12th Army
              Group Shoulder Patch3187th Signal Service Battalion 3187th Signal Service Battalion Distinctivie
            Unit Insignia

12th Army Group

Verdun Caserne (Barracks) Niel

Left to Right: 12th Army Group Shoulder Patch; 3187th Distinctive Unit Insignia

Caserne (Barracks) Niel which was a French military academy in Verdun where Gen. Bradley's 12 Army Group HQ (“Eagle Rear”) was stationed from Sept. 1944 – April 1945. The site had been used by the German Army during occupation before Verdun was liberated.

Caserne Niel was constructed c. 1874 and named for Marshal Adolphe Niel (1802-1869) who was military advisor and Minister of War under Napoleon III. It was part of the Fortified Region of Verdun (RFV) at Thierville-sur-Meuse and played a significant role in WW1.  In the video below, the Meuse River is visible behind the barracks in the aerial picture (at 5:30 mark). The barracks have since been torn down and replaced by a facility for the disabled.

The 3187th Signal Service Battalion (SSB)was attached directly to 12th Army Group (12 A-G) All 6 echelons of the battalion reported for duty here after arriving on the continent (Jan. – Mar. 1945) with some signal teams being billeted at these barracks to work at the busy 12 A-Gp Signal Center. The echelons were billeted there from Feb. – Apr. 1945 except when a team was ordered elsewhere.

The ceremony depicted in the video was likely for Armistice Day 1944. The WW1 monument in the courtyard is a focal point.
 
GIs billeted here had access to French stage shows, movies, athletics, a motor pool, hot chow and a laundry. The GIs slept on German beds with stiff springs”.

Caserne Niel also apparently served as a POW camp at some point.

U.S. Army Signal Corps photos Verdun Caserne (Barracks) Niel. Captions w/ English subtitles are available:

https://youtu.be/mI7InGenyn8?si=xeBi2IRwRpW6eB5v


More information about the 3187th at Verdun Caserne (Barracks) Niel is on pages 30 and 31 of The Eagle Messenger

< 3187 Signal Service Battalion Unit Page

< Unofficial Informal Archive of the U.S. Army Signal Corps in WWII



All material not in the public domain © 2026 Leonard H. Cizewski
and Randy Graham

Posted: February 11, 2026
Last Reviewed:
Update, Corrective and Revision History:


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Researched and written by John Graham,
lightly edited by Leonard H. Cizewski

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