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Originally Posted by Webstral
Writing new material creaks forward. Can anyone tell me how many trucks there are in a light/medium or medium truck squad [US Army]? I should know, but I can't remember. I've been hunting down transportation TO&E, but I can never get lower than squad level.
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I was retrofitted to TC in 1973, and served in 4 Trans Bde 1974-77 at the Motor Transport Clearance Authority (MOTCA). We cleared freight for movement by 37th Trans Group, which had at the time FIVE battalions of line-haul trucks from duces to hets. You call, well haul (sometimes, but that's a different story).
The medium and light truck company each had three platoons of two squads of TEN cargo transporting vehicles, each vehicle assigned a driver and assistant, so a squad was ~20 men..AND WOMEN.. including the squad leader. The company of three platoons had 60 primary vehicles assigned.
The light-medium company was a light truck company (with either duces or five tonners) and an added platoon of medium trucks. This company was 'rare' and our whole group had NONE. They were usually found in corps level trans battalions. The L-M company had 60 light trucks and 20 mediums. It should be noted that each medium truck company has TWO semi trailers for each tractor.
In 37th, all the cargo stake&plats (flatbeds with removable sides) were pooled for general use. (a nightmare to control I might add in the days before computers were common use). Tankers, lowboys, HETs, and reefers were NOT pooled as such, though reefers were sort of..
I worked operations as operations NCO.. there were 700 tractors to control on an average day. We REALLY had fun during REFORGER when we supplied BOTH SIDES.. I have some interesting tidbits there for sure.
In my OpFred game I had the transportation company using the concept they use in Oz.. land trains. Nope they couldn't run as fast as the down-unders, but speed was not the issue, it was transporting the most with the least. the controling factor there was getting enough dollies to make up the train.
Hope this helps around the trivval stuff.
FB