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549th Engineer Battalion
130th Engineer Brigade
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Battalion History ()

MILCOM newspaper articles

 
Battalion History
549th Engr Bn DI
1945 - 1985
(Source: Heidelberg Herald-Post, October 24, 1985)
The 549th Engineer Battalion can trace its origin back to the 549th Engineer Light Pontoon Company, constituted on Feb. 25. 1945. It was redesignated the 549th Engineer Panel Bridge Transport Company on Dec.15, 1945.

The company participated in the Rhineland and Central Europe campaigns of World War II. The unit was first designated a battalion on Nov. 21, 1946, as the 549th Engineer Service Battalion, and operated in Germany until June 20, 1947, when the battalion was deactivated.

The colors of the 549th did not unfurl for some 22 years until June 9, 1969, when they again proudly flew at Tompkins Barracks, Schwetzingen. The 549th Engineer Battalion was then activated with four American engineer companies -- the 541st (Float Bridge), the 522nd (Float Bridge), the 530th (Panel Bridge), and the 535th (Light Equipment). The Battalion also had two labor service companies -- the 8591st (Float Bridge), and the 8592nd (Bridge Maintenance).

In October 1969, the order was received to deactivate the 530th and the 522nd companies.

In July 1975, the 535th Engineer Company was permanently transferred to the 563rd Battalion in VII Corps, with duty station in Grafenwoehr, leaving the 549th Battalion with three companies.

In December 1975, the 541st was reorganized and became a mobile assault bridge (MAB) company.

In April 1978, the 8592nd Civilian Support Group was permanently transferred to the 21st Support Command.

The 549th Engineer Battalion, presently located at Tompkins Barracks, consists of headquarters and headquarters company, the 541st Engineer Company, and the 8591st Labor Service Engineer Company (Float Bridge and Ribbon Bridge).

Apart from its military training the 549th Engineer Battalion participated in several civic projects helping local German communities. Called "schnitzel" projects because the Germans provided hot meals to the engineers, they included rebuilding the east curve at Hockenheim race track and draining the swamp between Ketsch and the Rhine, turning it into a recreation area.
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MILCOM Newspaper Articles
 
8591st Civilian Support Group, By Walter C. Kunz, July 4, 1985

PFC Walter Kunz is a public affairs specialist with the 549th Engineer Battalion.
"Proud and Proficient" is the motto of the 8591st Civilian Support Group of Tompkins Barracks in Schwetzingen -- and the unit's members are extra proud this year because their proficiency has been recognized by a USAREUR Sword of Freedom unit maintenance award.

The 8591st was nominated in the table of distribution and allowances organizations supporting active forces, high density category (a non-standard unit composed partially of civilians and authorized 1001 or more total items of equipment).

The road to receiving the Sword of Freedom was a difficult one, says Maj. Gordon B. Jobe, executive officer of the 549th Engineer Battalion. "In order to receive a nomination, the unit had to be graded in an across-the-board maintenance program which was inspected by the 549th Engineer Battalion, 130th Engineer Brigade, V Corps and finally by USAREUR-level judging teams. Every aspect of unit maintenance was judged and graded including weapons, NBC (nuclear, biological and chemical) equipment and procedures and the dining facilities."

The 8591st was founded in 1949 as an engineer maintenance company. At that time, according to unit supervisor Wolfgang Klee, it was composed of displaced Lithuanians. Some of those men, now in their fifties, are still in the unit as supervisors.

It is this continuity of experience, that has given the 8591st an edge in the training of new workers, Klee says. This allowed them to maintain the high standards that prompted USAREUR Commander, Gen. Glenn K. Otis, to describe the 8591 st as epitomizing the Department of the Army theme of "Improved Maintenance Through Demonstrated Leadership."

Lt. Col. Daniel W. Waldo, commander of the 549th Engineer Battalion, says, "The 8591st is always ready to perform its mission, whether it be bridging, rafting or any number of assorted and sometime off-the-wall taskings. The unit is successful because of the equipment always being ready. This is accomplished by highly trained operators and mechanics."

The unit is now made of Germans, Poles, Lithuanians, Bulgarians and other nationalities, who work with U.S. equipment and manuals printed in English. Klee said, "Certain supervisory positions require proficient English understanding, however, these positions are relatively few and well staffed."

The 8591st will try to surpass its USAREUR level award by competing for the Chief of Staff of the Army Award for Unit Maintenance later this year.
Farewell, 549th - bridgebuilding engineers deactivate Oct. 24, By Walter Kunz, October 24, 1985
The end is here for the 549th Engineer Battalion; the unit deactivates today, Oct. 24. The last bridge has been crossed, and the last field training exercise, code named "Swan Song," has been completed.

But why the deactivation?

"The whole Army Corps of Engineers is undergoing reconstruction. The reason is a reallocation of engineer resources in order to compensate for the strengthening of the engineer role in light infantry divisions," says 1st Lt LeRoy Maurer, commander of the 541st Engineer Company that is being deactivated along with its parent battalion.

Bridging is the business of the 549th and has been since the unit's activation in 1969, using ribbon and mobile assault bridges throughout central and southern Germany. According to battalion commander, Lt. Col Daniel Waldo, bridging was what the Sept. 10 - 16 field training exercise Swan Song was all about.

"Our major objective for this exercise was to do as much river crossing in a tactical environment with as much realism as possible. At the same time we had to exercise the command and control required by the battalion's V Corps mission to effectively cross that traffic."

The exercise involved close to 20 units, including armor, infantry, cavalry and engineers, as well as support elements.

"Swan Song went pretty well,' said Waldo. 'The exercise was successful from the standpoint of pointing out problems we had, and what needed to be corrected to solve them... It's better to make a few minor mistakes now and correct them than to discover and have to deal with the same problems in an actual combat situation."

Diversity was the key to the operation. According to Waldo, everthing from M-1s and Bradleys to transportation and chemical companies crossed at some time during the week-long field exercise.

"In numbers of vehicles crossing, this was the largest bridging exercise this battalion has ever done," said assistant operations noncommissioned officer SSgt Donald R. Currey.		   "In a single week we crossed 1,283 vehicles, using nine locations on the Rhine and Main rivers."

"Command and control was the most difficult portion of the exercise," said Waldo. "Getting crossing traffic to the right place at the right time. When you cross 1,200 vehicles it takes a lot of coordination. Without it you'd have a big traffic jam.

"The hardest part was sending letters to all combat and support units in the exercise area requesting crossing traffic and then to work with those units to find out when they were available, the type of traffic to be involved, and which area they could cross in," said Capt. Donald A. Palmer, battalion executive officer.

The Mobile Assault Bridge, or MAB, is the backbone of the 541st Engineer Company, and 541st commander Maurer says that the MAB's versatility puts it in a class by itself.

"Unlike ribbon bridges, the MAB doesn't require a hard site and you don't need boats in the water to move the bridge bays -- they're amphibious and self-propelled. This allows the MAB unit to hit the water and be completely assembled within 12 minutes. At that time I can have a six-bay float raft capable of crossing two class 60 tanks at a time during wartime conditions."

Although the MAB has such an impressive performance record, some questions were raised among enlisted soldiers about the validity of an exercise which in part, based its activities on equipment that will be outmoded.

Waldo answers them simply. "In river crossing operations, there are basics which don't change, whether they're using MABs or ribbon bridges. Many of the procedures are the same, so the troops are able to exercise that ability. It's also wrong to think that the MABs are "outmoded." The 93rd Engineer Battalion still has MABs, and there are many MAB units in the States, and many of our men will be going to these units. Just because this unit is deactivating is no reason for these individuals to think they'll never use the equipment again."

PFC Walter Kunz is a journalist assigned to the 549th Engineer Battalion.