The History Of The 59th Ordnance Brigade AWSCOM

   At one time, the 59th Ordnance Brigade was the largest brigade in the U.S. Army. The 59th covered 95,000 square miles from the border of Denmark, south to Switzerland, west into the Netherlands and spread throughout western Germany with over 7,000 soldiers. The soldiers within the 59th came from a wide variety of different occupations. The vast majority of soldiers were artillery, ordnance and military police, however, several support occupations were included to fill out this well-rounded brigade. One word stands out when describing the 59th Ordnance Brigade. Unique.

   Unique in that this command successfully meshed three Army branches, the ordnance, artillery and military police corps, and performed a mission that came to be known as the backbone of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Unique in that nearly one half of the personnel assigned to the command lived and worked on installations throughout Germany, which were maintained by Great Britain, the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium.

   The history of the 59th Ordnance Brigade and its forerunners, the Advanced Weapons Support Command (AWSCOM) and the Special Ammunition Support Command (SASCOM), reaches back into the 1950s, several years before the command's headquarters was organized. In April 1955, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 71st Ordnance Group was organized and assigned to the Seventh U.S. Army and stationed in Pirmasens, Germany. In June 1959, the 71st Ordnance Group was officially redesignated as AWSCOM as part of Theater Army Support Group. AWSCOM was redesignated as the 59th Ordnance Group (Ammunition) in March 1962. The Group assumed a record of service that went back to 1943 with the Headquarters and Headquarters Company. By May 1962, 21 units were assigned to the 59th Ordnance Group. In June 1965, AWSCOM was authorized as the official abbreviation for the 59th Ordnance Group (Ammunition).
While the 59th Ordnance Group was undergoing its 12-year metamorphosis, events were taking place that were to have a shaping influence on the 59th Ordnance Brigade as it is known today.

   In 1957 President Eisenhower offered certain special weapons to NATO. Congressional restraints prevented this offer from becoming an outright grant. Instead, it was provided that weapons should be positioned in allied countries but these weapons would remain United States property.

   June 23, 1958 marked the first, of what would be later called, Special Ammunition Support Command (SASCOM) units on foreign soil (Turkey), and the first special weapons support provided to an allied nation. The establishment of SASCOM was a slow process due to the types of agreements that had to be concluded between the United States and the NATO nations before special weapons could be made available and the program could get under way.

   Once all agreements had been concluded the Special Ammunition Support Command, born on April 15, 1960, became a significant part of the United States commitment to NATO.

   Headquartered in Frankfurt, SASCOM, was organized with two types of units, artillery and ordnance. The 1960s saw SASCOM grow at a tremendous pace as new groups were activated and detachments assigned to them. By 1967, SASCOM was composed of 10 artillery groups commanding 38 missile artillery detachments.

   On Oct. 20, 1972, the command envisioned by the NATO Advanced Weapons Division 13 years before came into being. The artillery detachments, the ordnance companies, and the depot companies were combined into one command. The similar, but separate missions performed for so long by SASCOM and the 59th Ordnance Group (Ammunition) AWSCOM, were now assumed by one command - the 59th Ordnance Group, later to be officially called and accepted as the 59th Ordnance Group (SASCOM).

   The new command, headquartered in Pirmasens on Husterhoeh Kaserne, saw many changes during the next few years. As a result of the formation of the new command, several artillery groups inactivated and joined their forces under the new command, and two ordnance battalion headquarters were activated.

   Effective Aug. 22, 1977, the 59th Ordnance Group was redesignated as the 59th Ordnance Brigade and increased its mission to include support of guided missile systems and land combat systems used by the U.S. Army Corps in Europe.

Mission

   The brigade's mission was to provide direct and general special weapons support for all U.S. Army, Europe, and NATO forces. In reality, this mission was one of the most unique, complex and difficult to be found in any army in the world.

Organization

   At the time of the inactivation announcement, the brigade was composed of five artillery groups, two ordnance battalions and a headquarters support battalion, totaling more than 2,900 military and 100 civilian personnel. The artillery groups consisted of an ordnance company, artillery detachments and a headquarters detachment. The groups provided custody, control, maintenance, and supply of ammunition for our NATO allies. Some detachments had the dual mission of performing technical support and maintenance, while simultaneously performing custodial agent functions.

59th ORD AMMO GP ORGANIZATION - 1 JUNE 1976

Kriegsfeld Special Weapons Depot (North Point)