US Forces Support Districts
TASCOMEUR
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).

History

Project CORD

List of SUPDISTs

Baden Württemberg

Hessen

Nord Bayern

Norddeutschland

Rheinland-Pfalz

Süd Bayern

 
History
 
Looking for assistance: need original or scanned copies of maps of Area Command, support districts, support activities, military communities and installations for further research.
 
(Source: Area Commands in Germany, 1945-1970, modified by Walter Elkins)

USAREUR Support Districts, June 1968
 
(Source: STARS & STRIPES, Oct 25, 1969)
A sixth Support District is being formed in Bremerhaven with the designation, Support District Bremerhaven (Provisional). The new SUPDIST will be responsible for providing area support for northern Germany, a responsibility previously performed by the US Army Terminal Command, Europe (USATCEUR).

First CO of the SUPDIST is Col James Castrale, who previously served as the deputy commander of US Army Terminal Command, Eur. (USATCEUR has been reorganized and redesignated as US Arrmy Transportation Terminal Group (Prov).)
 
(Source: Area Commands in Germany, 1945-1970, modified by Walter Elkins)

USAREUR Support Districts, Oct 1969
 
 
 
 
List of Support Districts (after Project CORD)
 
  SUPPORT DISTRICT SUPPORT ACTIVITIES
  SUPDIST Hessen Bad Hersfeld
  - Frankfurt Darmstadt
    Fulda
    Giessen
    Hanau
    Kassel
  SUPDIST Rheinland-Pfalz Bad Kreuznach
  - Kaiserslautern Baumholder
    Mainz
    Pirmasens
    Worms
    Zweibruecken
  SUPDIST Baden-Wuerttemberg Goeppingen
  - Stuttgart Heilbronn
    Karlsruhe
    Schwaebisch Hall
    Seckenheim
  SUPDIST Nord Bayern Ansbach
  - Nuernberg/Fuerth Aschaffenburg
    Bad Kissingen
    Bamberg
    Bayreuth
    Erlangen
    Kitzingen
    Regensburg
    Schweinfurt
    Wertheim
    Wuerzburg
  SUPDIST Süd Bayern Bad Toelz
  - Augsburg Berchtesgaden
    Garmisch
    Munich
    Neu Ulm
 
SUPDIST Hessen
 
(Source: STARS & STRIPES, June 15, 1971)
CO of US Forces Support District, Hessen is Col Thomas D. Burke, Jr. Hessen SUPDIST is one of six such districts that come under TASCOM.

The SUPDIST has a (military and dependent) population of approx. 90,000 and covers an area of over 8,100 square miles.

The SUPDIST is divided into five subordinate headquarters called Support Activities. They include: Darmstadt, Hanau, Giessen, Fulda and Kassel.

Col Burke is in charge of a staff of 3,300 people (597 military; 155 US civlian; and 2,560 local nationals) as well as a (an annual) budget of $42 million.

Some of the activities that SUPDIST operates for off-duty entertainment and recreation:
  27 movie theaters  
  23 bowling alleys  
  31 gymnasiums  
  21 libraries  
  19 craft shops  
  19 photo workshops  
  9 auto hobby shops  
  2 swimming pools  
 
Hessen is the largest school district in USAREUR; provides education for approx. 12,000 dependent children.
  9 elementary schools  
  4 combined elementary & junior high schools  
  1 junior high school  
  1 high school  
In addition, the SUPDIST operates 24 education centers that provide counseling, testing and basic, high school (GED) and college education for military personnel.
 
The Transportation Division handled 13,000 shipments of household goods in the past year; 28,500 shipments of hold baggage; and rail movement for 200,000 passengers. The district also has a fleet of more than 750 vehicles. For example, it operates 34 buses to transport dependent children to and from the Frankfurt schools.
 
Maintenance facilities are operated for the repair of non-tactical equipment and vehicles and for those complex electronics and avionics items that are beyond the maintenance capabilities of tactical units. The FFE (furniture, furnishings and equipment) maintenance shop in Hanau is the largest in USAREUR and includes the only rug-cleaning plant in USAREUR as well as three separate furniture repair shops. A warehouse and supply issue point (9,000 line items) is operated at Roedelheim.
 
The Adjutant Division is responisble for issuing IDs and ration cards, as well as processing marriage applications and passports.
 
Some of the other activities and facilities operated by SUPDIST include:
  9,000 family housing units  
  1,000 BOQ/BEQ quarters  
  6 Housing Referral Offices with 6,500 economy listings
  Transient Billets with 400 beds; turnover in excess of 100,000 persons/year
  12 commissaries together, they do $1.2 business each month
  7 Class I issue points distribute $650,000 in groceries to mess halls each month
  10 Army clothing sales stores includes a mail-order clothing sales store in Frankfurt
  30 chapels  
  2 laundry & dry cleaning plants  
  10 ACS centers volunteer-staffed; assists dependent families
  2 surplus property disposal facilities  
 
SUPDIST Norddeutschland (formerly Bremerhaven)
 
(Source: STARS & STRIPES, June 25, 1971)
On June 30, US Forces Support District, Bremerhaven was redesignated as SUPDIST Norddeutschland.

Col. Irving R. Wendt will soon succeed Col. R.J. McKay as the SUPDIST commanding officer.
 
SUPDIST Rheinland-Pfalz
 
Click here to read article on Kaiserslautern SUPACT from 1970