Prior to the organization of Field Station Berlin in 1967, there were a number of Army Security Agency (ASA) units in Berln.
• 1951
ASA’s presence in Berlin began in January 1951, when Detachment F relocated from Herzo Base on TDY status.
• 1952
Det F was followed by Det E in April 1952. In June 1952, the status of the Det changed from TDY to PCS, and the operation moved from tents into a real building.
• 1953
In 1953, Det E was renamed Det F. On 1 July 1953, Det C joined Det F in Berlin.
• 1954
In March 1954, Det B, Headquarters ASA, Europe was also established in Berlin, and Dets F and C were subordinated to it in September. They were joined by Det A, 302nd Communications Reconnaissance Battalion (CRB).
•1955
Two small ASA teams (Team 6 and Team 620J1) were added in 1955, and Det B, Headquarters ASA, Europe was reorganized as a provisional company.
Independently of all this, the 9539th TCU was reassigned to Berlin from Ft. Myer, Virginia on 1 November 1955.
• 1957
In January 1957, he 9539th was redesignated as the 260th ASA Detachment. On 15 October 1957, all these ASA elements were consolidated into the 280th USASA Company.
•1961
The 280th was redesignated as the 78th USASA Special Operations Unit (SOU) on 15 June 1961. The 78th first located mobile equipment at Teufelsberg in July 1961 and in 1963 a semi-permanent site was constructed.
• 1966
On 22 June 1966, the 78th was redesignated as the 54th Special Operations Command.
• 1967
On 15 December 1967, the 54th SOU was redesignated the USASA Field Station Berlin.
The graphic reperesentation of all these units is captured in the designs below.
The shoulder patch for Berlin Brigade has been modified to create a specifically ASA Berlin patch. The flaming sword of the Berlin Brigade patch has been replaced by a flaming lightning sword to symbolize ASA's SIGINT role in Berlin. A lightning bolt is typically used in the insignia of ASA/INSCOM units. You can see this in the insignia for ASA (patch and DUI), Field Station Berlin, Field Station Rothwesten and INSCOM below:
The alternate pre-Field-Station design shows the Berlin Brigade patch with the ASA "Lightning Fast Chicken Plucker" claw and lightning bolts.
The 280th ASA Company T-shirt shop is open on Cafe Press.com.
The 78th ASA SOU was one of the many pre-Field-Station ASA units in Berlin. The “spider” emblem represents the operations building as it was then. The ASA shoulder patch—that nobody wore—is in attendance on the upper left. The shoulder patch for the 280th ASA Co is in attendance on the lower right. The motto "In God we trust, All others we monitor" adorns the front under the “spider.” On the back of the white shirts (sorry, no printing on the back of the dark shirts) is the corollary "But we're still looking for God's freq!" The zipped hooddies only have the "spider" design on the back.
Click on the image above to go to the CafePress store where you can buy this or any of a number of other shirts with this design.
There is also a coffee mug for the 78th ASA SOU:
Click on the design above to go to CafePress to buy one.
To meet more old ASA-ers from the 78th, please visit: the Yahoo Group for the 78th ASA SOU. You have to sign-up to see what’s inside, but it’s worth it.
Designed by T.H.E. Hill
While you're here, please take the time to follow the links below, look around the site, and get to know more about Voices Under Berlin: The Tale of a Monterey Mary and Berlin in Early Cold-War Army Booklets. The novel is ostensibly set against the backdrop of the Berlin Tunnel, but it is just as much about life at Field Station Berlin in the mid-1970s as it is about the Berlin Tunnel of the mid-1950s. If you were ever stationed at Field Station Berlin or at Marienfelde, or Herzo Base, or Rothwesten or Augsburg, then this one's for you.
