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Ordnance in USFET & EUCOM 1940s
US Forces in the European Theater
Looking for more information from military/civilian personnel assigned to or associated with the U.S. Army in Germany from 1945 to 1989. If you have any stories or thoughts on the subject, please contact me.

Chief of Ordnance

 Depots

Supply

Maintenace

Rebuild

Ammunition

 Related Links


The 1940s

Major Ordnance Supply & Maintenance installations, c. 1946
1947
(Source: Vol. IV, The Second Year, OCCUPATION FORCES SERIES, 1947)
Major Installations and Assigned Troops

Ordnance troops and installations were under the operational and administrative control of Continental Base Section until it became inoperational on 15 May 1947. At that time, all ordnance troops and installations previously assigned to the base section were transferred to the direct command of the Chief of Ordnance, who had excercised only technical supervision over their activities prior to the middle of May.

As of 1 July 1947, the Chief of Ordnance was responsible for the following major ordnance installations, together with their supporting troop units:
  INSTALLATION   LOCATION   TROOPS ASSIGNED
  Griesheim Ordnance Depot   Frankfurt-Griesheim   H/H Det, 54th Ord Depot
          H/H Det, 196th Ord Bn
          334th & 344th Depot Companies
          820th Ord Base Depot Co
          83rd & 264th Gen Supply Teams
           
  Ordnance Base Maintenance   Esslingen   H/H Det, 86th Ord Base Depot
           
  Karlsfeld Ordnance Depot   Munich   143rd Ord Base Maint Bn
          826th Ord Base Depot Co
           
  Kitzingen Ordnance Depot   Kitzingen   H/H Det, 87th Ord Base Depot
          902nd 912th Ord HAM Companies
          76th Gen Supply Team
           
  Butzbach Ordnance Shop   Butzbach   H/H Det, 74th Ord Bn
          98th Ord HM (TK) Co
          80th Gen Supply Team
           
  Münster Ammunition Depot   Münster-Dieburg   H/H Det, 85th Ord Bn
          501st Ord Ammo Renov Plat
           
  EUCOM Ordnance Schools   Eschwege   7715 EUCOM Ordnance Schools
 
On 15 March 1947 the Ordnance Procurement Center was established and assigned the following units: H/H Det, 88th Ord Base Depot; H/H Det, 10th Ord Svc Bn; and 3300th Ord Stock Control Detachment. The Procurement Center was attached to the Griesheim Ord Depot.

In addition to the major ordnance installations listed above, there were several other subordinate ordnance installations in EUCOM :

Sub-depots were located at Mannheim, Nordenham (Bremen Enclave), Lübberstedt (Bremen Enclave), Bamberg, and Oberdachstetten. The last two named depots were used exclusively for ammunition.

Sub-centers of the procurement center at Griesheim: Stuttgart, Munich and Kassel. The sub-centers were attached to the larger installations at Esslingen, Munich and Kassel respectively.

Subsidiaries of the Base Maintenance Center were located at: Esslingen, Waiblingen, Neckarsulm, Aalen, Schwäbisch Gmünd, Rüsselsheim, Bad Cannstadt, Heilbronn, and Böblingen.

The Nürnberg Engine Rebuild Shop fell under the control of the Karlsfeld Ord Depot.

The Kitzingen Ord Depot had subsidiaries at Nürnberg, Illesheim, Büttelborn, and Rothenbach. The Rothenbach facility was the scrap collection point for the Ordnance Service.

There were two installations under the Butzbach Ord Shop: at Kassel and Ober Ramstadt.

There were several training facilities that reported to the Eschwege Ordnance School: The Ordnance Supply School at Griesheim and the Ordnance Motor Maintenance School at Esslingen provided for training of indigenous civilian workers. (The 7716 Ordnance Training Center at Heidenheim had been discontinued in January 1947.)
The 1940s
Ordnance - Illesheim Ordnance Depot
 

Entrance to Illesheim Vehicle Reserve Park, 1948 (Heinrich Förster)
 

Main gate, Illesheim Ordnance Depot, 1949 (Eric A. Damm)
 
1948
(Source: STARS & STRIPES, May 15, 1948)
The Illesheim Ordnance Depot (until recently known as the Illesheim Vehicle Reserve Park) is currently commanded by MAJ W. V. Nichols.

(Webmaster note: The Kitzingen Ordnance Depot was responsible for the repair, preservation and disposition of general purpose and special purpose vehicles. Subsidiaries were the Nürnberg, Illesheim, Büttelborn and Rothenbach Ordnance installations.)

Units that operate the depot are the 7838th Ord Reserve Vehicle and the 7839th Ord Vehicle Park detachments with a total of over 800 men and women (769 are local nationals).

The depot stores sedans, jeeps, trucks, tractors, trailers and motorcycles as well as replacement parts. Many of the vehicles have previously been rebuilt by Theater's Ordnance rebuild shops and sent by train to Illesheim. Others are sent to Illesheim from various Army Supply Points within Germany.

The Illesheim depot has set up assembly lines in converted hangars on this former German airfield where the crated vehicles arriving from the rebuild shops are assembled and then placed in outside storage.

The vehicles stored at the depot can then be issued as replacement vehicles to Occupation units that have lost vehicles through wear and tear, age, accidents or theft.
 
1950
(Source: STARS & STRIPES, Aug 4, 1950)
In August 1950, the Illesheim Ordnance Depot released the first American reserve military vehicles under the MDAP program to the French Army. The vehicles ranged from quarter-ton jeeps to two-and-a-hald-ton trucks.

Each of the vehicles have been thoroughly processed by maintenance shops at Illesheim, repainted and equipped with new tires and batteries.
 
(Source: 37th Maintenance Company Unit History/Annual Historical Supplement, CY 1970 (Unit history located at AHEC, Carlisle, Pa.))
The 37th Ordnance Artillery & Vehicle Park Company was activated at Illesheim on 15 April 1950,

On 6 February 1951, the company was reassigned to Fontenet Ord Depot, France.

(Webmaster note: after serving in France for four years, the 37th was inactivated on 15 January, 1955, only to be reactivated a year and a half later () in Germany. Redesignated as the 37th Ordnance Park Company, the unit would serve in Germersheim only for a short time before being inactivated again, 15 November 1957.)
 
1951
(Source: STARS & STRIPES, March 31, 1951)
The 71st Ordnance Battalion, initially located at Zirndorf, was moved to Illesheim in May 1951.

Attached to the 47th Ordnance Group, the battalion provides maintenance and supply support to 7th Army units on an area basis.

In addition to H/H Detachment, two of the battalion's subordinate units, the 334th Ord Depot Co and the 546th Ord DAS Co 1), are also located at Illesheim.

1) DAS ..... Direct Automotive Support
Ammunition (Class V) Installations
 
Ordnance - Münster Ammunition Depot
 
 
Ordnance - Bamberg Ammunition Depot
 

MUNA Bamberg, 1984 - a Class V storage site since the 1940s (Helmut Weis)
 
Late 1940s
7847 Ammunition Depot Company
(Source: author's collection - Bob Marcotte photo album)
I believe the following photos from a photo album - unfortunately, they had very few comments associated with them - show the MUNA (ammo storage depot) facility south of Warner Barracks. Can anyone confirm this?

RESPONSE:
(Source: George K. Cabral, Seventh Army Joint Multinational Training Command, Grafenwoehr)
In reference to the above statement in your website:  Yes, it is located south of Bamberg and is still there but more than 80% of the MUNA has been given back to the City of Bamberg.  The last unit that is housed there is the 793rd MP Battalion and the only other reason it is in military hands is for the Railhead that is needed in case of deployments.  All buildings are still standing but refurbished.  I was stationed in Bamberg from 1973 – 1996 (retirement) and have worked for the Gov't ever since 1996 and am now in Grafenwoehr working for what was the 7th Army Training Command which is now JMTC.  Great site you have here.  Thanks

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
(Source: Helmut Weis, USAG Bamberg)
Photo # 1: HQ building of the ammo company (US Bldg # 8500).
Photo # 2: Guard House and main gate at Muna (US Bldg # 8503).
Photo # 3: Entrance to Muna off of Geisfelderstrasse.
Photo # 4: In the background, US Bldg # 8501 & 8502.
Photo # 7: Muna Bamberg had a rail spur.  

1. HQ, 7847 Ammunition Depot Company

2. 7847 Guard House - entrance into MUNA?

3. Bob Marcotte on guard duty
 

4. Sgt Schober
5. Pasqua
6. Pfc Hurley 		 

7. Photo is titled: "General's train" 		     
 
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