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: Sunday, July 1, 1945: Nurnberg, Germany.Due to intersecting transfers, the 3562nd Ordnance HAM Company is covered here. The 3562nd is operating 4th echelon shops and Lucky Ordnance Collecting Point No. 2 at the aluminum factory. The shuffling in and out of personnel was getting under way. Every day new faces appear. 1945-04-29, the 3562nd moved to Wackersdorf, Germany and was there when Germany surrendered on 1945-05-08. When the point system was announced, only 1 man had as many as 85 points, the minimum for quick discharge. On 1945-06-02, the 3562nd moved to a large aluminum factory near the village of Dachelhofen, just outside the city of Schwandorf. Here the company enjoyed comfortable billets and an excellent shop building. The end of June found the company in Category IY which meant that all with fewer than 85 points would be transferred from the unit. 121 enlisted men from the 3562nd are transferred to the 897th and 125 enlisted men from the 897th are transferred to the 3562nd. Capt. Snyder, 1st Lt. Cegan, 1st Lt. Klockow, 1st Lt, Lake, and WO Grochowski are assigned to the 3562nd.

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