Winding Down - The Last Months in the PGC
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By the early part of 1945 it became safe for Allied shipping to use the Bosporus and the
Dardanelles to send war material to Russia, eliminating the need for the overland route through Iran.
In May 1945, the Iranian government requested the occupying countries withdraw their troops - the
U.S. agreed.
The third year of American operation opened with rather large tonnages; but February and the
succeeding three months saw the reduction of Russian-aid cargoes decrease to minor proportions.
After March 1945 petroleum products furnished the principal freight. Shop operations decreased
proportionately with freight curtailment, though car and engine repair continued until American
operations ceased. Effective 10 April 1945, the monthly aid-to-Russia target for the MRS was
reduced to 60,000 long tons of dry cargo and 40,000 long tons of POL. In addition, internal cargo was
lowered to 50,000 long tons.
On 25 May 1945, the commanding general of the PGC was authorized by the War Department to
announce that, as of 1 June 1945, the mission of his command would be accomplished. American
operations at Cheybassi and Bandar Shahpur had ceased and the Military Railway Service had begun
to disassemble excess rail equipment and was preparing to evacuate one of the railway shop
battalions. Troop strength in the command had been cut from a peak of 30,000 to approximately
16,0000. With the exception of operations at Khorramshahr which were retained to handle the
evacuation of supplies, equipment, and troops, remaining U.S. army transportation activities were
then speedily concluded. In mid-September, Persian Gulf Command headquarters moved to
Khorramshahr, where it assumed direct responsibility for port operations Final evacuation was
hastened when uprisings in Azerbaijan caused the President, in November, to order the return by 1
January 1946 of all U.S. Army troops with the exceptions of military attaches and those assigned to
two small military missions.
Iran had remained open for the transport of western aid to the Soviet Union throughout the war,
and an amazing five million + tons of war supplies were shipped to the Soviet Union through the
Persian Gulf, a testimony to the ingenuity and tenacity of the American railroader.
After Germany surrendered, the Transportation Corps supply organization had the task of redeploying transportation assets to the United States and the Pacific, and at the same time of setting up new depots in Germany to support the U.S. occupation forces. Originally four such depots were planned, but only three were found necessary. A depot at Bremerhaven, primarily for marine engine parts, sufficed for the Bremen Port Command. At the request of the U.S. Seventh Army, the Supply Division accepted a site in Karlsruhe for a general depot to support transportation activity in the American occupation zone. An experienced base depot company functioned at each of these installations. A third depot, at Munich, was designated exclusively for diesel locomotive spare parts. It operated under the supervision of the 762d Railway Shop Battalion.
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