EUCOM Military Posts

Military Posts
European Command
Looking for more information from military/civilian personnel assigned to or associated with the U.S. Army in Germany from 1945 to 1989. If you have any stories or thoughts on the subject, please email me (webmaster).

History

Establishment of Military Posts (1947)

List of Posts (1948)
7806 SCU (WMP)
7809 SCU (HMP)
7810 SCU (NMP)
7811 SCU (FMP)
7822 SCU (MMP)

Army Education Centers

License Plates
POVs (Germany)
HICOG
POVs (Austria)
POVs (France)
POVs (Italy)
Military

History

Establishment of Military Posts

1st Military District DUI

2nd Military District Patch w/ Tab (can anybody confirm accuracy?)

Click on map to view map of Landkreise of the US Zone of Occupation

Click on map to view USFET Military Posts (US Zone only)

(Source: Letter, USFET, 21 February 1947, file AG 322 GCT-AGO, subj: Military Posts)

1. Effective 15 March 1947 all previous designations of military communities and their satellites and boundaries are rescinded.

2. Effective 15 March 1947 the following military posts are established:

Under the Headquarters, US Constabulary with post headquarters as indicated:

	(1)	The Kassel military post with headquarters at Kassel to consist of the Landkreis Hofgeismar, Kassel, Wolfhagen, Waldeck, Witzenhausen, Melsungen, Frankenberg, Fritzlar-Homberg, Eschwege and Ziegenhain.
	(2)	The Giessen military post with headquarters at Giessen to consist of the Landkreis Biedenkopf, Marburg, Alsfeld, Dillkreis, Wetzlar, Giessen and Oberlahnkreis.
	(3)	The Fulda military post with headquarters at Fulda to consist of the Landkreis Rotenburg, Hersfeld, Hünfeld, Lauterbach and Fulda.
	(4)	The Hanau military post with headquarters at Hanau to consist of the Landkreis Büdingen, Gelnhausen, Schlüchtern and Hanau.
	(5)	The Darmstadt military post with headquarters at Darmstadt to consist of the Landkreis Gross-Gerau, Offenbach (less the town of Offenbach), Darmstadt, Dieburg, Bergstrasse, Erbach and that portion of Worms lying east of the Rhine River.
	(6)	The Heidelberg military post is established with headquarters at Heidelberg to consist of the Landkreis Mannheim, Heidelberg, Mosbach, Buchen, Tauberbischofsheim, Bruchsal, Sinsheim, Karlsruhe and Pforzheim.
	(7)	The Stuttgart military post is established with headquarters at Stuttgart to consist of the Landkreis Mergentheim, Künzelsau, Heilbronn, Öhringen, Crailsheim, Hall, Vaihingen, Ludwigsburg, Backnang, Aalen, Leonberg, Esslingen, Stuttgart, Waiblingen, Gmünd, Böblingen, Nürtingen, Göppingen, Heidenheim and Ulm.

The Frankfurt military post as established under Headquarters Command, US Forces, European Theater, with headquarters at Frankfurt will consist of the Landkreis Usingen, Friedberg, Obertaunus, Maintaunus, Stadtkreis Frankfurt and Stadtkreis Offenbach.

The Wiesbaden military post established under command of US Air Forces in Europe with headquarters at Wiesbaden to consist of the Landkreis Limburg, Untertaunus, Rheingau, Wiesbaden and that portion of Mainz east of the Rhine River.

Under the First Military District (Land Bavaria) with post headquarters as indicated:

	(1)	The Würzburg military post with headquarters at Würzburg to consist of the Landkreis Mellrichstadt, Neustadt, Brückenau, Kissingen, Königshofen, Gemünden, Hammelburg, Schweinfurt, Hofheim, Ebern, Hassfurt, Alzenau, Lohr, Karlstadt, Gerolzhofen, Aschaffenburg, Marktheidenfeld, Würzburg, Kitzingen, Obernburg, Miltenberg and Ochsenfurt.
	(2)	The Bamberg military post with headquarters at Bamberg to consist of the Landkreis Coburg, Kronach, Naila, Hof, Rehau, Lichtenfels, Stadtsteinach, Münchberg, Wunsiedel, Kulmbach, Bamberg, Ebermannstadt, Bayreuth, Pegnitz and Staffelstein.
	(3)	The Nürnberg-Fürth military post with headquarters at Nürnberg to consist of the Landkreis Scheinfeld, Höchstadt, Forchheim, Uffenheim, Neustadt, Fürth, Erlangen, Lauf, Hersbruck, Nürnberg, Rothenburg, Ansbach, Schwabach, Hilpoltstein, Feuchtwangen, Gunzenhausen, Weissenburg, Eichstätt and Dinkelsbühl.
	(4)	The Amberg military post with headquarters at Amberg to consist of the Landkreis Kemnath, Tirschenreuth, Eschenbach, Neustadt, Vohenstrauss, Sulzbach-Rosenberg, Amberg, Nabburg, Oberviechtach, Neunburg, Waldmünchen and Neumarkt.
	(5)	The Regensburg military post with headquarters at Regensburg to consist of the Landkreis Beilngries, Parsberg, Burglengenfeld, Roding, Cham, Kötzting, Riedenburg, Kelheim, Regensburg, Bogen, Viechtach, Regen, Mallersdorf, Straubing, Deggendorf, Grafenau, Wolfstein, Mainburg, Rottenburg, Landshut, Dingolfing, Landau, Vilshofen, Passau, Wegscheid, Vilsbiburg, Eggenfelden, Pfarrkirchen and Griesbach.
	(6)	The Augsburg military post is established with headquarters at Augsburg to consist of the Landkreis Nördlingen, Donauwörth, Neuburg, Dillingen, Wertingen, Aichach, Schrobenhausen, Günzburg, Augsburg, Friedberg, Neu-Ulm, Krumbach, Schwabmünchen and Landsberg.
	(7)	The München (Munich) military post is established with headquarters at München to consist of the Landkreis Ingolstadt, Pfaffenhofen, Freising, Dachau, Erding, Fürstenfeldbruck, Starnberg, München, Ebersberg and Wolfratshausen.
	(8)	The Kaufbeuren military post is established with headquarters at Kaufbeuren to consist of the Landkreis Illertissen, Mindelheim, Memmingen, Kaufbeuren, Kempten, Marktoberdorf, Füssen and Sonthofen.
	(9)	The Garmisch military post is established with headquarters at Garmisch to consist of the Landkreis Schongau, Weilheim and Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
	(10)	The Bad Tölz military post is established with headquarters at Bad Tölz to consist of the Landkreis Tölz, Miesbach, Aibling, Rosenheim, Wasserburg, Mühldorf, Altötting, Traunstein, Laufen and Berchtesgaden.

Inclosure 1 accompanying this directive is a map (Webmaster Note: my copy of the source does not include a copy of the map mentioned in this paragraph, but I will create a similar one and add it to this page) of the US Zone with the boundaries of the military posts. Designation on the inclosed map of the First and Second Military Districts and the boundary between the First and Second Military District (Land Hessen and Land Wurttemberg-Baden) should be deleted. This combined area is designated the Second Military District. The Headquarters, US Constabulary is designated as the agency for the command and administration of the Second Military District. Designation of the Third Military District is changed to First Military District; the boundary remains as indicated on the inclosed map.

The hereinafter listed installations and towns located within the indicated military posts are designated as Air Force exempt installations and will be administered and supported by the US Air Forces in Europe in accordance with letter, this headquarters, file as above, subject: "Organization, Command and Administration of Military Districts in the US Zone of Germany and the Bremen Enclave," 31 January 1947 and letter, this headquarters, file as above, subject: "Organization, Command and Administration of Military Posts in Germany," 31 January 1947. (See inclosure 2, which is a set of maps showing exact location and boundaries of the Air Force exempt installations.)(Webmaster Note: not included in source.)

	(1)	Exempt Air Force installations are established within the Würzburg military post consisting of the Bad Kissingen Air Base, the area within the town limits of Bad Kissingen, Hausen, Winkels, Garitz, Bad Naustadt; the Schweinfurt Air Base and the area within the town limits of Schweinfurt; the Kitzingen Air Base and the area within the town limits of Kitzingen; the Giebelstadt Air Base and the area within the town limits of Giebelstadt.
	(2)	Exempt Air Force installations are established within the Nürnberg-Fürth military post consisting of the Ansbach Air Depot and the area within the town limits of Katterbach, Obereichenbach and Ansbach; the Fürth Air Base; the Industriehafen Air Base; the Bruck Air Ordnance Depot including the area within the town limits of Bruck and Eltersdorf; the Erlangen Air Base including the area within the town limits of Erlangen; the Caserne area including the area within the town limits of Uttenreut, occupied by the 22nd Motor Transport Squadron, and Forchheim; the Roth Air Ammunition Depot including the area within the town limits of Roth and Hilpoltstein.
	(3)	Exempt Air Force installations are established within the Regensburg military post consisting of the Straubing Air Base and the area within the town limits of Straubing; the Puchhof Castle located in the village of Puchhof.
	(4)	Exempt Air Force installations are established within the Munich military post consisting of the Munich Air Base including the area within the town limits of Neuramersdorf and Unterhaching; the Neubiberg Air Base including the area within the town limits of Neubiberg, Ottobrunn and Waldperlach; the Erding Air Depot including the area within the town limits of Langengeisling, Erding, Notzing, Moosburg and Schleissheim; the Oberweissenfeld (sic) Air Base; the Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base including the area within the town limits of Fürstenfeldbruck and Maisach; the Oberpfaffenhofen Air Base including the area within the town limits of Oberpfaffenhofen, Argelsried, Herrsching, Hechendorf, Steinebach, Walchstadt, Gauting, Krailling, Stockdorf, Weßling and Starnberg. A rest center operated by the First Military District is currently established at Starnberg. No change in assignment of facilities currently used by this rest center will be made except after full coordination between US Air Forces in Europe and the Commanding General, First Military District.
	(5)	Exempt Air Force installations are established within the Darmstadt military post consisting of the Rhine/Main Air Field; the Zeppelinheim Air Ammunition Depot; the area of Camp Kelsterbach; the area within the town limits of Neu-Isenburg, Buchschlag, Walldorf, Mörfelden and Kelsterbach; the Eschborn Air Field and in Bad Soden, the Europasiahof Hotel only.
	(6)	Exempt Air Force installations are established within the Augsburg military post consisting of the Landsberg Air Base including the areas within the town limits of Landsberg and of Penzing; the Landsberg Air Ammunition Depot including the area within the town limits Landsberg and Böblingen; the Lechfeld Air Base including the areas within the town limits of Klosterlechfeld and Schwabstadl and the area within the town limits of Schwabmünchen and Untermeitingen.
	(7)	Exempt Air Force installations are established within the Kassel military post consisting of the Fritzlar Air Base including the area within the town limits of Fritzlar, Gudensberg, Wabern, Bad Wildungen and Homberg.
	(8)	Within the area of the Bad Tölz military post the Air Force will continue to operate the Air Force Rest Center at Bad Wiessee, Tegernsee, Rottach, Kreuth, Kochel, Badersee (sic) and Ober Grainau. The buildings and facilities currently utilized by the Air Force in the operation of this Rest Center will not be reassigned without complete coordination between the Commanding Generals, US Air Forces in Europe and the First Military District.
	(9)	The term "Exempt Air Force Installations" as applied to Caserne area including the area within the town lomits of Uttenreut (subparagraph 2), the Puchhof Castle in the village of Puchhof (subparagraph 3) and the Europasia Hotel in Bad Soden (subparagraph 5) will be construed to reserve these installations for Air Force use until such time as no longer needed, at which time they will be returned to control of the appropriate ground force headquarters..

BY COMMAND OF GENERAL McNARNEY:

PETER CALZAN
Lt Col, AGD
Assistant Adjutant General

(Source: Vol V, The 1st Quarter, The Third Year of the Occupation, OCCUPATION FORCES Series, HQ EUCOM, 1948)

Military Posts, Sept 1947

Military Posts, Sept 1947 #2

(Source: Vol V, The 3rd Quarter, The Third Year of the Occupation, OCCUPATION FORCES Series, HQ EUCOM, 1948)

Military Posts, March 1948

Military Posts, March 1948 #2

Station Compl. Units

USFET / EUCOM Military Post Insignia - 1940s - 50s

Frankfurt Post (?)

Bremerhaven POE (?)

List of Military Posts (as of 31 Dec 1948)

Post or Sub-Post

APO

Station Complement Unit

AUGSBURG

178

7815 SCU

Füssen

Sonthofen

Kaufbeuren Air Base

Landsberg Air Ammo Depot

178A

BERLIN

742

Berlin Comd, OMGUS

Tempelhof Air Base

742A

BREMERHAVEN

7802 SCU

FRANKFURT

757

7811 SCU

Bad Nauheim

Darmstadt

Griesheim Ord Depot

Hanau

Hanau Sig Depot

Höchst

Rhein-Main Air Base

807

175

757

GARMISCH

172

7808 SCU

Oberammergau

172

HEIDELBERG

403

7809 SCU

Karlsruhe

Mannheim

403

MUNICH

407A

7822 SCU

Bad Tölz

Berchtesgaden

Deggendorf

Erding Air Depot

Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base

Landshut

Murnau (trsfd from Garmisch Mil Post on ...)

Neubiberg Air Base

Oberpfaffenhofen Air Depot

Regensburg

Straubing

1
541
407A
207
208
225
172
407
203
225
305

NÜRNBERG

696

7810 SCU

Bamberg-Coburg

Bayreuth

Erlangen

Grafenwöhr

Schwabach-Roth

696

114

696

STUTTGART

154

7824 SCU

Bad Mergentheim

Böblingen

Esslingen

Göppingen

Ludwigsburg

Schwäbisch Hall

800

154

WETZLAR

169

7801 SCU

WIESBADEN

633

Hq Comd, USAFE

WÜRZBURG

800

7806 SCU

Aschaffenburg

Bad Kissingen

Hammelburg

Kitzingen

Schweinfurt

800

7809 Station Complement Unit (HMP)

(Source: A photo book of the 7809 SCU, May 1949, submitted by Paula Moriarty, daughter of Paul L. Maiden, 7809 SCU)

7809 SCU
Heidelberg Mil Post

1. Main Gate, Hammonds Bks (KB)

2. Guard house (KB)

3. (KB)

4. (KB)

5. Baseball game on the parade field (KB)

6. (KB)

7. (KB)

8. (KB)

9. (KB)

10. (KB)

11. (KB)

12. (KB)

13. (KB)

14. (KB)

16. Dining hall (KB)

17. Dining hall (KB)

18. Kitchen (KB)

19. Kitchen (KB)

20. Kitchen (KB)

21. Capt. D.L. McDaniel, CO (KB)

22. Co and another officer in discussion (KB)

23. Training Section (KB)

24. Admin office (KB)

25. (KB)

26. (KB)

27. Day room (KB)

28. Day room (KB)

29. Day room (KB)

30. (KB)

7811 Station Complement Unit (FMP)

FMP, Sept 1947

7811 SCU
Frankfurt Mil Post

1. 7811 SCU, 1950 (KB)

Army Education Centers in Germany

(Source: Email from Mike Scott, son of Dr. Ralph Scott)

My late father, Dr. Ralph W. Scott, ran the Augsburg Military Post Army Education Center during the years 1948-1949; he helped get the University of Maryland's classes organized and started; got promoted to run the much larger Frankfurt Military Post Army Education Center in 1949, where he remained during the tenure of General Green, HQS EUCOM.

He was promoted to the Pentagon in 1951, to run the Army's worldwide education program. He appeared on the Army-sponsored "Big Picture" black-and-white TV show which appeared locally in the Washington, D.C. area on the Dumont Television Network (Channel 5) during the 1952 and 1953 period. (I watched Dad on our TV set at home, on many Saturday mornings. He looked great, just like he did in person!!!)

I have a photo of him at the Pentagon, surrounded by Army colonels and I believe at least one general. Dad had quite a background -- PHD from Columbia; Masters from Princeton; another Masters from Kings College at Nova Scotia; and still another one, from the University of Paris, France.

During the war, he helped direct the strategic bombing of Japan while assigned to the OSS. (He had been Chairman of the Department of Foreign Languages at St. Paul's University known in Japanese as the Rikkyo Imperial University, where he taught for ten years, from 1930 to 1940. (He appeared in "Who's Who in Japan, 1930-1940") so he was very famailiar with where the right targets were !!!.

The Army was really instrumental in education at least two generations of young men who so valiantly and unselfishly served their country. Through the Army, they often graduated from high school through the Army's GED testing program. Then it was on to four years of college, thanks to the University of Maryland and other great American educational institutions. The result: All of this helped -- literally -- educate America for the future role it was to have as a true, "Superpower".

When Dad retired in the spring of 1961, at age 70, as a GS-14 (in those days, that grade was considered very high-ranking for a civilian advisor for the Department of the Army), he got quite a nice Letter of Commendation signed by the Adjutant General of the United States Army, for all he had done to help educate the "Backbone of the Nation's Defense" -- the soldier.

And another historical note: General Pearce (Or was it, "Pierce"?) was Commander of the Augsburg Military Post. (In the year 1948).

Dad's asssociates/fellow staff members: A little bit sketchy as to spelling (for a barely-teenager at the time) but here goes: COL Louis Strehlow, US Army, at the Pentagon (He worked closely with Dad. Time frame: 1950s to about 1961.) Mr. O'Mara, who assisted Dad in Frankfurt. (That's the way the name sounded -- it could have been, "Omeara" -- but people who knew him, would remember. Mr. Donald Piper, at the Augsburg Army Education Center. Later, in fact many years later, Piper became U.S. Agricultural Attache to the Republic of Vietnam, in Saigon (This was of course before the Vietnam War.) The jeep he was riding in, was involved in an accident; and Piper was seriously injured (His skull was crushed in at one point, and he had a silver plate installed to try and repair his skull.) We heard following this accident, that he became a Chief of Agriculture for the State of Maine. Don was a very, very fine person, and like Dad, represented the Department of the Army with great credit to himself. He was married, and had two sons, both born in about 1948 when he was in Augsburg.

There was an organizational change in the Pentagon during the years Dad was the Chief Education Advisor to the Department of the Army: When we left Frankfurt and returned to the States in the summer of 1951, Dad was asssigned to the Office of the Chief of Staff of the Army at the Pentagon. Years later, Dad's office was moved to the Office of the Adjutant General of the Army. (This, our family thought at the time, made more sense, because the role of education of the Army's personnel, could better be supported and maintained there, since Education, though considered highly important to the efficiency of the Army in the retention of better-educated personnel, was not a combat related function.)

I was enlisted, but a darn good soldier. I was awarded recognition by my Commander, Maj. Heinz Just, CO, as "Soldier of the Month" for March 1962. I was a US Army Reservist for six years; got called up by then-President Kennedy; was assigned to the 223rd Military Intelligence Detachment and we were attached to the 32nd Infantry Division (Red Arrow). The reason for the callup: Construction of the Berlin Wall in the late summer of 1961. When the Reserves were demobilized and sent home, I received a Letter of Appreciation from then-Secretrary of the Army Cyrus Vance.
Mike Scott

US Forces in Germany POV License Plates

Display created by Mike Montgomery, collector and expert

Some comments from Mike: The "To Date" label needs to be changed to read "Thru 2009" since the intent is that all USA/NATO Star plates will be replaced by German plates end of this year. Then I'll need to substitute the motorcycle plates along the bottom of the display with the last of the series - the USA/NATO Star plates. You can go ahead and add the display and when I finally get around to making the update, you can substitute it.

(Source: Images of several of the older plates are courtesy Mike Montgomery, HQ USAREUR ODCSENGR and 18 EN BDE)

1. 1946/47 (1)	2. 1946/47 (2)	3. 1946/47 (3)
4. 1948/49	5. 1950	6. 1951
7. 1952	8. 1953	9. 1954
10. 1955	11. 1956	12. 1957
13. 1958	14. 1959
15. 1960	16. 1961	17. 1962 - 1965
18. Jan 1966 - Nov 1972	19. Dec 1972 - May 1982	20. June 1982 - Jan 1990
21. Feb 1990 - 2002	22. July 2000 - present day

(1) A license plate from the first series (Note: the "E" prefix stands for ETO)
(2) A license plate from the second series (the serial numbers picked up where they left off on the first issue)
(3) An example from the third and last of the series (began with serial # E10000)

(Source: Information courtesy Mike Montgomery, HQ USAREUR ODCSENGR and 18 EN BDE)

The L-583 below is an early issue plate. I've seen 2-digit serials on these as well, but as a former RMV employee told me, it wasn't long before they realized the system was getting out of hand.

I'll use this "L" plate as an example: In 1962, when this plate was first introduced (as the first aluminum plate, and the first multi-year plate in the US Forces Germany POV plates, by the way), the idea was to assign plates by location; hence the letter prefix. In some cases, the military population in a particular location was small, so the RMV divided the serials over two or more locations. In the case of "L", plates with serials L-1 thru L-3800 were reserved for folks stationed at Bitburg Airbase; L-3801 thru L-6400 plates were reserved for folks assigned to Spandahlem Airbase.

As time went along, it was discovered that the number of plates required for some locations exceeded the serial allocated! So they "borrowed" serials from other locations. To compound the problem, my friend tells me, the policy was that if a servicemember got reassigned to another duty location (in Germany) he had to report to the local RMV Field Office at his new location and turn in his plates from his previous duty location, in exchange for new plates for his new location! The old plates then had to be returned to the RMV at the old duty location! What an accountability nightmare!

So in 1966 the RMV came out with the silver-on-green plates havining a two-letter, four-digit serial number, beginning with AA-0100. The prefixes generally had no meaning, so they could be used anywhere in Germany. Much simpler solution, I must say.

I've added as an attachment the original listing of the plate prefixes used from 1962 thru 1965. Note that the concept was carried over from 1958, when the RMV first began using these letter prefixes, varying only in 1960 when the letter was incorporated in the serial as a suffix.

1. Bitburg AB

2. Nuernberg

3. ????

US Mission (HICOG) in Germany License Plates

(Source: Images are courtesy Mike Montgomery, HQ USAREUR ODCSENGR and 18 EN BDE)

1. 1953

2. 1954

3. 1954

US Forces in Austria License Plates

(Source: Images are courtesy Mike Montgomery, HQ USAREUR ODCSENGR and 18 EN BDE)

1. 1950-51 (1)	2. 1952-53	3. 1954
4. 1955 (2)

(1) Prior to 1950, the US Forces in Austria apparently used the same plates as our forces in Germany were using. I haven't found this in writing yet, but from a number of dated photos from the time (see Dr. Prigl's photos on www.usfava.com), it would appear this was the case. (Images 1, 2 and 3 in the US Forces in Germany section from the 1946-47 series, and Image 4 from the 1948-49 series).
(2) US Forces left Austria in 1955 after the signing of the Austrian Peace Treaty.

Other US Forces in Austria License Plates

(Source: Images are courtesy Mike Montgomery, HQ USAREUR ODCSENGR and 18 EN BDE)

1. 1951 (1)

2. 1954 (2)

(1) Sample of the plates used on official, military vehicles.

The first example of an exclusively USFA plate for military vehicles was white numbers on a red background, having the legend "USFA 1950" at the bottom. (I believe Bill Billet, US Forces in Austria Veterans Assn., has one of these on his jeep; the serial starts with the letter J. I've added the 1951 version of that plate as photo #1 above, red numbers on a white background. It would have been for a Staff car, and with the low serial number (S-6) I'm presuming it was for someone important! In 1953 they reversed the colors once again (back to white-on-red), but left off the date, just the legend USFA at the bottom -- they apparently retained this plate until we pulled out in 1955. At about the same time (1952) the US Army in Germany did the same thing with its military vehicle plates series -- before that, the legend changed each year, alternating from top to bottom, e.g., "US ARMY 46" (see photo 1046_US_Army below) but in 1952/3 you see plates with just "US ARMY" at the bottom:

(2) Image #2 is a plate issued to State Dept personnel assigned to the US Mission (predecessor to the Embassy) in 1954. Similar to the US Mission - Germany HICOG plates shown above.

Military License Plates

(Source: Images are courtesy Mike Montgomery, HQ USAREUR ODCSENGR and 18 EN BDE)

1. 1946 (1)

"T" . . . truck
"S" . . . sedan
"J" . . . jeep

(Source: Email from Mike Montgomery, HQ USAREUR ODCSENGR and 18 EN BDE)

NACom staff car with "NC" prefix on license plates

That photo is really a classic, especially since it's in color. Those black-on-yellow plates were issued for use on specific official military vehicles (primarily sedans) from the 1950s up until around 1973 or so. I remember them, but it was before I was really interested in collecting military plates, so I missed some golden opportunities to perhaps pick up a few. Yes, with 4 stars the "passenger" must have been a high roller!

The so-called Area Commands preceded the "support districts." When I was stationed in Germany as a LT (1970-72) in Kaiserslautern, we were working in what was referred to as the Rheinland-Pfalz Support District. When I returned in 1975, the old signs were still up but earlier that year they had changed over and we were under the 1st Support Brigade (which was transplanted from Mannheim) and quickly that became the 21st Support Command (needed "command" status in order to justify a 2-star general so the Army would be on equal footing with the Air Force (Ramstein) in the Kaiserslautern or K-town area! Oh, the wonders of the military!

The predecessor to the Rheinland-Pfalz Support District was the Western Area Command, and some of the old timers still there when I arrived in 1970 recalled the days of that command. I suspect (without cheating and looking at your website) that the Northern Area Command was home-based somewhere north of Frankfurt. Doubt that it would have been Bremerhaven since they had their own status. But I'll check the site after I send this to you.

Other plates from this era include those with prefixes of: EC (European Command or EUCOM, in Stuttgart), TA (TASCOM, in Worms), CZ (COMMZ, in Zweibruecken), 5C (5th Corps, in Frankfurt), 7C (7th Corps in Stuttgart), and BC (Berlin Command). The only ones still on the road are those used by AAFES (EX prefix), and only the vehicles (long-haul trucks and some staff cars) in Giessen Depot still use the black-on-yellow plates; all other AAFES vehicles have switched to a black-on-white color scheme. The last of these to be phased out (not counting the majority of AAFES plates) was the Berlin Command series, which ended when we pulled out of Berlin in 1994. Unfortunately I was unable to get up there and spend some quality time scoffing up plates, so those I do have were acquired off of German eBay.

All these plates have the legend US FORCES at the top, and have as few as one number serials. I have a BC-13 plate, and I've seen photos of single digit serials. AAFES plates typically have four digits.

Official Road Maps for Allied Forces, Europe

Northern Germany

Southern Germany

Maps used by USAREUR motorists in the 1950s; prepared by the USAREUR Engineer Intelligence Center.

Maps were copied in 1953 from the Deutsche Shell maps

(Source: John deTreville)

Esso Gas Coupon issued in 1970