Can anyone tell me what the following Army Organization abbreviations that this unit is from Form WD 53 for ETO (Germany) in 1947-1948 post war? My uncle was a Military Police (677) assigned to this unit. Box 6: Organization HQ & HQ SV TRP C SS
As a guess I would say Head Quarters & Head Quarters Service Troop 'C', not sure about 'SS' Possibly signal squad?
doesn't it also say ''SS'' in box 31 next to ''rifle''? box 31 says ''Military Qualification, and date...ie infantry, aviation, and marksmanship badges, etc''' sharpshooter? here--Understanding WW2 Discharge Papers-- it says SharpShooter regarding box 6: ''situation'' means box 6 here is form WD 53 explained: https://www.80thdivision.com/pdfs/ReadingUnderstandingWWIIDischargeDocument.pdf it appears to mean SharpShooter .....?
Army of Occupation Medal and his MOS was Military Police ...... ..the link also states that the HQ unit might not be where he served
..odd that it would say ''HQ & HQ......'''? .....with 2 HQs being the odd thing? what's with that? ... something like ''HQ and SVC Co'' I could understand......but 2 HQs? ...also odd the SharpShooter would be in the organization [ if that is what SS means ] unless he was in a sniper/etc unit?
HQ & HQ is shorthand for something such as 'Headquarters and Headquarters and Service Company'. I think it might be shown these days as HHC (HQ & HQ Company for example). Gary
It wasn't ETOUSA, it was USFET (U.S. Forces European Theater) upon the establishment of the Army of Occupation. Headquarters and Headquarters Service Troop, Constabulary Signal Squadron. He was likely stationed at Bad Tölz, the Constabulary Headquarters location.
so SS means two different things? why is SS right next to ''rifle''? if it means Signals? the link clearly states SharpShooter weird Rich has me on ignore--hahahhahaha
Thanks for all of the replies. squadrons The link above states that on February 10,1948 16th Constabulary Squadron {Separate} was reorganized as Headquarters and Headquarters Service Troop and Troops A, B, C & D were formed. So I'm thinking it might be: "Headquarters & Headquarters Service Troop C Sharp Shooter" or "Headquarters and Headquarters Service Troop C Signal Squadron"
No, afraid not. If it was a numbered organization it would be so indicated in Box 6. "SS" as in Sharp Shooter is not an organizational title and would not appear in Box 6. "SS" as in Sharp Shooter is a Military Qualification and normally appears in parenthesis with the indicated weapon in Box 31. The information in Box 6 os different from the information in Box 31...that's why they are in different boxes and that's why similar abbreviations mean different things depending on the box they appear in. You may want to go through this website, it has not been updated since 2015 and has some dead links, but has a lot of information. United States Constabulary This is also very helpful, plus there are a number of links at CMH with information on the Constabulary. USAREUR Units & Kasernes, 1945 - 1989
...that doesn't make sense ..SS means 2 different things?...we know it means Sharp SHooter in box 31...plus my link explains why SharpShooter would be in box 6 ''similar''' --no they are not similar--they are the same things ..his MOS is Military Police but he's in a signal squadron? SS means 2 different things? = well, I guess that's the government for you =FUBAR
Expecting common sense from a government form is like expecting Steve Harvey at your door with one of those great big checks.
I doubt if it mean sharpshooter. The US Army could be very nonchalant when it came to snipers and issuance of sniping rifles. Considering the lack of rigid standards back then for snipers and sniping, it is difficult to conceive that a MP unit would have a sniper section. MPs could be on the front line like directing traffic at the Ludendorff Bridge which was under fire, but most of the time they were directly behind the front instead of being on the front.
1. it says it means Sharpshooter in the link I posted --MM = marksman ... SS = Sharpshooter 2. SS is in box 31 ''military qualification and date.....marksmanship badges...'' what else could it mean next to ''rifle''? 3. that doesn't mean he's a sniper or in a sniper section just like in the USMC--we had qualification badges in Boot Camp and every year you qualified: Marksman, Sharpshooter, and Expert Badges of the United States Marine Corps - Wikipedia
bronk7 the first application probably did mean signal squad and the second, like you suggested, sharpshooter. It only told the battalion how he qualified at Basic. That would be useful in an Inf Co. to determine who gets the scoped rifle.
Common US Army usage of the abbreviation "SS" was for Selective Service . . . see TM 20-205 Dictionary of United States Army Terms, 1944, page 265. The correct abbreviation for sharpshooter is just plain "s" in lower case - see page 251, where it says "sharpshooter, 1. classification given for skill in the use of small arms, that ranks next below the grade of expert and next above that of marksman. The grade of sharpshooter corresponds to that of first class gunner. 2. soldier having this classification. Abbrev: s" And, in fact, if you check out page 240, the very beginning of the entries beginning with the letter s, you'll find "s, sharpshooter" the very first entry. And, yes, let us also remember that some abbreviations really can have more than one meaning, e.g., SC can stand for either "Signal Corps" or "summary court." Put a slash between the S and the C, "S/C", and it becomes "statement of charges". Add the letter M to the SC, "SCM", and now you have the abbreviation for 1. Special court-martial, 2. Summary court-martial. So, if we slide down through the S lists we get, as noted above, to page 265, where we find, in order, "S/R, service record. SR, sound ranging. SS, Selective Service. s sgt, staff sergeant. S/T, shipping ticket. Sta, station." But, alas, no sharpshooter And, box 6? Has everything to do with organization and absolutely nothing to do with box 31 military qualification. Some clerk making up abbreviations on the fly for qualifications does not surprise me, but I'd be fairly confident said clerk would know the difference between organization and qualification. And for entry in box 6 the clerk should have copying directly from a set of orders where some other clerk made up an abbreviation on the fly . . . probably "Special Staff" as opposed to one of the Constabulary G staffs.
