51st Maintenance Battalion
On order, the 51st Maintenance Battalion rapidly deploys, conducts RSOI, and provides CSS to an assigned area to sustain contingency operations, while maintaining continuous support to the USAREUR central region. Then, rapidly redeploys and reconstitutes in order to support future operations.
The battalion was constituted on 20 December 1943 as the headquarters detachment, 51st ordnance group and activated at palm village California on 10 January 1944. The group provided support to the army during the Normandy invasion until. VE day on 8 may 1945. It then moved to Zindorf, Germany and was deactivated on 20 January 1947
On 26 march 1947, it was re-designated as headquarters and headquarters detachment, 308th ordnance group and reactivated at Richmond, Indiana, with the ordnance reserves on 1 august 1949, it was redesignated from a detachment to a company. it was inactivated a year later at Indianapolis, Indiana.
In January 1953, the group was reactivated and sent to Esslingen, Germany, to assume control of all army ordnance activities in the area from 1954 to the spring of 1965. The 51ST ordnance group provided command control to five ordnance battalions, and in June 1954, the group moved to Coleman barracks, Sandhofen, Germany, and then in 1959 to Funari barracks in Mannheim. Later still, the group moved to pioneer Kaserne in Hanau.
In august of 1965, under the costar concept, the group was redesignated as the 51st maintenance battalion (direct support) and relocated to Coleman barracks and in July 1989, the battalion was realigned as a subordinate command of the 29th Area Support Group. Recently, in June 1995, the 51st Maintenance Battalion moved to its current home at Spinelli barracks, Mannheim.
The battalion has been involved with major taskings and support of contingency operations throughout the 1994-1996 fiscal years. It has played a critical role in such operations as Operation Joint Endeavor, Hungary and Croatia; Dynamic Guard, Turkey; Operation Retrograde Europe, Germersheim, Germany; SIMEX, Southern Push, Kaiserslautern, Germany; Prepo Afloat, Belgium / Luxembourg; Provide Promise, Rheinmain, Germany; Vigilant Lion, Italy; Vigilant Lion 96, Grafenwoeher; Responsive Strike I and II, Kaiserslautern, Germany; Provide Hope IV, Russia; Operation Bail-Out, Germersheim, Germany; Provide Comfort, Frankfurt, Germany; Dynamic Impact, Italy; Prepo-Ashore, Belgium; Support Hope, Africa; Uphold Democracy, Haiti; and other worldwide maintenance and logistics operations.
On June 15, 1995, the 51st Maintenance Battalion received the 1995 Secretary of Defense Maintenance Award. The prestigious 'Phoenix Award' is given annually to one unit chosen from the four branches of service. For sustained excellence in maintenance and logistical support, the 51st became only the second army unit ever to receive the award.
The colors of the battalion carry battle streamers inscribed : Normandy, northern France, Ardennes and Alsace, Rheinland, and central Europe and a meritorious unit citation inscribed France, the battalion motto is "Victory Through Support".
