USAREUR Units - 4th Armd Div

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4th Armored Division
(no official nickname)
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).

Occupation History

Cold War History

DivArty

504th Avn Bn

Welcome Booklets

Yearbook 1958

Pass-By 1961

Newspaper articles

Division History - Occupation Period

Occupation

4th Armored Division Patch

Subordinate units remaining in Germany were redesignated as Constabulary units on 1 May 1946 (Webmaster Note: this table is still a DRAFT; still doing research on original duty stations of 4th Armd Div units in the April-May 1945 timeframe):

ORIG. DESIGNATION	ORIG. STATION	NEW DESIGNATION	NEW STATION
Hq/Hq Co, 4th Armd Div		HHT, 1st Con Bde	Wiesbaden
Hq/Hq Co, Cbt Cmd "A"		HHT, 2nd Con Bde	Munich
Hq/Hq Co, Cbt Cmd "B"		HHT, 3rd Con Bde	Bad Cannstatt (Stuttgart)
8th Tank Bn	Straubing	8th Con Sqdn
35th Tank Bn		35th Con Sqdn	Füssen
37th Tank Bn	Deggendorf	37th Con Sqdn	Wetzlar
25th Cav Rcn Sq		25th Con Sqdn	Regensburg Straubing
10th Armd Inf Bn	Kitzingen?	10th Con Sqdn
51st Armd Inf Bn	Passau	51st Con Sqdn	Passau
53rd Armd Inf Bn		53rd Con Sqdn	Schwabach
22nd Armd FA Bn	Neustadt?	22nd Con Sqdn	Hammelburg?
66th Armd FA Bn		66th Con Sqdn	Degerndorf
94th Armd FA Bn		94th Con Sqdn

TELEPHONE DIRECTORIES

1. HQ 4th Armd Div Telephone Directory, early 1946

Division History - Cold War Period

1957 - 19..

COLD WAR - GERMANY

(Source: 52nd Anniversary, 1918 - 1970. The JAYHAWK Anniversary Issue, August 19, 1970.)

On June 15, 1954, the division was reactivated at Fort Hood, Tex.

In 1957 the division was ordered to Germany for the second time, and made the move in three days. The land was the same, but the mission was vastly different. The 4th Armored was now a peacetime force as part of the NATO shield. Former enemies were now trusted allies.

Today the 4th Armd Div, commanded by Maj. Gen. William W. Cobb, trains diligently to keep men and equipment in readiness. The Tank Crew Qualification Course, Mechanized Infantry and Scout Squad Proficiency Courses and Operational Readiness Tests are now the big challenges.

Apart from participation in the Command Post Exercises Certain Check and Front Centre '70, in which the brigades moved to field positions to test their command skills under combat conditions, there were a number of activities the Tankers enjoyed this past year.

In September, the 4th Armd Div band represented the US at the observance of the silver anniversary of the liberation of the Belgians during World War II, in Brussels. German-American Friendship Week was held throughout the division from April 26 through May 2, and from Goeppingen to Bamberg and Erlangen to Zirndorf, it was a week of bratwurst and beer, band concerts and bi-national athletic events.

Even in the line of duty, the 4th Armored has close ties with its host country, as numerous joint training exercises and marksmanship competitions are held with German Army units throughout the year.

(Source: STARS & STRIPES, Feb 8, 1958)

Stuttgart Subarea Welcomes 4th Armd
Lots of Extra Work in Big Switch

STUTTGART, Germany (Special) -- The Stuttgart Subarea really had to hustle to roll out the welcome mat for the 4th Armd Div, which Gyroscoped into the subarea from Texas.

The 4th Armd Div moved into the area formerly occupied by the 8th Inf Div, which in turn moved into Northern Area Comd to take over the area formerly housing the 2d Armd Div, which Gyroscoped to the U.S.

According to Stuttgart Subarea officials, the major part of the logistical-support work involved in the movement of the 8th and the 4th divisions fell on personnel of the subarea here.

Extra Troops
To handle the sharp increase in the work, additional troops were assigned to the subarea. Sections most affected were transportation, billeting, quartermaster and engineer. The subarea's S4 section did the coordinating.

Posts involved in the 4th Armd Div move included Ulm, Leipheim, Heilbronn, Neckarsulm, Goeppingen, Schwaebisch Hall and Schwaebisch Gmuend, where 4th Armd soldiers and their families moved into quarters previously occupied by 8th Div personnel.

Timetables for various parts of the two-division switch were worked out at USAREUR Hq, subarea officials said, but these had to be coordinated with a host of smaller timetables set up in the subarea so that the movement could go off without a hitch.

'Biggest Fear'
"Our biggest fear," said Maj Howard C. Merrill, assistant S4, "was things we could not count on such as winter weather. We never knew when a blizzard or an ice storm would disrupt our plans. But luck was with us all the way."

Problems involved with moving troops without their dependents were nominal, officials said. The newly arrived soldiers came equipped with the same equipment the moving 8th Div troops had, they said, so that phase of the move was relatively easy.

The bigger problem came with the dependents, officials said, because no two families are exactly alike. All told, 1,000 housing units had to be changed.

Procedures had to be set up to move out the 8th Div dependents with a minimum of inconvenience, and plans had to be made to move the 4th Armd Div families in. And both plans had to be executed.

Each housing unit was equipped with about $20 in foodstuffs to help the new arrivals get settled in a hurry. The transportation section had its hands full with baggage.

One 4th Armd soldier noted that "I never saw any of the subarea troops, but my wife and I certainly appreciate what they did. The arrangement for myself and my family in getting together and settling down in our new quarters was swell."

(Sources: The 4th Armored Division, Welcome Booklet, 1960 or 1961, Germany)

ORGANIZATION (1961):

UNIT DESIGNATION	DUTY STATION
HHC, 4th Armd Div	Cooke, Göppingen	Special Trps
HHC, CC "A"	Wiley, Neu Ulm
HHC, CC "B"	Ferris, Erlangen
HHC, CC "C"	McKee, Crailsheim
1st MTB, 35th Arm	Ferris, Erlangen
1st MTB, 37th Arm	McKee, Crailsheim
2nd MTB, 66th Arm	Air Field, Illesheim
2nd MTB, 67th Arm	Monteith, Fürth
2nd Rcn Sq, 15th Cav	O'Brien, Schwabach
2nd ARB, 41st Inf	Wiley, Neu Ulm
2nd ARB, 50th Inf	Ferris, Erlangen
2nd ARB, 51st Inf	Ford, Ulm
1st ARB, 54th Inf	Wharton, Heilbronn
HHB, 4th Armd DivArty	Pinder, Zirndorf
2nd How Bn, 14th Arty	Monteith, Fürth
2nd Rkt How Bn, 16th Arty	Bismarck, Schw. Gmünd
1st How Bn, 22nd Arty	Pinder, Zirndorf
2nd How Bn, 78th Arty	McKee, Crailsheim
24th Engr Bn	Johnson, Fürth
504th Avn Co	Monteith, Fürth
Det "C"	McKee, Crailsheim
Det "H"	Cooke, Göppingen
144th Sig Bn	Cooke, Göppingen
46th Med Bn	Wharton, Heilbronn
126th Ord Bn	Cooke, Göppingen
"A" Company	Nelson, Ulm	supports CC "A"
"B" Company	Monteith, Fürth	supports CC "B"
"C" Company	McKee, Crailsheim	supports CC "C"
"D" Company	Ferris, Erlangen
4th QM Bn	Cooke, Göppingen
Division Band		Special Trps
404th MP Co	Cooke, Göppingen	Special Trps
504th Admin Co	Cooke, Göppingen	Special Trps
4th Armd Div Trains	Cooke, Göppingen	Special Trps
Div NCO Academy	Wiley, Neu Ulm

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION

(Source: Rolling Review, 23 April 1962)

Combat Command "A," Ulm
1st MTB, 37th Armor (Crailsheim) and 2nd ARB, 51st Inf (Ulm).

Combat Command "B," Erlangen
2nd MTB, 67th Armor (Fürth) and 2nd ARB, 41st Inf (Neu Ulm).

Combat Command "C," Crailsheim
1st MTB, 35th Armor (Erlangen), 2nd MTB, 66th Armor (Illesheim) (1), 2nd ARB, 50th Inf (Erlangen) and 1st ARB, 54th Inf (Heilbronn).

(1) 66th Armor, Illesheim, was transferred from Combat Command "B" to CC "C" in August 1961.

The US Army post at Illesheim was redesignated as Storck Barracks in Dec 1961. The facility was named in honor of Col Louis Storck, commanding officer of CCR, 4th Armd Div, who was killed in France during WWII.

DUIs - 1950s-60s

CC "A"

CC "B"

CC "C"

TRAINS

NCO ACADEMY

4th AD NCO Academy DUI

4th Armored Division Artillery

1960

(Source: Artillery Handbook, US Army Infantry School, 1960)

Armd Div Arty, 1960

UNIT DESIGNATION	LOCATION	COMMENTS
2nd How Bn (105mm)(SP), 14th Arty	Fürth
1st How Bn (105mm)(SP), 22nd Arty	Zirndorf
2nd How Bn (105mm)(SP), 78th Arty	Crailsheim
2nd FA Bn (Rkt/How), 16th Arty	Schwäbisch Gmünd	A Btry -- 155mm How B Btry -- 155mm How C Btry -- 8in How D Btry -- Honest John

504th Aviation Battalion

(504th Avn Bn information has been moved to the 504th Aviation Battalion Page)

Welcome Booklets

(Sources: The 4th Armored Division, Welcome Booklet 1958, Germany;
4th Armored Division, Welcome Booklet, 1960 or 1961)

4th AD Stations, Germany

1. Cooke Bks, Göppingen, 1950 (193 KB)

2. Cooke Bks, Göppingen, 1960 (155 KB)

3. Bismarck Ksn, Schwäbisch Gmünd, 1958 (104 KB)

4. Bismarck Ksn, Schwäbisch Gmünd, 1958 (195 KB)

5. Ferris Bks, Erlangen, 1958 (70 KB)

6. Ferris Bks, Erlangen, 1960 (135 KB)

7. Fliegerhorst Ksn, Leipheim, 1958 (120 KB)

8. McKee Bks, Crailsheim, 1958 (72 KB)

9. McKee Bks, Crailsheim, 1960 (85 KB)

10. Wharton Bks, Heilbronn, 1958 (76 KB)

11. Wharton Bks, Heilbronn, 1960 (118 KB)

12. O'Brien Bks, Schwabach, 1958 (138 KB)

13. O'Brien Bks, Schwabach, 1960 (142 KB)

14. Monteith Bks, Fürth, 1958 (131 KB)

15. Monteith Bks, Fürth, 1960 (166 KB)

16. Johnson Bks, Fürth, 1958 (150 KB)

17. Johnson Bks, Fürth, 1960 (129 KB)

18. Pinder Bks, Zirndorf, 1958 (123 KB)

19. Pinder Bks, Zirndorf, 1960 (140 KB)

20. Ford Bks, Ulm, 1958 (137 KB)

21. Ford Bks, Ulm, 1960 (91 KB)

22. Nelson Bks, Neu Ulm, 1958 (88 KB)

23. Nelson Bks, Neu Ulm, 1960 (142 KB)

24. Wiley Bks, Neu Ulm, 1958 (50 KB)

25. Wiley Bks, Neu Ulm, 1960 (105 KB)

26. Illesheim Airfield, Illesheim, 1960 (263 KB)

2nd Battalion, 51st Infantry

(Source: Email from ...)

Glad I found your site. I was stationed at Ford (Barracks) Kaserne in Ulm, Germany from Jan 1963 til May 1965 at HQ/HQ Co 2nd Bn, 51st INF, 4th ARM DIV as the Chaplain's Asistant under Chaplain (Captain) James T. Hyatt.

It was great to see pictures of the HQ/HQ Co building etc. Brought back memories.

Can't seem to find much on the units history anywhere? Where did 2nd Bn 51st INF go during the Nam era etc. Perhaps someone out there can help us. I was also told that this was the Kaserne where Rommel returned to carry out Hitlers orders to kill himself or else.

Loved Germany and the Southern German people. One of my best friends was a German soldier who served in the Bundeswehr S2 by the name of Volker Shultze (Fokker) whose father was in WW11. We toured Germany and had a great time. Am looking for anyone who might have served then and there during Nam.

Ford Barracks
Ulm, Germany

The protagonist of some of the photos that I recently acquired seems to be a Pvt Drayton of the 2nd ARB, 51st Inf at Ford Bks, Ulm in 1960 - does anybody remember him?

1. Ford Barracks, Ulm (85 KB)

2. M59s in motor pool, Ford Bks (125 KB)

3. Field problem (69 KB)

4. Drayton in front of company sign (KB)

5. Drayton and some buddies (KB)

6. 2nd ARB, 51st Inf motor pool (KB)

7. Parade field with motor pool on the left (KB)

8. Another photo of the parade (KB)

9. Flag pole, barracks and consolidated mess (upper left) (KB)

10. Retreat ceremony (KB)

11. In the field (KB)

12. Barracks room at Ford Bks (KB)

13. Pvt Drayton - this was one squared-away soldier (KB)

14. Members of the 2nd ARB in front of the Consolidated Mess (KB)

(Source: Email from Walt Sebastian)

I spent 18 months in Illesheim, from June 1959 - May 1961. I was in HQ Company (2nd Battalion, 66th Armor) and I drove the Battalion Commander Car, Jeep and Tank.

We moved from Ulm. I was in the first group to go to Illesheim. Man what a bummer - Ulm was wonderful and two men to a room! In Illesheim we were billeted in an airplane hangar (see pic #1). We were told that this was temporary. Many men wrote their Congressmen about the conditions. We had 1000 men in this hanger!

Thanks for the web site. Keep up the good work.

Illesheim Airfield
Illesheim, Germany

1. Garcia and Sebastian at Illesheim (KB)

2. Winter's day at Illesheim (KB)

3. (KB)

4. Accident at the railhead (KB)

5. Sebastian with Bn CO's jeep (KB)

(Source: Email from Walter Mossner, Hq & A Co, 126th Ord Bn)

I discovered your very informative website only recently and like the way you put it together. It brought back pleasant memories of events that are now over 46 years old.

I was a draftee from Cliffside Park, New Jersey. Of my two-year commitment (9/58 - 9/60), I spent the first six months training in Fort Dix, New Jersey, Fort Knox, Kentucky and Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. In April 1959 I arrived at Headquarters & Company "A", 126th Ordnance Battalion, 4th Armored Division, Cooke Barracks, in Göppingen, West Germany, where I spent the remainder of my military duty. I was discharged at Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn, New York, in September 1960.

My recollections of that time period are summarized in the attached "4th Armored Division 1958-1960 - Memories of A Veteran". Please feel free to publish parts or all of it on your web site. I would appreciate hearing from anyone who served with me.

(Source: Email from Dennis Reel , brother of the late Nathan Reel, 35th Tank Bn, 1967-69)

I love this web site. My brother, Nathan K. Reel, of Salisbury, NC was in the 4th Armd. Div. in the late 1967-1969 timeframe. I'm not exactly sure of the dates, but I do know that my mother was relieved that he didn't go to Vietnam. He passed away unexpectedly 2 years ago at the age of 54.

I know that he really loved the unit. His rank was Spec 4 and he was a driver of an M-60 tank with Company B, 35th Bn, 4th A.D. This I know for certain. I have a map he brought back of West Germany at the time, he circled an area that looks to be just a few miles southwest of the town of Windsheim between Reichelsheim and Oberdachstetten. (Webmaster Note: that would have been Storck Barracks at Illesheim). He circled this area and made a black dot on the map. I assume this is where he was stationed at.

I do remember him telling me about the Czechoslovakia incident that he was ordered along with all of his tank company to the border in 1968. He said that they actually thought that we were about to go to war. The only time in his life that he was actually worried about it.

I remember finding information for him online showing how that the 4th was under the overall command of 3rd Army Gen. George S. Patton Jr. during WWII. He was very interested in the history of the 4th. And I enjoyed learning from him about it as well as helping him to learn more about it.

I'm going to attach a photo of him from that time period. I would really enjoy hearing from anyone that may have served with him (you can contact Dennis at deno4reel(at)aol.com).

35th Tank Bn
Illesheim, Germany

1. Nathan in front of barracks

2. Clowning around (Nathan on right)

2nd Squadron, 4th Cavalry DI

(Source: Email from Paul Keats)

I arrived in Frankfurt in July, 1970, a month after graduating from Infantry OCS at Fort Benning. I was assigned to the Seventh Army, 4th Armored Division and told to report to the 2nd Squadron, 4th Cavalry in Schwabach. The Commanding Officer was LTC Calvin R. Bean.

I spent two years, first as platoon leader, 2nd Platoon A Troop; “A” Troop Executive Officer; Squadron Support Platoon Leader; and finally as S-1 Adjutant to LTC James Dozier (later, then Brigadier Gen. Dozier was captured by the Red Brigade in Naples, Italy and then released).

As a member of the 2/4 Cav, I participated in several Reforger exercises, Tank Gunnery (M-551 Sheridans) at Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels. I also served at Camp Gates on the Czech border. After I left the Squadron in April of 1972, the colors were retired and the unit was renamed 1st Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment. The 4th Armored Division had already become the 1st Armored Division, “Old Ironsides”.

The Crest you display was the one worn by members of the 2nd Sqdn, 4th Cavalry, headquartered in Schwabach.

Yearbook 1958

Email from Michael Gushwa, author of the "2/5 FA Wiley Kaserne Neu-Ulm West Germany" website.

A few weeks ago somebody gave me a 4th Armored division yearbook from 1958 and I scanned it and put it on my website with my other book. It's got about 200 pages. Thanks

http://www.wiley2-5fa.com/new_page_10.htm

Pass-By 1961

(Source: Letter from Murray Sunday, 66th Armor Bn)

The 4th Armored Division held a full-scale pass-by in Area M North, Grafenwöhr Military Reservation, on 17 June 1961 in commemoration of the Division's Activation Day, Flag Day, Infantry Birthday, and Armed Forces Day.

The event represented an historical occasion, including two significant "firsts:"

-- First public viewing on the European continent of the mass of an entire US Armored Division since World War II.

-- First display of the flags of the 50 United States outside of the US.

More than 3000 tracked and wheeled vehicles were assembled, manned by more than 12,000 troops. Under a brilliant sky and for more than two hours -- tanks; armored personnel carriers; self-propelled howitzers; signal, engineer, and ordnance equipment; and wheeled vehicles of every type rolled past more than 3000 spectators and representatives of several press, radio, and television media in an impressive display of power.

Pass-By 1961
Grafenwöhr, Germany

1. 50 State flags (123 KB)

2. Aerial view of the pass-by (117 KB)

3. A unit mounted on jeeps and weapons carriers passes in front of the reviewing party (99 KB)

I spent 31 months in Illesheim, from 1960 to 1963. Was there when they built the Wall in Berlin. I remember the Sunday morning they called the Alert. We really thought the "balloon had gone up" and we were going to war. I remember to this day that chill that went through us all. Of course they didn't tell us what was going on for two or three days.

The time I spent in Illesheim wasn't as hard on me as it was for the guys from the big cities since I was from a small town in farmland Indiana. I enjoyed meeting a lot of good men and after almost 50 years I still wonder about them all.

I hope to hear from people who served in Illesheim and hope the web site keeps growing.
Murray Sunday

Newspaper articles

Related Links:
The Fourth Armored Division - Guy Ries' site is focused on the history of the 4th Armored during WWII.
4th Armored Division Yearbook 1958 - the entire book (200 pages) is posted in the 2nd Bn, 5th FA Wiley Bks website.