WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MILITARY VEHICLES

In the Army, all military vehicles “belong” to some Motor Pool, under the direction of a Motor Officer assisted by a Motor Sergeant. In the 110^th Infantry all vehicles “belong” to the Regimental Motor Pool operated by personnel of Service Company, which also has responsibility for obtaining and distributing supplies. The Regimental Motor Pool is under the direct command of the Regimental Motor Officer, which in our case is Captain Kievon P. Truken, and day-to-day operations are directed by the Regimental Motor Sergeant, M/Sgt Vincent A. Goombatz (known behind his back as Vinnie Goombatz). Service Company itself is commanded by Captain Stuart J. Pidassle; and anyone who has ever done any serious time as an enlisted man in the Real Army will recollect that most if not all officers he encountered there were Stu Pidassles.

An infantry rifle company of WW II was authorized to have two Jeeps with trailers and two deuce-and-a-halfs with trailers. The Jeeps were originally intended to be supply vehicles bringing up ammo for the company’s MGs, mortars and bazookas, but very quickly one of the Jeeps was reserved for the transportation of the CO and other officers. The deuce-and-a-halfs were always intended for the transportation of the kitchen stoves and other mess equipment, and rarely would appear on the front lines.

As K Company has few vehicles of its own, if transportation of men and equipment is required, vehicles are requisitioned from the Motor Pool. These vehicles will be assigned to Service Company, will be designated “SV-(X)” on their bumpers, and will probably be driven by men from Service Company. K Company’s own vehicles are marked “K-(X)” on their bumpers. The Jeep reserved for use by the Company CO is always marked “K-1”. The second Jeep will be “K-2”, and the deuce-and-a-halfs will be “K-3” and “K-4”. Their associated trailers will be marked “K-T1” through “K-T4”.

When K Company goes to the field it usually draws a ¾ ton Dodge (SV-8) and a 1½ ton Dodge (SV-19) from the Motor Pool. These vehicles come with Service Company drivers and trailers as needed. In addition to these vehicles, you may also see around the encampment ambulances from the 103^rd Medical Battalion which supports the 28^th Division (28-103M), Headquarters vehicles from the 110^th Regiment (HQ-(X)), and support vehicles from the Divisional Motor Pool which is operated by the 728^th Ordnance Maintenance Company (728-O-(X)).

If your duties require you to have the use of a motor vehicle, you present yourself to the Motor Pool Dispatcher with proper written authorization and license, and he will “issue” you an appropriate vehicle. The vehicle will come with a “Trip Ticket”, which is your authorization to be in possession of that vehicle. As you drive from place to place during the day you enter on the Trip Ticket the places you have gone and the elapsed mileage; and at the end of the day you return the vehicle to the Motor Pool, turn in the Trip Ticket, and you are relieved of any further responsibility for that vehicle. The Motor Pool will file the Trip Ticket and will have a complete record of where that vehicle has gone and who was driving it.