The mission that the twenty military/civilian workers was to store and keep an up to date inventory of approximately 2.5 million maps, primarily of Europe in different quantities and scales. These maps came from the civilian mapping agencies in Europe with military grids added. So the coverage and quantity would change as war plans changed. We also replaced old editions with newer ones. Also in classified storage was information like artillery registration and some Air Force related documents. Generally we could supply maps to new units arriving from the States in the event of a build-up.

The maps were in packages of 25-200 and stored in stacked wooden boxes, say about 8 high. Each box was around 12” high and 36”wide with the front hinged. These boxes and the pallets kept the carpenter busy.

In the event of an emergency evacuation, we had enough thermite grenades ordered to destroy each stack. Otherwise just the edges would burn due to the dense packing.

Other than responding to an occasional request for a city map of Orleans for a new arrival in the OAC, we did not distribute many maps. The Engineer Intelligence Center name on the sign out front may have discouraged other casual visitors.

The old maps had to be sliced into approximately four inch strips. This was not for security reasons, but to keep them for being used as wrapping paper such as for fish which offended some countries! The sliced maps were sold for scrap.

Motor vehicle equipment included a 5-ton truck, a ¾-ton truck, a jeep, and a small Renault bus. The latter was to transport the GIs to meals, sick call, and general training at the 34th General Hospital about 5 mi. east on RN152. There was also a run after work for movies, libraries, classes, etc. at either the Hospital or the Caserne in Orleans. For these activities we had a driver assigned as needed each day.

In the warehouse we had two forklifts and several pallet jacks and mobile stairs.

The warehouse was a large single building about 100 ft. wide by 200 ft. long (see aerial photo from 1968 above). In it were the maps, unit offices, and carpentry shop. Adjacent was a Quonset hut with a sanitary block attached at back end. The unmarried enlisted men stayed there. Married soldiers and I lived in scattered civilian rental housing. Overall Depot area inside fence was two acres.

As an independent unit we had annual inspections by both the Inspector General and the Counter Intelligence Corps staff. We did not have any formal inspections from EIC. My contact with EIC was on an as needed basis. I visited Schwetzingen once or at most twice a year.

Recreational opportunities on location were limited due to small size of the Company Fund. We were ale to buy a few things like a TV for the Day Room. Programs however were in French and only a few channels. In late afternoon we did try to get out behind the warehouse and play volleyball or hit a softball. I often played in due to our small numbers of GIs to begin with, having someone monitoring the phone, and often someone on a vehicle run. My involvement in a volleyball game resulted in a cracked wrist bone just prior to the end of my tour in Dec 1962. I therefore opted to stay in the Army in Orleans until it healed. That took until Mar 1963. In the meantime I was promoted to Captain and continued to be CO. So I wound up being the CO for almost 39 months which might be a record in general, but certainly for the 23rd.

Because we were so small we needed to be attached locally to a bigger unit for support such as vehicle maintenance, general training, records, and the rare court martial. I had company punishment (Article 15) authority.

When I arrived in 1960 we were attached to the Orleans Area Command (OAC). But that attachment was not satisfactory. Therefore we were reattached to the 34th General Hospital which like us was operationally directly under Heidelberg or in our case indirectly via Schwetzingen. However, because we were located in the OAC area of responsibility for military installations, I continued to have the additional duty as one of the OAC Activity Commanders. So I attended the regular meetings of the Commanders with the OAC Commanding Officer and staff.

Biggest issue that came up at an OAC meeting was what to do for additional security at US Bases when elements of the French Army revolted in Algeria in 1961. The concern was that sympathisers might attempt to break in to get arms and explosives. However we wanted to avoid the accidental shooting of a French civilian.

At the depot we would have a soldier assigned as a Charge of Quarters to be on duty after normal work hours and on weekends. They were unarmed. Locking the front gate and making a periodic walk around was it. So OAC decided that the security personnel should be armed, but unloaded. Clip was in pocket. Nothing happened!

The Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 did not affect our unit.

When the monthly alert came down from Germany, all the units dispatched a vehicle to contact those living in civilian housing which was scattered all over. So military vehicles would be passing one another in opposite directions. I lived in a historic mill on opposite side of Loire River near Olivet. So by the time the driver got there it was usually time to go to work. Big factor was that it took two years to get a civilian phone. Just long enough to be close to rotating back to States.

Our unit’s phone was a civilian number, St Ay 36, because of our isolated location. The phone was activated by a spring lever which got you a French operator. You had to give her in French the number of the Military Phone Exchange. Then you told a LWR employee at the exchange who spoke English what military number you wanted.

During the Berlin Wall Crisis in 1961, all units were brought up to full strength. We did not have space or work for the new arrivals, so we kept them for a night or two and shipped them to Schwetzingen. My two year tour due to end in Dec was extended one more year because of the crisis. This happened to all military personnel in Europe.

A doctor from the 34th General Hospital rented a house behind the Depot. He came by occasionally to use our phone to call the hospital because as mentioned above he did not have one at home.

So in general we all had higher levels of responsibility (I and the platoon Sergeant full time and the GIs when CQ) than our rank would normally require. I had some topnotch NCOs who deserve some of the credit for my being awarded the Army Commendation Medal for my period as CO. That award came as a complete surprise as I was notified just after leaving active duty.

The LWRs were very good workers. Sometimes, when a GI crossed the line, I wished that we had more LWRs and fewer GIs.

Instead of coffee breaks the LWRs had wine! In the winter they heated the wine. Never was this a problem.

The location of the Depot in 1960 was on the eastern edge of St. Ay right on the southern side of RN152. It was said that it was used by the Germans in WWII to store gas masks. The single large warehouse building was still there when I visited in 1981. It was being used to assemble trucks. However around 2005 when I drove thru the town, the boundary had moved further west and the best I could determine there is now a supermarket on the site. There is a roundabout at the supermarket (use the GOOGLE link above to view a recent satellite image of the area).

Also I’m converting several slides to disc which show both the outside and inside of the depot taken in 1960.

Looking at the aerial photo above, the four grey rectangles in the upper left is the single roof of the depot which was triangular in cross-section at top with vertical walls with windows for natural light just below. To the upper right of the depot is the Quonset hut with the sanitary block just behind. Structure behind and adjacent to third grey rectangle from right was I believe a drainage manhole. The LWRs use to take off the lid and harvest snails! T he area immediately behind the depot was partially paved. The area further behind was just weeds which we had graded for when we hit softballs. The left break in the perimeter line along RN152 looks about right for the main gate. Don’t recall if there was a second gate to right. If so we did not use it. Structure in upper right corner might have been power related.