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69th
Air Defense Artillery Brigade |
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| History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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69th ADA Brigade
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 69th ADA Brigade Pocket Patch (authorized?) |
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HHB, 69th AAA
Group was activated on 1 July 1955 at Karlsruhe. |
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| (Source: Email from Jim Reinecke, 40th AAA Bn and 69th AAA Gp, 1954-1956) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A BRIEF LOOK AT THE FIRST TWO YEARS OF THE 69TH AAA GROUP IN KARLSRUHE-KNIELINGEN GERMANY | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| THE 40th AAA BN IN WIESBADEN/BIEBRICH GERMANY 1954 I arrived at the Rhine Kaserne during December, 1953 and served for a year, first as a radar operator in the Range Section and later as Battery Clerk. As a 17 year Private the 40th AAA Battalion was a rude awakening. The kaserne was about 50 yards from the Rhine River in an industrial area near Wiesbaden. Wiesbaden itself was a wonderful city with historical, cultural and entertainment significance. However, we didn’t have much of an opportunity to enjoy what the city offered. The compound was about 300 yards wide and about 700 yards deep surrounded by a wall on both sides and the back and significant in that the three feet of barbed wire on top leaned inward instead of outward. Meant to keep us in. The barracks itself was impressive, a five story building resembling the engineer castle on military insignia. The front of the compound was protected by an 8 or 9 foot fence made up of steel spikes. Other than the main gate the only area open to the outside happened to be in our room in A Battery. To say that the 40th AAA was highly disciplined would be an understatement. Entering the Battalion Headquarters building your first sight was a buildboard sized sign instructing you on how to report for your courts-martial: Summary, Special or General. In day-to-day activites it was common to receive an Article 15 for a button unbuttoned, late for a formation or many other activities. This usually resulted in 7 to 14 days restriction at hard labor. I cannot remember any occasion that I performed guard duty (about once a month) that we didn’t have at least one former NCO under guard being boarded out of the Army with a 368 or 369 discharge. Our work-week began on Sunday evening when we where restricted to the barracks to leave for field training on Monday morning. Early on Monday we would depart the barracks and be carried to the Motor Pool and depart for a radar site across the river in the Mainz area. We would set up the radar and watch the skies until Thursday afternoon when we would take down our equipment and spend the night bivouacked. On Friday we would return to the barracks where we would clean equipment and the barracks for Saturday morning inspections. After a full-field inspection on Saturday morning we would have a parade and if you were extremely lucky be given a pass either until 1 AM or maybe an overnight pass that let you stay out until noon on Sunday. Only 50% of the section could be on pass, with 1/3d of them allowed overnight and 2/3d returning to the barracks by 1 AM. |
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| (Source: Seventh Army Troop and Station List, 1 Aug 1964) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 69th ARTY GP ORGANIZATION AND STATIONS (Aug 1964) : | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 1964 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source: Letter from M. L. Ray, HQ 69th Arty Gp, 1964-66) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Emery Barracks, Wurzburg, Germany,
June 1964 - October 1966 After graduating from Radio-Teletype School at Fort Gordon GA. in June 1964, Phillip D. Baker and I were flown to New York where we were put on a troop ship the "William O Darby" for the trip to Germany. After 9 days at sea, we arrived at the port in Bremerhaven Germany. From there we were taken to the Headquarters of the 69th Artillery Group at the Emery Barracks, Wurzburg, Germany. Upon arriving at the 69th, they were wearing the 7th Army patch on the left shoulder. This patch was later changed to the 32 Army Air Defense Command patch sometime in mid to late 1966. During this period, our Commanding Officer was Col. Woodward, with a code name of "Cocktail 6", the First Sgt. was Sgt. Girsenslauger or Sgt "G" for short. There was an S/Sgt. E-6 Suarez and S/Sgt Stallsmith that worked with us in the field. We provided Radio Teletype Communications from the Headquarters to the units in the field. We often went on field maneuvers in the area near Schweinfurt, Germany. One Radio Operator in the field unit had a last name of Elkin. I was responsible for my own Duce and a Half Truck with a 5 or10 KW Generator on a trailer. The radio what I used was an AN/GRC-26 Delta, or "Army Navy Ground Radio Communication", Model 26-D. We also had a small Radio on a ¾ -ton type truck but I can't remember anything about it. The Trucks and Jeeps had the bumpers identified at first as 7A 69ADA-GP  ( Star in the middle ) then there was the letters HQ followed by the vehicle number to the right. Later this was changed to 32 ADA 69 GP. At one point, we hand painted all the trucks then discovered the paint was the incorrect color so we hand painted them again with NATO Green paint. We would go out to the field for maneuvers which lasted approximately 5 days then come back and spend time cleaning the equipment.I can remember going to the local airport and looking around and watching the small military plane flying overhead. We would take the trucks and go to the Leighton Barracks to their PX, but I don't know what else we were doing there. When we would have a CMMI (Command Military Maintenance Inspection) we would clean the barracks and the other areas and if we had too much (Junk) that they didn't want the Inspectors to see we would load them in the trucks and were told to go off site for the day and return when the inspection was complete. At the time we were being sent to Germany by troop ship, there were five ships making the Trans-Atlantic run. They made up the ships from the Naval Transportation Service. The ships were the Darby named after Gen. William O. Darby, the Rose named after Gen. Maurice Rose, the Buckner, Upshur which was named after a US Marine General and the Patch. I do remember being sick and being on the deck and was surprised at how cold the temp. was in the middle of the Atlantic in June. While in route to Bremerhaven we saw another Military Troop Ship returning to the US. When I left Germany these troop ships were being used to send troops to Viet Nam, therefore I flew home on the MAC ( Military Air Command ) Transport to Fort Dix, New Jersey. I was then transferred Fort Wadsworth, NY and discharged. After being processed out, we were taken by Bus to downtown New York City and dropped off and were expected to find your own way home. About the time I was ready to leave to go home to be discharged, a request came through to send Radio-Teletype Operators to Viet Nam and possible be extended for at least 6 Months. Phillip D. Baker and I left Germany at the same time for discharging. I do remember that we had all our gear turned in ready to go home and an Alert was called. Since we were ready to leave we went to the PX on Post and maintained a low profile till everyone was gone. We didn't get to see any of the guys again. Here are the names of some of the guys that I was with during my time at the Emery Barracks:  Phillip D. Baker from Madison, Wisconsin Gary L. Phillips from Flint, Michigan Kyoji Miyazaki from California Michael DeClementi from New Jersey Buford Allen from Arkansas Donald Conrad Craig T. Coleman Gerald Weigand Harry Hammick Louis Mis Sheridan Greenwalt Sanders Taylor Frick FrazerOver the years I have contacted Baker who is still in Madison, Wisconsin and Kyoji Miyazaki who still lives in California. I have not been able to locate anyone else from the unit. |
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| (Source: Email from Richard Sheridan, HQ 69th Arty Gp, mid-1960s) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| One day while
I waited by the radio a call came in from an Army pilot requesting
wind direction. The reason he needed this information was in order
to choose from which direction he was going to land. I gave him the
direction and thought nothing more about it. I had no air controller
power or responsibility. I was there as an information source only.
I went around the office doing something else. Then I heard a popping
noise out on the runway so I ran out to see. By the time I got out
there it was over. A few minutes later an Army pilot came down with
an explanation. The Army pilot had landed from north to south as indicated
by the wind direction. At the same time a German civilian pilot decided
to land for some mistaken reason, from the other direction, on the
same runway, at the same time. He was supposed to get the wind direction
from a wind sock out on the field. They didn't see each other until
they were almost on top of each other. In that last second before
they crashed the Army pilot fired a canopy rocket to indicate he was
going to dive while the civilian pulled up on the stick to climb.
That split second action on both of their parts saved two lives that
day. The covention between pilots was first to hit the canopy rocket
dives. That rocket made the noise that I heard. The pilot said he
would count that as an extra birthday for the rest of his life. Once I went to Giebelstadt I no longer did the radio duty at this strip. |
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| (Source: Email from Michael Ireland, HHB, 69th Arty Gp, 1966-69) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I was stationed in Wuerzburg, Germany in the Signal Corps, attached to HHB 69th Arty Gp. as an Assistant NCOIC of the Communication Center at Emery Kaserne. I enjoyed Wuerzburg very much and can still see in my mind's eye many of the people with whom I served, including some in the 6/52 and 3/7.
I was given orders for Schweinfurt. A guy named Bobby Williams from North Carolina was also stationed there temporarily. After a week or two we were both transferred to the 69th in Wuerzburg. I was stationed in Wuerzburg from May of 1967 to September of 1969, first of all as a 72B20 Communications Center specialist, then as the Clerk of the Signal Office in Emery Kaserne for over a year, then as SGT E5, Assistant NCOIC of the ComCenter, 72B40 with ProPay. I would like to hear from anyone who served either as a radio operator, in Hawk Missile Repair/Maintenance or as a ComCenter specialist at that time. I have fond memories of times and the people there. I can't tell you how fortunate I was to have served and really matured there. I still have dreams of the place. Colonel Baber was our 69th GP CO at the time. Our SigOs at the time were Lt. (through Cpt.) Campbell, and in '69 a Lt. Mickelson, who at the time was finishing reading Churchill's history of WWII and would talk about it from time to time. The Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslavakia was interesting! I also remember Master Sgt. Alfred E. Gerstenslager, who I worked for as a Signal Clerk. Also SSG Steve Ratton, who then left to teach at Ft. Gordon, GA. I remember the following people: Carl Evans, Tim Shimono, Ron Loveday from Bakersfield, CA, Jerry Edrington, Mike Callahan from Massachusetts, John Callahan from Ohio(?) Bill Brickley from Ancorage, Alaska, Jack Holden from California and a slew of others.
Good times, hard work.
You asked about the ComCenter. In my time it was situated across the parking lot on the first floor of another building, a Transportation Company, I believe. I love this site and enjoy reading people's narratives of their experiences! |
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| 1968 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source: Email from John Lundgren, HHB 69th Arty Gp, 1968-1969) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 1970 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source: Email from Stephen L. Cobb, 6th Bn, 52nd ADA and HHB 69th ADA Gp, 1970-71) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I cannot record my time in the US Army without thinking of the famous opening lines from The Tale of Two Cities...“It was the best of times and the worst of times”. I had been drafted in July 1969 and was living in Indiana. I had then relocate to upstate NY which delayed my final induction into the Army by 3 months. I did my Basic in Fort Dix, NJ in the middle of the 1969 winter (almost froze to death, my feet still hurt). Then it was to A.I.T. at Ft. Sill, OK for field artillery crewman training. For some strange reason half our company got their orders for Germany, 15 went to Viet Nam, and the balance of our company stayed in the States. I finally arrived at Emery Kaserne, Würzburg, Germany in May of 1970. I was originally assigned to the Headquarters Battery, 6th Bn, 52nd ADA after spending about three weeks in that hideous attic induction/rotation area (I’m sure you all remember that experience with great fondness). My first orders were “If it moves salute it, if it doesn’t, paint it!" This was very true when it came to life at Emery. I still remember a friend using the phrase describing our situation, this place is like a “riot-in-slow-motion”. I eventually found that to be quite true, and still use that expression when anyone asks me what was it like in Germany. I must add that the first German words I learned at Emery was the phrase “Mox-Nix” and of course the term “Boo-Koo” was spoken every 15 seconds it seemed...but I digress. I eventually was transferred to the 69th Arty Gp across the street from the main entrance. During my 1st week at Emery I had been assigned to a sign painting detail and had done some Army Reg./informational signs for a Command Sergeant Major Hatcher at the 69th Group Hq. building. He found out that I was to be shipped out to a TAC line battery somewhere (can’t remember the exact name of the town) in what they called the boondocks. (I had refused to illustrate a mural for the Lt. Col. at 6/52 Hq. — I guess he just decided to get even with me with the boondocks transfer). Anyway, I had done such a good job on the Command Sergeant Major’s signs for the 69th Gp. that he wanted me there under his command to do all his sign painting jobs. Everyone know that the U.S. Army loves their signs! I also painted the unit crests on Helicopter doors for the fly boys on the hill, they would take the doors off for me and bring them to the 3d floor for painting. Well, that’s how I finally got to the 69th Group headquarters. I was assigned to S-3 which was on the very top floor of 69th headquarters building. This was a better maintained building as compared to the 6/52 building which had latrines that were broken and closed up for weeks, we had to shower and using the facilities across the base at the 3d Infantry building (which was a real “Hell Hole” at that time). I still remember that I had gotten on a detail that had to clean up the defecation from the building and grounds every morning because the troops did not want to walk across the base to use the bathroom in the cold, wet, foggy German weather. The city of Wurzburg had also complained of strange happenings coming from the Emery Kaserne (i.e. urination from barracks windows, and other various complaints I won’t mention here). If you were there, I sure you know what I mean. No one back in the world would have ever believed any of this of course. This is probably the first time in almost 40 years that I’ve remember this mess, or even wanted to. I only mention it here just to get it off my mind. I was officially assigned as a clerk typist (but basically painted signs, cleaned, and buffed floors) in the S-3 operations area. Also, located on the same floor to the left as you ascended the stairs was the S-2 Security office. Plenty of “sham-time” all around ... buffing the tile floors (I was a buffer expert), cleaned countless latrines … did countless hours (guard duty at the ammo dump) in that little guard shack on the hill in back of Emery’s 3d infantry Division building — reading comic books, and other things ... made hundreds of gallons of coffee ... going to “Chaplain Autry” when you had a problem or just needing someone to talk with that still had their complete mind in working order (this Chaplain just happened to be the highest decorated Chaplain from the Viet Nam war. Years later I found out that he had also written a book titled: The Gun Toting Chaplain—A true Memoir by Jerry Autry, Col. U.S. Army Ret.). Hey ... Remember the “Burn-Barrel?” This was a 2-man detail to burn/destroy classified documents — a rotating barrel located in back of the 6/52 headquarters building, I still remember the day I forgot to close the lid, and while rotating the barrel many of the classified documents blew over the outside retaining wall and into the highway, I almost received an Article 15 for that one .... running to the “Emery’s Snack Bar” for those great German fried baloney sandwiches, remember the phrase “I’ll-fly-you-buy” ... dodged countless flying beer bottles at the EM club and loved those “pizza-burgers." Remember the phase “Everyday's-a-Holiday-in-the-US Army” ... we played the nickel/quarter slots until we were broke and had to borrow next months pay to get by (never did win any money, probably were rigged anyway) ... went to the movies, that did nothing for your, except remind us of the world we were all missing) ... I’ll never forget the day we had to literally change the air in all the jeeps tires, that was the most stupid “Mickey Mouse” detail I was ever on, funny thing about those jeeps — they never ran, but the tires sure looked good when the Army Inspector General (A.G.I) showed up, of course we always knew in advance when he was coming. Well, I’ll stop there. All you who lived in the barracks certainly know the rest of the activities that went on at Emery. My wife eventually came over to Germany to live. We moved into a little two room apartment in the town called Unterleinach (about 7 miles east of Zell). We were the only Americans in that town, it was like going back in time a hundred years, but at least the beer and schnitzel was good. My landlord had been in the Hitler Youth during the war, and at times I think he wish Hitler had won the war—but, he sure loved those American cigarettes and whisky. Every month he got some goodies left over from my ration allotments (of course those commodities were better than money to the Germans). We eventually became great friends, and exchanged letters for many years after that. I hated to hear that the old place (Emery Kaserne) was closed down in the 1990’s. Hard to believe that at one time Hitler’s troops once lived and trained there — well nothing lasts forever, except our memories, good and bad. Hope you enjoyed my reminiscing (it’s all “Mox-Nix” anyway :-) Oh yes...I did survive my Army experience. I eventually became a “short-timer” (two-digit-midget) and made the rank of Spec. 5, rotated back into the world, via McGuire Air Force base, Fort Dix, NJ, December 1971. What a 2 year trip it was, never had another one like it, hope I never will. |
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| (Source: Email from Robert Brien E-4, HQ 69th ADA Gp 1975-1977) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Back in June
1975 I was given orders to report to HQ 6th Bn,
52nd ADA at Emery Kaserne in Wurzburg; my MOS was 72E20,
telecommunications center specialist. At the time the 6/52nd did not
have a slot for a 72E, so for 6 months I was assigned as switchboard
operator for the Hawk Missles on "the Hill" next to the airport. I
remember many a nights watching movies and trying to keep warm in
the Hut. Once I was even sent to Kitzingen on guard duty, one night
about 6 german tanks appeared out of nowhere, surprised me! After many requests I was transfered to HQ 69th ADA, just down the road in Emery Kaserne as a 72E. I was in charge of many a shift at the Communication Center and had many talks with GI's from 3rd 7th, 2nd 57th, 3rd 60th etc... spent many a boring night from 1975 to August 1977 on the teletype with some really great guys, bored just like me. I trained an E-7 on the operations of a Communication Center and he eventually became my supervisor, LOL. I remember there was a Sgt Cox (E-5), and a Sgt Frison (E-5). Cox was a great guy but Frison got physical and at one time when I was in the back of a 5-ton Portable Comm Ctr with bells going off and phone ringing he stated I was not listening and pushed me off the back of the 5 ton and hurt my back. I reported it to SSGT McKenna who talked to him and he was mellower after that. I ended up living off post in Unterdurbach just behing the hill, renting from Frau Shauller. She had a 3 story house next to hers and we lived on the bottom apartment. From my apartment I could walk the dirt road up to the top of the Hill then down to Emery Kaserne. I remember my time in Germany and really would love to go back someday, even though the HQ 69th was moved back to Giebelstadt. |
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| 69th Group AADCP | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source: Email from Wayne Scarpaci, HQ 69th Arty Gp, 1967-70) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| The Würzburg
airfield picture (above) is the only one that I have seen of the 69th
ADA GP's AADCP area on line. The site in the background is indeed
the former AN/MSQ-56A Missile Monitor AADCP. The AADCP site also housed CO B, 11th AD Signal Battalion which provided VHF/UHF tac comm. (With a tower located to the extereme left of the black bldgs). I did not have much to do with the 11th Signal as they were supposedly so short on personnel that they were exempt for all guard duty, KP, etc, which made them very unpopular with us. Also on site was the 69th GP's radio communications section. The site was specifically built for the AADCP and the equipment moved from Giebelstadt AB during the summer of 1966. The AADCP area and the radio section were original covered with the old burlap camouflage nets, top and sides, the nets were removed in early 1968. I understand that the equipment was replaced with an AN/TSQ-73 about 1975, and moved back to Giebelstadt AB where it is today(?). The site in the foreground is the former tac site for A Btry 6/52d ADA IHAWK Towed. The two hangers in the foreground belonged to HQS 69th ADA GP aviation section. The aviation section had 2 OH 13's, 1 CH 34, 1 DeHavilland Otter and 1 DeHavilland Beaver. They were used to ferry around the GP Comdr. and staff for ORE's and the like. The woods on the right were known as the Durrbacherwald. The tower in the middle left of the picture was something of a mystery as it was supposed to have been a lookout post for the Festung Marienburg (the local castle overlooking downtown Würzburg about 10 miles away). I always thought that was kind of poetic as we were the modern day equivalent. The owner of the local gausthaus at the very left edge of the picture (to the left of the tower) had the keys and some of us went up inside the tower one afternoon. Very old from the 12th century. The AADCP proper was located in the center of the site just to right of the black buildings (11th SIG) on the gravel pad between the 2 gray bldgs. (barely discernable) which housed the generators and frequency converters (we ran on German power (50HZ) which was converted over to 60hz and 400hz for most of the time, and only went over to generators for alerts or power failures after about 1969). The radar sat up on the radar berm located towards the runway from the AADCP area. I do not know how well versed you are about the 'Q 56', so a brief description follows. The AADCP was composed of: |
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| The radar was
covered by a radome (in fact an inflatable balloon). The photo above
(AN/MSQ-23A) shows the radar with a white radome -- ours and the ones
at 10th ADA at Wiesbaden and 94th ADA at K-town were all green. We had two complete sets of cables to interconnect the vans and commo equipment, one that was located on the ground in use and a complete second set that was located on reels on the back of 2½ ton trucks (in case we needed to leave in a hurry) which were parked in the motor park area (large tan area on the right rear of the site, the tan bldg. was the motor park shed, and POL storage. One comment, we had a LOT of trucks and vehicles, and spent a lot of time working on them. Across from the motor park was the operations building (basically a fancy Quonset hut), it is the long green building, which housed the site admin section, the 'breakroom', the latrine, and the sleeping quarters, for those with on site guard duty. The radio section was located on the small gravel pad located about half way from the operations building to the AADCP area. Their equipment was located on the back of about four to six 5-ton trucks and were (as far as I know) standard radio/crypto equipment. The perimeter of the site was enclosed with barbed wire chainlink fence about 12' tall with 'prison lights' to flood the perimeter at night and signs to the effect the use of deadly force was authorized spaced every 10 feet or so (and we did have live ammo on guard duty and orders to use it if necessary). There were also about a dozen covered and concealed bunkers/foxholes around the inside of the perimeter to provide positions for site defense. I also visited the AADCP's of the 10th and 94th ADA while I was in and their sites were nowhere near as nice as ours was. At 94th ADA they had taken the wheels off the vans and made it a 'fixed' site, I guess that was an admission as to the general lack of mobility of the Nike system. When I visited the other AADCP sites I got the impression that they were not as 'squared away' as 69th was, which at the time really surprised me. I also went TDY to the GPA bunker at Lauda for a short time in early 1969 as 'scope dope' while our equipment was undergoing refurbishment. I assume the you are aware that 3/7th and (I believe) the 6/60th were self-propelled (SP) HAWK, while the 4/57th was a fixed site HAWK unit, with their radar located on the top of towers similar to those of the Nike sites. The 6/52d was standard towed IHAWK. There was another tier of control at the battalion level, the AN/MSQ-18A/38 Battalion Operation Central (BOC) which was located on the back of a 5-ton truck and had an AN/GSS-5 Electronic Search Central for a radar (basically a upgraded AN/TPS-1G) also located on the back of a 5-ton truck. The radar on the BOC was only good for about 100 miles. The only BOC I ever visited was HHB 6/52d at Ansbach, I was not very impressed -- it was the dead of winter and they had very minimal creature comforts. All the batteries had the Coder/Decoder Groups CDG, which was unmanned and located on the back of a 5-ton truck that enabled us via the BOC's to communicate digitally with the Fire Unit Battery Control Center BCC. We were organized into a squad for each maintenance section, WMC, RDPC, RADAR, and Generators, and that comprised the Q-56 Maintenance Platoon. The site NCOIC was also our platoon Sargent. Q-56 Platoon along with the aviation section occupied the top fourth floor bays of our barracks, while the operators ('scope dopes') got the two man rooms on the second and third floors, which did not do a lot to endear them to us. I am not sure of why but the Q-56 section was always considered the 'black sheep' of the unit. Maybe because of our schools (10-12 months of classroom at Ft Bliss), our easy rank (the upper half of our class was promoted from E-3 to E-5 upon graduation, the rest to E-4). But whatever the reason Q-56 always caught the all 'nasty details'. But we did have a really great view of highway 27 and the railroad yards in Zell across the highway (I used to love to sit and watch the trains). Life in the 69th ADA was not overly pleasant as it seems we were always getting ready for one damn inspection or another, cleaning trucks, having a GI party, or just suffering some sort of general harassment that seem to serve no apparent purpose. (I went on in the national guard for many years and I always tried to avoid the sort of pointless harassment that seemed so prevalent in the Army of the 1960's). In spite of the way it sounds, I did enjoy my time in Germany and the 69th ADA. I am attempting to locate all photos that I can of any AADCP facilities that I can find, with the vague idea of putting together a website that would document what the AADCP's were, where we were, what we did, and what we looked like. I feel the AADCP's deserve more than a footnote or a paragraph on Nike and Hawk pages. After all, we at the AADCP's, too, were soldiers once…and young. Disclaimer: The above information is from 40+ year old memories and I believe them to be accurate, but I would appreciate hearing of any corrections or comments of others. SP5 Wayne Scarpaci HHB 69th ADA GP 1967-1972 |
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| (Source: Email from Robert Brien, HHB, 69th ADA Group) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In 1975-1977
I was assigned to the 69th ADA Group at Emery Kaserne in Wurzburg,
FRG. I was in charge of the communication center in the basement of
the HHB 69th ADA. My shoulder patch was the 5 Missiles (Christmas
Trees) and my assignment orders say 69th ADA Group. I was originally assigned to the HHB 6/52nd in Mar 1975 with an MOS of 72E20. They had no slots for me, they ran a HAWK missile battery on the Hill behind the Emery Kaserne MSQ-56A Missile Monitor AADCP . I was to become a switch board operator and then a VHF/UHF tac comm operator on the "Hill" on the back of three 5-ton trucks. After 4 months I was transferred to HHB 69th ADA Group and was assigned to the CommCen beneath Emery Kaserne until August 1977. After 2 months I was given charge of the Graveyard Shift at the CommCen. We were the forward for quite a few units; we forwarded all messages via Teletype to the following units: 3rd BN 7th ADA 6th BN 52nd ADA2nd BN 57th ADA3rd BN 60th ADA
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| (Source: Email from Dana F. Davis. Jr.) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The first AN/TSQ
73 system arrived in Wurzburg, Germany approximately
25 years ago in March of 1979. Originally there were four operator/repairman
assigned to this system, which was to serve
on as a Group Command and Control Center for the Hawk Missile.
As the Group Headquarters there, four battalions were assigned to us in Southern Germany: 3rd Bn, 7th ADA,
Schweinfurt6th Bn, 52nd ADA,
Würzburg2nd Bn, 57th ADA,
Ansbach3rd Bn, 60th ADA,
GrafenwöhrThese also received the Q73 system during the ensuing months, and as operator/repairmen we performed the initial Army acceptance procedures, together with the aid of a Litton Tech Rep. We also acquired necessary equipment - generators, a duece and a half, a PLL van, an 880, a jeep, etc.; and we spent literally months assigned to "site beautification" details. We repainted the buildings, camo painted the vehicles, and installed all such necessary equipment as desks, furniture, radio and 312 equip, etc. There were also 16Hs assigned to our section, two generator mechanics, and a PLL clerk. We were assigned to HHB of the 69th ADA Group, and lived in the headquarters building pictured here on your web site. As I remember it, the first floor was primarily administrative, the second floor was females, and I believe we were on the third floor. The fourth floor was Group Headquarters, and the 5th floor at that time was quite frequently utilized for such things as classroom instruction, or TA50 inspections. I would like to take this opportunity to record the names of these first four 25Ls assigned at Emery. They were myself, Dana F. Davis, Jr. of Long Island, William Campbell of Florida, Edward Dudock of Pennsylvania, and Calvin T. Harper of West Virginia. We operated in three rotating crews with several crew chiefs including Sgt Cafro, Sgt Barr, Sgt Garner, Sgt Knutsen, Sgt Bey, a Spec 5 - Doug Blanchette. I woud be sincerely interested in hearing from any of these people, or anyone either connected with this section before or since, or anyone who may have served at Emery during this time period. |
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| Missile Control Center, CRC Lauda | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source: Email from Timothy P. Doyle, MCC, 69th ADA Gp, 1977-79). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Email moved to Missile Control Centers, Overview Page, Air Defense section | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 3rd Bn, 7th ADA (prev. 3rd MSL Bn, 7th Arty) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Check out the new 3rd Bn, 7th ADA YAHOO Group website! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source: Email from Nick Tuttle, B Btry, 3rd MSL Bn, 7th Arty, 1961-63) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| By August 1961,
I had been in the Army twenty-seven months and had previously had
an Ordnance MOS but been trained as an FDC computer at a 155mm howitzer
outft stationed at Ft. Lewis, WA. I had attended the Sixth Army NCO
Academy at Ft. Ord, CA in 1960 and then attended the ADA School at
Ft. Bliss, TX to obtain the MOB 228.1, HAWK PAR and BCC Maintenance.
After leaving Ft. Bliss, I had orders to arrive at Ft. Dix, NJ on
9 August 1961, for transit to Germany by ship, the Gen. Buckner.
We sailed from Brooklyn Army Terminal on the 12th and arrived Bremerhaven
on the 20th. Arriving at my new duty station, Schweinfurt, Germany, the morning of 21 August 1961, around 0800 after an all night train ride from Bremerhaven, I expected to be picked up by someone from the battery. However, no one was there. All US Forces in Western Europe were on alert and had been for several days due to the fact that the border between East and West Berlin had been sealed with the first crude bits of the Berlin Wall. |
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| By 1815, we were
on our way to the "site," me with my duffel bag, a partial issue of
TA-21 gear and M-1 in tow. Travel was slow, all along the way the
road and roadside were full of troops and equipment, M-48 tanks with
large searchlights mounted above the tube, M-113 APC, SP 8" Artillery,
and more "deuce-and-a-halfs" than I had seen anywhere. As we drove
on, we made small talk, he was from Wisconsin, a short timer draftee,
with about four months left, then back across the "pond" for him --
if things quieted down. I told him a little about me but mainly that
I had left my eight month pregnant wife with her parents before I
shipped out, the baby was due in early September. It was about a 1900
when we arrived at the site. The first thing that I noticed was everyone had on their field gear, carrying their weapons. Next I saw that the Pulse Acquisition Radar (PAR) and the Continuous Wave Acquisition Radar (CWAR) were both rotating and that none of the launchers had missiles. Stump told me that the supply schedule was two weeks out. At that time 36 missiles were to be picked up at an Ordnance Depot in France to be transported back to the site. That's great, we're a firing battery with nothing to fire but small arms; we weren't ADA we were Infantry with some very expensive electronic equipment to look after. I held my M-1 a little tighter as we bumped up the road that cut through the site. Stump took me to the CO and we exchanged salutes along with the normal military protocol. He asked if I had any experience with a MG .50 caliber or a 3.5 rocket launcher. I told him no, only the M-1, the M-2 Carbine, and the M-3 "grease gun." He said, OK, you'll be a loader on one of the 3.5 rocket launchers. After dumping my gear the radio operator took me to one of the emplacement by the motor pool to relieve the cook who was there acting as the loader. The cook headed back to the mess hall (an old re-built Quonset hut). Sandbag emplacements had been set up around the site's parameter to guard against any Soviet troops or vehicles that might have infiltrated the border that was a few km to the east. All night I was there with a SP5 from California, his name was Nakigami. He was to cross-train on the PAR because he had experience with electronics having been an electronic technician on the old 90mm "Skysweep" that had been phased out with the advent of the HAWK. The problem was, they phased out the old before the new had arrived. The next morning I met the sergeant who was in my direct chain of command. MSgt Charles Fentress, one of the finest people I have ever known and worked with, and I still say that today, some 42 years later. He quizzed me about my background, experience and a few questions about the equipment I was to maintain. He asked if I knew about the current situation. I told him that there had been a daily bulletin on the troop ship, the latest news had been passed on to us. I also told him what I had heard from the MP's and Stump. He said that all we could do was to keep the battery "lit-up" so the other guys know we are here. The CO planned on "illuminating" any "targets" that got too close to our section of the border maybe they would have second thoughts. He explained that the battery TO&E called for three men with my MOS, 228.1, and there were only two, so we would have to share 50% of the responsibility for the readiness of the equipment. Nakigami would be trained but he was a "short timer," he could only fill in and would not be left alone at the site as the PAR/BCC maintenance man for some weeks to come. At that time the equipment that the 228.1 was responsible for were the Pulse Acquisition Radar (PAR), the Battery Control Central (BCC) and the Assault Fire Command Console (AFCC). A year later a new piece of equipment was added, the Range Only Radar (ROR). He took me to where the PAR was located, on top of an earthen berm about fifteen feet above the rest of the terrain. We looked at the radar and ran a few checks to insure its operation. Then we went down to the BCC which was located in the back of a long-bed truck, a 5-ton I believe. Inside the consoles were manned. The CO and XO, 1 S, Lt. Merritt, were at the command console, watching the aircraft on the other side of the border. The CO would designate various "targets" to either of the CWIRs, which would then lock onto the target, illuminating them just as the good sergeant had told me. After about a week of long days, long nights and little sleep things calmed down a bit. We were allowed to send a small group back to the barracks in Schweinfurt for a hot (usually only warm at best) shower and a night's sleep between the sheets. I was assigned to stay in a squad room with five others on the third floor of one of the buildings in Ledward Barracks. Delorme, the radio operator, two guys from the launcher area, McCray and Farmer, Roberts, a cook, and Capellas, a CW radar maintenance man. Delorme was from the NY area, McCray was from Florida, Farmer from Georgia, Capellas from Hawaii, don't remember where Roberts called home, upper Midwest I think and I was from Oklahoma, quite a mix. As the days slowly went by, things calmed even more and we were back to a "normal" work schedule by my birthday, the first week in September. I was working 24 on and 24 off at the site. On the morning of September 9th, having finished working at the site and on arriving back at the barracks, Stump came out of the building with a telegram in his hand yelling congratulations to "Papa-Nick." My little girl had been born on the 7th of September. The name Papa-Nick stuck with me through out my tour with B/3/7. Even today, Papa-Nick is what our twenty-year old and eighteen-year old grandkids call me. Thank you, former Pfc. Stump, wherever you may be for giving me that moniker. I saw my daughter for the first time in December of 1961, when she and my wife came to Schweinfurt to be with me, she was 3 months old. By December 1961, the situation had calmed enough that it seemed relatively safe to have them join me. Europe remained at the center of the Cold War, some times it got a little warm but not like in August of 1961 during the Berlin Wall Crisis. Two more major situations would occur before I left B/3/7 in September 1963. The next one was the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, when things got pretty dicey and again both sides reacted in similar ways except in 1962 we were a fring battery -- with missiles. Nick Tuttle |
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| (Source: Email from Harry M. Castello) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| (Source: Email from Guy Wiltfang, C Btry, 3rd Bn, 7th ADA) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I was assigned
to C 3/7 ADA on the last day of June
1973. I spent my aprox. 2.5 years there and was looking forward to
going home when I met my wife. Enough said. I extended my ETS (Nov
24 1975) one year. Then another. Then reenlisted for three more, current
duty station. Every year fighting to stay one more year. Then, end
1979 or start of 1980, I came down on orders for Fort Lewis, and nothing
I could do would get me out of it. I spent 1.5 years in Washington, then went back to Germany, to C 2/57 ADA. I managed to get out of C 2/57 after about 14 days. 3/7 ADA bombed an AFCE TACEVAL, and was getting ready to go through another. They were in need of a Head Diesel Duck, (generator section chief) and that's my bag! Sooooooooooooooooooooo, I asked the Brigade commander, if he would send me home, and I would fix his problem. It seems that one of the most glaring deficiencies that C 3/7 had, was power generation. I fixed the problem in 7 weeks of non stop work, got an AFCE honourable mention (one of only two in the Battery) and stayed till 1985. About the middle of 1985, I came down on orders to go to a leadership school, be stationed in Fort Belvoir, came out on the E-7 list, was selected to go to Warrant School and my wife was pregnant with our first child after 8 years of trying to have a baby. Big week that was! I took the Warrant school and thought I would never see a Duck Hunter (Air Defender) again. After all, I am an Engineer. My first assignment after Warrant school was Fort Bliss, Texas. HHB, School Brigade. I spent a few months working in Training, getting PATRIOT power generation training going and then went to a DS unit for PATRIOT. The unit was training before deployment to Germany and was a part of a PATRIOT Bn. sized deployment. We deployed in 1986 and I spent aprox. 1.5 years with the 549th Maint Co. in support of the 6/3 ADA PATRIOT Bn. Then I went to the 611th Ord. Co., PATRIOT and HAWK Support unit from 1988-93 when I made the biggest mistake in my life by getting out of the Army. So now you have a very short version of how I spent 10.5 years in C 3/7 Bamberg, and 17.5 years in Germany. I still live about 15 miles from the "new Tac. Site It was sold to the catholic church after the unit closed down. Now it is a place monks and priests go to relax. Or something like that. I am looking for some of the old crew. Guy Wiltfang |
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| (Source: Email from Robert Sh0ffner, B Btry, 3rd Bn, 7th ADA, 1973-75) I was in B Btry 3rd BN 7th ADA in Schweinfurt, Germany from June 1973 to Dec 1975. Our TAC site was located in Area "M" (Webmaster note: Area "M" is a local training area near Schweinfurt  ). I was a Sgt E-5 16E20 TCA in a basic (conventional we called it) HAWK battery. I participated in 3 REFORGERs and 2 ASP TDY 's to NAMFI on Crete, Greece.I experienced the high alerts when President Nixon resigned in 1974 and during the Arab oil embargo in 1975. The motor pool on the TAC site was built in 1973 while I was there. I would like to see personell rosters for B 3/7 ADA during 1973 thru 1975 if such rosters exist. |
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| (Source: Email from Chuck Harkins, A Btry, 3rd Bn, 7th ADA, 1980-82) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I was in A Battery 3/7 ADA from 5/80 - 11/82. I was the generator section chief. I went from private to Sergeant in that unit and still remember many names. I spent many long hours on our Tac Site and went through many interesting Tac-Evals and field exercises and was given the opportunity to go to Crete, Greece in 4/81 to observe our Battalions live fire exercise. The Tac-Site was on Conn Barracks in Schweinfurt out behind the Flughafen (Airfield). I also attended the Basic Leadership Course at the 69th Group Headquarters in Würzburg. |
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| (Source: Big Time, Bamberg MILCOM newspaper, Aug 28, 1981) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3/7 ADA protects the sky . . . if it flies it dies By Ed Taylor Almost any soldier who's been in Bamberg for any length of time can name off the location of every unit on Warner Barracks. 6/10th? Right there. 82d? That's next door. 1/54 Inf? Just down the road a ways. How about Charlie 3/7? We all know there is an orderly room just across the road from the American Express Bank, but how about their place of duty. Well, it's located only about 20 miles down the road north by northeast. (Webmaster: just northeast of the town of Dörrnwasserlos.) What do they do out there? Probably one of the most important functions of any unit in Bamberg. Of course all the units here have their own special function like the Infantry, Field Artillery Maintenance, or the Tankers. But C 3/7 has the distinct honor of being the guardians of the skies. Their unit's motto "If It Flies It Dies" clearly defines the particular responsibilities of this elite unit. Along with this awesome responsibility comes some of the most extremely difficult working conditions of any unit in Bamberg, but all most people know about them is they have a champion softball team. The scenery on the long ride up the hill to the TAC Site is absolutely breathtaking on a warm, clear, sunny day. But the members of this elite unit will remind you that it's incredibly cold in the winter months. The winter months, as we all know, can seem like the longest season in Germany. As one member of the Launcher Crew told me "Bamberg can have sunshine all day at the same time we're having blizzards and working in snow up to our back pockets." Because of their unit's mission it is essential they be based at such a high elevation. By being in such a location it gives them the ability to scan the skies and identify any enemy aircraft. There can be nothing in the way to obstruct the view of the computerized radar instruments, so, whatever problems the elevation might cause, it has first priority. The TAC Site is operational 24 hours a day, 365 days a year ready to engage enemy aircraft at a moment's notice should the need arise. To maintain their lonely vigil, the battery has been split up into three crews, each one completely self-contained and an entirely separate entity from the other two. Each group consists of radar mechanics, launcher crewmen, power generation personnel, MPs, cooks, motor pool, communication personnel and a Tactical Control Officer. The three crews are put on a 3-day rotating schedule. At any given time one group is the "manning crew" which means they stay on duty for a full 24-hours straight; a second crew is on "standby" meaning they put in a minimum of an 8-hour day; and a third crew has returned to Bamberg to rest. Each day the schedule rotates, but not necessarily in order, depending on personnel standing or shortages. At times they find themselves pulling two twenty-four-hour tours of duty back-to-back. While they have their billet space in the top floor of the 123d Maintenance billets, the soldiers of C 3/7 get to sleep there only two nights out of every three, if they're lucky. The schedule goes on uninterrupted right through weekends and holidays. The only thing that interrupts the normal schedule is a readiness test -- in which case everybody goes back to the TAC Site -- even if they havejust finished their 24 hours. For the most part the soldiers of Charlie 3/7 learn to take the working hours in stride. But it's the weather that gets to them, especially in winters. In higher elevations the winds and cold can be extremely harsh. However, nobody is exempt from the duty at C 3/7 TAC Site. Even the MPs whose job it is to maintain the physical security and tend the gate to assure that no unauthorized persons enter the compound are assaulted by the cold and wet weather. There are, however, certain benefits associated with pulling duty with Charlie 3/7. One of note is coming up real soon when one of the three crews is being sent to the Greek island of Crete for a week. There they will undergo actual live fire exercises. Usually, the soldiers train using simulators that project targets on their radar screens, which they lock their missiles on and "shoot down." In Crete they will be actually firing missiles at real targets. It is a rare soldier who actually complains about his job with the ADA. The vast majority are intensely proud and happy to be working in such a specialized field. Still it's a lonely feeling when everybody thinks all you have is a good softball team. |
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| 8th Bn, 43rd ADA (Patriot) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| (Source: Email from Brendan Gage, HHB 8-43 ADA (Patriot), Giebelstadt, Germany 1987-1990) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I was taking a look at your website devoted to 32nd AADCOM units in Germany. I was a member of HHB 8-43 ADA (Patriot) in Giebelstadt, Germany from July 1987 to August 1990, and wanted to clarify a few things and hopefully fill in a few blanks for you. I'll give you a brief background on myself and my time in USAREUR. I did AIT at Ft Sill and graduated as an 82C (Field Artillery Surveyor) in May, 1987. I was assigned to HHB 8-43 ADA at Ft Bliss Texas. As soon as I arrived, I found out the battalion was being deployed to Germany. After a month at Bliss, we shipped out, and I arrived in Germany in July of 1987. We were part of 32nd AADCOM, 69th ADA Brigade. To clarify something on your website, my unit was wearing the 32 AADCOM patch up until the time I ETS'd in August 1990 - beyond the year of 1982 as indicated on your website. I believe it was worn when the unit, then renamed Task Force 8-43, deployed to the first Gulf War. Again, we were located in Giebelstadt Army Airfield, about 20 km's south of Wurzburg. Our battalion was comprised of 4 batteries - HHB, A, B, and C batteries. We also had the 57th Maintenance Company attached to us. At Giebelstadt, we also shared barracks space with members of C Btry, 6-52 ADA (HAWK). HHB 8-43 ADA spent its time in Giebelstadt, where the Fire Direction Center and battalion motor pool was. The other three line batteries spent their time rotating every few months between a Patriot site at Kitzingen and another whose location escapes me at the moment. The third battery would stay behind in garrison. HHB also had an infantry company attached to it for security purposes, and I believe the infantry company pulled guard duty out at our missile sites. Our unit crest was the "Sustinemus" crest now associated with 3/43 ADA. I hope this was of some use to you, and perhaps you can add it to your history of ADA units in Germany. I gave 3 years of my life to HHB 8-43 ADA, and I think it deserves a mention. I can give you a list of names I recall from my time there if that would help. |
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| 6th Bn, 52nd ADA (prev. 6th MSL Bn, 52nd Arty) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 2nd Bn, 57th ADA (prev. 4th MSL Bn, 57th Arty) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source: Email from Chris Smith) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thanks to your fine web site I've been able to remember (at age 67) exactly where I was stationed: 4th MSL Bn, 57th Arty, Battery C, Montieth Barracks.
I was a SPEC5 under Captain Beckwith, 1963-64. My MOS was 228, HAWK Acquisition Radar and Battery Control Central technician. I used to walk to the tactical site across the local farmland. There were only two of us with that MOS, the other was SSGT Fosnow (don't remember his first name).
Toward the end of my tour a fellow by the name of Potts arrived, giving the sergeant and myself some relief from 24 on, 24 off. At the request of a SSGT named Rivera, I painted the rec room wall with images of musical instruments. I painted the wall above the bunk in my own room with a Japanese-inspired view of Mount Suribachi. I don't know whether any of that stuff survived! I understand that Montieth Barracks is no longer. Is that true? I remember being awakened by the rumble of the M-60s early in the AM as they were underway on another "field trip." Woke most of us up. I enjoyed sight-seeing in Furth and Nuremberg. My brother was in WWII, and was a tank commander with the 3rd AD. At the close of the war he was inducted into the MPs and served in the details that were assigned to the Palace of Justice. Now deceased, he mustered out in August of '46. It was great for me to be walking the streets and towns my brother did. |
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| 3rd Bn, 60th ADA (prev. 6th MSL Bn, 60th Arty) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source: Email from Larry Trainor, 6th Bn, 60th Arty (1961-64); 6th Bn, 562nd ADA (1970-73); 2nd Bn, 67th ADA (1977-80)) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I came on your site quite by accident but I found it interesting. If you don't mind I'll throw in my two cents. I spent 22 1/2 years on active duty in the Army, all of it in ADA. I had three tours in Germany the first was from November 1961 to January 1964. The unit was a package unit of Battalion strength designated HOS-9 and was activated as the 6th Battalion, 60th Artillery. We trained at Bliss from (I think) May 1961 to October 1961 and then prepped and shipped our equipment to Germany. The Battalion left for Germany from the Brooklyn Army Terminal in November and arrived in Bremerhaven on the (USNS) Patch. We were just in time to assist with the unloading of equipment for the "Berlin Build-up". When our equipment arrived we convoyed to our new homes. Battery A, HQ's and the DSP's went to Grafenwohr and since I was in Alpha I can't begin to tell you where the others went. Our site was on the fringe of the training area and we often woke up to cannon fire. The Battalion ops center was on a hill across the tank trail. I was back in Germany from February 1970 to March 1973. This time I was with the 6th Battalion, 562nd ADA. Our HQ was in Butzbach and I was with the battery (A Battery) in Bad Kissingen at Daley Barracks. This Battalion was a self-propelled HAWK Battalion and the launchers are shown on your page, our radar equipment was mounted on the towers that someone else has provided photos of. The center of the tower was an elevator and was the most awful thing to raise and lower. We were supposed to be mobile but it was tough. We had as I recall 6 SP launchers and 3 towed launchers. And the area the other fellow used to tear around in jeeps and trucks was the area we used to tear around in the tracks for training. I guess it is appropriate that the area is for off-roading now. My last trip to Germany was from August 1977 (the month Elvis died) to July 1980 when I retired. This time it was with the 2nd Battalion, 62nd ADA. Hq's at Spangdahlem and Bitburg airbases with the Battalion radar at our admin area outside of Pruem/Prum. This unit had been recently redesignated because it had undergone a transition from a regular HAWK Battalion to an Improved HAWK Battalion. The admin area had also been a former NIKE Hercules IFC area and while I was there housed the Battalion OP's center. Our TAC site was the former launch area for the Hercules missiles with large storage bunkers and high revetments. Ironically the unit I started with in 1958 was the 465th AAA Missile Battalion which was located in Hamburg, New York as part of the Niagara Frontier Air Defense Network. That unit was later redesignated the 2d Battalion, 62 Artillery, the same unit I retired from in 1980 in Spangdahlem/Bitburg, Germany. They even had our softball trophies and pictures of the teams. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (As mentioned above, my) first Germany tour was from 1961 to 1964. At that time I was on a HAWK missile site on the (western) edge of the Grafenwoehr training area. The town closest to the site was called Auerbach. There was a gasthaus on the edge of town that we would stop at on the way back from the site to our barracks on post. The owner of the gasthaus sat with us once in awhile and would spin some stories for us. He said we (he and I) had something in common since his name was Lorenz and mine is Lawrence. |
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| The tac site was indeed in the Graf training area. In fact we were often awakened by guns firing below "the hill". They would sneak in during the night and then open fire at first light. Not only scared us, the first time it happened, but broke some windows in the "ready building". We heard rumors that a "short round" had killed several people below "the hill" before we arrived. I think it was just BS. We were witnesses to the live firing of the first 175-mm gun to arrive in Germany. We also watched 280-mm cannons fire. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| When we first arrived in Graf we were billeted in some pre-historic barracks that were using the ubiquitous compressed coal dust for heating and for hot water. These barracks were behind the EM club and apparently used most of the time for the transient training troops. We stayed there for at least 6 months and then moved to newly renovated barracks that were beautiful. Hardwood floors, steam heat, and very nice showers and bathrooms. These barracks were formed around a quad with the mess hall forming the bottom of a U and the barracks and administration offices forming the left and right verticals. Battalion HQ's and HQ's battery were across the quad from us, the DSP and motor pools were across a road behind the mess hall. I don't remember any buildings or other facilities behind our barracks building. However, across the road from the opening of the U was a permanent party of, I think, gunners of some sort. Anyway we did in fact live on main post Graf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| (Source: Email from John (Jack) Fahey) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I arrived in Graf Aug 1964 as a newbie Hawk Mech Repair person, assigned to the 249th Ord Det, attached to 6th Msl Bn/60th Arty. CO at the time was 1st Lt Glenn Farquarson who was soon replaced by 1st Lt Stephen J. Banks. 1st Sgt was George D. Meyer. 7th Army Training Center was commanded by Col. William W. West III.
Within an hour of my reporting for duty my MOS changed dramatically. 1SGT Meyer learned that I could both type and spell, so I instantly became "company jerk". Believe me, the benefits were amazing! I could say and do almost anything witout fear of retribution, and favors to the troops were sooooo easy. Ask anyone who was there about the infamous "gumball machine" incident in downtown Graf involving Mike "Sandy" Baird, and how he managed to have an overnight pass signed by WO Norman L. Shaffer.
Anyway, once I figure out how my PC really works I will forward a bunch of stuff for posting. Among the material is a full copy of the orders transferring the 249th Ord Det to the status of Ordnance Platoon of the 6th/60th, complete with the names, etc., of all personnel involved. Many photos of the 7ATC post, downtown Graf, and the surrounding area.
O.K., where were we... Our barracks were originally used by the Wehrmacht during WW2, and rumor had it Rommel's troops stayed there during training for the Africa campaign. Over the main entrance to our barracks is a keystone, containing a "Fritz" helmet superimposed over a swastika, beneath which is the date "1939". Why the US Army left it intact is beyond me, but it was impressive. Our barracks were adjacent to the post theater, next to the helipad.
Graf was a strange place. "Ground pounders", tankers, and artillery trained there 24 X 7. A noisy place to say the least. Fifteen miles (or less) from the Czech border, complete with the tensions of the Cold War. We had it made because the rest of 7th Army felt sorry for us, stationed in Graf full-time.
We had our share of good people and a few idiots to round things out. Such was the luck of the draw with the draft. Not much in the way of drugs in 1964-66, but alcohol certainly was one of the major food groups.
Stories? There are many, and as my fellow draftees hit our 60's it's time to get the info recorded for posterity. I promise to try to get my act together and pass on as many of the memories as possible.
My time in Graf, 1964-66, was memorable, something I wouldn't trade for anything. There were good times, some really bad times, but all in all it made me a better person. For that I have many people to thank, something that will have to wait for another day.
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| (Source: Email from James Gropper) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I went from Ft Bliss to Bad Aibling, Germany. We had the best defended golf course in Germany in the early 1960's. We were on an ASA post. I know it was a btry but cannot remember the unit. (Webmaster Note: I believe it was a battery of the 6th Msl Bn, 61st Arty. Can anybody confirm this?) I am now trying to make a crest history of units i have been in. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| (Source: Email from Samuel Burke, B Btry, 6th SL Bn, 60th Arty, 1969-71) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I was drafted in Nov 1968. I had no illusions about my future career in the military so after taking tests for several days during Basic Training (Ft Bragg, NC), being offered advanced training for almost another year, and being assured of a “valuable” career skill, I volunteered for another year. Seemed like a good trade off to me (a classic US to RA case). They sent me to Fort Bliss Texas. Fort Bliss was real hot (hard to imagine sticky asphalt in the summer, and dead grass painted green, but we survived it) and I made a lot of friends during my nine months of AIT. I even managed to play in a band for the time I was stationed there. Mexico provided many diversions and we managed to survive that as well. One of my fondest memories is one of our radars going unnoticed for a while, locking onto a power pole transformer a block away, and putting enough energy into it to shower sparks and spread insulating oil all over the place (making the world a safer place for microwaves :-) I came out of Fort Bliss as a radar mechanic MOS 228 (?); Continuous Wave Radar Repair. It is very possible that the MOS is wrong but I do recall fixing those little rotating “half beer can” radars. It is amazing what you can forget in ~ 40 years. Just after the first Moon landing in July 1969, I was shipped to Germany and was assigned to a HAWK battery (B Btry, 6th Msl Bn, 60th Arty) in Regensburg, Germany. Most of my Fort Bliss classmates were also sent to Germany but to different battery’s in different places. I had basically no contact with any of them until I met several when we had been shipped back to Fort Dix to get out of the military (all around the same time of course). Regensburg was the best. We had a small outfit (barracks, HQ, mess hall, EM club, parade field, etc.) and essentially were billeted “on the economy”; most civilians did not even know there was a contingent of American soldiers in their city. Our cooks were German nationals. I see on the web site that our kaserne was named Pioneer Kaserne. There was a small German contingent of soldiers in a kaserne across the street. We had a very small group of Air Force people that billeted in one end of our barracks (they had a separate entrance and everything) but I never asked what their mission was and they didn’t volunteer too much information. I did spend a lot of time with some of them (one named Ken actually owned a VW bug and we drove around all over the place) I was always thankful to be stationed in Regensburg. I had made many trips to Graf and always thought there were way too many soldiers there :-) Duty was not so bad. We spent 24 on the hill, 48 in the rear, as I recall (there were 5-7 of us in the CW repair group so call was pretty spaced out). When the deuce-and-a-halfs would load us up for our 24 hour “mountain time” we would almost always stop on the way out of town to buy supplies for our stay (bread, candy, snacks, and drinks). I always suspected that that was not SOP but it was part of our “remote site” approach and we all appreciated it. The mountain was pretty cold in the winter and we spent as much time as we could in the ready room playing foosball and pool. I do remember working on a radar in the dead of winter and filing Allen wrenches down to get them to fit the waveguide screws (we were not actually supposed to be working “ON the waveguides” so we weren’t actually authorized to have that particular Allen wrench). It was cold! We fixed it, despite “depot-level” repair rules and hindrances. There were site readiness inspections and inspectors would show up unannounced to evaluate us. We once had a small incident with the simulator hookup on one of the launchers and as I remember, the APU was “lit” on one of the birds, hydraulic fluid went everywhere, fins flapped, and the bird was ruined. Also during my tenure, a bird was dropped while transferring it to the launcher (it got bent severely) and as I recall, we lost the battery commander and a couple of non-coms over that. There was communist vehicle identification training (markings and bumper banners) but I never got the excitement of actually seeing and reporting any of them. There was standing in morning formation and brushing our teeth all together for five minutes with this new fangled “Fluoride” stuff. There were “all-nighters” preparing for IG inspections (we experienced only two of these during my stay) and we rolled our underwear on beer cans to make them all even in the footlocker. We even polished the soles of our boots. I have many memories of people and events during my duty in Germany, both good and bad, but on the whole am thankful that I had the opportunity to experience those days. When I came back to the United States, the times had changed. I left it all behind for many years. It took a long time to sort it all out. Now, as my grandkids say, “It’s all good, Poppi!” Thanks Ken, and Sam, and Dave from Cali, and Gene, and Clint, and Mike, and all the other guys I served with. It was an honor and I am proud to have served.” I just managed to find my DD 214 indicating that HQ for 6-60 was in Graf (also my recollection) and Regensburg was my duty station. Google Earth managed to locate the kaserne (Pioneer) and actually pointed me to another of your pages that I had not seen before -- http://www.usarmygermany.com/USAREUR_City_Regensburg.htm. For the time I was there it was definitely the 6-60th. In 1969 there was not a gym. Several men in our unit created a “work-out” area in the EM barracks up in the attic/storage area (spent many hours there). Imagine my surprise to also find on your page Pioneer Kaserne Comments from Mason Frichette (or Frich as I remember). His comments are correct. It was B Btry 6-60 that was stationed in Regensburg. I remember a "Frich" that was a PAR mechanic and he rotated out after I had been there for around eight months so that is probably him. I envied him because he actually had an apartment "on the economy" and somewhere to go other than the Diamond Club. I have to thank you for rekindling my interest of my service time. I met a lot of really great people and am now trying to find all of those forgotten details. I have requested the Unit Rosters (from the NARA) from my time in B Btry to see if I recognize last names that go with the nicknames I remember and my wife and I started to go through my old photos and found several of Pioneer Kaserne, lightning over what appears to be the EM barracks, and a few postcards from a Weinstube outside the kaserne that was well used by many of us. Thank you for your site. It has brought me great memories and a renewed sense of pride. |
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ORGANIZATION (30 Sept 1970): |
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[1] Based on what I was able to glean from the STATION LISTS, it appears that B Btry, 6-60th took over the Regensburg tactical site sometime in the first half of 1968, moving its home station from Pond Barracks in Amberg to Pioneer Kaserne in Regensburg. |
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| (Source: Email from John Gagliano, "A" Btry, 3-60th ADA, 1975-76) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thank you for the informative web site you mantain. At 17 years old in 1974 I joined the army and was stationed in Grafenwöhr from March 1975 thru September 1976. My unit was A Battery 3rd Batallion 60th ADA or A/3/60 for short. Our unit was the only operational self propelled Hawk unit. I was a track/generator mechanic and operator on the S-P units. In the summer of 1976 I helped ship the last of the S-P units off site and the tactical site shut down for conversion to improved HAWK. I just wanted to let you know that there was indeed a S-P unit operating since all the info I have seen on the HAWK sites make no mention of these units operating at such a late date. For a 17 YO kid to get to drive and operate these remarkable but troublesome units was an great opptunity. John Gagliano 52B20/63C30 |
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| (Source: Training Times, May 1983) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Direct Support Maintenance Btry sustains 3/60 ADA |
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| (Source: TRAINING TIMES, November 1989) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Air defense soldiers, families leave 7ATC by Karen Gill As 3rd/60th Air Defense Artillery inactivates, the soldiers and family members of its batteries in Hohenfels and Grafenwoehr have begun leaving. While inactivating, the soldiers prepare facilities and equipment and their moves have to be managed. Seventh Army Training Command is losing about 1200 community members as the 3rd/60th Air Defense Artillery inactivates. Along with the soldiers of the battalion, 7ATC is losing 400-500 family members. This is the first time 7ATC has lost so many established community members. The battalion inactivation affects B and C batteries in Hohenfels, A and Headquarters batteries in Grafenwoehr and its support company, 574th Ordnance in Grafenwoehr. Battalion commander, Lt. Col. Henry A. Zimon said, "It's going to leave a real gap in Hohenfels and Grafenwoehr that won't be filled right away. We have a lot of folks deeply involved in all community activities." The soldiers and family members began leaving in July and will continue to gradually leave until March 1990. About 80 percent will be gone by the first of next year, said Zimon. "A lot of people told me they won't have waiting lists anymore," he said. The 3rd/60th ADA is the last battalion of the 60th Air Defense Artillery Regiment to inactivate. Zimon explained that the inactivations are a result of the Air Defense Modernization Program. In this program, older guided missile units are inactivated to move in newer weapon systems. The 3rd/60th ADA provides air defense and surveillance along the NATO-Warsaw Pact border. Pact border. This includes 24-hour manning of remote missile sites. "We provide the same vigilance along the border in the air space that the cav does by manning border camps and patrolling the ground," Zimon said. Their job is even tougher now since soldiers have to continue their mission while starting the inactivation process. "It's placed a real burden on the soldiers . ... The work load really increased and will continue to do so into next year," Zimon said. To prepare for inactivation, the battalion's equipment and facilities had to be ready for inspection. "It required an intensive maintenance program and required almost everybody in each of the batteries to pitch-in on working on the equipment," Zimon said. He said he considered taking care of soldiers and families the most difficult part of the inactivation. "It's the toughest job I've had in 20 years. You can't imagine the situations that arise that need special consideration," Zimon said. Most of the 3rd/60th ADA soldiers will move to other units in USAREUR, with air defense soldiers remaining in air defense units. Soldiers at the end of their tours have the option of moving elsewhere in Germany or returning to the States. Town hall meetings are held in each unit to keep soldiers informed about their move and orders. An attempt has been made to move families with school-age children during Christmas break or between the school years, Zimon said. The 3rd/60th ADA is the largest battalion in Grafenwoehr. It was deployed in 1961, also making it the oldest continuously deployed unit in Grafenwoehr. During the last major tactical evaluation, it was rated as the best Hawk guided missile battalion ever evaluated, Zimon said. |
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| 6th MSL Bn, 61st Arty | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source: Email from Jose A. Garcia-Anaya, A Btry, 6th MSL Bn, 61st Arty, 1961-64) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In 1961, I was
a PVT driving the Hawk loader for the assembly section in A
Btry, 6th Bn, 61st Arty. I deployed with 6-61 ADA from
Bliss to a town called Freising, Germany. It took us 30 days by ship
to arrived at Bremerhaven, then we convoyed our equipment to Freising.
31, don't know how many days. I know we got lost couple of times.
Our Hawk site was #31. We wore the 7th Army patch, no Bde patch though. I remember we stayed in GP mediun tents at the site, the only buildings were the ready room and the missile assembly buildings. We had no showers and we would go to a German and USAF Kaserne to clean up. Can't remenber the name of the German Kaserne though, it was downtown Freising (Webmaster Note: probably Vimy Kaserne; other units stationed there at the time: Flugmeldeabteilung 311, German Air Force; 604th AC&W Sq, USAF; both were radar units working at the GCI radar site near Freising - which is what A Battery was probably responsible for protecting). Then later on we moved the Btry to an abandoned motor pool, between the site and the town and we stayed there till I left in 64. Like to hear from anyone who served with me between 61-64. |
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| (Source: Email from Ron Matviyak) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I finally decided to look up the old HAWK site on Google Earth and come across your web site and the chart. The 6th Bn, 61st HAWK was headquartered at |
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| Kasernes and Tactical Sites Occupied by 69th ADA Brigade units | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Webmaster Note: looking for anyone with more details on the HAWK sites operated by the 69th.) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3rd MSL Bn, 7th Arty -- 3rd Bn, 7th ADA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 6th MSL Bn, 52nd Arty -- 6th Bn, 52nd ADA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 4th MSL Bn, 57th Arty -- 2nd Bn, 57th ADA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 6th MSL Bn, 60th Arty -- 3rd Bn, 60th ADA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 6th MSL Bn, 61st Arty | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 6th MSL Bn, 62nd Arty -- 2nd Bn, 62nd ADA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| [1]
STATION LIST, 30 Sept 1963 [2] STATION LIST, 31 Dec 1967 |
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| Related Links: 3rd Bn, 7th ADA (HAWK) Yahoo Group - Calvin Bridges (C Btry, 3rd Bn, 7th ADA, Bamberg, 1978-80) has started a new website for all veterans of the 3-7 ADA. Check it out! |
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