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| History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1951 - 19.. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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(Source: D.J. Hickman's " The US Army in Europe, 1953 - 1963", Hqs, USAREUR, 1964.)
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| Introduction
to the history of the whole LOC through France: The 7966th EUCOM Detachment 1), with headquarters in Orleans, was responsible for the LOC across France. On July 15 1951, the 7966th Det was replaced by EUCOM ComZ (with a change of mission), primarily concerned with the establishment, conduct, and supervision of the LOC across France. The 7966th was redesignated 7966th Headquarters Group and assigned directly to the ComZ. All units previously assigned or attached to the 7966th were now reassigned or reattached to ComZ. The establishment of EUCOM ComZ led directly to the activation of depot and warehouse facilities of all EUCOM technical services. Almost all of these installations remained in Class II status during the rest of the year and were therefore under the direct control of the chief of EUCOM technical service concerned rather than ComZ (Class I status- installation under direct ComZ control). 1) The two major subordinate units of 7966th were: 7964th Area Command at La Rochelle, France, and 7965th Area Command at Verdun, France. During the 15 July 1951 reorg the subord commands 7964th Area Command 7965th Area Command were redesignated - 7964th Hqs Gp, Base Sec, EUCOM ComZ - 7965th Hqs Gp, Adv Sec, EUCOM ComZ The ComZ Adjutant Sec was responsible (at this time) for the administration of: Hqs, 7965th Area Command Hq Det, 7965th Area Command 565th Ord Co (Medium Automotive Maint) 99th Labor Supervision Co |
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| (Source: COM Z, USAREUR Information Bulletin, Vol. II, No. 1, via Sam Lietz) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| INTRODUCTION An army without supplies is no longer an army, but a defenseless body of men, put out of action and inevitably destroyed by the enemy. A piece of artillery without shells is nothing but junk. A tank without gasoline or oil cannot move. In many an action during past wars, armies have lost the chance of victory because vital supplies had been expended and new supplies had not yet reached the front. In order to fight, men must have food and clothing, weapons and ammunition. One of the most critical situations that can arise in armed conflict is when a commander finds his supply lines broken. Let us look for a moment at the situation of our American Forces in Europe -- where they are, why they are here, and how they, are supplied. I. PICTURE OF FRANCE Whether you are stationed in England, Germany or France, it is almost certain that some time during your European tour you will find yourself traveling to some of the cities or installations in the USAREUR Communications Zone -- COM Z. It will be to your advantage, naturally, to know something about the nature and purpose of COM Z, the events leading up to its establishment, and its remarkable accomplishments. It is equally unportant to know something about the country in which it is located. You should know, for instance, that although Paris is French, it is not "France." Paris is a concentrated essence of French history, art, music and drama -- and the French flair for life. One of the most popular music hall ballads of this century calls her "reine du monde" -- queen of the world. She is also known as the City of Light and if, some evening, you look down from Montmartre to the Place de la Concorde, you will understand why. |
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| THE LESSON OF KOREA Five years ago, when the Communists launched their armed aggression against the Republic of Korea, one vital aspect of the worldwide conspiracy centering in the Kremlin became clear: If Communism cannot win by its customary intrigue, subversion and trickery, it will be quite willing to use armed force-particularly its stooge armiesto gain its ends, even at the risk of another world war. When the Communists' purposes began to be clear to the free world, steps were taken to halt further aggression. The Communist world, behind its iron curtain, is arrayed in a semicircle that stretches down through the Balkans. On this side of the curtain is the new -- but still unarmed -- Federal Republic of Germany, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Norway and Denmark. Germany is at the center of this arc. In 1949 the United States, the UK, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Canada, Luxembourg, Italy, Norway, Iceland, Portugal and Denmark signed the Atlantic Pact. In the fall of the same year the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the implementing mechanism of the pact, came into being. NATO is pledged to a mutual protection of the North Atlantic area. It established the European military force of which we are a part. Turkey and Greece were added to NATO in 1952, and West Germany in 1955. Because this bulletin is concerned only with the USAREUR Communications Zone, a description of the elaborate organization set up to meet the defensive needs of the Atlantic Pact nations is not necessary here. COM Z is a highly important subordinate command of the United States Army, Europe. Its mission is to support that Army, the bulk of whose combat forces are in Germany. II. THE ORIGIN OF COM Z The Need for a Change In 1945 United States troops in Germany received their supplies almost entirely through our Bremerhaven line of supply. The port of Bremerhaven is on the North Sea at the mouth of the Weser River. Bremerhaven, with its excellent port facilities and lines of communications to the south, across the flat plains of North Germany, was quite adequate for our needs in times of peace, or when no apparent threat from the East existed. But these flat plains, with no mountain barriers to protect them, have from the earliest times been the natural route of invaders from the East, who swept across them through the Low Countries (Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg) to the sea, where they could control Atlantic seaports. The Bremerhaven supply line to our forces in Germany is right in the path of these historic invasions. It is a long line and a thin one, and it could easily be cut in the event of a strong attack from the East. The Communist blockade of Berlin in 1948-49, which was defeated only by the magnificent Berlin Air Lift operated around-theclock by American and British airmen, made clear the necessity for larger supply channels and alternate routes of supply. In November 1950, when Soviet activities made it apparent that Communist pressure would relentlessly continue against the West, the French and American governments reached an agreement under which the United States is permitted to organize and maintain a line of communications (LOC) in France. This line of communications is COM Z. Why COM Z Is In France The reasons leading to the choice of France as the USAREUR Communications Zone are these: A defense force such as ours must naturally be stationed as near to the zone of threatened attack as possible. Since 1948 -- or even before that yea -r -the only threat to the free European nations has been from the East, from behind the Iron Curtain countries. This, in turn, has required strong defense forces in Germany. It must also be pointed out that the new German Federal Republic, without any means of defending itself, and at a time when it was struggling to win back its economic health, was faced with another threat --from East Germany. The Soviets had set up their customary puppet government in East Germany, and to support it established a German "police force." A "police force" armed with machine guns, rifles, mortars and even tanks! In view of the Communist record in Korea, where the Soviettrained North Korean army opened its aggression against the free Republic of South Korea in 1950, there could be no guarantee that similar aggression might not spring from the same source in Europe -- Communism -- and throw Central Europe again into war, with West Germany the first victim. For those reasons, it will be seen why the bulk of our strength in Europe must be stationed where it is. Forces at the front not only need supplies in vast quantities, but also a constant flow of supplies and equipment. The roads over which these supplies travel must be kept open. They must be, if possible, located to the rear of any battle line so that they cannot easily be cut off by the enemy. France is the ideal location for the communications zone that serves our forces. All of its neighbors, with the exception of Switzerland and Spain, which are neutral, are partners with us in NATO. France's 2,000 miles of coastline have many excellent harbors bordering the English Channel and the Atlantic Ocean in the north and in the west, and the Mediterranean in the south. Winters, which are seldom severe, never block French ports, and in the south, along the Mediterranean, the climate resembles that of Florida. France's excellent port facilities are a vital factor in building a good supply line. They are on well-established shipping lines and so numerous that, without complete mastery of the Atlantic Ocean, an enemy would never be able effectively to deny our fleets access to them. France's land area is slightly smaller than Texas. Through the central part of the country unbroken plains range to the northern borders. Over these plains stretch some 85,000 miles of highways and 55,000 miles of railroads. World War Il destroyed a considerable part of France's highways and bridges, but within four years after the close of the war almost every damaged bridge in the country had been rebuilt and dense traffic was again proceeding over the highway network. The task of restoring the nation's transportation system was all the more remarkable because of the lack of road-building supplies and equipment after the war. France Joins Hands With Us The working out of an agreement, a treaty, or the "protocols" under which a foreign force -- even though a friendly one -- may be permitted to live and work on the soil of another sovereign nation is a highly delicate task. In this instance the agreement is a triumph of patient diplomacy, grounded on the fact that France and the United States are on the same team-working together in the cause of world peace. The unity of purpose and friendship between the United States and France, our partnership with the other nations of NATO, and a realization of the ceaseless aggression of Communism were the great factors leading to the agreement by which COM Z was finally established. Six months of negotiations between US and French representatives resulted in the signing of this agreement on 6 November 1950 in Paris. Under its terms the United States received port facilities, storage depots and the space to build more, and transportation rights on highways and French national rail lines to the German border. Thanks to the excellent advance planning of the USAREUR Logistics Division, the agency in charge of organization and policy for overseas lines of communication, work on the new project began five days after the Paris agreement had been signed. Approximately 1,000 American troops from technical service units moved into France with 300 trucks and 100 trailers. Most of this convoy headed for Bordeaux and La Pallice, the two major ports in the LOC on the way from the Atlantic, across France, to Germany. In record time the new LOC was already in operation. At Captieux we succeeded in building a depot despite the fact that it was necessary to improve 36 square miles of land before actual construction could begin. Docking and local transportation arrangements were completed at Bordeaux while storage and control points were set up on rail routes to the Rhine River. By mid-November 1950 the first ships docked at Bordeaux, and supplies began to roll along the 500-mile supply line across France. Since that time COM Z has grown into a complex operation with a huge responsibility to shoulder in sending supplies to our combat forces. High quality in the performance of each man's job in COM Z is essential to the maintenance of a strong, well-prepared bulwark against any aggression from the East. III. COM Z TODAY So We Are In France The headquarters of USAREUR COM Z is in the historic city of Orleans, about 70 miles south of Paris. There are four subordinate commands. Base Section (BASEC) is in southwestern France with headquarters in the coastal city of La Rochelle. A beautiful highway runs through the famous chateaux district of the Loire Valley from La Rochelle to Orleans. Advance Section (ADSEC) is in northeastern France, with headquarters in Verdun, the famed fortress city which was renowned in World War I for its resistance to the German armies. Seine Area Command (SAC) has its headquarters in Paris, and the Orleans Installation (ORIN) is established with headquarters at Orleans. Most American personnel in COM Z are service troops -- the builders and operators of the new supply line. Skilled transportation personnel move, unload and examine incoming materiel. Signal men are required to operate and keep in running order an extensive communications system. Quartermaster and ordnance corps personnel in great numbers must handle huge quantities of supplies and equipment. From one end of this great communications zone to the other thousands of skilled men in the technical services are required for smooth operation. Personnel of COM Z are constantly busy. In addition to technical tasks, combat training has its part in the normal life of a man assigned to the Communications Zone. Practical experience in wartime operation is gained through the over-the-beach unloading exercises known as NODEX. During these exercises tonnage records have been made and broken constantly by different units working day and night to transfer the cargoes of heavily loaded ships to docks and shores, and sending them expeditiously on their way to the "front". COM Z is already in excellent shape to fulfill its important functions. Better American-French Relations -- A Valuable Goal The continual improvement of relations between American personnel and their French hosts in COM Z-a task in which each serviceman shares an equal responsibility-represents a desirable goal to enhance the successful accomplishment of our common mission as NATO partners. The relative success or failure of each individual in promoting better relations reflects directly upon himself and his unit, and indirectly upon the entire American Nation. A recent survey by the US Air Force Personnel and Training Research Center of French attitudes, particularly towards Americans in COM Z, cites some reasons for past difficulties in achieving mutual understanding between the Americans and the French. The survey points out that the average Frenchman's first interest centers about his own family and immediate relatives. He does not always share the American trait of informal "neighborliness." "A Frenchman's first reaction to strangers," it notes, "is to judge them unfavorably rather than favorably. The outsider is an unknown individual who might threaten the values the Frenchman holds close. This does not mean to imply that in his initial contacts with a stranger he would look upon the latter with hostility." To the French, all unknown people are "strangers", even fellow countrymen. Preoccupation with his own family, different working hours from those of the American, the great distance which the average worker must travel to and from work, and a lack of free time -- all of these reduce the Frenchman's opportunities to make social contacts with Americans. A French public opinion group recently surveyed the French population around an American military installation and found that although a fair proportion of the people were either very friendly or moderately friendly to the American personnel, only a few of the group interviewed had entertained Americans in their homes. This figure is not quite so startling when one realizes that the average Frenchman seldom invites anyone but relatives or intimate friends to his home. Friendship is a very serious concern to the French and not something to be entered into rashly. Close friends are few in number, and most of them are the product of associations formed during school days. Nevertheless, the French enjoy making acquaintanceships which do not call for close emotional ties. This trait can often open the way for the gradual formation of more lasting associations, once a mutual understanding has been reached. Despite outward differences in attitude, the Frenchman shares many American traits. Like the American, he is a great individualist, who believes in the rights of others and who respects those rights. The French are noted for their oft-demonstrated love of country, liberty, equality and independence-qualities that are also inherent in the American character. They combine a deep respect for tradition, learning and religion with a strong sense of tolerance and logic, blended with a pronounced artistic nature and a fondness for gracious living. The Frenchman's politeness, tact and courtesy have earned him the admiration of the world. He deserves an equal display of these qualities on the part of the American. The Frenchman will be happier with the American who shows sincere respect for the French people, their history, traditions and customs. A bit of effort on the part of each serviceman and woman towards the attainment of good relations with the French will result in a more pleasurable and profitable tour of duty in COM Z on the individual level, and will make common objectives at command level easier to achieve. Americans, incidentally, should never forget that a large part of their own political heritage stems from France. French love of liberty and freedom found expression in the American Revolution when men like Marquis de La Fayette took up arms in the American cause. A French army fought side by side with American patriots and distinguished itself particularly at the battle of Yorktown. Famous French writers like jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) and Voltaire (1694-1778) kindled the fires of liberty that burst into full flame in the French Revolution of 1789. Their political writings stimulated the thoughts of the authors of our own Declaration of Independence. A Good Record Under Foreign Law Throughout our association with the French people in building and operating the Communications Zone, all personnel attached to the American Armed Forces have lived under the same criminal and civil laws that apply to the French population -- and that apply equally to any foreigner residing in France. Although in many respects these laws differ from our own, and court procedures are not like ours, French and American authorities have been highly gratified over the American serviceman's understanding and acceptance of this situation. "Incidents" and misunderstandings have been remarkably few, and generally of a minor nature. The record of COM Z for respecting and obeying the law has been an impressive tribute to American character and integrity, and is in keeping with the "highest traditions" of our Armed Forces. Life in COM Z Living in COM Z during the early months of its construction was, to put it mildly, no bed of roses for the American serviceman. France did not have the resources for building adequate housing. It had not enough housing for its own people. We could not requisition property or materials or labor. We were friends and partners -- not an army of occupation. The cost of living was high, in common with all France . Conditions have slowly but surely improved, and the year of 1955 was one of particular progress in all four of the subordinate commands, especially in the matter of troop living conditions. For the first time since the Communications Zone was established there is now no necessity for troops being billeted permanently in winterized tents. During 1955, 2,000,000 square feet of permanent-type troop housing, and 200,000 square feet of Bachelor Officers' Quarters were constructed. Construction in progress during the winter months will provide housing for more of those troops still occupying hutments. Although family housing continues to be a problem in France, the Rental Guarantee Housing Program, similar to Wherry Housing in the States, is now beginning to make quarters available to US personnel. Three hundred units in the Orleans area have been occupied for some time, and families are moving into the project at Verdun as units become available. Because of the ever-growing supply mission of COM Z, additional storage and warehouse facilities are constantly in demand. In 1955 alone, warehouses containing some 5,000,000 square feet of floor space were constructed. These new facilities, coupled with those available previously, make it easier for the American troops and 16,000 French artisans and workers to carry out the tremendous tasks of handling the mountains of supplies processed by the Communications Zone. During 1955 the scope of recreational facilities and activities in the Command continued to increase. An extensive athletic program offers 13 different sports to the COM Z serviceman and provides entertainment for many spectators. COM Z provided the company level basketball champions for the 54-55 season in the USAREUR-wide championship tournaments, and in baseball the fine Little League team from COM Z won the USAREUR championship. Off-duty time can be used more profitably now that more Special Service libraries, craft shops and photo labs have become available. New theaters at Orleans, Camp de Loges and Verdun offer COM Z personnel increased opportunities for indoor entertainment. Toul and Verdun have attractive new chapels. The broad educational program in COM Z is flourishing. Some type of educational activity is open to all personnel. Twenty-eight Education Centers, located at major troop installations, offer functional and formal education programs, and of these all but two have wellorganized college level programs. USAFI courses are, of course, available within a few days time at the most isolated of installations. A Brief Summary COM Z is engaged in a mission that is vital to the United States Army in Europe. COM Z provides a swift and sure means of delivering supplies to our troops in Germany. It is accomplishing its mission with thoroughness and skill. Each man's job in COM Z is essential in fulfilling our mission in Europe. COM Z is rapidly overcoming the earlier hardships and trials that accompanied the building of such an extensive system of communication in a land that was, itself, hard at work rebuilding its shattered economy. |
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| COM Z ORGANIZATION: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source: USAREUR Annual Historical Report, 1953-54) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| (Source: Army Information Digest, December 1962) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| (Source: FRELOC, Volume I, Final Report ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In April 1968, US Army Communications Zone announced the redesignation of five of its installations:
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| (Source: Email from Bryan Hackett, 69th Trans Co, 1958-59) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Communications Zone History Project | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Mr. M. David Egan, Professor Emeritus, Clemson University, who served in 1962 to 1964 in France (TFAD and Verdun), is working on a written history of the American military presence in France from 1947 to 1967. Working title of the book:  The Cold War Lifeline in France (1949 to 1967)Bob is very interested in hearing from veterans and family members of US Army and Air Force units stationed in France during that period or anyone else who was involved with the line of communications mission in Europe during that timeframe, such as US and Local National civilians working for the military or Labor Service members who were assigned to units in France. You can contact the webmaster or Prof. Egan directly via email or you can call David at (864) 226-3832  . |
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| Stock Control | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ORDNANCE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source: Email from Marion Charles) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I was with the 86th Ord Detachment from 1956-1959. We were in Spinelli Barracks (Mannheim). We kept records on ordnance supply using I.B.M. data processing equipment but there seems to be no record of our unit anywhere.
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(Source: Email from Gary Schuett) |
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| ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Since we were a one-of-a-kind outfit, there never knew where to put us. I believe we first wore the USAREUR patch (Headquarters in Heidelberg). Then they changed us to COMZ and we had to change all of our uniform patches. Then later they changed us back to USAREUR. For personnel records, this was taken care of by a local Group that was at Spinelli Barracks (53rd Ord. Group).
The stock control function covered all items that are normally kept in a Company stock room. I don't remember anything about ammo. The system was designed to rid supply rooms of overstocks. A supply room could not keep an item on hand unless it had 3 demands for that item in 180 days. Each month the Companies would send us a list of Adds & Deletions to add to their Authorized List. We would process these list to the master file.
The only thing I know is that it started in Korea. Our Company Commander Captain Wallace Beery was one of the original people that went to Washington to sell them on the idea of this new system. He only answered to a General in Heidelberg (name unknown).
Also at this time, all the "parts" code number were being changed. Each month we would receive the code number changes from 6 different places in the USA. There were several different kind of code numbers and these were being changed to an 11 digit code. The code would be the same in the Ordnance Corps as it would be in the Engineer Corps, etc. We also had to process these changes to our Master Cross-reference file. I believe this was the only 'code number' cross-reference file in Europe.
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Related Links Computer Collector - check out the section IBM Punch Card Accounting Machines Columbia University - IBM Tabulators and Accounting Machines - 407 IBM Archives - IBM 407 Accounting Machines |
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| Saran Army Airfield | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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(Source:
STARS & STRIPES, Sept 14, 1956)
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'Smallest-Largest
Airline in the World'
Saran's Postage-Stamp Field Serves All of France ORLEANS, France, Sept. 13 (Special) -- The Army's airstrip at Saran, France, a few miles from Com Z Hq here, has been called the "smallest-largest airline in the world." For though it services all of France and is operational 24 hours a day, its 2,000-foot runway has a mere postage-stamp appearance. Saran's chief function is to provide fast transportation for the commanding general and his staff to any point in Com Z and beyond. The flight section also has a 600-mile daily run covering all major installations in the sub-commands and has special missions to such distant places as Hamburg, Germany, and Milan, Italy. The strip has been a lifesaver in emergencies. Serum, vaccine and other medical supplies are quickly flown where needed. There was an emergency of a different sort recently when Col Miller T. Nesbitt, flight section chief, flew a new- born baby from Base Section to Stuttgart, Germany. The operation of the airstrip constitutes a fulltime job for the handful of officers and enlisted men at Saran. A brand-new weather station operated by an Air Force lieutenant and Army enlisted personnel makes flying possible at any time and in any weather. Each of the officers in the flight section, besides being a rated pilot, is concerned with some aspect of the field's operation or administration. Since aviation is not a branch of service, each must maintain his proficiency in his own branch. |
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| 106th Signal Group | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 106th Signal Group now has its own Page. |
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| US Army Petroleum Distribution Comd, Europe | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(Source: STARS & STRIPES, Jan 5 1961) |
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Zweibrücken Terminal District The Zweibrücken Terminal District is one of five terminal districts in Europe under the US Army Quartermaster Petroleum Distribution Command located at Fontainebleau, France. It is the only terminal district located in Germany; the other four are in France. CO of the Zweibrücken Terminal District is Lt Col Robert M. Dill. The Zweibrücken Terminal is responsible for supplying petroleum products to Army and Air Force (and some NATO) installations throughout Germany (two-thirds of all fuel delivered to US military in Europe goes through Zweibrücken). The POL products include jet fuel, gasoline, solvents, diesel fuel, aviation gas and a number of "packaged" products such as lubricants, greases, oils and hydraulic fluids. Most of the fuel is delivered to Zweibrücken through a pipeline system that reaches from the port of Donges, France, where tankers unload their cargo into the pipeline network. The underground pipeline network includes powerful pumping stations and huge storage tanks interspersed at regular intervals along the 300+ miles between the French coast and Zweibrücken. Zweibrücken operates a spider-web of underground pipelines (6, 8, and 10 inches in diameter) that extend from its headquarters area eastward to the Air Force and Army installations. The terminal also delivers its products using 16,000-gallon tank cars (German railroad) and its own fleet of 5,000-gallon POL trucks. Shipments are expedited through six Army-owned and operated installations scattered throughout southern Germany and four sites at major German cities that are German operated under contract to the US Army. Two of the former facilities are the Walshausen pumping station (Capt Lawrence J. Ogden commanding) and the Hinterweidenthal tank farm (Capt John T. Skinner commanding). In addition to the operations reported above, the Zweibrücken Terminal also operates its own can and drum renovation plant and performs quality testing of the POL products in its own base laboratory facility. |
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(Source: STARS & STRIPES, Sep 12 1964) |
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A 391-mile Foot The Army's Big (12) Inch Pipeline By Ray Wright, S&S Staff Writer CHALK UP another name on your list of little-known but indispensable outposts in Europe: St. Baussant, France. Choppers churn, jets zoom, motors roar and wheels turn at NATO military bases because of the St. Baussant layout. The proper title is Metz Terminal District of the U.S. Army Petroleum Distribution Comd. The men who turn spiggots in the complicated pumping station, check gauges and run multitudinous lab tests are, in reality, the backup crew for every military air or ground maneuver. Jet fuel, aviation gas, diesel fuel, motor gas and kerosene emerge from the U.S.-owned pipeline at St. Baussaut after a 391-mile journey from Donge on the Atlantic coast near St. Nazaire. The pumping station at St. Baussant is the point at which the products are diverted into NATO pipelines that run to bases in Germany and northeastern France. Where pipelines don't reach, the station loads the fuels into truck or rail tank cars. |
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However, before the fuels can be parceled out to customers, the lab runs careful checks for quality and purity. Six tests are run on an average for each analysis, and the lab writes up some 17 analyses each day, calling for a night shift as well as day work most of the year in order to handle the work load. The drum fill plant at "A" farm is another busy spot. It consists of one feed header connected through a strainer to three steel hoppers, each partioned with baffles to make four compartments -- 12 compartments in all. Twelve drums can be filled simultaneously since each compartment is fed exactly 55 gallons, then drained when one handle linked to four quick-opening valves at the compartment bottoms is opened by the operator. Three of the five kinds of fuel can be drummed at one time or, depending on compatibility of fuels, one can follow another. When the products are incompatible, the hoppers are treated to a quick flush to carry off all traces of the first fuel before a second is let in. HEADQUARTERS for the whole setup is at Fontainebleau under the title of U.S. Army Petroleum Distribution Comd. The NATO offices that keep track of fuels sent to member bases are headquarlered at Nancy under the name of 3rd Region Central European Operating Agency (CEOA). On the private-life side of being stationed at St. Baussant, the men have taken up horseback riding with enthusiasm, and a number have bought their own mounts. Their PX shopping is on the minimal side -- an 8 by 10-ft. shopping center can't carry a very extensive stock. They have movies several times a week in the combined theater-chapel, and a barber comes to the station twice a week. "Sometimes we feel a little out of the mainstream of military life," commented Maj John Hollinger Jr., Metz Terminal District CO, "but our job is vitally important and the men here realize this and cope with the lack of advantages here that they would have on a big base. They use considerable originality, too." |
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(Source:
FRELOC After Action Report, 1966-67, Vol II.)
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The system in Germany is much smaller; 55 miles long between a point near Zweibruecken to Huttenheim, east of the Rhine, with 342,000 bbls of tankage. The two US systems are connected by the CEPS between Metz, France and Zweibruecken, Germany. Besides linking the US systems, the CEPS contains over 3,200 miles of pipeline, 7,200,000 bbls of tankage, and port unloading facilities at Le Havre, Marseilles, Dunkerque, Hansweert, Zeebrugge, Pernis (Rotterdam), and Antwerp. |
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(Source:
Email from
Carter
J. Doering, 1964-67)
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Was wondering if you had any information on the Petroleum Depot
at Metz (Saint Baussant), France? It was part of the Donges-Metz
Pipeline and Transportation system.
I was sergeant of the tank farm and when the French, under DeGaulle, withdrew from NATO, I was left to run the place with a lab tech and 40 civilians. Our command center was originally in Fontainebleau and then moved to Germany. We wore the COMZ patch and it was out in the boonies. I'd be interested if you have had any inquires from others who served in this command. What has happed to the pipeline these last 40 some years and anything else that might be relevant. Carter Doering |
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| Operation FRELOC (Fast Redeployment of the Lines of Communication) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source: Email from Basil Hobar) - UPDATED 10-28-2003 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A Personal Story of Operation FRELOC
"Fast Redeployment of the Lines of Communication" by Basil J. Hobar, Colonel QM, USA (Ret) |
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While
serving as a captain with the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne)
in Vietnam in 1965-66, I applied for inter-theater transfer to Europe
for family reasons and to avoid a quick turnaround to Vietnam. The
Army approved that. My instructions assigned me to the "US
Army Supply and Maintenance Agency (S&MA), Verdun,
France, with duty station in Zweibrücken, Germany." (That's Deux-Ponts
in French as shown on some maps. Zweibrücken is very near
France in southwest Germany.)
I received these instructions (or the ensuing orders) while on an operation in a Special Forces camp near the Cambodian border in September 1966. When I saw them, I surmised that my instructions must have something to do with the Army -- and all other NATO forces -- having to leave France by April 1967. I had read something about that in the Stars and Stripes. The Army dubbed the operation FRELOC. Fast forward to Veterans Day 1966, in Würzburg, Federal Republic of Germany. Having departed RVN, I found myself back in "the world" and reunited with my German-born wife and our two children. They had spent that year of my first Vietnam tour with my wife's parents in Würzburg. After arriving, I tried to reach S&MA by telephone. Even though it was Veterans Day, I wanted to let them know that I was "in-country" and ask them what to do. |
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The duty officer was flummoxed by my orders and asked if the orders
were classified. It seemed that the Army had not yet made an official
announcement that S&MA would be going to "Sunny Zwei." As I learned
later, the other parts of S&MA -- the command group (brigadier),
half of the IBM mainframe computers and operators, computer programmers,
financial managers, and supply managers were in Orleans, France.
Only the Stock Control Division was in Verdun with its share of
S&MA's IBM 7010 computers, a 0-6 division chief, and an attroupement
of U.S. civilians, French nationals, assorted Army officers and
enlisted men (this was prior to the influx of women into the Army
that came in the 1970's).
After a day or two I received a call from my sponsor, a Department of the Army Civilian (DAC) named Tex Tatum, Chief of the Stock Control Division's "Customer Service Branch." He told me to go to Zweibrücken, get settled and call back. After a struggle with the blasted housing office, my wife and I landed a small, two-bedroom, but nice, Army stairwell apartment in the Kreuzberg Kaserne with a great view of the city. I had to fight to get this because the family housing office in the Kaiserslautern Army Community would not believe that I was assigned to S&MA and that S&MA was, in fact, on the way to that community. (Note that this is only six months before the deadline to be out of France.) I soon drove to France and Verdun to check in and get started. This was in late November or early December 1966. Given my interest in military history, it was a melancholy thing for me to drive over ground marched over and soaked in blood in 1870, 1914-1918 and 1939-1945. In Verdun, I swear I could hear moaning from the dead lying in Douaumont over the despicable decision of the French government to pull out of the military side of NATO (where France remains to this day, a fact unknown and unappreciated by most Americans). Due to the deadline set by President Charles de Gaulle, SHAPE headquarters, USEUCOM headquarters, military units and organizations such as the Army's array of supply depots, USAREUR's marine fleet then in coastal France, and all supplies and equipment in storage, had to be out of France by April 1, 1967. Thus organizations and units had not been able to complete much planning due to the lack of "troop leading time" offered by La Grand Charles. (1) After an orientation in Verdun where I was introduced to a new world of computers and computing, Colonel MacDonald, Chief of the Stock Control Division, and LTC Robert Wyanski, Chief of the Document Processing Branch, took pity on me. Since I just endured a one-year separation from my family, Colonel MacDonald assigned me to be his point man in Zweibrücken before I assumed my position in the Document Processing Branch after the move. In Zweibrücken, I was to work with a senior lieutenant colonel who was the advance man for the entirety of S&MA, a relatively large and complex outfit. The plan was that Headquarters, U.S. Army Communications Zone Europe (USACOMZEUR) would move from Orleans, France to Worms, Germany. Supplies in the depots were to be moved in an orderly fashion all over the place, including the UK. The entirety of S&MA would consolidate in Zweibrücken by moving its headquarters, supply management policy and operating divisions, and financial managers from Orleans; and the Stock Control Division from Verdun. Computer service centers from both places would also consolidate in Zweibrücken. S&MA would take over all the buildings at the Kreuzberg Kaserne including those of the Bundeswehr Parachute Battalion and 7th ICC. (I do not know where the Germans went, but the ICC moved to Karlsruhe, Germany.) (2) For the next month or so I assisted the lieutenant colonel in surveying the buildings and allocating space to the various divisions of S&MA as well as doing the detailed leg work for the Stock Control Division. However, working for this man became very unpleasant. Things went downhill beginning on Christmas Eve (very important evening for Germans and my family) when he called me at home with some nonsense concern about something. Later, after discussions with my wife and before I got into trouble, I asked to work in Verdun and commute home on weekends. Then I could avoid trouble, learn my job (of which I knew zippo) before the move, and be "ready for combat" when April 1 rolled around. The division chief approved my request. So for about two months I commuted between Zweibrücken and Verdun over two-lane highways, the principal one in France being N3 running from the international frontier at Saarbrücken to Verdun. Negotiating this two-hour drive each weekend in these pre-superhighway days, I learned quickly the meaning of the French road signs including the legendary "Passage Protégé." It was an interesting, but dicey, stretch of road. N3 took me from the frontier in the vicinity of Saarbrücken, through the large town of St. Avold, directly through the major city of Metz, France, close by one main battlefield of the Franco-Prussian War at Metz, and through numerous small towns straddling the highway. On my way back to Germany on Fridays, I would stop in some French grocery store along the way and buy a few bottles of wine for a couple of New Francs (3) that my wife and I could enjoy in Germany. One vivid remembrance of that trip was that the border towns on the German side looked much better and cleaner than those on the French side. Also during this period I saw a steady stream of G.I. tractor-trailers making their way out of France carrying supplies to depots in Germany and elsewhere. (Later I would learn that this controlled movement of supplies failed from the stock control perspective since the Stock Accounting Branch was a part of my division in S&MA. I heard all the problems in staff meetings.) During the months just prior to April 1, 1967, as move operations intensified, the tension level in the organization went out of sight for at least two reasons. First, the impending move would involve the families and children of Army officers and senior enlisted men, together with the motley group of U.S. civilians and French Nationals holding very good jobs with the U.S. Army. Remember, some of these U.S. civilians had been working in France for the Army since the end of WW II! With their French wives, some were more French than American by this time, and Germany was anathema. Second, S&MA had in the works a major software and hardware conversion for its large computer system. This conversion to a new set of programs called CS4 (as I recall) and IBM 360 computers could not have been more poorly timed due to the "minor" inconvenience of the relocation. So between searching for quarters and schools while trying to keep the organization operating in support of the entire Army in Europe, we were conducting a pitiful training program for the new system. During my months in Verdun, I learned that in my position in the Document Processing Branch I was a major user of the computer system and very dependent upon it. I struggled to learn the new language of data processing and MILSTRIP and to make sense out of the "cycle." (A cycle was the running, from start to finish, of the complete set of computer programs to process thousands of (80-column) documents: supply and equipment receipts at the depots, shipments from depots to units throughout Europe and the Middle-East, requisitions from units, materiel release orders, financial stuff, status reports and all the other things that made up the infamous MILSTRIP, (4) governed by the well-known regulation numbered AR 725-50.) The goal was one cycle per day. As I recall, S&MA was generally achieving the goal in France. I will tell you later about the abject grief we experienced after the move and the conversion. Since the Army, and everyone else, had only one year to execute FRELOC, and since it took longer than that to design and construct a major data processing center, someone came up with the idea of (1) placing a different set of IBM 7010 computers on passenger-type rail cars; and (2) locating this "service center on a train" to wherever the Army decided to send S&MA. Of course, there would have to be a rail siding near the new place. This was not done to make the computers and peripherals mobile! Au contraire, this was to be a temporary set up to be used until the new IBM 360 computers could be installed in a fixed service center. I guess the fixed service center would be all right since attacking Soviets and East Germans could not reach Zweibrücken before being turned back. Could they? (5) In the end, six rail cars were used. I visited the site once or twice. One contained the computer(s) and operator's console; another contained the tape drives; others had supporting equipment such as card sorters and workspace. One contained large 60-kilowatt backup generators. There probably was a transceiver station there as well although I do not know how transceiver traffic reached the train. The "computer on a train" and a gaggle of computer programmers were set up at the U.S. Army Medical Depot, Einsiedlerhof, Germany, about a 30 kilometer road trip from Zweibrücken. The programmers were in a rail-side warehouse converted into workspace. Input and output in the form of punched cards and printouts had to be transported by a messenger (i.e., a G.I. driving a truck). Yes, we had cardpunch machines. This turned out to be a hard row to hoe. On or about April 1, 1967, after the moving trucks departed the Stock Control Division building, several NCOs and I were the last soldats Américain to leave the old French kaserne in Verdun. We all helped to get the trash out and sweep the place down before making our way to Germany. It was bittersweet having to depart France under such conditions. The IBM 7010 computers remained in the building. Rumor had it that the Army was to ship them to Vietnam (where, alas, I would hear of them again in the 1st Logistical Command's lash-up). The plan to ship supplies and equipment in storage to new locations in an orderly and controlled fashion was not succeeding. So just before the deadline to be out of France, someone made a decision to have the depots in France ship materiel on their own according to generalized guidance, e.g., vehicles to Kaiserslautern; general supplies to Nabollenbach, etc. The depots in France were to make these shipments to depots in Germany, Italy and the UK without "pre-posting" supply directives (a MILSTRIP document) issued by the item managers in Orleans. The new plan called for "post-posting" shipments to the computer file after the fact, an OK, but dangerous, procedure. Rumor had it that someone lost a box or two of punched cards (2,000 per box and one card could represent a large amount of a given item). The cards never got to the computer meaning the accountable records on the computer files were not updated. Then towards the end of FRELOC, for reasons not known to me, much materiel was "dumped" on the Kaiserslautern Army Depot at the last minute. It took a very long time for "K-town" to sort through the pile and figure out what it had. As S&MA operations commenced in Zweibrücken, our computer files continued to show units and supplies in France long after the move due to the post-posting and other failings. In turn, these caused beaucoup problems for years in accounting for stock and in the combat readiness of units. One notorious problem occurred when we made a shipment of supplies by rail to a long-gone customer in Paris! The whole system failed on this including the dunces at the depot who shipped the supplies. I remember getting a call from our embassy on this fiasco. Driven by problems such as this one, the S&MA leadership took a drastic preventive measure at some point to head off such problems. Using specially written data processing routines, they had the computer files stripped of all records with codes indicating units and supplies in France. This "meat axe" solution resulted in more loss of control and accountability. Basically, S&MA, the theatre inventory control point, did not know what it had nor where! In the wake of FRELOC and this action, we had GAO and Army Audit Agency auditors in our offices for a long time after the move. Also, we endured much internal grief at S&MA due to this problem. More importantly, we caused many problems for our thousands of Army and foreign military customers. Another interesting problem I remember was the loss of an Army tug boat when it sank in the English Channel! You see, that part of the Army's marine fleet in French ports had to be moved and at least some of it went to the United Kingdom. We heard about it when the Report of Survey (i.e., the investigation) reached our Stock Accounting Branch. Shortly after the move, another colonel showed up to take over the Stock Control Division. Colonel McDonald moved to the one of the commodity divisions. Colonel John A. Frago (6), QM, came from commanding the 3rd S & T Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division, then located in my wife's hometown of Würzburg. (Incidentally, I had served in one of that battalion's predecessor units a few years earlier when I met my wife.) Colonel Frago walked into a set of problems (i.e., a mess) caused by the move, loss of control of stocks, poorly functioning computer system, and some poor and/or inexperienced managers. He struggled long and hard to get things straightened out. Colonel Frago and I got along well and he coached me quite a bit on the job and with respect to my career. We are in contact to this day even though he lives on the "left" coast and I on the east coast. After some time passed, some of the lower ranking French employees began drifting back to France. While working in Germany, a few of them lived in the town of Bitsche, just south of Zweibrücken in France. The higher paid French employees tended to remain in their jobs. We had to hire Germans to do our mostly clerical jobs in Stock Control. The pickings were slim. Few of them spoke English and we had to start them from scratch. Due to the German labor laws, they had German holidays off and worked on our holidays. This caused problems when the holidays did not coincide. We always had to have American supervisors working on the 4th of July, Memorial Day and Labor Day. Then on Corpus Christy Day, for example, the Germans were off and we worked. Crazy. The lack of good clerical employees to interact with the computers contributed to the problems we had. I used to complain to the GAO (to no avail) that we had a million dollar computer system and ten cent help. It would have been great to be able to hire some of those smart and well-educated auditors to do the work. The officers and NCOs with families lived all over the area in government housing or on the economy in places ranging from Saarbrücken to Kaiserslautern. By and large these were good people and with the better DACs, they held the organization together during this very difficult period. I remember a particularly good DAC, Irv Burch, who worked on policy matters related to the computer system. When in doubt, call Irv. Jack Smart was the DAC in charge of the data processing division. Mr. Smart had a terrific problem to overcome and he took a lot of heat. These men were GS 14's or 15's as this was prior to the SES program. (I remember one supply manager in an S&MA meeting whining about her problems with "Mr. Smart's computer.") By the time LTC Wyanski rotated later in 1967, I had been promoted to major and was given the Document Processing Branch chief's job and continued my adventure in the world of supply and computers. I had some very smart and good NCOs in the branch and a set of new lieutenants who rose to the occasion. We worked hard, did our best, and also took a lot of heat from customers and supply managers over this and that. We made a good social life and had some fun too. Basically the branch military and civilian workers processed requisitions and other MILSTRIP documents received by mail and telephone, and the associated computer system exceptions (called "Redlines" at S&MA). Mistakes turned into Redlines. In those days before real time processing and online cathode ray tube workstations, we could not see into the computer files nor work on a real-time basis. We interacted mainly by punched card. We had real trouble meeting MILSTRIP standards even for the highest priority requisitions (0h 2's as we called them). Our 24-7 High Priority Section could not meet the standards because the computer system was not always available nor was it responsive or accurate. It was a lose-lose situation between the computer people and us. I learned there that I could not count on a computer programmer to do what I asked or needed. But that's another story. Later the computer service center was completed in Kreuzberg Kaserne and S&MA converted to new hardware and its new set of software programs called CS4. We had a lot of trouble with this too. I think at the beginning of the conversion a month passed without a cycle. That was, for example, 100,000 supply requisitions waiting to be processed. Later, we would be lucky to be running one cycle a week. Our lament at the time was, "We are dead in the water." By the time I departed for Vietnam again in March of 1969, long after FRELOC was over, S&MA was at best limping along and the FRELOC hangover was still dogging the organization. My FRELOC story ends here. My time in Zweibrücken (about two years after FRELOC) was educational, exasperating, and exciting. I believe I made a contribution to keeping S&MA afloat through tough times. Moreover, I saw the end of an era in France. Eventually things smoothed out for S&MA and later it morphed into a different name and command structure. My last contact was by telephone in 1976 when I returned to Germany for an assignment in the 3rd Armored Division and called my old colleague Irv Burch just to say hello. Sometime later I learned that he passed away. I visited Kreuzberg Kaserne in 1985 just to look around when I was visiting Germany to attend a son's wedding. One of my friends, a brigadier, what used to be S&MA in Zweibrücken and my best friend was commanding the Kaiserslautern Army Depot (7). By that time I had checked out of the net (i.e., retired from the Army). Here are some closing comments. The Army did not get everything out of the France in time! Months after April 1, 1967, I had to detail one of my lieutenants to an Army ammunition depot or supply point way down in the southwest corner of France at Captieux (I think). There, Class V supplies were still being shipped out in late 1967 or early 1968. How many other situations like this came up? I will bet that if we look closely enough, we would find something in France this very day! Finally, we must never forget the dirty deed that France pulled on NATO and the U.S. back then. It was the height of the Cold War and the middle our own war in the former Indochine. La Grande Charles knew full well that NATO would be forced to defend France once again if war broke out due to the geography. Nevertheless, he pulled France's military forces out of the deal and kicked us out of his country. Talk about having your cake and eating it too. And the French are still doing it to us today--witness Iraq. Sacré bleue |
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FOOTNOTES:
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| (1)
In visiting Fort Douamount and the other battlefields at Verdun, I
cringed at the outrageous number of soldiers killed there in WW I.
To this day I have great feeling for those poor devils who suffered
and died in the trenches. (What would the TV reporters do with those
casualties today?) (2) There was also French army unit in Zweibrücken and a Canadian air force base. With the American 7th ICC and the German airborne unit at Kreuzberg Kaserne, the town was known as "Little NATO." (3) New francs vs. old francs. France converted sometime in the late 1950's or early 1960's to get prices to more manageable levels. It was on the magnitude of something like ten new francs (NF) for 1,000 old francs (F). (4) MILSTRIP -- Military Standard Requisitioning and Issue Procedures, the S&MA bible. (5) In retrospect, perhaps the Army leadership knew more than they told us. When the Berlin Wall collapsed in 1989, the Red Army was in poor shape. Perhaps it was the same in the 1960's. The summer of 1967 would have been a good time for them to try an attack. The draw down in USAREUR for Vietnam left it seemed, only full colonels, some senior NCOs, some new and lucky second lieutenants, and few people like me who already had a tour in Vietnam. I understand that life in the USAREUR combat units was particularly grim in those days. (6) Colonel Frago and his wife live in Carmichael, California today. They showed up in Sunny Zwei with five children including a newly born son! I had a visit with him in the fall of 2003 and asked him to read this report. (7) Commanding K-town was Colonel F. B. Kish who is now the director of The College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Indiana. |
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MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION - (1964) The Command Control Information System-1970 (CCIS-70) Project was activated in August 1962. The project is a major effort of the US Army Materiel Command geared toward giving the battlefield commander the tool of automation as an aid in decision-making. The MOBIDIC-7A project (Mobile Digital Computer), which is being used by the Stock Control Center of Seventh Army in Europe, is now part of the CCIS-70 project. - (1964) The US Army has acquired a COBOL Compiler and will used it in preparing programs for one of the CCIS-70 Project's MOBIDIC's in Europe. The Compiler is the first of its type developed for use with military equipment in tactical units of the field army. |
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| The Com Z Cadence Weekly Newspaper | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Com Z Cadence - Some of the issues published in France | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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