295th Ordnance Heavy Maintenance Company (FA)
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The 295th Ordnance Heavy Maintenance Company (FA)' was a Field Army company of the United States Army from April 16, 1943, through January 1, 1946[1], serving in the European Theatre of World War II.
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[edit] Training
The 295th Ordnance Medium Company was activated at Camp Sutton, North Carolina on April 16, 1943. At the time of activation, the company consisted of four officers and twenty-three enlisted men. Between April and August 1944, while stationed at Camp Gordon, Georgia, the company's name was changed to the 295th Ordnance Heavy Maintenance Company (295th Ordnance H.M. Company) and would remain in effect until January 1, 1946.
[edit] Camp Sutton
Basic training began at Camp Sutton, North Carolina, on May 31, 1943; however, the company was moved by truck convoy on July 21, 1943, to Camp Toccoa, Georgia, to complete it.
[edit] Camp Toccoa
On July 21, 1943, the 295th men arrived in Toccoa, Georgia, were issued jump boots, and by November 24, 1943, completed basic training, which included long road marches and an increased emphasis on physical training (Currahee Mountain).
[edit] Camp Campbell
The company arrived at Camp Campbell, Kentucky, at about 4:30 p.m. on November 25, 1943, where they were greeted by the advanced company with a Thanksgiving Day dinner. The company was transferred from the 19th to the 14th Detachment, Special Troops, 2nd Army, and given permanent assignments to different sections, as well as, instruction in shop operation. Many men were sent to specialist schools, including those at Atlanta, Aberdeen, and Detroit.
Here, the company continued with hikes and calisthenics, as in basic training, and began to serve such units as the 20th Armored and the 26th Infantry Divisions. For excellent work performed on equipment of the 26th Division, the company received a verbal commendation from the Ordnance officer of that unit.
[edit] Tennessee Manuevers
On February 26, 1944, the company set out for Manuever Headquarters in Manchester, Tennessee [2]. The purpose of this training was to provide the company with experience in actual field operations. "Between September 1942 and March 1944 nearly one million soldiers passed through the Tennessee Maneuvers area." [3]
[edit] Camp Forrest
Following the Tennessee Manuevers, the company put into Camp Forrest, Tennessee, for several days to perform necessary vehicle and equipment maintenance. On April 1, 1944, they pushed onto Camp Gordon reaching Fort McPherson in East Point, Georgia, by evening.
[edit] Fort McPherson
On the evening of April 1, 1944, the 295th Ordnance Medium Maintenance Company ate chow (dinner), claimed their evening passes, and eventually hit-the-rack (slept).
[edit] Camp Gordon
On April 2, 1944, the company arrived at Camp Gordon and was placed under the command of the 3rd Detachment of Second Army Special Troops as part of the 179th Ordnance Battalion. In addition, they were renamed, by order, from 295th Ordnance Medium Maintenance Company to 295th Ordnance Heavy Maintenance Company.
The company received "night-ops" training (blackouts, infiltration course runs), extensive malaria control training along with the standard hikes and road marches.
[edit] Fort Jackson
The company moved to Fort Jackson, South Carolina, on September 12, 1944 completing the move in one day. Upon arrival, it was placed under the command of the 12th Detachment, Special Troops, Second Army, and immediately began processing its vehicles, tools, and equipment for the long ocean crossing (waterproofing). After everything was ready, the company loaded its own equipment on flat-cars.
October 23, 1944, at 12:00 p.m., the 295th Ordnance H.M. Company marched to the railroad depot, while a band played "Dixie".
[edit] Camp Kilmer
The train arrived at 4:30 a.m. on October 23, 1944, several hours ahead of time. The first three days were spent receiving shots, participating in emergency drill procedures for life aboard a ship, and attending lectures on conduct overseas.
[edit] Battle Operations
[edit] Port of Embarkation
At 6:00 p.m. on October 29, 1944, the 295th Ordnance H.M. Company departed Camp Kilmer by foot enroute the Port of Embarkation; it was a three mile walk to the railroad loading area.
When the train arrived across the bay from New York City, the company was transferred by ferry to the pier where they waited to board the SS Argentina troop ship and enjoyed coffee and doughnuts, compliments of the American Red Cross.
One by one, each man's name was called and he made his way on-board the converted luxury liner. The 295th was quarted on "B" deck near the center of the ship. In groups of twenty-eight, the men were assigned staterooms where they hung their hammocks.
At 10:15 p.m, the last 295th man boarded the ship, and at 7:00 a.m. on October 30, 1944, the SS Argentina made its way out of the New York Harbor enroute Liverpool, England. There were many cargo ships in the convoy, but several destroyer-escorts provided protection against possible attack.
[edit] LiverPool, England
Land was first sighted on November 11, 1944. The Argentina sailed up the Irish sea and into the harbor at Liverpool, England. For an entire day, the ship awaited clearance to dock. It was thought by many to be attributed to the dense fog and near zero visibility. On the evening of November 12, 1944, the Argentina moved to shore and was moored at the pier.
Early on November 13, 1944, the troops disembarked onto foreign soil, as an English civilian band played the tune the "Beer Barrel Polka". Once again, the men enjoyed coffee and doughnuts with compliments of the American Red Cross. Carrying packs and baggage, the 295th Ordnance H.M. Company made the tedious hike to the railroad station where they boarded the English railway coaches.
[edit] Wem
Following a forty mile journey, the company detrained at the town of Wem in Shropshire, where they hiked to a less than desirable billet area. Under the command of Western District Base, the 295th Ordnance H.M. Company was attached to the Engineer Depot G-16 for administration. The first challenge confronting the company was the recovery of equipment, which had come in several different ships all docking in many of the various ports.
Teams from the company travelled throughout the United Kingdom on "Inspection and Maintenance" tours with a particular emphasis in working on weapons. In addition, the 295th Ordnance H.M. Company furnished M.P. patrols for the town of Wem.
[edit] Ninth Army
In January, the 295th Ordnance H.M. Company was transferred to the 23rd Corps; however, that did not last long and by the end of the month they were ordered across the channel as part of the Ninth Army.
[edit] Weymouth
In the early morning hours of January 29, 1945, the company departed Wem for Weymouth, a 209-mile trek through fog, snow, and icy road conditions. At 10:00 p.m., the convoy arrived at the Port of Weymouth having passed through the towns of Shrewsbury, Wellington, Worcester, Cheltenham, and Bath.
On February 30, 1945, the first group of men (six total) and most of the heavy equipment were loaded aboard the Landing Ship, Tank (LST) and then sent across the English Channel putting into Le Havre, France.
The next group (consisting of about half of the personnel in the company) and the remainder of the vehicles, were loaded and moved across the Channel on February 1, 1945.[4]
One group, comprising most of the personnel, was left in England. This last team had to wait several days for the weather to clear up, and it wasn’t until February 5, 1945, following supper time, that they finally departed for Le Havre. They landed at about 12:00 p.m. on February 6, 1945.
[edit] Le Havre, France
Both the second and third groups, upon disembarking on the Le Harve beach, were convoyed to a marshalling area near Rouen, France.
[edit] Camp Twenty Grand
On February 9, 1945, following the survey of damage done by Allied planes at Le Havre, the company convoyed approximately forty miles east of Le Havre to Camp Twenty Grand, one of nine "Cigarette Camps". Camp Twenty Grand consisted of thousands of six-man pyramidal tents set up as a staging area where newly arrived GIs would be assigned their duties in the ETO.[5].
The best of accommodations were well-ventilated squad tents on grass floors; however, the luxuries of canvas cots and an occasional small stove were afforded. The 295th Ordnance H.M. Company had their own kitchen and mess hall serving three square meals a day. Most transient troops walked as far as three-quarters of a mile to the camp mess tent, which featured a five hundred man line, two meals a day, where one had their choice of either standing or sitting in the mud to eat.
On February 14, 1945, the company pulled out of Camp Twenty Grand enroute an undisclosed destination near Aachen, Germany. This journey required a trip across Northern France and through the southern half of Belgium. The convoy passed through the Amiens, Cambrai, and Valenciennes; and in Belgium, through Mons, Charleroi, and Namur.
[edit] Visẻ, Belgium
Visé, Belgium, was reached on February 15, 1945, where the company was ordered to halt. Most of the Company spent the night in nearby hotels, while the rest found berthing in nearby buildings. It was planned that the company would set up a shop in Visé early the next day.
The next morning, while beginning their work, a German buzz bomb struck about a mile outside of town. This was the first real explosion that the men of the 295th Ordnance H.M. Company had experienced and many of them men stated that it "sounded like an old Model-T coming down the road. Then came a “Wham!” that knocked some of them flat and even made trucks bounce like toys."Coon, Thomas E. 1946
The 295th Ordnance H.M. Company didn’t stay long in Visẻ. An inspection of the existing facilities within the town proved that it would be impossible to set up a functioning shop there.
[edit] Maastricht, Holland
On February 15, 1945, orders were issued for the company to move north to Maastricht, Holland, where conditions were more suitable. The convoy arrived in Maastricht at 7:30 that same evening and were given a portion of a large tile factory to set up shop and billets. While initially, there were no cots or suitable quarters, cots were eventually "procured" and various modifications were made within the structure to improve its habitability, including the installation of showers.
Maastricht was the site of Ninth Army headquarters and was always extremely active, especially given ongoing preparations for the Roer River Offensive. The 295th Ordnance H.M. Company was placed under the command of the 60th Ordnance Group and the 340th Ordnance Battalion and was issued work immediately, the brunt of it being automotive .
High water on the Roer river had been holding back the Ninth Army, but finally it subsided enough for a full-scale successful attempt at a crossing. The Company was reassigned to the 178th Ordnance Battalion, under the 79th Ordnance Group. On March 9, 1945, the company left Maastricht for Tegelen, Holland.
[edit] Notes
- ^ This date reflects the combined service dates of both the 295th Medium and Heavy Ordnance Companies.
- ^ "COFFEE COUNTY", "Tennessee Historical Society.
- ^ "SECOND ARMY (TENNESSEE) MANEUVERS", Tennessee Historical Society.
- ^ The Landing Ship, Tank (LST) was forced to turn around once that day due to bad weather causing a three-hour delay.
- ^ Gallagher, Robert F. "World War II: Chapter 14 - Camp Twenty Grand, France, 1999 - 2005
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- Parker Jr., Theodore W. & Thompson, Col. (1947). "History Conquer: the Story of the Ninth Army, 1944-1945". Washington Infantry Journal Press. ISBN 0898390273.
- Coon, Thomas E.(1946). "History of 295th Ordinance H.M. Company (FA)". Printed By R. Oldenbourg. Munich, Germany
