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24th Infantry Division
Victory Division

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).


Division History

Organization

Roster
(Augsburg, Nov 1959)

Organization Day 1965

Div Troops

DivArty

1st Bde

2nd Bde

3rd Bde

5th Bn, 32nd Arm

31st Trans Bn

Related Links

 
Division History
1958-1970
(will be adding information soon)
24th Infantry Division Airborne patch

 
(Source: Email from Gary Clark)
I found your site about the 24th Div, and didn't find my first unit. When I first arrived in Augsburg in early 1961 I was assigned to Co 'D', 2nd BG, 2nd Inf at Gablingen Ksn.

In 1962, 2nd BG, 2nd Inf became the 2nd BG, 19th Inf. Later the 2nd BG, 19th Inf became the 2nd Bn, 19th Inf and Co 'D' was disbanded. I was transferred to the 24th MP Co at that time.

I have attached a MP pic to go with the Airborne that you show.
24th MP Company Brassard


 
Division Organization
 
1958 (PENTOMIC)
(Source: )
24th Infantry Division - ORGANIZATION 1958:

(Webmaster Note: Station location is based on information obtained from the US Army Station List for June 1959. If a unit was originally located at a different post in 1958, I will note it separately.)
UNIT STATION
  Headquarters Company Flak Ksn, Augsburg
  2nd BG, 2nd Infantry Gablingen
  1st BG, 19th Infantry Augsburg
  1st BG, 21st Infantry Munich
  2nd BG, 28th Infantry Munich
  1st BG, 34th Infantry Augsburg
  HHB, 24th Infantry Artillery Munich
  1st FA Bn (RKT/HOW), 34th Arty Munich
  1st How Bn, 13th Arty Augsburg
  3rd Engineer Battalion Henry Ksn, Munich
  24th Signal Bnttalion Gablingen
  2nd Rcn Sq, 9th Cavalry Augsburg
  3rd Med Tk Bn, 34th Armor Munich
  Hqs, 24th Inf Div Trains and Band Augsburg
  24th Medical Battalion Augsburg
  31st Transportation Battalion Munich
  396th Trans Co (Lt Trk) Augsburg
  518th Trans Co (Lt Trk) Augsburg
  533rd Trans Co (Lt Trk) Augsburg
  596th Trans Co (Lt Trk) Augsburg
  24th Administration Company Augsburg
  24th Aviation Company Augsburg
  724th Ordnance Battalion Augsburg
  24th QM Company Augsburg

1963 (ROAD)
24th Infantry Division - ORGANIZATION 1963

(Webmaster Note: Station location is based on information obtained from the US Army Station List for December 1963.)
UNIT STATION
  Hq/Hqs Company Flak Ksn, Augsburg
  3rd Engineer Battalion Henry Ksn, Munich HHC, B, C, & D Cos
  A Company Flak Ksn, Augsburg  
  E Company Gablingen Ksn, Augsburg  
  24th MP Company Flak Ksn, Augsburg
  24th MI Det (Div) (attached) Reese Bks, Augsburg 7th Army asset
  24th Signal Bn Flak Ksn, Augsburg HHC, A & B Co
  24th Aviation Battalion Gablingen Ksn, Augsburg  
       
  1st Bde, 24th Inf Div Reese Bks, Augsburg
  2nd Bde, 24th Inf Div Sheridan Ksn, Augsburg
  3rd Bde, 24th Inf Div Warner Ksn, Munich
  1st Mech Bn, 19th Infantry Reese Bks, Augsburg
  2nd Mech Bn, 19th Infantry Gablingen Ksn, Augsburg
  3rd Mech Bn, 19th Infantry Henry Ksn, Munich
  1st Mech Bn, 21st Infantry Warner Ksn, Munich
  2nd Mech Bn, 21st Infantry Warner Ksn, Munich
  1st Mech Bn, 34th Infantry Sheridan Ksn, Augsburg
  2nd Mech Bn, 34th Infantry Sheridan Ksn, Augsburg
  5th Bn, 32nd Armor Will Ksn, Munich
  1st Bn, 70th Armor Gablingen Ksn, Augsburg
  2nd Bn, 70th Armor Sheridan Ksn, Augsburg
  3rd Bn, 70th Armor Henry Ksn, Munich
  2nd Sq, 9th Cavalry Warner Ksn, Munich
       
  HHB, 24th Inf Div Artillery Will Ksn, Munich
  2nd Bn, 7th FA Sheridan Ksn, Augsburg
  3rd Bn, 11th FA Will Ksn, Munich
  1st Bn, 13th FA Sheridan Ksn, Augsburg
  1st Bn, 34th FA Will Ksn, Munich
  1st Bn, 35th FA Henry Ksn, Munich
       
  Hqs, 24th Inf Div Spt Comd & Band Sheridan Ksn, Augsburg
  24th Medical Battalion Infantry Bks, Augsburg HHC, A, B and C Cos
  24th Sup & Trans Battalion Sheridan Ksn, Augsburg HHC, A and B Cos
  596th Trans Co (Lt Trk) Warner Ksn, Munich
  724th Maint Battalion Reese Bks, Augsburg HHC, A & C Co
  B Company Sheridan Ksn, Augsburg  
  D Company Gablingen Ksn, Augsburg  
  E Company Henry Ksn, Munich  
  24th AG Admin Company Sheridan Ksn, Augsburg

1964 (ROAD)
24th Infantry Division - ORGANIZATION 1964

(Webmaster Note: shows only battalion-size units and larger; Source: 7th Army Annual Historical Report for 1964)
Click here to see 24th Infantry Division organization for 1 August 1964.

1966 (ROAD)
24th Infantry Division - ORGANIZATION 1966

(Webmaster Note: shows only battalion-size units and larger; Source: 7th Army Annual Historical Report for 1966)
Click here to see 24th Infantry Division organization for 1 July 1966.

1959
(Source: Thanksgiving Day Menu, Flak Kaserne Mess , Augsburg, Germany, 26 Nov 1959)
 

ROSTERS

24th Infantry Division Units at Flak Ksn, Augsburg in 1959:
HQ, 24th Inf Div - 1
HQ & HQ Company, 24th Inf Div - 1 2 3 4
24th Signal Battalion - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
24th Adminstration Company - 1 2 3
24th Inf Div Band - 1


 
2nd Brigade
 
2nd Brigade DI
 
 

 
Division Artillery
 
(Source: Email from Brad Scheminske, 1st Bn, 35th Arty, 1967-68)
I was stationed with the 1st of the 35th at Henry Kaserne, northeast Munich, during 1967 & 68. It was an M-109 SP 155 mm howitzer unit. I was the AXO of B Battery and later the XO of A Battery. We were part of the 24th Infantry Division (Mech).

 
I arrived in Munich in late February or early March 1967 after graduation from OCS at Ft. Sill. I was assigned as the Asst. Executive Officer of Battery B. The unit was a self-propelled M-109 155mm howitzer outfit. I remember my first Battery Commander was Captain Van Stone, don't remember his first name, but I do remember my first meeting with him; it was the first time I heard the line: "We go by first names here, I will call you Brad and you can call me Captain." It stuck, I still don't remember any other first name, but I do remember he was married to a stunningly beautiful German woman named Renate.

The Battalion Commander was LTC Lee, again I don't remember a first name. The B Battery First Sergeant, Sergeant Clifton, was a great Top Kick, straight out of central casting for the role and the only guy I ever met who wore the 24th Infantry Division patch at the top of both sleeves, he'd been with the 24th in Korea.

We were in Henry Kaserne next door to the 3rd Engineers. In about March of 1968 I became the Exec of A Battery. The Battery Commander was 1st Lt. Dale Pulrang. He was a true "redleg" and I am told he now resides in retirement in Lawton, OK, next door to Ft. Sill. I remember the shortage of field grade officers caused by the war in Viet Nam created a situation where many slots were under-filled, i.e. slots for captains held by lieutenants and so on. Also, our supply situation was always short. We never could get requisitioned parts in a timely fashion. Being a nuke capable unit, we were supposed to be able to get "mission critical" parts within 24 hours on an "05" requisition, but that 24 hours sometimes took more than a year, so the combat readiness always was, in my memory anyway, virtually non-existent. I took some comfort in the mistaken belief the Warsaw Pact forces probably were as poor as our forces seemed to be, until they moved in and took Czechoslovakia in about 30 hours in the summer of 1968.
 
On the upside, living in Munich was one of the most enjoyable times of my life. I fell in love with the Bavarian people and with the beauty of the countryside. I remember there were three kasernes in the immediate area: Henry Kaserne, Will Kaserne and the big one, Warner Kaserne. Across town was McGraw Kaserne. Adjacent to Warner Kaserne was a several block area of pre-WW II apartment buildings used as BOQ's, which was where I lived, an area affectionately known to its inhabitants as the "Dirty Acre" and the Warner Officers' Open Mess close by.

I went back to Munich in the summer of 2001 with my wife and two daughters. In 1967-68 Warner Kaserne was about the edge of Munich, but the city has grown beyond it by at least a couple of miles. I found both Warner Kaserne and Will Kaserne, they both are still there but seem to be occupied by German military, I didn't find Henry Kaserne although it may still exist too. The old Officers Club is still there but has been joined to what was Warner Kaserne and the old "Dirty Acre" still exists and seems to house foreign workers. So far as I could tell, there is no American military presence in Munich anymore. I remember even when I was there, there were rumors the German government wanted us out before the 1972 Munich Olympics.

There remains a significant American military presence in Garmisch. When we were there, only a few weeks before the 9-11 attacks, the gate guards were American civilian women, civilian contractors. I wonder if that has changed since 9-11.

 
5th Bn, 32nd Armor
 
1965
(Source: Email from Byron D. Hanson)
I was assigned to the 5th Bn of the 32nd Armor on 15 July of 1965. I was assigned to the 3rd Paltoon of A company as a loader on an M-60. We were stationed at Will Kaserne. Oh Yeah, we had an MP Unit housed right at the back gate. Draw your own conclusions about that positioning. I was there from 15 July 1965 to 18 Febuary 1968.

Our tank park was near Leopold Street and we had a gate direct to the old DZ (Drop Zone) for near by manuver area. My Company commander was named Capt. Brown and he was a VMI graduate.
His First Sergeant was F/Sgt Berry. He drove a 1965 Cadillac. I was impressed. (Footnote: Elvis Presely was a member of the 32nd Armor, but it was before my time (and in Friedberg). He was in the M-48 tanks.)

We were equipped with M-60 tanks and a very few M-60 A-1 as "dozer tanks." We were assigned to 3rd Brigade of the 24th Infantry. Our Batallion even had an S-3 Air and the airpale was a Mohawk.

Will Kaserne housed the EM Club and the NCO Club. We had a gym and a field ground for dismounted drill. We also had the medical and dental dispensery. There was an Engineer "Float Bridge" unit on Will Kaserne and we would maneuver with them for water barrier crossings. Will Kaserne was served by the front main gate off of Leopold Street and a back gate that led directly to the "village."

We were in the barracks about four months out of the year. The rest of the time we were in Hohenfels or Grafenwoehr or intransit to some other training area. Someties we would road march and other times we would "rail" the tanks. Try driving an M-60 onto a German flat car some time. We lived outside (of the post) almost eight months of the year.

Will Kaserne must have been a German Army barracks before our ocuppation. The buildings were already set up for housing troops.
Will Kaserne had a huge tank wash and if you ever were assigned to "extra duty" it would be to dig out the grit pit from all the mud.


There was a field artillery unit on Will Kaserne at the same time as my assignment and they were equipped with 155-mm self propelled cannons and some eight inch self propelled Howitzers. I cannot guess at the unit designation.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
(Source: Email from Barney Fergus)
Reference Byron D. Hanson's email above: his last paragraph mentions an Artillery unit on Will Kaserne. It was the 3rd Bn, 11th Arty, which I was assigned to from 1962 till 1964.

It consisted of HQ/Service Btry, A, B, C Btrys of 155's & D Btry of 8-inch guns. A lot of great memories from those days!!


 
Organization Day, 1965
 
1965
(Source: Victory! 24th Infantry Division Organization Day 1965, special edition)
 



 
Related Links:
24th Infantry Division in Europe, 1958-1970 Bob Rowen's wonderful site dedicated to the 24th Inf Div; Bob served with the 24th Infantry Division Public Information Section in 1963-64.