Division Trains

Support Command

TRAINS / DISCOM UNITS

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Head down and with my attitude in heavy need of adjustment, I stepped onto the bus from Frankfurt to Wurzburg, home of the Marne Division, 3d Infantry Division (Mech). After finding the transient barracks and the 3d Admin Company, I turned in my records and waited for further assignment orders, orientation and a ride to my new home. Restricted to barracks and the mess hall, we were allowed to view “To Hell and Back” on a continuous loop. I can still sing the song, Dog Face Soldier, with little prompting.

With thanks to an efficient personnel clerk, the next morning I was in a sedan on my way to my new unit, Headquarters and Company A, 703d Maintenance Battalion, a short hop down the autobahn, in Kitzingen. Upon reaching my new unit, I found they didn’t know what to do with me. There was no slot in my MOS and I was actually excess in any supply MOS. I didn’t exist in the Division, let alone the battalion. My MOS was a General Support or depot level one.

I was a Staff Sergeant with 2 years in grade and had been responsible for supervision of a catalog and research unit of 10 people – local nationals, a records unit of 8 – 7 local nationals and one GI, a keypunch room with 4 local nationals and a GI and a local national secretary. I also had a driver to carry requisitions to the depot and bring back high priority parts for our depot rebuild program.

My experience was with supervision of 20 to 30 people and working with both automated and manual stock records. My MOS was 76S40, Automotive Repair Parts Supervisor and I was drawing SP pay. I guess they saw the 76 and put me in S4. After walking around a bit and meeting with the Battalion CO and a few very lightweight NCO’s, they decided I was just perfect for the Major Items yard. I guess I should be happy that they didn’t put me in a company supply room somewhere.

Let me describe this place. Larson Barracks is on a hill overlooking the city of Kitzingen. Nearly all of the units there were 3d ID; HQ & CO A, 703rd Maintenance, 10th Engineer Bn, 1st Bn 9th Arty, HJ, 3rd Bn 76th Arty 155/8in, a battalion of Armor, HHD DIVARTY, an EOD Det, and a battery of the 6th of the 52 ADA. The location is lovely and we were really away from any sort of city. Rumor has it that the post was constructed during or at the end of WWI and was originally a hospital for gas patients. At least that is the story we were told. Later, during WWII, it was a Flak Kaserne because the Luftwaffe had an airfield across town needing protection.

I was assigned to the Major Item Yard. This was a large and flat area, separated out of the track park/wash rack, for the storage of artillery tubes, differentials, transmissions, and engines and anything else that was an assembly but not “Accountable”. Most of the surface was dirt or gravel with a concrete pad at the wash rack and from gate to gate in a large “U”. Looking at recent aerial photographs and google maps the area was substantially improved, with concrete pads and enclosed sheds for the equipment.

Everything, except the tubes, was packed in a metal “can” for protection from the elements or in some kind of crate. My office was a Code H shelter from the back of a ¾ ton with a potbelly stove. Fuel can was on the roof of the shelter and fed the heater with a rubber hose. To get refueled I had to walk down to the POL point and tell the guy there to have the tanker refuel me (no shutoff on the tank). That could take minutes or weeks, depending upon the mood he was in. When the heater had fuel and was working it was quite comfortable.

The main support battalion, that is HQ & Co A was a semi-mobile unit. We had no organic vehicles to move material around or to store it. We had a 3rd Echelon shop for heavy maintenance along with fuel and electrical rebuild and parts storage. I think they had enough basic trucks to move the trucks out but the repair parts and assemblies would have to stay behind. There were no shop vans or repair parts vans and the data processing vans were rumored to break, if they were moved. So, if there was an alert, we stayed put. I went to my shed and sat there until all clear. Probably the only good thing about being in the outfit. Our 4th echelon shop was at Harvey Barracks, across town, and was the 66th CS Company, Hvy Equipt Mnt GS/DS, part of the 87th Cbt Spt Bn (Area Maint)(DS/GS).

Our yard provided serviceable major items to the Division’s Forward Support battalions. Everything was on an exchange basis, like for like. If we didn’t have it, we had to go to a depot or maintenance plant with the unserviceable part, exchange it for a serviceable one, and give that one to the unit. We still didn’t have a part to exchange for the next time one was needed.

The yard itself was equipped with a 6,000 lb commercial forklift and a 20 ton rough terrain crane. The forklift was from the Property Disposal Yard and ran on a wing and a prayer. We couldn’t get parts for it because it didn’t exist, as far as the Army was concerned. Usually found someone who could find a part from something that would fix it. It had a motor from a ¾ ton M37B1 and the electrical was converted to 12 volts to fit everything else. The crane belonged to the 10th Engineers and was used for lifted track power packs, weighed about 6 tons, into trailers or deuce and a half’s. Yes, I know, it was overloaded. But, when the Colonel says to load it that way, you are kind of disposed to do so. The supply platoon did have a 10,000 lb Rough Terrain forklift, but it was assigned to the repair parts warehouse and the warrant officer in charge wouldn’t let it out of his hands except on orders from the battalion commander.

We could ship 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I was on call to fire up the forklift and load what needed to be loaded. Typical Army, an E6 doing an E3’s job. I was drawing SP Pay to boot. Hardest things to load were the gun tubes. The 175mm tubes were long and awkwardly balanced. Almost all of the weight was within a ¼ of the length of the tube, nearest the breach. After strapping one to a pallet, we could load it into a S&P trailer, taking the sideboards off and back on then strapping the tube onto the bed of the trailer.

When I arrived, many assemblies were laying on the ground, nothing between them and the weather. I got some help and some dunnage and got them up off the ground. Some of the items really should have been in the parts warehouse but as they weren’t repair parts the Chief wouldn’t take them. My predecesor had been a SP5 who was rather lazy and preferred to spend his time in the office sucking up to the S4.

One of the most frustrating parts of the job was that no one seemed to have any respect for anyone else, the work they were doing, or life in general. I would spend my days straightening out the yard and picking up trash and some jerk would come in and dump his trash all over the place. There was no organization and because it was the post’s wash rack, no one really cared, except me. Much could have been done to improve things with a little cooperation? Like how about a trash bin or two? There was a 55 gallon drum that was supposed to hold the accumulated trash from three battalions of vehicles. It was emptied once a month, I think.

I met and associated with a number of interesting people during my thankfully brief stay. Some in my unit and others in the ADM platoon of the 10th Engineers. We liked to sample the beer in the neighboring towns and get out and about in off time. Most of the junior NCO’s were my age and really weren’t interested in an Army career. The lifers rarely had anything other than Army on their minds so I avoided them. We drove to Nurnberg and Wurzburg and visited the sights.

One interesting thing about my assignment was running into a sergeant from my Kaiserslautern assignment. He was a tall skinny guy who had a lifetime in grade at E6. He had just been promoted to E7 and was celebrating at our NCO club. He was on a VII Corps inspection team, visiting units in the area. Had a nice conversation and hoped I would never wind up like him. He was good at his job but had little going for him otherwise.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Forward support companies of the 703rd Maintenance Battalion – 1971

Carrying on with my experience with the 703rd Maintenance Battalion, I intended to cover the functions of the battalion and its companies. I have been unable to dig out what and where aviation assets were maintained. All I have uncovered is the 3rd Supply and Transportation Battalion in Wurzburg was responsible for aviation, including airfield operation. Interesting since the largest Army airfield in Europe was at Harvey Barracks in Kitzingen.

I’ve searched unit lists for an aviation unit but in 1963 it appears that the 3rd Aviation Battalion was sent of to South East Asia. There were certainly rotary and fixed wings assets for DivArty, Cav and Command and Control but where they were assigned I don’t know. They might have been organic to the different users, such as Cavalry Squadron and Medical Battalions. I’ll leave it at that.

Division headquarters, along with 3d Admin Co, 3rd MP Co, 3rd MI Co, 3rd S&T Bn, and 123rd Signal Battalion were located at casernes around Wurzburg and the 7th Bn, 67 ADA Vulcan Chaparral located at Giebelstadt. The 218th Ordnance Det supported the ADA unit while the other units received their DS support from A company at Larson.

Each of the forward support companies had a similar job. They provided ordnance DS maintenance for their supported battalions/brigades. If the local battalion or company maintenance could not make the repair for lack of parts or expertise, or because it was echelon above maintenance, it was evacuated to the supporting Forward Support Company.

Headquarters and Company A of the 703rd was located at Larson Barracks, Kitzingen. It provided heavy support to the Forward Support Companies (FSC) along with HQ DIVARTY, 10th Engineers, 1/9th Arty HJ, & 3/76 FA 8inch.

Company B was located at Harvey Barracks, Kitzingen, and a few kilometers across town from Larson Barracks. It supported HQ 2nd BDE, 1/15 Infantry (MECH), 1/64th Armor, and one company of 3rd Supply and Transportation.

Company C and Company D were on Ledward Barracks, Schweinfurt and supported HQ 1st Brigade, 3rd Medical Battalion, 3/7th Armored Cavalry Regiment, 1/7th Infantry Bn, One company of 10th Engineers, 1/10 FA 155mm, 1/30th and 2/30th Infantry Bn’s, 2/64th and 3/64th Armor and the 2/15th Infantry Battalion at Wildflecken.

Schweinfurt had units at Ledward Barracks, Conn Barracks and there was a forward battalion, 1/15th Infantry Mech, at Wildflecken.

Company E was located at Ready Barracks, Aschaffenburg. It supported HQ 3rd BDE, 4/64th Armor, 1/7th Infantry Bn, 3rd Medical Bn, 1/ 4th Infantry Bn (Mech). It also took care of the 2/39th FA, 2/41st FA at Bad Kissingen

Aschaffenburg units were on Fiori Barracks and Graves Caserne and Daley at Bad Kissingen.

The main differences between the companies were the mix of equipment supported. All depended on Main Support in Kitzingen for those things they couldn’t handle, along with local DS/GS units for heavy maintenance. VII COSCOM’s 66th Heavy Equipment Maintenance Co at Harvey Barracks provided general support for parts and maintenance.