The 77th Transportation Company (Light Truck) was initially activated on I May 1936 at Fort 0rd. California as Company "G", 46th Quartermaster Regiment. At this time the company was activated as a reserve unit with Negro personnel. On 8 March l942. Company G was called to active duty and assigned to the 1st Army for training prior to overseas movement,outfitted and trained, the company moved as a unit from the New York POE aboard the USAT ARGENTINA to Casablanca, French Morocco, and was assigned to the Eastern Base Section. During 1943 and 1944. Company "G" participated in operations in Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia.
In June 1944,the company redesignated as the 3487th Quartermaster Truck (Negro) was assigned to the European Theater of Operations for duty with the Fifth Army. On being reassigned, the Company moved from Tunisia to Italy aboard the SS JOHN CROPPER and from Italy to France aboard LST 35. The 3487th arrived in France on 30 August I944. From 30 August l944 until victory in Europe was attained. the 3487th was assigned to the Fifth Anny. In December 1945. its work well done. the Company departed Germany for New York and in February l946. the unit was inactivated. At this time the Company was awarded battle credits for participation in the Southern France Campaign. the Sicily Campaign, the Rome Arno Campaign. the Central Europe Campaign. the Rhineland Campaign. and the Tunisia Campaign.
In May 1947. the 3487th Quartermaster Company was reactivated and redesignated the 77th Transportation Corps Truck Company (Heavy) (Negro). and reassigned tho the Berlin Command. In August l947 the Unit was reorganized as a Light Truck Company and assigned to the US Constabulary European Command, in Munich Germany.
In November l950 the 77th departed Germany for Bordeaux. France. and has since been stationed in various locations in USAREUR COMZ and BASEC.
Since l950 the 77th has been assigned to the 77llth Provisional Truck Battalion. the 109th Transportation Battalion (Truck). the 2nd Transportation Battalion (T ruck) and the l06th Transportation Battalion (Truck). The 77th has been assigned to the 106th Transportation Battalion (Truck) for Command and operation control since November 1956, where the 77th was located in Rochefort, then Jeumont Kaserne, La Rochelle, France.
During this two year period the company had achieved an enviable record. in October 1957. the company participated in "LOCSPEC" a logistical support exercise and logged �100,000� miles in a fifteen (15) day period. During 1957 the 77th also participated in the first exercise with the then experimental Roll-On-Roll-Off vessel. the USNS COMET.
During October 1958. the 77th participated in NODEX 18 at Marennes France. Also in l958 drivers of the 77th logged more than 1,000.000 operational miles.
The year 1959 seen a continuation of the fine performance of the 77th. During the first ten months of 1959, the 77th had logged over 900,000 miles. Also an achievement of 1959, for which this unit is justly proud of, is the Superior rating given by the COMZ Inspector General during the Annual General Inspection FY l959.
AU REVOIR FRANCE: 1963
On 24 July 1963, LTC (later MG) Del Mar assumed command. In the fall of 1963, French President Charles DeGualle ordered American troops out of his country. On 2 November 1963 the battalion received its orders to leave western France. Letter orders 241-1. Headquarters COMMZ Europe dated 2 November 1963, moved the battalion to Bremerhaven. Germany. In the haste to move, the Army did not have time to approve funds for the move. LTC Del Mar left ahead of his convoys to arrange for government quarters for his soldiers and purchased food for the families with his own money. He authorized each bachelor one trailer and each family two trailers to load and haul their household goods. They loaded Privately Owned Vehicles (POVs) on trailers and covered them so they would not be seen. The last M52 tractor to cross the border had a white painted plywood sign on the back with a green frogs and the words, "Never Again Froggie", written under it. The Americans referred to the French as "Frog". Since American soldiers had fought in two wars for the defense or liberation of France, they felt insulted.
While not stated in the movement orders, the mission was to clear the Bremerhaven military ocean terminal and line haul to Giessen. The battalion headquarters and the 78th Transportation Company and Detachment 2, TTP, La Rochelle, moved from La Rochelle in France, to Bremerhaven. The 77th Transportation Company moved from La Rochelle to Kassel military sub-post, Rothwesten AB, Germany. The 67th Transportation Company and Detachment 1, TTP moved from St. Nazaire to Bremerhaven. The 598th Transportation Company was detached from the 28th Transportation Battalion, attached to the l06th, and moved from Ingrandes, France to Kassel. and was attached to the 106th in late 1963.
In April 1966, LTC Wanek was given the mission to clear the depots in western France. The initial concept of operation was for the 106th to clear depots in the general vicinity of Orleans and line-haul to Toul in the vicinity of Nancy. The code name for the operation vas FRELOC: an acronym for French Line of Communications. However, the initial tonnage figures were seriously underestimated. FRELOC grew geometrically into an all-consuming monster of men and equipment. During the height of FRELOC, the l06th ironically found itself clearing it's original home in France: Bussac General Depot.
During FRELOC, the battalion accumulated over 6.5 million miles. Because of it's distinguished accomplishments during FRELOC, the l06th was given the honor of pulling the last trailer out of France. In keeping with it's tradition, the l06th accomplished the mission on time and in good order. The last tractor was driven across the border by SP5 Wilson, 77th Transportation Company, with LT Hefferran as shotgun, during 'the late evening of' 31 March 1967.
The conclusion of FRELOC brought major changes to the battalion's task organization. The 900-mile long LOC shifted to a 600 mile long north to south LOC. The 598th Transportation Company moved from Kassel to Mannheim in early 1967. With the move, the company was detached from the battalion and again attached to the 28th in Mannheim. The 1st Transportation Company and Trailer Transfer Point Hotel (TTH) in Nuremberg were transferred from the 28th to l06th during the same period. The 70th Transportation Company moved from Kassel to Butzbach in support of the Army Depot Complex in Giessen. Upon leaving France, the 77th Transportation Company and TTE were relocated to Dachau, Germany, near the Austrian border. The battalion headquarters, the 67th, 78th, TTA and TTB remained in Bremerhaven.
By late 1969, a long standing proposal to move the battalion headquarters to a more central location was approved. In January, 1970 LTC (1ater COL) Conner moved the battalion headquarters and the 78th Transportation Company to their present home in Azbill Barracks, Ruesselsheim, Germany (between Frankfurt and Darmstadt).
After 27 years of continuous service in the European theater. the 77th Transportation Company was inactivated in Dachau, Germany on. 25 June 1970.
