Alan B. Conlin Jr.

Alan Bruce Conlin Jr. was born in October 1923 in Plainfield, New Jersey and was living in Westfield, New Jersey at the outbreak of World War II. On the day of the Pearl Harbor attack, he was a high school senior, was listening to the radio, and said he “could not believe it at first.”

Conlin’s father, an attorney, was a veteran of World War I who rose from the rank of 2nd Lieutenant to Captain during the conflict. He was wounded twice and had thirteen operations in France to remove shrapnel, but some remained. Even though Mr. Conlin suffered the rest of his life from that injury, he still volunteered to serve in World War II. He was not the only family member to participate in World War I, as a grandfather had worked in a naval ship building yard. When Conlin and his father enlisted on the same day, it made the front page of the local newspaper.

Conlin enlisted in the Army in November 1942, when 17- and 18-year-olds could choose their own branch. He recalled that his “first choice was the Army Air Corps, “because I thought I could learn something about airplane maintenance.” Conlin was going to technical school at the time, however, and the Army Signal Corps had a recruiter in his school library, so he ended up enlisting in the Army Signal Corps, his initial second choice.

Conlin was sent to Fort Dix, New Jersey for Basic Training, then to Fort Monmouth for radio training, and then to Camp Murphy in Deland, Florida for radar training. Camp Murphy could not be seen from the air, and he remarked “that’s the only camp I was in that was camouflaged”. After that, Conlin was sent to Virginia Tech for an Army specialized training program, which closed as the war heated up. He returned to Fort Monmouth for training in FM radio relay. FM radio was invented in 1937, and widely used by military intelligence, weather forecasting, and aviation during the war. It has been called the single most important advancement in communications to come out of World War II.

At Fort Monmouth, Conlin was assigned to the 3163rd Signal Service Company. The unit’s mission was to develop, test, provide, and manage communications and information system support for the command and control of combined armed forces by higher headquarters. The backpack radio developed in Fort Monmouth laboratories provided frontline troops with reliable, static-free communications. The Germans were aware of radio relay, but their equipment had a lot of static, while the American version had no static and could be used in tanks. FM radio relay and radar, both products of the Fort Monmouth labs, are rated among the weapons systems that made a difference in World War II.

In November 1944, the 3163rd Signal Service Company was sent to England aboard the Queen Elizabeth, an ocean liner converted to a troop transport ship. The liner carried 16,000 soldiers, and could sail at about 38 miles per hour, much faster than a convoy, which had a maximum speed of 13-15 miles per hour. While traveling on the Queen Elizabeth, the soldiers listened to German propaganda broadcasts for entertainment.

Conlin’s unit remained in England through April 1945, engaging in further training. A typical day consisted of playing football, studying manuals, and going to class. He had fond memories of his time in England and his visits to local towns. His unit also practiced setting up a field station with truck transported equipment within twenty-four hours. Living conditions weren’t too bad, because they had tents to live in, and the radio station was housed in a large tent. According to Conlin, they had “no problem with food or any equipment; they did a good job with that”.

In April 1945, the 3163rd Signal Service Company crossed the English Channel and spent two nights in Vittel, France, before heading to the front. The unit crossed into Germany, and moved to Munich before eventually arriving at Dachau, site of the first German concentration camp. Conlin remarked that crossing liberated France into Germany was a good experience.

The 3163rd company was divided into platoon-sized teams. Conlin’s team consisted of forty-four men, two of whom were officers, and was responsible for the advanced terminal, three repeater stations, and a final terminal. A terminal had carrier operating people in addition to radio operators, while repeater stations consisted of six men in each station. For security reasons, the Signal Corps used teletype as well as radio. Each terminal had a teletype station, used to duplicate the radio messages. It was the first use of facsimile equipment. Reconnaissance aircraft observing the enemy would take photos, which would be sent in several minutes to the Signal Corps’ radio equipment, and then sent by cable to a headquarters in England. They in turn could direct artillery to hit the targets. Conlin’s job on the system was to operate the radio on a two-man shift, and to make sure the power equipment was working properly. The only time the company was under fire was when a random German aircraft spotted its location.

Conlin volunteered his analysis of the war to the interviewer: “I think where Hitler made his mistake was, although he was ready to invade England, he decided to take care of Russia first. The Russians saved the war. Although we had 425,000 casualties, including civilian casualties, the Russians had millions.” 

After the war ended, Conlin spent some time in Heidelberg before being shipped back to the United States on a Liberty ship. He reported to Fort Monmouth and waited for his discharge, which didn’t come until January 6, 1946. Returning to Westfield, Conlin joined the American Legion, an organization of which his father had been New Jersey state commander. At the time, the Legion was composed of World War I and World War II veterans, and all the members were friends of his father.

Conlin was proud of his service in a critical job. He earned Battle Stars for the Rhineland and Central Europe, the American Theater Ribbon, the European-African-Middle Easter Ribbon, the Good Conduct Medal, the Victory Medal, and the New Jersey Distinguished Medal. After the war, Conlin graduated from Lehigh University’s school of engineering. He worked as an engineer and consultant to various government agencies and was active in public affairs, including as Grand Marshal of the Westfield Memorial Day Parade, as well as Secretary of the town’s Bicentennial Steering Committee.

Alan Bruce “Sonny” Conlin Jr. passed away on December 29, 2018, at the age of 95. He was a founding member of his American Legion post. Conlin is buried at Fairview Cemetery in Westfield, New Jersey.