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6936th Labor Service Center
113th Labor Supervision Center

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 email me (webmaster).

113th Lab Superv Center

6936th LS Center

4008th LS Co

4079th LS Co

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6936th LS Center History
 
1950 - 19..
6936th Labor Service Center Patch
 
(Source: Email from Görz Peter Holderegger, 113th Labor Supv. Center)

I was a soldier assigned to the 113th Labor Supervision Center at Becelaere Kaserne, Esslingen, from December 1954 to December 1956. The 113th was responsible for the 6936th Labor Service Center which was under the command of Lt Col Unrein (LS). Executive Officer of the center was Maj Tetsch.

The commanding officers of the 113th changed several times while I was there. S-2 and S-3 of the LSC was Capt George C. Gunn. I served as the S-2 and S-3 NCO.

Towards the end of 1956, the 113th was deactivated and the 6936th was reassigned to the 111th LSC in Munich.

I was originally sent from Fort Dix, NJ to the 9th Inf Div in Goeppingen in September 1954. MSgt Ralph E. Johnson was the Sergeant Major of the 113th LSC at that time. An old soldiers who had served in WWI, he knew everybody. He was able to get me transferred from a line unit to the 113th. I arrived in Esslingen in Dec 1954 and stayed until the unit was deactivated.


Award Certificate 1956
  ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

113th LSC
Major Perkowski, Commanding Officer
1st Lt Brooks, Adjutant
Capt George C. Gunn, S-2/S-3 Officer
M/Sgt Ralph E. Johnson, Sgt Maj
SFC Scarbortough, S-4 NCO
Pvt Geotz P. Holderegger, S-2/S-3 NCO

There were three other enlisted men assigned but I forgot their names.

Since the commander of the 6936th LS Center was the equivalent of a Lt Col, the commanding officer of the 113th had to be a Lt Col.

The responibility of the 113th was to determine which facilities the 6936th was to provide physical security to; provide training; and supervie the subordinate LS-units. Only the CO of the 113th was authorized to give direct orders to the 6936th command group.

The US soldiers had their own mess hall at the Kaserne.

6936th LSC
Lt Col Unrein, Commander, was a former Wehrmacht Lt. General during WWII.
Major Tetsch, Executive Officer

Again, many other officers and enlisted personnel whose names I cannot remember.

Many of the noncommissioned officers were former Wehrmacht soliers (officers as well as enlisted men).

Labor Service companies attached to the 6936th were located at Esslingen, Schwaebisch Hall and Boeblingen. In addition, there was also a Latvian company that was stationed at Ludwigsburg.

At the Kaserne, the 6936th operated a motor pool, gymnasium, officers club for the LS-officers. There was a dispensary (Capt. Doctor Janus), a dentist and some paramedics.

The LS companies were tasked with physical security of ammo depots, Class III points, various US Army facilities in the Greater Stuttgart area an the US-Consulate General at Stuttgart.

When the German Bundeswehr was formed in 1955, many of the LS officers requested transfer to the new German Army. Only a few were granted permission to join the new Germany Army. Non of the former Waffen-SS members who were serving in the labor service ranks, were included in this transfer.

The unrests in Hungary in 1956 had very little impact on the labor service units, even when US Army units were placed on alert during the height of the Hungarian Revolution.

The US Flag flew over Becelaere Kaserne. In 1955, when Germany became a sovereign country, the labor service put up a second flag pole (for the German flag). However, based on the agreements between the US and Germany, only the US flag was allowed to fly over US installations, so the second flag pole was eventually taken down again.

113th LSC ASSIGNED PERSONNEL - (Source: Stuttgart Sub-Area, SACom Telephone Directory, 1 October 1954)

MSgt W. D. Avritt
MSgt A. W. Bliss
1st Lt F. W. Brooks
Capt G. C. Gunn
Lt Col W. J. King
Capt W. Perkowsky
SFC T. J. Scarborough
Lt Col N. C. Wahlgren
(the list is probably not complete)
 
4079th Labor Service Company
 
1950 - 19..
4079th Labor Service Company Patch
 
(Source: Email from Eduard Ehing, 4079th LSC, 1950s)

4079th Unit History


CPL Eduard Ehing
  

The 4079th Labor Service Company was organized in August 1950 in Augsburg.

The 4079th, along with the 4008th LS Company, was under the control of the 6930th Labor Service Center. Both the 4008th and the 6930th were formed concurrently with the 4079th in 1950 and were located at Flak Kaserne.

The cadre for the 4079th was made up of former members of an Industrial Police unit in Augsburg which was discontinued at the same time. (The Industrial Police in Ausgburg was under the control of the 53rd Labor Supervision Company. The 53rd was located at Holbeinstrasse 12.)

Soon after being formed, the 4079th was relocated to Ulm. (Around the time that the move of the 4079th to Ulm was being planned, the 6930th and 4008th were relocated to new barracks at Reese Barracks in Augsburg.)

The 4079th moved into Flandern Kaserne in Ulm. The company's mission was to provide physical security for various US installations in the area. One of the company's platoons (3rd Pltn) assumed responsibility for the guard function at Leipheim Air Base. (The 4079th LS Co move to Ulm was necessitated by the significant increase in troops and facilities in the Ulm and Neu-Ulm area as part of the build up (Troop Augmentation) in the 1950-51 period.)

In September 1951, US Army designated Bleidorn Kaserne in Ulm as the new home for the 4079th LS Co. The purpose of the move was to free up space in Flandern Kaserne for US units to move into. (It appears that the 4079th had to take up residence in Boelke Kaserne for a while until its barracks in Bleidorn Kaserne could be rehabilitated.)

In March 1953, the 4079th was relieved from attachment to the 6930th and reattached to the 6936th LS Center in Esslingen. (At the time, Lt Col Hering was commander of the 6930th and Lt Col Unrein was commander of the 6936th.)

In April-May 1953, the 4079th is finally able to occupy its new barracks at Bleidorn Kaserne in Ulm. (The company's Motor Section was located in the US Army motor pool on post.)

July 1953, the 4079th LS Co assumed resposibility for guarding the new US ammo depot at Merklingen (the depot was nicknamed "Bombenwald" by the LS personnel.) A large area in the vicinity of Merklingen had been requisitioned by the 7th Army and a large ammunition storage facility was constructed - it became the most important installationthat the 4079th was responsible for.

Nov 1953, the 4079th received a "superior" rating during a USAREUR inspection.

July-Sept 1956, the 4079th LS Co assisted the newly formed German Bundeswehr in its efforts to establish a corps headquarters (II. Korps) at Kienlesberg-Kaserne in Ulm.

In March 1957, the 4079th Labor Service Company was reorganized and became 2nd Platoon of the 4072nd Civilian Labor Group, Boeblingen, as part of a larger reorganization of Labor Service guard units. (The 6936th was also discontinued and its personnel assigned to a newly formed Esslingen Liaison Detachment of the 6934th Civilian Labor Group Center at Dachau. The 6934th was under the control of the 111th Labor Supervision Center. The 4071st and 4072nd CLG's reported to the 6934th. Not sure if other CLG units were part of the 6934th organization.)

(One of the other changes during this time was the reorganization and redesignation of the former 4071st LS Company to the 4071st Civilian Labor Group with platoons at Schwaebisch Hall, Crailsheim and Bad Mergentheim.)

During the Fall of 1959 the 4072nd CLG was relocated to Reinhardt Kaserne in Neu Ulm.

The 4072nd CLG was discontinued in September 1964.

4079th LSC
Ulm

 

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