Motor Pools, Transport Corporals, etc.

I'm still looking for further information on the logistics of the infantry company-- more specifically, the heavy weapons company, beyond just the Table of Organization. I'm still researching my grandfather who finished the war as a Tec 4, and most likely was a motor mechanic for the duration of his service. He joined the 30th Infantry Regiment in late 43 already with extensive automotive repair training, promoted to Pfc in December of that year, and promoted to Tec 4 in August of '45. So he was Pfc for the majority of his time in the war. Given that he was likely involved with mechanic and transport duties, where would he have fit in as a Pfc?

I'm interested in learning how the mechanics, transport corporals and sergeant, etc. conducted on-the-fly vehicle repairs, how they organized trucked movements for marches and assaults, standards and regs for motor pools, how their efforts were coordinated with their company, the rifle companies, regimental HQ, etc. Their activities and duties when the company/battalion/regiment was in reserve vs. when they were in combat, etc., their responsibilities when the company/battalion was on the defense. I'm interested in learning the differences between the duties and responsibilities of "Service Company" versus the responsibilities of "service personnel" such as my grandfather who were part of an infantry company.

I've asked these questions before, in sort of a roundabout way when asking about my grandfather, but I figured I'd pick your brains again, and perhaps I'll get lucky.Thanks in advance for any info you guys might have.

 

You might find something of worth here:
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/ref/FM/PDFs/FM7-15.PDF
or in one of the other FM's here:
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/ref/FM/

 

Thanks lwd, I've been reading those and they are quite helpful, but I'm looking for a bit more than that. Thanks again, though!

 

However, I am checking out the Motor Transport field manual. It's quite informative.

 

Have you checked to see if his unit has a web page? If so, particularly if they have a unit historian, they may be a good source. Even if his unit is not other units that were in the same larger formation or the larger formation may be of some help.

If you can frame even a few more detailed questions that may help as well. The often tend to spark responses and may get a convorsation moving where the more general ones leave people without a focus.

 

The 30th Infantry Regiment Society has be defunct for several years now, due to low membership. I've contacted several private historians of the 3rd Infantry Division, and they apparently couldn't be bothered to help me out... they just wanted to brag about their "papers" and their own relative's experiences. But I shall look into contacting historians for the 30th's sister regiments (7th and 15th), and perhaps, as you said, they might be able to help me out.

I'll try to think of some more specific questions tonight and get them posted when I get the chance. Thanks for your time and interest!

 

You might also want to look up the divisional associations. The wider the net the more people and the better the chance for a response. It might not be as specific as you want but sometimes you can be surprised. Good luck with this.

 

I contacted a fellow with the 3rd ID Society a year or two ago, when I knew nothing about what my grandfather did, maybe I'll contact him again.

Here's a question:

I've been perusing the company's morning reports and logging the locations, and towards the end of the war, when the regiment and division was quickly moving from town to town, village to village, recapturing them and kicking the Germans back, they often marched on foot. But several morning reports, and other literature, indicate the regiment would meet at a central assembly point, near the regimental headquarters in a secured town somewhere, and they would often truck to the next town where there were Germans to root out. Quite often, these "trucked" marches would be a matter of a few thousand yards over the course of a night or early morning, where they would de-truck, and move to attack. Obviously, mechanics and drivers would not be with this group, as they were not for combat.

What did these support personnel do when the rest of their units were on the attack? I assume they did their jobs, fixed vehicles, etc. and took care of the support stuff for the company. My grandfather was with Company H for his entire service and was never wounded. This tells me he spent his time in the rear area, away from the fighting. But the Table of Organization etc. says all of these men were also issued personal weapons. Was this for emergency situations? Did they have to keep these weapons with them at all times? Were there cases in other units in other US divisions on the western front where entire companies and regiments even, cooks and all, had to pickup their weapons and hold a line?

I assume in defense and long-term static situations, Company HQ units would usually be located in Combat Outposts (COPs) in suitable areas that provided ideal avenues for resupply, reinforcements, and evacuations to the front, as well as good lines of communication, and I assume good line-of-sight when practical? How far from the front lines were these COPs, and how far from these COPs would you usually find the transport corporals, the transport sergeant, the mechanics, the drivers, etc.? Or would they be located with the regiment HQ, rather than the company HQ?

 

Usually the Regimental Service Companies were in a separate location from the RGT HQ in the Regimental Trains area. They would send out repair and recovery detachments to the various battalions as necessary. The Regimental Trains were generally located along the main supply route at the rear of the Regimental boundary. In your description it sounds like your father was in a Heavy Weapons or Support Company which had limited transport (5 trucks or so) and repair capabilities unless the battalion was Armored Infantry (Halftracks). The Battalion Heavy Weapons/Support Company would have detachments to the Companies (MG sections) and mortars set up about 500 yards behind the Main Line of Resistance.

In your example of the infantry being trucked to another area the transport would have been provided by the Corps truck companies/battalions as the WWII Infantry Regiment would not have enough transport to lift more than a couple of companies of guys. After the area was made secure by the infantry the trains would move up. A Heavy Weapons or Support company would have Mortars deploying to the rear of the attacking formations with MG detachments part of the attacking formations but the other support services would be at their old location.

COPs were generally located within support weapons range of the Main Line of Resistance so within about 500 yards. Transport personnel would be in the Battalion Trains so about 1000 yards from the COPs unless they had a specific mission to go pick something up or drop something off. But bringing a truck that far forward would be risky.

Every soldier has a job as an infantryman as required so personal weapons were issued to all troops in a combat zone for self defense.

 

SirJahn -- THANK YOU! This is exactly the kind of information I was looking for. And yes, he was indeed in a heavy weapons company.