘Red Arrow’ officers and men: “From the time when it was first alerted for duty in September 1961, the Red Arrow Division has achieved an exemplary record – one in which you may take great pride. In attaining the high state of combat effectiveness, the Division has lived up to its excellent reputation and, in so doing, has added materially to the readiness of our forces… When the free world needed increased military strength to meet its challenges, you responded. Having met the emergency and accomplished your mission, you can return to your civilian pursuits with pride in your hearts.”

Sources include:

The Minute Man in Peace and War
The 1962 Wisconsin Blue Book

History of the Wisconsin National Guard

At Ease

Maneuver and Firepower - The Evolution of Divisions and Separate Brigades

32D Infantry Division – STRAC – Fort Lewis, Washington – 1961-1962

Red Arrow newsletter

Back To Berlin Crisis History of the 32^D Division

Contact the 32^D 'Red Arrow' Veteran Association Webmaster

revised 17 October 2011
since 29 December 2001