504th Signal Battalion

7th Army Support Command and COSTAR 

The Seventh Army Support Command was an organization reactivated during the summer of 1965 as part of the program to realign the Seventh Army logistic structure in accordance with the new COSTAR concept of operations. This concept of operations centralized the control of all field Army non-divisional combat service support resources. The 7^th Inventory Control Center, which was responsible for the major items supply functions for Seventh Army, was one of the support units so designated under the Seventh Army Support Command. The activation and organization of the subordinate units of 7^th Army SUPCOM occurred during the period 25 May 1965 through 21 December 1965.

Under the COSTAR concept, requirements for Class I, II & IV, and III supplies were placed by divisional units upon the division support command. Non-divisional units placed their requirements on a direct support group. Delivery of these classes of supply was normally made by unit distribution. If the supplies could not be furnished from resources of the division support command or the direct support group, the demands were passed to a general support group. If not available at the general support group level, the demands were forwarded to the 7^th Inventory Control Center (7th ICC) of the 7^th Army Support Command.

Utilizing automatic data processing equipment, the 7^th ICC located and directed shipments from other general support groups within Seventh Army or, when necessary, passed demands to the Communications Zone (COMZ) in France and arranged for shipments from that command. Insofar as possible, all shipments were made directly to the unit or the nearest forward supply point.

The 7th Inventory Control Center, Seventh Army Support Command, moved from Kreuzberg Kaserne, Zweibrücken to Gerszewski Barracks, Karlsruhe in 1966. With that transfer to a new home station, the unit's MOBIDIC computer complex needed to be moved also. The MOBIDIC computer was used to automate the processing of supply requisitions from throughout 7th Army.

At Zweibrücken, the computer complex originally consisted of four vans that were interconnected with a stationary, permanent structure. With the move, a modification was applied once it was set up in Karlsruhe. The permanent structure was replaced by a fifth van. Four connecting doors were cut into the intervan structure and it was sealed to prevent humidity, snow, rain and dust from interfering with the sensitive computer components. Also, generators were set up to power the complex as the post had no commercial power.

With the modification, the MOBIDIC had now become 100 percent mobile.

PEOPLE OF THE 7TH ICC