181st Transportation Battalion
The battalion consists of Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 181st Transportation Battalion on Turley Barracks Mannheim, 11th Transportation Company (Heavy Equipment Transport) on Turley and Spinelli Barracks Mannheim, 41st Transportation Company (Palletized Load System) on Rose Barracks Vilseck, 51st Transportation Company (Palletized Load System) on Turley Barracks Mannheim, 377th Transportation Company (Heavy Equipment Transporter) at the Grafenwoehr Training Area, and 515th Transportation Company (POL) on Turley and Spinelli Barracks.
The missions undertaken by the 181st Transportation Battalion emphasize tactical transportation and include transporting all classes of supply and oversized equipment for V Corps within the European Theater.
The 181st Transportation Battalion was originally constituted on 23 February 1943 in the ARmy of the United States as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 3RD Battalion 520TH Quartermaster Truck Regiment. It activated on 25 June 1943 at Camp Ellis, IL.
The unit was reorganized and redesignated on 25 January 1944 as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 181ST Quartermaster Battalion, Mobile. It inactivated 25 June 1946 in Germany.
It converted and was redesignated on 1 August 1946 as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 181ST Transportation Corps Truck Battalion.
It reactivated on 28 January 1952 in Germany, and was redesignated on 3 December 1954 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 181ST Transportation Battalion, and alloted to the Regular Army.
The battalion was redesignated on 20 February 1959 as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 181ST Transportation Battalion.
181st Transportation Battalion performed in a historic and exceptionally valiant manner while deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, 19 March 2003 to 18 November 2003 during all phases of operation from Reception, Staging, Onward Movement and Integration (RSO&I) of V Corps, the Victory Corps, through rapid and effective motor transport during intense combat operations, to the fluid transition to stability operations and nation building. The 181st Transportation Battalion set a new Army standard for how a truck battalion is supported in combat. Every unit and Soldier within the battalion significantly contributed to this historic operation providing support to a 150,000 Soldier fighting force of the Victory Corps, Theater and Coalition forces. The 181st expanded CSS operations from Arifjan, Kuwait to Mosul, Iraq, a distance of 828 miles in just three weeks.
The battalion transported over 18 million gallons of fuel, delivered over 564,540 short tons of supplies, and traveled over 10 million miles of dangerous roads in Iraq. The "Road Warriors" moved all classes of supplies, often in extremely hazardous terrain both physically and under enemy action. Doing so, the battalion revolutionized In-Transit Visibility (ITV) on the road by utilizing DTRACS (Defense Transportation Reporting and Control System) over the road on each mission. The system not only provided quality customer visibility on the road, but also saved lives by calling in MEDEVAC by messaging, and warning oncoming convoys of enemy activity.
The 181st Trans Bn grew from garrison strengths of under 500 to wartime strengths of over 2,300. This was an ongoing process throughout all phases of combat operations receiving units, staging them, onward moving and effectively integrating as needed to support the 3D Corps Support Commander’s concept of support. The overall effect of the 181st Transportation Battalion's extraordinary execution of truck operations is directly attributed to the success of the Victory Corps rapidly freeing the Iraqi people.
The task organization and integration of transportation units was unique in its mix of Reserve, National Guard, and Active Duty truck companies, the vast majority of which had no prior habitual or war trace relationship with the 181st Trans Bn. The technical challenges to overcome were daunting; differing communications systems, methods of operations, and standard operating procedures.
When the lead elements of the Victory Corps crossed the Line of Departure (LD) the COSCOM’s force structure was a mere twenty percent of the transportation assets previously deemed required for successful combat operations, the battalion's assets were still in the RSO&I process when the order came to start combat operations. However, due to the timely, accurate and innovative task organization of all available transportation and CSS assets, all classes of supplies arrived on time and to the right locations to arm, fuel, feed, and fix the Corps.
The 181st Transportation Battalion (Trans BN) was tasked organized under the 7th CSG which initially supported 30,000 soldiers in Kuwaiti base camps, allowing 3d ID logistical units to prepare for combat operations. On G-Day, the battalion crossed the berm into Iraq as part of the 24th CSG in support of the lead elements of 3rd ID. The battalion split into two elements and provided petroleum tankers that moved with the two lead Task Forces as they attacked from As Samawah to Objective RAMS, near An Najaf, Iraq. They established CSC PETERBILT north of As Samawah on G+2 in order to provide logistical support to thousands of divisional and non-divisional Soldiers attacking north into Iraq.
Forced to move under threat of imminent attack, the battalion headquarters jumped to a new site within four hours. The battalion distributed 18,671,904 gallons of critical petroleum that gave the Victory Corps commander freedom of action on the battlefield. The battalion later established the 702nd Trans Co (Provisional) and incorporated 180 Iraqi contract trucks into a 560-truck fleet, which accounted for a significant portion of the 5,341,132 combat miles driven by the battalion. The 181st Trans BN also integrated 20 transportation companies, relocated the battalion headquarters seven times, and defended against numerous enemy small arms, rocket propelled grenades, mortars and improvised explosives attacks.
The 181 Trans Bn has driven over 10,500,000 miles and delivered over 18,000,000 gallons of fuel. The Soldiers endured the brutal heat of the Iraqi summer, and always got the job done despite 160-degree temperatures inside their cabs, constant enemy attacks, and minimal repair part support. All told, they repelled 69 enemy attacks, of which 18 were Improvised Explosive Devices and 31 were small arms engagements resulting in the award of 17 Purple Hearts for combat injuries. These Soldiers have earned their battle-hardened reputation as the best transporters in theater.
181st Soldiers knew the routes through the dangerous "Sunni Triangle" better than anyone, and had earned a reputation as Soldiers who faced danger with courage and lots of firepower. Many times other units came under attack and junior leaders in the 181 Trans Bn provided lifesaving medical evacuations and roadside assistance. Their detailed spot reports of enemy activity were unmatched within the COSCOM. The 181st Trans Bn faced everything the enemy, the weather, and the chain of command threw at them, and they did it with pride and professionalism.
The 181st Transportation Battalion performed in such a manner as to distinguish itself from all other logistics units and operations conducted in the history of warfare. It did so under extreme conditions and with only one goal; provide the motor transportation required to support the Victory Corps in what ever mission the Corps executed. The 181st Transportation Battalion performed this mission brilliantly.
