USAREUR Units - 72nd Ord Bn

(Source: A Look Back ... at the 59th Ordnance Brigade. Final issue of the 59th COURIER, the command newspaper, published in 1992.)

Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 72nd Ordnance Battalion was constituted in the regular Army as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 36th Quartermaster Regiment (Light Maintenance) in May 1936.

In June 1940 it was redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 72nd Quartermaster Battalion (Light Maintenance). The battalion was activated at Camp Hulen, Texas in March 1942.

During World War II, the battalion received credit for participation in one campaign. Following the cessation of hostilities, the 72nd Ordnance Battalion was inactivated in France in November 1945.

The battalion was redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 72nd Ordnance Battalion (Maintenance and Supply) in March 1954. The unit was activated in May 1954 at Verdun, France and assigned to the U.S. Army Communications Zone, Europe.

In 1972, the 72nd Ordnance Battalion was activated under the control of the 59th Ordnance Brigade.

After a few years in Kaiserslautern, the 72nd Ordnance Battalion was moved to the Miesau Army Depot. To be closer to its subordinate units, the battalion headquarters was moved to Muenster-Dieburg in June 1990.

The 72nd Ordnance Battalion had, at the time of its inactivation, seven subordinate units. It was inactivated in June 1992.

6th MP Company
The 6th Military Police Company was constituted in the national Army in November 1917 as the 6th Training Headquarters and Military Police, an element of the 6th Division. The unit was organized at Camp McClellan, Ala. in February 1918.

The unit deployed to Europe and received credit for participation during World War I, the only brigade unit to do so.

During World War II the unit was deployed to the Asiatic-Pacific, participated in two campaigns, and was awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation and a Philippine Presidential Unit Citation. The unit was inactivated in Korea in January 1949.

The 6th Military Police Company was activated at Muenster-Dieburg, Germany in September 1977 from elements of the 545th Ordnance Company and the 9th Military Police Detachment which was inactivated. The company was assigned to the 72nd Ordnance Battalion, 59th Ordnance Group. The 6th was inactivated in June 1992.

525th Ordnance Company
The 525th Ordnance Company was constituted in the regular Army in May 1936 as Company K, 58th Quartermaster Regiment. The unit was converted and redesignated in August 1942 as Company K, 3rd Battalion, 58th Ordnance Heavy Maintenance Regiment. In September 1942, it was redesignated as the 911th Ordnance Heavy Maintenance Company. The company was activated at Atlanta, Ga. in February 1943.

The unit was redesignated in February 1947 as the 525th Ordnance Heavy Automotive Maintenance Company and again in June 1959 as the 525th Ordnance Company.

In May 1961, the 525th was assigned to the 82nd Ordnance Battalion of the Advanced Weapons Support Command. With the inactivation of the 82nd Ordnance Battalion in July 1965, the company was assigned directly under AWSCOM. In November 1972, the 525th was assigned to the newly activated 197th Ordnance Battalion.

The 525th was assigned to the 72nd Ordnance Battalion in October 1990. The company was located in Siegelsbach, Germany. The 525th was inactivated in June 1992.

545th Ordnance Company
The 545th Ordnance Company was activated in September 1942 at Camp Atterbury, Ind. as Company M, 56th Quartermaster Regiment. The unit was converted and redesignated as Company M, 56th Ordnance Heavy Maintenance Regiment in August 1942. In October 1942, it was reorganized and redesignated as the 895th Ordnance Heavy Maintenance Company and in May 1943 as the 895th Ordnance Heavy Automotive Maintenance company.

In March 1950 the company was redesignated as the 545th Ordnance Co. and activated in Yokohama, Japan. It received credit for participating in ten campaigns and was awarded two Meritorious Unit Commendations.

From June 1957 through July 1958, the company was active in Germany. Finally, in June 1959 the 545th was activated in Muenster-Dieburg, Germany from what had been Company C, 15th Ordnance Battalion. The 545th was assigned to the 15th Ordnance Battalion. In February 1977, the 545th Ordnance Company was reassigned to the 72nd Ordnance Battalion. The company was inactivated in June 1992.

556th MP Company
The 556th Military Police Company was constituted in the U.S. Army in June 1945 as the 556th Military Police Escort Guard Company and was activated at Fort Custer, Mich. The unit was deployed to Europe and received credit for participation in four campaigns during World War II and was awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation. The unit was inactivated in France in 1946.

The company was activated in Siegelsbach, Germany in May 1962 as a result of a physical security force reorganization that detached the security platoon from the 525th Ordnance Company. The company was assigned to the 82nd Ordnance Battalion of the Advanced Weapons Support Command.

In July 1962, the 556th was reassigned to the 193rd Ordnance Battalion and then was assigned back to the 82nd in June 1964. In July 1965, the company was assigned directly under AWSCOM as a result of the plan to inactivate the 82nd Ordnance Battalion. Finally, in November 1972, the 556th was assigned to the 197th Ordnance Battalion.

In October 1990 the 556th MP Company was assigned to the 72nd Ordnance Battalion. The company was located at Siegelsbach, Germany and inactivated in June 1992.

558th MP Company
The 558th Military Police Company was constituted in the U.S. Army as the 558th Military Police Escort Guard Company and activated at Fort Custer, Mich. in June 1943. The company was inactivated in March 1945 at Como, Miss., but was reactivated in the Philippines in April 1945.

The unit received credit for participation in two World War II campaigns and was awarded a Philippines Presidential Unit Citation. Following several activations and inactivations, the unit was allotted to the regular Army in October 1951.

The unit was deployed to Korea and was credited with participation in nine campaigns and awarded three Meritorious Unit Commendations and two Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citations.

In March 1962, the company was activated in Germany as the 558th Military Police Company and assigned to the 72nd Ordnance Battalion of the Advanced Weapons Support Command with duty at the U.S. Army Special Depot, Kriegsfeld, Germany.

The 558th was inactivated on Nov. 1, 1991, at Kriegsfeld.