World War II and Korea

69th Ordnance Co. in Korea. Pictures contributed by Robert Garner

World War II

There isn't a lot of information on the 69th Ordnance Company's WWII experience on the web. I recall from the unit history, which at one time was in the SitePluto day room, that the unit was originally a black unit with white officers in the old segregated army. This fact is borne out by the only reference I have found on the web, which states as follows:

"Lieutenant Milosh Popovich, '39, for many years a member of the board of the OSU Alumni Association and a fixture at Golden Jubilee Reunions, arrived in the combat zone 10 days after the invasion [of North Africa]. His 69th Ordnance Ammunition Company, a unit of African American soldiers with white officers, was given the job of building a large ammunition dump near Rabat."

The original article is found here

More information on the WWII Unit history is found on the plaque which was suspended between two HJ skins in the admin area. A picture of that plaque, and a description, is here.

 

KOREA

The 69th Ordnance Ammunition Company was also in the Korean war. I have found two websites mentioning the Korean experince of the 69th. The first is the website of Bob Garner, which has the pictures posted above. The second website includes the following narrative of the 69th's involvement in a major battle. (The original narrative is found here.)

Capt. David L. Mathews, 69th Ordnance Ammunition Company. (Condensed from an interview by Lt. John Mewha, 8th Historical Detachment.)

During the defensive Battle of the Soyang River (10 May to 7 June 1951), X Corps exceeded all previous ammunition expenditures. The fighting was close and the divisions used "walls of steel" to halt the Communist drive.

The artillery made the greatest demand on ammunition because of the weight and bulk of their rounds. In this engagement the artillery often fired for long periods at five times the normal rate. On 22 May the artillery fired 49,986 rounds on the corps front. Artillerymen, firing at a rate of 250 rounds per gun per day, came to speak of "the Van Fleet rate of tare."

A normal build-up of ammunition in the forward areas had taken place before the attack. Units carried their basic loads, and the ammunition supply points at Hongchon and Wonju were well stocked. But in 28 days the corps expended 25,000 tons of ammunition, and fired more than 1,800 tons in one day. The supply level became low at Hongchon and trucks often had to make the longer drive to the supply point at Wonju. Airlift was used to bring hand grenades and ammunition to Hoengsong, but this never exceeded 300 tons a day.

During the entire battle, the 2d Magazine Platoon, 69th Ordnance Ammunition Company, remained in position at Hongchon-even though many other division and corps supply units had been withdrawn. At one point in the battle the enemy approached to within eight miles of the ammunition dump, so an infantry company was sent to guard that installation.

The ammunition platoon continued to supply ammunition without interruption. While a 500-ton capacity is its rated maximum, the platoon maintained a 1,163-tons-per-day level at the height of the battle. During a six-hour period in the middle of the night of 20-21 May, the platoon loaded 540 trucks with 4 tons of ammunition each.

More information on the Korean War Unit history is found on the plaque which was suspended between two HJ skins in the admin area. A picture of that plaque, and a description, is here.

Webmaster note: If you have any further information on the 69th Ordnance Company in World War II and Korea, please send it to me and I will post it. And--does anybody have a copy of the unit history? I will post it as well if you will scan it and send it to me. Or fax it or mail it. You can get my fax and snailmail address here.

Musical Selection: Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy From Company B