181st Transportation Battalion
"Road Warriors"
In 2007, as part of the reorganization and redesignation of the 16th Corps Support Group as the 16th Sustainment Brigade and its subsequent realignment under 21st Theater Sustainment Command, US Army Europe (USAEUR), the 181st Transportation Battalion was inactivated.
The missions of the 181st Transportation Battalion, "Road Warriors," emphasized tactical transportation and include transporting all classes of supply and oversized equipment for V Corps within the European Theater. Prior to its inactivation in 2007, the battalion consisted of Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 181st Transportation Battalion at Turley Barracks, Mannheim, Germany and 5 transportation companies. The 11th Transportation Company (Heavy Equipment Transport) and 515th Transportation Company (Petroleum, Oil, and Lubricants) were based at Turley and Spinelli Barracks, Mannheim, Germany. The 41st Transportation Company (Palletized Load System) was based at Rose Barracks, Vilseck, Germany. The 51st Transportation Company (Palletized Load System) was based at on Turley Barracks, Mannheim, Germany. Lastly, the 377th Transportation Company (Heavy Equipment Transporter) was stationed at the Grafenwoehr Training Area, and on Turley and Spinelli Barracks in Germany.
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 was activated on 25 June 1943 at Camp Ellis, Illinois. The unit was reorganized and redesignated on 25 January 1944 as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 181st Quartermaster Battalion, Mobile. During the Second World War, the unit participated in 5 campaigns: Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe. After the end of the Second World War, the unit was inactivated on 25 June 1946 in Germany.
The unit was converted and redesignated on 1 August 1946 as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 181st Transportation Corps Truck Battalion. The unit was redesignated on 3 December 1954 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 181st Transportation Battalion, and allotted to the Regular Army. The Battalion was finally reactivated on 28 January 1955 in Germany. Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 181st Transportation Battalion was subesequently redesignated on 20 February 1959 as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 181st Transportation Battalion.
181st Transportation Battalion deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom between 19 March 2003 and 18 November 2003, conducting missions through all phases of operation from Reception, Staging, Onward Movement and Integration (RSO&I) of V Corps, through rapid and effective motor transport during intense combat operations, to the fluid transition to stability operations and nation building. The Battalion provided support to a 150,000 soldier fighting force of the V Corps, Theater, and Coalition forces. The 181st expanded combat service support (CSS) operations from Arifjan, Kuwait to Mosul, Iraq, a distance of 828 miles, in just 3 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 Transportation Battalion grew from garrison strength of under 500 to wartime strength 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 III Corps Support Commander's concept of support. The overall effect of the 181st Transportation Battalion's execution of truck operations was directly attributed to the success of the V Corps in Iraq.
The task organization and integration of transportation units during the deployment 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 Transportation Battalion. The technical challenges to overcome were daunting, including differing communications systems, methods of operations, and standard operating procedures.
When the lead elements of V Corps crossed the Line of Departure (LD) the Corps Support Command's (COSCOM) force structure was a mere 20 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 was tasked organized under the 7th Corps Support Group, which initially supported 30,000 soldiers in Kuwaiti base camps, allowing the 3rd Infantry Division logistical units to prepare for combat operations. On G-Day, the Battalion crossed the berm into Iraq as part of the 24th Corps Support Group in support of the lead elements of 3rd Infantry Division. The Battalion split into 2 elements and provided petroleum tankers that moved with the 2 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 4 hours. The Battalion distributed 18,671,904 gallons of critical petroleum that gave the V Corps commander freedom of action on the battlefield. The Battalion later established the 702nd Trans Company (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 Transportation Battalion also integrated 20 transportation companies, relocated the Battalion headquarters 7 times, and defended against numerous enemy small arms, rocket propelled grenades, mortars and improvised explosives attacks.
The 181 Transportation Battalion drove over 10,500,000 miles and delivered over 18,000,000 gallons of fuel. The soldiers 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.
181st Transportation Battalion soldiers knew the routes through the dangerous "Sunni Triangle" better than anyone. Many times other units came under attack and junior leaders in the 181st Transportation Battalion provided lifesaving medical evacuations and roadside assistance. Their detailed spot reports of enemy activity were unmatched within the COSCOM.
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