From: John Seidts (jseidts@astory.com)
Date: Mon Jun 28 2004 - 05:48:28 PDT
This brings a point up in the discussion between Sonny and Paul about what
is written and what really happened. I had a friend who was a battalion
maintenance NCO in a field artillery battalion in the Pacific in WWII. I
have read extensively on the TO&E's of WWII units and was in the US Army
from 1985 to 1997. During my first two years, I was in the combat support
company of an infantry battalion, which had the standard TO&E, with the
echelons above and below, and can say with some certainty (the BN
Maintenance WO was a friend of mine) that they DID do maintenance above and
beyond their allowances in order to have vehicles fielded. I know this
wasn't true everywhere, and that Sonny definitely knows what he is talking
about, but I remember pulling power packs out of jeeps (M151) to swap them
out to keep things running. I also remember that when the officers were
around, we were NOT allowed to be caught doing such things, as this spoiled
their conception of TAMMS. But the BN maintenance WO was grateful for our
extra help because he really liked going to the old man and having the same
number of vehicles deadlined (ones that were completely worn out and just
not worth fixing) which he knew he would not get back from echelons above
for 4-5 MONTHS (and the old man if he was worth anything, knew the same
thing)!
In WWII, I think that they used the system set up at the time to full good
measure, and this was because they needed the 11 Bang Bangs out doing their
job killing Germans or Japanese, not hanging around the motorpool changing
radiators, etc. My friend who was a company commander in WWII, and other
anecdotal sources, were pretty emphatic when they described that if
something broke, they left it in place, with a guard or a few guards, and in
a few hours or at most a day, they had a replacement vehicle ready to go-
usually not the same vehicle. Very often, these came from the Divisional
supply pool, which probably drew them from the higher units rebuild shops,
which were also made from consolidating the resources of several subordinate
units into a location where things like major rebuilding could be
accomplished without interruption.
Interesting subject, though, and I wonder how the maintenance guys are doing
in Iraq/Afghanistan with the present system- but I'd like to hear the NCO's
take before I heard the Officer's opinion!
----- Original Message -----
From: <notmanr7@comcast.net>
To: "Military Vehicles Mailing List" <mil-veh@mil-veh.org>
Sent: Monday, June 28, 2004 8:26 AM
Subject: [MV] Levels of Maintenance
> I have just joined the list after listening to one of the members at the
MVPA convention
> in Mobile talk it up. I quickly read the "rules", forgive me if this is
quite correct for my
> first posting...
>
> There is a discussion going on about maintenance levels. I don't know
anything about
> 50s, 60s, etc on how it was done. However, I have studied how it was done
in WW2.
>
> There were five levels or echelons of maintenance during WW2.
>
> First Echelon(company) - "A vehicle in combat service receives prescribed
daily and
> weekly preventive maintenance from the driver and assistant driver..."
>
> Second Echelon (company) - "...with more thorough preventive maintenance
monthly
> from the company mechanic, who also makes minor repairs and adjustment"
This would
> be the guy or team of guys that would remove your busted transmission and
install a
> new or repaired one. The would not be the crew that would rebuild major
components,
> except under unusual circumstances.
>
> Second Echelon (battalion or regimental) - "Semi-annually it receives
preventive
> maintenance from the battalion or regimental mechanic, who has more
equipment and a
> little more time to use it."
>
> Third Echelon Light Maintenance (divisional) - "If major repairs are found
necessary, a
> recovery truck from the Ordnance light maintenance company hauls it back
to the light
> maintenance mobile repair shop in the division bivouac area for
replacement of the
> defective unit."
>
> Third Echelon Medium Maintenance (corps or army) - "If time and facilities
here are not
> enough for the job, a recovery truck from the Ordnance medium maintenance
company
> (corps of troops) hauls it back to a larger medium maintenance semi-mobile
repair shop.
> Here, unit assemblies may be replaced and small accessory assemblies may
be
> overhauled."
>
> Fourth Echelon Heavy Maintenance (army) - "IF the vehicle's condition is
very bad, a
> recovery truck from the Ordnance heavy maintenance company hauls it back
to the
> heavy maintenance semi-mobile repair shop in the army service area. There
its usable
> parts and assemblies are combined with those of other disabled vehicles in
a process
> called "cannibalizing," by which serviceable vehicles are created."
>
> Fifth Echelon (motor base) - "Finally, the faulty assemblies replaced by
third and fourth
> echelons are shipped to the motor base in the communications zone or zone
of the
> interior for precision production-line rebuilding. They will then be sent
back to the third
> and fourth echelons for repair of other vehicles."
>
> The above is a "birds eye view of the echelons at work..this illustrates
what happens to
> a vehicle in an Infantry Division--the echelons through which it passes
and the work
> each echelon does on it. Almost the same plan holds for the other types of
division."
>
> This was taken from the June 1943 Army Motors. There is also another
great article
> from January 1941, AM entitled "A Guide Through The Maintenance Maze."
That helps
> one understand how all the echelons work.
>
> As I said I'm new to the list so I will introduce myself if that's okay.
I have been a mv
> collector since about 1980, a member of the MVPA since about 1983..well,
at any rate
> I'm member no. 4249.
>
> I have had my present 1942 Ford GPW since about 1981. I have dragged the
jeep
> from Panama City, FL to Vandenberg AFB, CA, to Minot AFB, ND, Eielson AFB,
AK and
> back to Panama City (Tyndall AFB) over a span of 16 years-until I retired
from the AF in
> 1995. There is nothing quite as fun as driving a vehicle...a WW2 jeep in
the winters in
> ND and AK. I especially enjoyed driving my jeep in AK at -45F (no
windchill) because I
> had to get to work and my primary vehicle wouldn't start. No that was a
blast. I had a
> fully enclosed top that was modelled on the post-war top and two heaters
(that was
> before I had learned WW2 jeeps could have heaters installed during the
war-I finally got
> one last year). WW2 defrosters on the windshield let me see as well as
the ice fog
> would let me. All that and dressed in parka, bunny pants, mukluks and it
was quite a
> toasty ride to the base-about 15 miles or so in the dark and ice fog..only
seeing the
> white line painted on the road. Hairy but fun! So as not to tie up the
list any more you
> can see my jeep on my website should you be interested www.42FordGPW.com
and
> there you can also read about other jeep items from WW2. I have a
fondness for WW2
> modifications like the T1 Air Compressor, Vac wipers and such.
>
> Bob N.
> www.42FordGPW.com
>
>
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>
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