897th and 3562nd Ordnance HAM Companies, 1941-1945

897th Ordnance Heavy Automotive Maintenance Company
3562nd Ordnance Heavy Automotive Maintenance Company
1st Army, V Corps, European Theater of Operations

Belgium, 1944: the war rages on, the weather is lousy, and your truck's frame is bent. Who ya gonna call? The 897th, that's who! They performed difficult repairs under adverse conditions.

Welcome to this WWII history site commemorating the 897th and 3562nd Ordnance HAM Companies, maintained by the son of 897th veteran Julian Gocek. I love to hear from veterans and their families, current service people, and history buffs. With the passing of my father at age 97 in 2015, I doubt any 897th vets are still with us. Best wishes to all the families.

The site is laid out to be mobile-friendly, but with over 250 original wartime photos from the Gocek, Hammond, and Chenevey families, and others, watch your data usage. Just keep scrolling! Contact info at the bottom.

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This day in history: Wednesday, July 18, 1945: Nurnberg, Germany.The 3562nd is alerted for movement by motor convoy with all T/E equipment to Naples, Italy, for further movement by water to Casablanca, French Morocco, North Africa. The next few days are busy ones with packing and loading of equipment and getting vehicles in best the possible shape for the long journey to Naples. 38 enlisted men are assigned, bringing the company to T/0 size. All men and officers now had ASR scores [used to determine discharge dates] of 85 or more. The unit at this time was over strength in many grades, having 2 M/Sgts., 2 1st Sgts., 9 T/Sgts., 10 S/Sgts., and 31 T/3s.

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