USAREUR Units - Ordnance

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Ordnance in the European Theater
US Army, Europe
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).

Page 1

Ord Svc in Europe

The 1950s

The 1960s

The 1970s

The 1980s

The 1960s

Class V Ordnance Service in the European Theater

(Source: History of the 15th Ordnance Battalion, Adjutant, HQ 15th Ord Bn, 1980s)

In 1961, a realignment of ordnance support units in Germany, including ammunition units, was effected. Previously, the three Class V ordnance battalions were grouped under 57th Ord Gp (Ammo). In November, the 15th Ord Bn was relieved from attachment to the 57th and attached to the 51st Ord Gp. Similarily, the 101st Ord Bn was relieved (probably in the same time frame) from the 57th and attached to the 47th Ord Gp. The 84th Ord Bn remained attached to the 57th Ord Gp.

At the same time, the mission of the Class V ordnance battalions changed and they became "composite organizations" consisting of conventional and special ammunition companies, as well as supply and maintenance companies.

The 15th Ord Bn unit history goes on to say that the battalion's "composite organization" was soon changed back to a purely ammunition organization (probably in 1963). This is probably true for the other ammo battalions. The battalions, however, remained attached to the "composite" ordnance groups until 1965, when the COSTAR concept was implemented.

(Source: STATION LIST, 30 September 1963)

CLASS V SUPPORT (COMPANY SIZE)

TITLE	TOE	UNIT	COMD	LOCATION
Company, Ammunition	9-17D	50th Ord Co (Ammo)	76	Rhine Ord Bks, Kaiserslautern
		144th Ord Co (Ammo)	76	Ray Bks, Friedberg
		184th Ord Co (Ammo)	76	Kelly Bks, Darmstadt
		501st Ord Co (Ammo)	76	Rheinland Ksn, Ettlingen
		535th Ord Co (Ammo)	76	D'Isly Ksn, Pirmasens
		571st Ord Co (Ammo)	76	North Point Depot, Kriegsfeld
		663rd Ord Co (Ammo)	76	Rose Bks, Vilseck
		664th Ord Co (Ammo)	76	Strassbourg Ksn, Idar Oberstein
Company, SW & MSL, DS	9-47D	23rd Ord Co	76	Badnerhof Ksn, Heilbronn
		28th Ord Co	76	Turenne Ksn, Zweibrücken
		Co A, 328th Ord Bn	34	Caserma Ederle, Vicenza
		545th Ord Co	76	Ord Ammo Depot, Münster
Company, SW & MSL, GS	9-87D	27th Ord Co (Sp Ammo)(GS)	03	Büren
		70th Ord Co (Sp Ammo)(GS)	03	Corlu, Turkey
		138th Ord Co (Sp Ammo)(GS)	03	Elevsis, Greece
		162nd Ord Co (Sp Ammo)(GS)	03	Lüdenscheid
		510th Ord Co (Sp Ammo)(GS)	03	Urlau
Company, SW & MSL, Dep	9-377D	9th Ord Co	46	Miesau
		64th Ord Co	46	Fischbach
		69th Ord Co (Sp Ammo)(Dep)	34	Caserma Ederle, Vicenza
		525th Ord Co	46	Ord Area, Siegelbach
		529th Ord Co	46	Massweiler
		583rd Ord Co	46	Dahn
		619th Ord Co	46	North Point Depot, Kriegsfeld

CLASS V COMMAND UNITS

TITLE	TOE	UNIT	COMD	LOCATION
Group, Ammo, HHC	9-22D	HHD, 57th Ord Gp (Ammo)	76	Rhine Ord Bks, Kaiserslautern
		HHC, 59th Ord Gp (Ammo)	46	D'Isly Ksn, Pirmasens
Battalion, Ammo, HHD	9-86D	HHD, 15th Ord Bn (Ammo)	76	Gutleut Ksn, Frankfurt
		HHD, 72nd Ord Bn (Ammo)	46	Rhine Ord Bks, Kaiserslautern
		HHD, 84th Ord Bn (Ammo)	76	Rhine Ord Bks, Kaiserslautern
		HHD, 101st Ord Bn (Ammo)	76	Badnerhof Ksn, Heilbronn
		HHD, 193rd Ord Bn (Ammo)	46	Neureut Ksn, Karlsruhe

COMMAND CODES

	03	Special Ammunition Support Command, USAREUR
	34	Southern European Task Force
	46	4th Logistical Command (COMZ)
	76	Seventh Army Support Command

Figure 1: Class V Ordnance Service (1959)

Source: FM 9-1, Ordnance Service in the Field, June 1959

(Source: Email from Rick Anders, Germany)

As already mentioned on different pages of this web site, Rick is doing research on various topics relating to French units stationed in Germany. His investigations have led him to many different governmental archives in France and Germany. As a courtesy, he has provided to this web site many tidbits of information that pertain to the US Army in Germany that he finds as part of his efforts.

Found something about the 47th Ord Gp you might be interested in. The following information is from 1962.

The 47th Ord Gp at Stuttgart has responsibility for 13 ammunition storage sites in Baden-Württemberg and eight in Bavaria (including Bamberg). Those in B-W are at:

LOCATION	OPERATING UNIT	COMD	DESIGNATION/SITE
Wertheim	.		at Grünewörth, west of the airfield; PSP 6J
Böblingen	.		PSP 25
Schwäbisch Hall	.		(possibly PSP 26) (MUNA Kupfer at Geilenkirchen?)
Bad Mergentheim	.		PSP 27J
Schwäbisch-Gmünd	.		at Waldstetten (possibly PSP 28)
Ellwangen	.		at Wört
Lampertheim	.
Merklingen	.		(possibly PSP 81)
Crailsheim	.		(possibly PSP 82)
Bruchsal	.		at Kammerforst; RASP 971
Friedrichstal	.		at Hochstetten
Siegelsbach	.
Hockenheim	.		at the time this storage site did not conform to NATO regulations and was recommended for closure by the 47th

The 51st Ord Gp at Mannheim had eight or nine sites in Hesse.

The 57th Ord Gp at Kaiserslautern had five sites in Rhineland-Palatinate and the Saarland.

Webmaster Note: Will work on getting the 51st and 57th sites identified and creating a list for each of the Ord Groups.
Will also work on identifying which sites were being operated by which ordnance ammo companies in the 1960s (see list above). Will be happy to receive help from anybody who might know some of these details.

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION:
Miesau Depot Activity ABREST
Pirmasens Depot Activity ABREST
PSP Koeppern (German: Munitionsdepot Wehrheim-Rosbach) became operational in 1952 and was handed over to the Bundeswehr in 1997
PSP Bernbach (German: Munitionsdepot Freigericht-Bernbach)

The 1970s

Class V Ordnance Service in USAREUR

1977

(Source: Annual Historical Review, HQ 21st SUPCOM, 1 Jan - 31 Dec 1977)

In a move to decentralize conventional ammunition management, the 60th Ordnance Group underwent a major reorganization in 1977.

In April 1977, the 15th Ordnance Battalion of the 60th was transferred to V Corps and in October the Group's 101st Ordnance Battalion was transferred to VII Corps. In spite of these changes, the commander, 60th Ordnance Group, remained as the overall theater commodity manager for control of ammunition stocks for these battalions.

60th Ord Gp, 1977

At the same time, the 60th Ord Gp special weapons units including the 23rd, 28th and 545th Ordnance Companies and the 9th and 51st MP Detachments were transferred to the 59th Ordnance Group which was controlled directly by USAREUR.

A minor change occurred in the 84th Ordnance Battalion of the 60th Ord Gp when the 144th Ordnance Detachment located at Baumholder was redesignated the 44th Ordnance Company. This unit was responsible for the direct and general support of over 400 units throughout USAREUR, supplying not only conventional ammunition but missiles and small arms ammunition as far away as Belgium.

1978

(Source: Annual Historical Review, HQ 21st SUPCOM, 1 Jan - 31 Dec 1978)

The 60th Ordnance Group expanded its 84th Ordnance Battalion ammunition supply operations into the NORTHAG area with the activation of the 48th Ammunition Detachment at Bremerhaven in May 1978 in support of Brigade 75 (this unit, relocated to Garlstedt, would soon be redesignated as 3rd Bde, 2nd Armd Div). Prior to becoming fully staffed, this detachment was active in support of REFORGER 78 and received abnd stored ammunition at Luebberstedt, Walsrode and Olfen in the NORTHAG area. Also, 44th Ordnance Company was activated at Baumholder on 21 Mach 1978 to operate Ammunition Supply Point #4 in direct support of 8th Infantry Division.

Ammunition Call Forward Plan
All divisions of 60th Ordnance Group were actively involved in the FY 1979 Ammunition Call Forward Plan. This plan, which proposed shipment of over 240,000 short tons of munitions from CONUS to USAREUR, underwent an intensive study to determine the ability of USAREUR to receive, move, and store the proposed tonnage. In coordination with the Corps (V and VII), 4th Transportation Brigade, Military Traffic Management Command (MTMC), Transportation Terminal Group, Europe, Miesau Army Depot, Caerwent Army Depot Activity and the 84th Ordnance Battalion, data was developed which resulted in a recommendation that tonnage proposed in the plan be reduced to 170,000 short tons.

POMCUS NORTHAG
Three former British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) sites were transferred to USAREUR control for construction of storage and maintenance facilities for the NORTHAG POMCUS equipment: Herongen Ammunition Depot, Twisteden Ammunition Depot, and South Park (Ayrshire Barracks, Mönchengladbach-Rheindahlen).

Webmaster Note: the conventional ammunition stocks held at Twisteden were probably the basic load for 2nd Armored Division combat units that would arrive from CONUS and that would receive their equipment from the POMCUS sites in the event of hostilities. The PSP at Lübberstedt, on the other hand, could have been the basic load for the 3rd Brigade already forward stationed in NORTHAG area.

The 1980s

Class V Ordnance Service in USAREUR

(Source: DA Pam 700-16, The Army Ammunition Management System, Dec 1982)

Standard Army Ammunition System (SAAS)

Prior to 1973, the Army did not have a standard automated ammunition management system for use in the field. Operations were basically manual; however, several commands had unique ADP systems for providing class V management information and developing the WARS (Worldwide Ammunition Resporting System) report for ARRCOM (US Army Armament Materiel Readiness Command).

In 1972, a detailed analysis of current ongoing automated systems was undertaken to determine a system that would serve as the theater system baseline. The system selected was the US Army Pacific (USARPAC) Central Munitions System. In addition, WARS was selected as the baseline reporting system between the major command (Level 1) and the national level.

In June 1973, the converted USARPAC Central Munitions System was tested by the 60th Ordnance Group, USAREUR. This system was accepted by USAREUR in July 1973, renamed SAAS (Standard Army Ammunition System), and designated as the level 1 (theater) system.

Theater Application - Level 1. The Theater Materiel Management Center (in USAREUR, the 200th TAMMC performs theater ammunition management) is an activity which performs centralized theater inventory management, maintains visibility of all theater assets, and acts as the theater's interface with the DARCOM wholesale level. It performs the mission and functions of supply management, maintenance, serviceability, transportation, intransit control, and SAAS/NICP interface management. It also provides the required logistical/tactical interface management.

Ammunition assets are divided into five general categories:

Prepositioned War Reserve Materiel Stocks (PWRMS) (1)

Operational Project Stocks

Basic Loads (2)

Training/Operational Stocks

Combat Operations Support Levels

Below Theater Application - Level 3. The stock control activity (Level 3) is an activity which exercises stock control over the assets of one or more storage activities.

Storage Activity - Level 4. The storage activity (Level 4) is one whose principal mission is to exercise custody of stocks for distribution to the user (Direct Support Unit role) or to other storage activities (General Support Unit role). This is an operational level and operates in a manual environment.

(1) PWRMS are part of the theater's war reserve and represent stockage levels of mission-essential items to support post D-day combat consumption until resupply from CONUS facilities can be accomplished.
(2) The basic load is that quantity of non-nuclear ammunition the theater commander authorizes for wartime purposes and requires to be designated for and carried into combat by a unit. The basic load provides the unit sufficient ammunition to sustain itself in combat until the unit can be resupplied.

Standard USAREUR Munitions Systems (SUMS)

To accommodate the installation of the SAAS Level 1 system in USAREUR, the Miesau Army Depot lot locator system was renamed as the SUMS and expanded to provide a reporting capability to SAAS level 1.

SUMS operates in two modes, the "depot mode" and the "visbility mode." The "depot mode" accommodates those processes necessary for managing and controlling the day-to-day operations of an accountable supply distribution activity (ASDA) such as Miesau Army Depot. (Class V accountability in USAREUR is decentralized.) This service is provided also for the 84th Ordnance Battalion in support of its management of approximately thirty (30) prestock points stocking war reserves and units' basic loads. SUMS serves all other USAREUR munitions activities in the non-accountable "visibility mode."

As of 31 December 1981, USAREUR had 838,000 short tons of storage capacity on the continent and in the United Kingdom. The largest of the sites were as follows:

LOCATION	NET SQ FEET	STORAGE CAPACITY (A)	(A) short tons
United Kingdom
Bramely	689	98,429
Caerwent	573	81,857
Italy
Camp Darby	334	47,714
BENELUX
Sugny	66	9,429
Barronville	110	15,714
Germany
Miesau/Weilerbach	1,860	265,714
Saarland Sites (4)	98	14,000
Fischbach	196	28,000
Bruchsal	168	24,000
Dahn	131	18,714
Kriegsfeld	150	21,429
Muenster	110	15,714
Bamberg	102	14,572
Koeppern	270	38,571
Viernheim	155	22,143
Other (1)	854	122,000

(1) The 122,000 short ton capacity of the "Other" category is spread among 30-plus sites whose individual capacities range from medium to very small.

(Source: GAO Report, NSIAD-94-148R Military Ammunition in Europe, 1994)

Ammunition Stockpile in USAREUR, FY1991 -- 900,000 short tons on-hand

Number of Storage Sites in USAREUR, FY1991 -- 101

ORDNANCE AMMUNITION COMPANIES, mid-1980s

UNIT	SUPPORTED CMD	LOCATION	COMMENTS
15th ORD BN			battalion operates a total of 18 PSP's (1984) ; in 1991, AOR encompasses area reaching from Wildflecken (east) to Darmstadt (south) to Mainz (west) and Butzbach (north) (1)
60th Ord Co	3rd AD?	Friedberg	activated Jan 16 1985
144th Ord Co	WTA	Wildflecken	operates ASP 3 at Wildflecken MTA in support of training ops
184th Ord Co	8th ID?	Münster	operates PSP in support of V Corps combat units
2040th CSG	V Corps	Darmstadt
101st ORD BN
20th Ord Co	3rd ID	Regensburg
501st Ord Co	VII Corps units	Crailsheim	operates 5 PSP's (1982)
529th Ord Co	1st AD	Nürnberg	activated July 15 1985
663rd Ord Co	GTA	Vilseck	operates ASP 1 in support of operations at Grafenwöhr MTA
2041st CSG	VII Corps
84th ORD BN

191st ORD BN

196th ORD BN

(1) The 4230th CSG (Guard), with six detachments, provides physical security for all Class V storage sites under 15th Ord Bn control (1984).

The corps ordnance ammunition battalion operates a number of prestock points (PSP's) throughout the corps area of responsibility. These PSP's contain every kind of conventional ammunition required by the combat units that they support. Each PSP is divided into sections which store the same type of ammo. The ammo is stored in protected concrete bunkers and each supported unit has its own designated location for the ammo storage unique to its mission.

Ammo stocks at the PSP's can be mobilized at any time and transported to Corps forward combat positions.

The concept of "modeling" used in USAREUR means that each unit's basic load - all the ammo needed for the initial stages of a conflict - is stored at the same location. In the event of an outbreak of hostilities, the units would move to their PSP's, upload their ammo and transport it to the field.

The Ordnance Ammunition Company is composed (1985) of

Hq Platoon

1st Magazine Platoon

(2nd Magazine Platoon)

Maintenance and Service Platoon

Communications Platoon

A Forward Storage Theater Site (FSTS) consists of approx. 20 bunkers or storage magazines
A Prestock Point (PSP) consists of approx. 30 magazines

(Source: German Bundesarchiv, via Rick Anders, and other sources)

Conventional Class V Storage Sites in Germany

Information is still incomplete.

(Sources: Base Realignment and Closure announcements, early 1990s, HQ USAREUR)

LOCATION	DESIG.	UNIT	COMMENTS
Langen	PSP 2J		Also known as Walldorf Ammunition Area?
(near Büdingen)	PSP 3J		Koeppern Ammo Area?
Münster-Dieburg	PSP 4J		Germans designate PSP as MUNA Münster; colocated with the conventional Class V storage facility was a large SW-storage fac (NATO 111)
Vielbrunn	PSP 5J		Germans designate PSP as Munitionslager Hainhaus
(near Tauberbischofsheim)	PSP 6J		(Standortmunitionsniederlage Tauberbischofsheim?)
Würzburg	PSP 7J		Steinbachtal Ammunition Area (at Büchelberg)
Kòppern-Nord	PSP 8J		Germans also designate PSP as Munitionslager Wehrheim; in use by US Army from 1949 to 1996
Fulda	PSP 16J		Bimbach Class V Storage Area?
Böblingen	PSP 25
(near Schw. Hall)	PSP 26		probably MUNA Kupfer Ammunition Facility
Bad Mergentheim	PSP 27J		probably Roggenberg Ammunition Area
Waldstetten	PSP 28
Oberdachstetten	PSP 30
(near Ansbach)	PSP 31		at Urlas?
(near Günzburg)	PSP 32
Tennenlohe	PSP 34J
Hepberg	PSP 35
Spabrücken	PSP 50
Fürfeld	PSP 51
(near Worms)	PSP 52		at Eppelsheim?
Lampertheim	PSP 54
Bernbach	PSP 56J
(near Germersheim)	PSP 75
Kandel	PSP 76
Schifferstadt	PSP 77
Friedrichstal	PSP 78		at Hochstetten (near Linkenheim)
Schwetzingen?	PSP 79
(near Heilbronn)	PSP 80
(near Ulm)	PSP 81
Crailsheim	PSP 82
(near Bamberg)	PSP 94

Darmstadt	PSP 242

(Lorsch-Viernheim)	RASP 951
Kriegsfeld	RASP 952
Limbach	RASP 953
Bruchsal	RASP 971
Dahn	RASP 972

Lemberg	PSP A64
Ruppertsweiler	PSP A65
Leimen	PSP A67
Börrstadt	PSP A82

Haustadt	PSP S5
Differten	PSP S9A
Büschfeld	PSP S29A
Urexweiler	PSP 32

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