Germany's "Stomach Battalion"

[afc7883]

While watching yet another DVD about the Normandy invasion I learned of this rather dubious titled group. Most of us were already well aware that Hitler was forced to reduce fitness requirements during the latter part of WWII, but did you know that there was a group of middle-aged men with various stomach ailments that were known as "The Stomach Brigade?"

..well, neither did I, but being a middle-aged man that would fit that category they now have my sympathy! (not really, folks!) I will turn 55 next month and Tagamet has been part of my daily diet for years now...I couldn't really imagine myself on the frontline now, so let's hope out own military never gets that desperate!

 

Jim

 

ps- Marion, if this belongs in another category such as jokes & humor I apologise

[Sgtleo]

 

Dogdaddy:-

 

Our Army did the same thing except we called them "Limited Service

Men" (men not physically suited for combat service) for example we

did the following:-

 

D-Day beach traffic wasn't the only problem. Increasing numbers of PWs

jampacked cages. Immediate help was imperative. Late in the afternoon,

June 6, 1944, the 302nd MP Escort Guard Co., composed of 57 percent

limited service men, came ashore. The unit suffered casualties in men and

equipment before relieving 1st Inf. Div. MPs of their stockade responsibility.

Several days later, the 595th took charge of three beach evacuation pens

while the 301st was busily occupied with PWs in another sector. Supposedly,

these were Com Z units.

 

Cos. C and D, 783rd MP Bn., directed beach traffic on D plus 4, and the entire

battalion, along with the 713th, followed Armies thereafter.

 

Through a foolproof evacuation system, Military Police scraped up the PWs,

by handfuls or by thousands, dispatched them to the rear, clearing Army

areas for future captures.

 

Provost Marshals and MP units perfected a chain of evacuation that withstood

countless heavy loads thrown at it. When the haul of prisoners was unusually

large, tactical units assisted in escorting and guarding.

 

But the bulk of the work fell to a small number of MP escort guard companies,

most of whom had handled prisoners before in Zone of Interior camps. Broken

into sections, companies like the 142nd, 430th, 483rd, 554th, and 620th MP EG,

picked up PWs at division collecting points and escorted them to enclosures.

Here, Advance Section EG companies attached to the Army PWs, accepted

and moved prisoners to forward Com Z enclosures

 

Sgtleo

[Sgtleo]

 

Dogdaddy:-

 

This is what the Army did in Fort McCoy Wisconsin:-

 

A Limited Service School was established for training physically handicapped

soldiers in specialist branches; 1,000 soldiers graduated each week. The

camp also had the largest Army Service Company in the United States, 90

percent of whom were limited service. The company included quartermaster,

signal, ordnance, chemical warfare, engineer and medical sections, which

took care of all the camp’s supply requirements.

 

Sgtleo

[Walt's Daughter]

What a great topic! I learned something too. Thanks Dogdaddy and Sarge! I love this place.

 

Hey Sarge: See why we STILL need you around here?

[Sgtleo]

 

Marion

 

What did I do? What did I say? I'm not guilty of anything!!

 

The reason why I asked you who that Fred was in the email I was truly

afraid that the guys would think it was me and I had taken a couple of

Stupid Pills. If I didn't know those answers I would have been a really

dumb a** "Top".

 

Like many other guys, once I packed my duffel bag in England,had the

Div.Color Code put on it and turned it to supply that was the last I ever

saw of it. I had some souvenirs carefully packed that some SOB surely

stole them and since I never went back to the UK I was SOL.

 

More times we were told the "duffels" will be coming up soon was as

true as the Tooth Fairy,and Santa Claus bringing presents. I often

wonder just how much mail and packages we "lost in transit"

 

Sgtleo

[Walt's Daughter]

Honey you didn't do anything? Who implied that you had? I simply answered your question. Thought you and everyone would like to know who Fred was. The other FRED and I have been emailing each other and he sent me that great question. I should have included his last name the first time around. Sorry I had a blonde moment (sorry Brooke!)

 

Yes, it had to be aggravating to have your personal things lost or RIPPED OFF! That's a pretty shitty thing to do to a fellow GI! Grrrrr!

 

Ya, guess a few would have thought a strange question, had it been you who had asked, since YOU WERE THERE!

[Sgtleo]

 

Whew Glad that's straightened out!!

 

Some of those RECs had all the time in the world to go through our gear.

 

Some of those B**S***DS would steal a red hot stove and go back later

for the smoke if they could use it.

 

Sgtleo