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59th Ordnance Brigade
US Army, Europe

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).


Brigade History (1962 - 1992)

Page 2
(NATO Nuc Arty)

Page 3
(GE Nuc Arty)

59th's role in NATO

Headquarters Support Bn

3rd Ord Bn


72nd Ord Bn

197th Ord Bn

165th Sig Co

22nd Avn Det

PAL Det

List of Dets
(1960s)

List of Dets
(early 1980s)


Special Weapons Depots

Redstone Arsenal Historical Monographs
CORPORAL
HONEST JOHN
LACROSSE
LANCE

SERGEANT
COMZEUR - TASCOM Patch (1962-1974)

USAREUR Patch (1974-1982)

59th Ord Bde Patch (1982-1992)
Related Links
Personal recollections submitted by former members of the US Army warhead custodial detachments can be found in the corresponding group sections - below!

Personal recollections submitted by former members of NATO nuclear-capable outfits can be found in the corresponding unit sections on Page 2 (UK, Canadian, Belgian, French, Dutch) and Page 3 (German)!

5th USAAG

294th USAAG

512th USAAG

514th USAAG

528th USAAG
(SETAF)

548th USAAG

552nd USAAG

557th USAAG

558th USAAG
(SETAF)

559th USAAG
(SETAF)

570th USAAG

576th USAAG

 
Brigade History
1962 - 1992
59th Ordnance Brigade DI
 
 
 
(Source: A Look Back ... at the 59th Ordnance Brigade. Final issue of the 59th COURIER, the command newspaper, published in 1992.)
59th Ordnance Brigade: One for history books.

At one time, the 59th Ordnance Brigade was the largest brigade in the U.S. Army. The 59th covered 95,000 square miles from the border of Denmark, south to Switzerland, west into the Netherlands and spread throughout western Germany with over 7,000 soldiers.

The soldiers within the 59th came from a wide variety of different occupations. The vast majority of soldiers were artillery, ordnance and military police, however, several support occupations were included to fill out this well-rounded brigade.

One word stands out when describing the 59th Ordnance Brigade. Unique.

Unique in that this command successfully meshed three Army branches, the ordnance, artillery and military police corps, and performed a mission that came to be known as the backbone of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Unique in that nearly one half of the personnel assigned to the command lived and worked on installations throughout Germany, which were maintained by Great Britain, the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium.

History
The history of the 59th Ordnance Brigade and its forerunners, the Advanced Weapons Support Command (AWSCOM) and the Special Ammunition Support Command (SASCOM), reaches back into the 1950s, several years before the command's headquarters was organized.

In April 1955, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 71st Ordnance Group was organized and assigned to the Seventh U.S. Army and stationed in Pirmasens, Germany.

In June 1959, the 71st Ordnance Group was officially redesignated as AWSCOM as part of Theater Army Support Group.

AWSCOM was redesignated as the 59th Ordnance Group (Ammunition) in March 1962. The Group assumed a record of service that went back to 1943 with the Headquarters and Headquarters Company. By May 1962, 21 units were assigned to the 59th Ordnance Group. In June 1965, AWSCOM was authorized as the official abbreviation for the 59th Ordnance Group (Ammunition).

While the 59th Ordnance Group was undergoing its 12-year metamorphosis, events were taking place that were to have a shaping influence on the 59th Ordnance Brigade as it is known today.
In 1957 President Eisenhower offered certain special weapons to NATO. Congressional restraints prevented this offer from becoming an outright grant. Instead, it was provided that weapons should be positioned in allied countries but these weapons would remain United States property.

June 23, 1958 marked the first, of what would be later called, Special Ammunition Support Command (SASCOM) units on foreign soil (Turkey), and the first special weapons support provided to an allied nation. The establishment of SASCOM was a slow process due to the types of agreements that had to be concluded between the United States and the NATO nations before special weapons could be made available and the program could get under way.

Once all agreements had been concluded the Special Ammunition Support Command, born on April 15, 1960, became a significant part of the United States commitment to NATO.

Headquartered in Frankfurt, SASCOM, was organized with two types of units, artillery and ordnance. The 1960s saw SASCOM grow at a tremendous pace as new groups were activated and detachments assigned to them. By 1967, SASCOM was

composed of 10 artillery groups commanding 38 missile artillery detachments.

On Oct. 20, 1972, the command envisioned by the NATO Advanced Weapons Division 13 years before came into being. The artillery detachments, the ordnance companies, and the depot companies were combined into one command. The similar, but separate missions performed for so long by SASCOM and the 59th Ordnance Group (Ammunition) AWSCOM, were now assumed by one command - the 59th Ordnance Group, later to be officially called and accepted as the 59th Ordnance Group (SASCOM).

The new command, headquartered in Pirmasens on Husterhoeh Kaserne, saw many changes during the next few years.

  As a result of the formation of the new command, several artillery groups inactivated and joined their forces under the new command, and two ordnance battalion headquarters were activated.

Effective Aug. 22, 1977, the 59th Ordnance Group was redesignated as the 59th Ordnance Brigade and increased its mission to include support of guided missile systems and land combat systems used by the U.S. Army Corps in Europe.

Mission
The brigade's mission was to provide direct and general special weapons support for all U.S. Army, Europe, and NATO forces. In reality, this mission was one of the most unique, complex and difficult to be found in any army in the world.
  Organization
At the time of the inactivation announcement, the brigade was composed of five artillery groups, two ordnance battalions and a headquarters support battalion, totaling more than 2,900 military and 100 civilian personnel.

The artillery groups consisted of an ordnance company, artillery detachments and a headquarters detachment. The groups provided custody, control, maintenance, and supply of ammunition for our NATO allies. Some detachments had the dual mission of performing technical support and maintenance, while simultaneously performing custodial agent functions.
 

 
(Source: USAREUR/Seventh Army STATION LIST, 1 June 1976)
59th ORD AMMO GP ORGANIZATION - 1 JUNE 1976

UNIT DESIGNATION

LOCATION COMMENTS
HHC, 59th Ord Ammo Gp Husterhöh Ksn, Pirmasens
US Army PAL Det Husterhöh Ksn, Pirmasens
563rd Ord Co (Maint)(GS) Camp Pieri, Wiesbaden
579th Ord Co (GM Maint) Nelson Bks, Neu Ulm
165th Sig Co Husterhöh Ksn, Pirmasens
41st Ord Co (Ammo Convl) Kaiserslautern
72nd Ord Bn (Ammo)  
HHD, 72nd Ord Bn Army Depot, Miesau
4th Ord Co (GM Maint) Army Depot, Miesau
9th Ord Co (Sp Ammo)(Dep Spt) Army Depot, Miesau
164th MP Co (Phy Scty) Ammo Depot, Miesau
619th Ord Co (Sp Ammo)(Dep Spt) Ammo Depot, Kriegsfeld
558th MP Co (Phy Scty) Ammo Depot, Kriegsfeld
197th Ord Bn (Ammo)  
HHD, 197th Ord Bn Fischbach Ksn, Fischb.
64th Ord Co (Sp Ammo)(Dep Spt) Fischbach Ksn, Fischb.
165th MP Co (Phy Scty) Fischbach Ksn, Fischb.
525th Ord Co (Sp Ammo)(Dep Spt) Ord Area, Siegelsbach
556th MP Co (Phy Scty) Ord Area, Siegelsbach
5th Arty Gp (Wh Spt)  
HHD, 5th Arty Gp Stöckerbusch Ksn, Büren
27th Ord Co (Sp Ammo)(GS) Stöckerbusch Ksn, Büren
4th FA Det (Msl Wh Spt)(HJ) Werl
33rd FA Det (Msl Wh Spt)(HJ) Dellbrück
43rd AD Det (Msl Wh Spt) Düren-Drove
66th AD Det (Msl Wh Spt) Soest-Büecke
85th FA Det (Msl Wh Spt)(HJ) Geilenkirchen
507th AD Det (Msl Wh Spt) Hinsbeck
294th Arty Gp (Wh Spt)  
HHD, 294th Arty Gp Flensburg
99th Ord Det (Wh Spt) Flensburg
13th FA Det (Msl Wh Spt)(HJ) Liliencron Ksn, Kellinghusen
75th FA Det (Msl Wh Spt)(HJ) Flensburg
512th Arty Gp (Wh Spt)  
HHD, 512th Arty Gp Günzburg
510th Ord Co (Sp Ammo)(GS) Günzburg
2nd FA Det (Msl Wh Spt)(HJ) Pfullendorf
24th FA Det (Msl Wh Spt)(HJ) Landsberg
36th FA Det (Msl Wh Spt)(HJ) Hemau
74th FA Det (Msl Wh Spt)(HJ) Airfield, Lechfeld
84th FA Det (Msl Wh Spt)(HJ) Großengstingen
552nd Arty Gp (Wh Spt)  
HHD, 552nd Arty Gp Mühlenberg Ksn, Sögel
162nd Ord Co (Sp Ammo)(GS) Mühlenberg Ksn, Sögel
5th FA Det (Msl Wh Spt)(HJ) Schill Ksn, Dünsen
8th FA Det (Msl Wh Spt)(HJ) Steenwijk, NE
23rd FA Det (Msl Wh Spt)(HJ) T'Harde, NE
25th FA Det (Msl Wh Spt)(HJ) Barme
32nd FA Det (Msl Wh Spt)(HJ) Nienburg
35th AD Det (Msl Wh Spt) Hohenkirchen
42nd AD Det (Msl Wh Spt) Barnsdorf
51st AD Det (Msl Wh Spt) Adelheide
557th Arty Gp (Wh Spt)  
HHD, 557th Arty Gp Aartal Ksn, Herborn
96th Ord Co (Sp Ammo)(GS) Aartal Ksn, Herborn
3rd FA Det (Msl Wh Spt)(HJ) Salm Ksn, Phillipsburg
7th FA Det (Msl Wh Spt)(HJ) Hardt Ksn, Treysa
30th FA Det (Msl Wh Spt)(HJ) Army Depot, Giessen
52nd AD Det (Msl Wh Spt) Lippe
83rd FA Det (Msl Wh Spt)(HJ) Montabaur
501st AD Det (Msl Wh Spt) Kilianstädten
570th Arty Gp (Wh Spt)  
HHD, 570th Arty Gp Handorf
583rd Ord Co (Sp Ammo)(GS) Handorf
1st FA Det (Msl Wh Spt)(HJ) Schill Ksn, Wesel
15th FA Det (Msl Wh Spt)(HJ) Paderborn
22nd FA Det (Msl Wh Spt)(HJ) Dempsey Bks, Sennelager
69th FA Det (Msl Wh Spt)(HJ) Hemer
81st FA Det (Msl Wh Spt)(HJ) Dülmen
509th AD Det (Msl Wh Spt) Vörden
 

 
1967
Headquarters, Advanced Weapons Support Command
(Source: Al Galbraith, served with HHQ Co, 59th Ordnance Group - a.k.a AWSCOM, 1967-68)

1. Sign in front of HQ building, Husterhoeh Kaserne (43 KB)

2. Several buildings and a motor pool on Husterhoeh Kaserne (86 KB)
   

3. Building 4618 housed HQ AWSCOM, Husterhoeh Kaserne (97 KB)

4. Building 4618 in 2002 (36 KB)
   
Webmaster Note: I mistakenly identified the above building (photo #3 and #4) as Bldg 4611. Al says it was and is Bldg 4618.

 
(Source: Clem Akins, 529th Ord Co, 1966-67 and 1971-73; 64th Ord Co, 1967-69 and 1973-75)
Found your article on the Ordnance Companies interesting but lacking when it came to the special weapons units. Here is some information on the SW units in Europe when I was there. Took me a while to find where I had put this stuff.

The
529th Ord Co was a general support/depot company for most of the Theater. It was located in a cave complex in a small valley near the town of Masswieler a few minutes drive from Pirmasens. The cave complex was built and used by the Germans in WWII and still had the Eagles over the doors. I was there from Dec 66 till Sep 67 and again from Oct 71 till Nov 72 when they closed the unit. The 529th was under AWSCOM (Advanced Weapons Support Command) located in Pirmasens. The 529th had most of the load test mission for the theater and was a parts depot for SW test and handling equipment. We had one MP company collocated with us for security.

I was stationed at the
64th Ord Co at Fischbach from Sep 67 to May 69 and again from Oct 73 to Aug 75. During the 67-69 time there was a Sergeant GS Company (575th Ord Co) I think and two MP companies (193rd & 564th ?) that were assigned to the depot. The 64th was a SW GS Company for the southern half of Europe, the 9th Ord Co having the other half. The 64th had a mission for all SW, rocket motor support for Nike Herk and a full load 8” mission for the SW rounds. There were no extra facilities located at Fischbach so all traveled to Pirmasens for their needs, Commissary, PX, Gym, & clubs. The 64th was a stockpile site and the storage platoon had over 100 people assigned. MAJ Ron Finkbiener was the commander during the 73-75 time frame.

The
197th Ord Bn was created about Nov 72 and was located at Fischbach and had control over the 64th and 525th Ord Co. The commander was LTC Lynn Stevens. By this time the 575th Ord Co was gone.

(Source: Email from Ron Youngman, HQ AWSCOM, 1966-1969)
I was in the Surety Division of AWSCOM Headquarters in Pirmasens from 1966-1969.

I was a Spec 5. We prepared all the maintenance instructions for several nuclear warheads, i.e Nike, Honest John, Sergeant, Pershing and 155. We had nine ordnance units under our command which we were responsible for. The headquarters Advanced Weapons Support Command was also was responsible for the transport of the weapons to Germany through different means. We also had sites in France and Italy.

The 32 (Webmaster note: should be 22nd?) Aviation Detachment across the street was responsible for the deliver units.

I was assigned to the HHC 59 Ordnance Group which was next doors to the headquarters building. Buildings were used by the German SS elites during WWII. Our section chief was a LTC and I worked with a CPT, Two senior NCO's one an E-7 and one a E-8. Also worked with 6 chief warrant officers. Good job and personnel to work with.

Seems like yesterday but I left Pirmasens in March of 1969.

Several personnel were sent to Vietnam from our unit. A list came out every month.

There was the 97th Engineer Battalion on base and the the whole unit was sent to Vietnam. There one day and gone the next morning.

I remember the good NCO club we had and off base beer and sandwich shops. I traveled all over Europe to places I was allowed to go to. There were places I could not go to because of my security clearance.

 
1982
(Source: Email from Bob Eccles)
I joined the Army in January of 1982. I served in the 59th Ordnance Brigade from roughly April of 1982 to January of 1985. I started out with the 164th Military Police Company based at Miesau Army Depot, where I performed nuclear physical security duties. I am proud to have participated in a couple of events of historical note, specifically securing Pershing Two missiles arriving at Ramstein AFB, and what I believe was the first land convoy of nuclear weapons in Germany since the 1950's.

The second half of my time with the 59th was spent as the driver for the Commanding General, BG Harry Walker. I drove the Commanding General and Command Sergeant Major in an unmarked Mercedes sedan, following the convoy vehicles. We spent a lot of time in the armor-plated and bullet-proof BMW 733-i criss-crossing Germany (West Germany, at the time) and Belgium visiting units of the 59th.

On our way back to Brigade headquarters in Pirmasens, we listened as local radio newscasters reported the convoy. Our CSM spoke fluent German, so he could translate what was being said.

Transporting nukes around Germany (and occasionally Belgium) was pretty interesting by helicopter, too. We flew around in "Chinook" helicopters. I remember once we had to land in a field in the middle of the German countryside, and rush out and set up a perimiter around the chopper. I overheard the pilot say that he had lost hydrolic pressure. Kinda scary!
Bob Eccles

 
1985
(Source: Joe Luongo, 59th Ord Bde, 1985-88)
I was assigned to the 59th Ord Bde from Dec 1985 to Nov 1988. I started at the Bde staff in the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Surety. I was a physical security inspector. I inspected sites all over the Bde. I went from Flensburg in the north to Füssen in the south. Some of the units that I remember inspecting are the 162nd OD CO, the 74th USAFAD, the 510th OD CO, the 619th OD CO and the 1st USAFAD. There were alot more but those are the one's I remember most.

After 6 months on the surety team and being TDY 3 weeks of the month I took command of the 164th MP CO at Miesau in July of 1986. The 164th was then part of the 3rd OD BN that was headquartered in Pirmasens. The 164th was the biggest MP CO in USAREUR. We had a authorized strength of 284 soldiers. We secured one of the largest nuclear storage sites in Europe. We provided security for air missions all over West Germany. Between air missions, inspections, demos for visiting VIPs and the day to day mission it never stopped. It was a tough command and pretty stressful but it was the highlight of my career. Nothing I did before or after has equaled it. I was very lucky I had great soldiers who always accomplished the mission no matter how bad things got.

After 21 month of command I went to the 3rd ORD to be the S-2.

I retired in 1996 and was called back to active duty in 2002.

I often run into people who served in the 59th. And its alway fun to listen to the stories. Everyone always agrees that there was not doubt what your mission was. Hopefully there will be more comments from other people
Joe Luongo
 
If you have more information on the history or organization of the 59th Ord Bde, please contact me.

 
(Source: A Look Back ... at the 59th Ordnance Brigade. Final issue of the 59th COURIER, the command newspaper, published in 1992.)
59th's role in NATO.

During its many years of service, the 59th Ordnance Brigade provided a valuable link between the peacetime readiness of U.S. forces and the ability to support forces of our NATO allies in the event of war.

To provide for group self-defense, NATO has three major commands - Allied Command, Europe, (ACE); Allied Command, Channel; and Allied Command, Atlantic.

In wartime, the 59th Ordnance Brigade would have come under the operational control of ACE commanded by the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (SACEUR). The mission given to SACEUR by NATO is to contribute to the deterrence of all forms of attack against countries and peoples in ACE and, should any attack occur, to take all military measures necessary to preserve or restore the borders and security of Western Europe.

The more than 70,000 square miles for which SACEUR is tasked to defend is divided into four commands - Allied Forces, Northern Europe; Allied Forces, Central Europe; Allied Forces, Southern Europe; and the United Kingdom Air Forces. Within these commands there are various other subordinate headquarters.

Allied Forces, Northern Europe (AFNORTH) is comprised of Norway, Denmark,

  Germany north of the Elbe River, and the adjacent sea areas. A subordinate command of AFNORTH, Allied Forces, Baltic Approaches (BALTAP) is the parent command for Allied Land Forces, Schleswig-Holstein and Jutland (LANDJUT), which contains forces that were supported by elements of the 59th Ordnance Brigade.

The largest of ACE's subordinate commands, Allied Forces, Southern Europe (AFSOUTH), includes Italy, Greece, Turkey, the Black Sea, and the entire Mediterranean Sea.

The third subordinate command, United Kingdom Air Forces (UKAIR), is a single service subordinate command - the Royal Air Force supplies all of the assets. It is a multi-role command, spanning all functions of air power.

The fourth and last major command, Allied Forces, Central Europe (AFCENT), contained most of the units supported by the artillery groups and ordnance battalions of the 59th Ordnance Brigade. AFCENT's area of responsibility extends from the North Sea and the Elbe River to the borders of Austria and Switzerland.

The major subordinate commands of AFCENT are Northern Army Group (NORTHAG), Central Army Group
  (CENTAG), and Allied Forces, Central Europe (AAFCE).

NORTHAG is composed of four national corps from Belgium, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the Netherlands. The headquarters included an element from the 59th Ordnance Brigade to assist in planning and coordination. The NORTHAG area of responsibility stretches from Hamburg to Kassel, and from the inner German border to the Dutch and Belgian borders.

CENTAG, covering the middle and southern areas of Germany, consists of two German corps, two U.S. corps, and a Canadian mechanized brigade. There was also a 59th Ordnance Brigade staff element at CENTAG headquarters.

Exercising operational control over the 2nd and 4th ATAF, AAFCE is responsible for deterring air attacks and responding if attack should occur.

As can be seen, Allied Command, Europe, is a complex organization combining the armed forces of many nations and requiring close liaison to ensure cooperation and, ultimately, the ability to respond in the event of war. The 59th Ordnance Brigade was an important part of this command and an integral element in NATO's deterrence of aggression.
 

 
(Source: A Look Back ... at the 59th Ordnance Brigade. Final issue of the 59th COURIER, the command newspaper, published in 1992.)
Headquarters Support Battalion
 

The Headquarters Support Battalion was organized as the Special Troops Battalion on October 1979, to command and control the four separate units assigned to the 59th Ordnance Brigade: Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 165th Signal Company, 22nd Aviation Detachment, and the U.S. Permissive Action Link Detachment. These units provided the brigade headquarters with administrative, logistical, communications, transportation, and classified support.

In May 1983, the Special Troops Battalion was redesignated Theater Support Battalion (Provisional). The Headquarters Commandant was formed the following month to assume the support mission responsibility. The four units were attached to the Headquarters Commandant for administrative and logistical purposes.

In the spring of 1984, Headquarters Commandant was redesignated as Headquarters Command. In August of that same year, Headquarters Support Battalion was created and it assumed provisional status in February 1985.

Finally, in October 1985, Headquarters Support Battalion was activated with the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 165th Signal Company, 22nd Aviation Detachment and the PAL Detachment under its control. The Headquarters Support Battalion is scheduled to inactivate in September 1992.

Headquarters and Headquarters Company
Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 59th Ordnance Brigade was constituted and activated in the U.S. Army in 1943 as

  Headquarters Detachment, 331st Ordnance Battalion and activated at Camp Livingston, La.

The following year, the battalion was reorganized and redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 59th Ordnance Group. The Group served with distinction as part of the Ninth Army in World War II and was awarded battle credits for participation in the Central Europe Campaign and the Rhineland Campaign.

Inactivated at Fort Jackson, S.C. in February 1946, Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment was again active in Guam from April 1947 to December 1948.

Redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 59th Ordnance Group in 1951, the unit served in Korea and took part in five campaigns. The Group was awarded the Meritorious Unit Citation for its outstanding service in Korea. The unit was inactivated in Korea in May 1957.

In March 1962, the Group was activated in Germany as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 59th Ordnance Group (Ammunition). Later that year, it was redesignated the 59th Ordnance Group, Advanced Weapons Support Command (AWSCOM).

AWSCOW and the former Special Ammunition Support Command (SASCOM) were consolidated and merged to form a "new" SASCOM in 1972. The new 59th Ordnance Group (SASCOM) moved from Frankfurt to the old AWSCOM headquarters in Pirmasens.

On 22 August 1977, 59th Ordnance Group (SASCOM) was reorganized and redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 59th Ordnance Brigade. HHC, 59th is scheduled to inactivate in September 1992.

22nd Aviation Detachment
The 22nd Aviation Detachment was constituted in the regular Army as the 22nd Special Warfare Aviation Detachment in March 1962 and activated at Fort Bragg, N.C. In June 1962, it was reorganized and redesignated as the 22nd Aviation
  Detachment (Special Forces). The Detachment was inactivated in December 1963.

The unit was activated in September 1965 as the 22nd Transportation Company in Pirmasens, Germany and assigned to U.S. Army Communications Zone Transportation Command with attachment to the U.S. Army Advanced Weapons Support Command. The 22nd replaced the 26th Transportation Company which was inactivated. The following month, the activation orders were amended to designate the unit as the 22nd Aviation Detachment.

In May 1967, the detachment was assigned directly under U.S. Army Communications Zone with attachment to AWSCOM. In 1971, and again in 1977, the 22nd Aviation Detachment was named the USAREUR Region AAAA Aviation Detachment Size Unit of the Year. The 22nd will inactivate in July 1992.

Permissive Action Link
In December 1963, the U.S. Army Permissive Action Link Detachment was organized and assigned to Headquarters, U.S. Army Materiel Command, Europe. The detachment was attached to the Advanced Weapons Support Command for administrative and logistical support.

Prior to December 1963, the Army PAL Detachment had been known as the U.S. Army Control Detachment, the U.S. Army Surveillance Detachment, and the U.S. Army PAL Surveillance Detachment.

In September 1970, the PAL Detachment was assigned to the U.S. Army Theater Support Command, Europe, and attached to AWSCOM. In July 1972, the PAL Detachment was placed under the operational control of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, USAREUR, and in May 1974, it was reassigned to the 59th Ordnance Group (Special Ammunition Support Command).

The Permissive Action Link Detachment was the only unit of its kind in the U.S. Army, consisting mainly of officers and noncommissioned officers. The PAL Detachment was inactivated in June 1992.
 
 
165th Signal Company
The 165th Signal Company was constituted in February 1942 as the 165th Signal Photographic Company. The 165th was activated in June 1942 at Camp Crowder, Mo. Serving in the European Theater during World War II, the company received credit for five campaigns and was awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation.

After the war, the 165th was inactivated at Camp Kilmer, N.J. in March 1946. In February 1957, the unit was redesignated as the 165th Signal Company and was activated at Camp Hood, Texas the following month. The 165th was inactivated at Fort Carson, Colorado in August 1961.

The company was activated once again in August 1967 at Fort Bragg, N.C. and was inactivated there in January 1971. In September 1975, the 165th Signal Company was activated in Germany and assigned to the 59th Ordnance Group. The 165th Signal Company inactivated in June 1992.

Northern Army Group
Working as a part of the NATO team in the largest collocated military complex in
  Western Europe, was the small group of men and women of the brigade's staff
element at the Northern Army Group/Second Allied Tactical Air Force Joint Headquarters in Rheindahlen, near the city of Moenchengladbach.

This facility also served as the headquarters for the British Army of Rhine (BAOR) and Royal Air Force, Germany.

The staff elements main mission was to advise and coordinate the planning of weapons support to the four NORTHAG corps and to 2ATAF and provided a link between the brigade and its administrative locations in northern Germany and Holland and with other NATO commands.

Part of the element's mission was to assist the NORTHAG/2ATAF staffs in planning exercises or operations and to participate in joint exercises in support of various NATO units. In addition, members of the element joined with other representatives of other commands to form NATO evaluation teams which were used to test units of the northern artillery groups of the brigade. Pinpointing problems at the groups and providing assistance comprised a large
  portion of the element's peacetime mission. (See page 61 for history of NORTHAG.)

Central Army Group

In counterpoint to the Staff Element NORTHAG, the brigade established a brigade staff element at Central Army Group/Fourth Allied Tactical Air Force (CENTAG/4ATAF) in Heidelberg.

Collocated with Headquarters, U.S. Army, Europe, and Allied Command Europe Mobile Forces Land, this specialized staff section served as a focal point for coordinating actions and maintaining a visible interrelationship between the brigade and the NATO headquarters for the four separate corps located in central and southern Germany.

While they lived in Heidelberg, "the home of the general," members of the staff element were often called upon to host as well as attend high level conferences, special functions, and be specially trained to monitor, support and participate in major NATO exercises to accomplish their mission while under direct supervision of the 59th Ordnance Brigade commander. (See page 62 for history of CENTAG.)
 

(Source: Email from Thomas S. Schorr, Jr., last commander of HHC, 59th Ord Bde)
I just found the website for the 59th while researching other topics. Of course your site side tracked me for a little while. I was the last commander of HHC 59 OD Bde and the very last person to sign out of the brigade on 30 Sep 92 after the official inactivation. I had to sign out of 196th OD Bn located right across the street.

Lots of memories, seen lots of former 59 OD soldiers, and we all had good memories … though I think we seem to have remembered the best of our experiences.

I still have the sign from HHC 59 OD Bde after I discovered that the installation was just going to turn it into scrap metal.

1SG Mark Hole was the last 1SG of HHC. Great guy who went on to make CSM. It could not have happened to a better NCO. My XO, 1LT Bruce Tharpe, ETS'd service and went to Penn State to get his Masters in Engineering. Last thing I got from him was that he was enjoying school and in the process of setting up his own engineering firm. I'm sure by now that he must have the corner on any kind of engineering needs on the East Coast.

In the final months of 59th OD Bde and HHC, we blossomed from the normal 400 soldiers to over 700 soldiers as units went out of business to meet President Bush's mandate to eliminate all tactical special weapons in Europe. All of the special T&H gear was turned in to the supply section which was headed by 1LT Zulma Guerrero, now LTC and serving in the 19th ESC, Daegu Korea. She is going very well. I expect her to pick up a BN Command and pin on COL. We also served together in CFLCC on the G4 staff.

I've had a pretty good career and ended up with 7 commands. I still think that LTC John Nyere was the best boss that I ever had. He was always even keeled and let me run to the end of my rope before interjecting his thoughts on what he thought I should be doing. His examples have guided me through my entire career and I've been pretty successful. Every new company commander should have a boss like him to guide them through their commands. When I rotated into every command I use the same words that he told me right before my HHC 59 COC.

I was really nervous and had no idea of what to right for a COC speech. I spent the better part of two evenings at home thinking up stuff of what I wanted to do and we would be a great unit. As I'm standing in the side of the gym waiting for our cue to go out the podium to begin the COC he looks at me, notices that I'm looking through about 5 pages of speech and simply says to me, "Son, keep it short, you haven't done anything yet". I shortened my speech to, I'm proud to be selected for command and essentially I'll do the best I can. Every soldier was relieved after the outgoing commander went on for what seemed like an eternity.

By the way, another person out of the PAL Detachment, COL Patrick Harris, is now in the Army War College and will graduate this summer. Amazing how well all of us that were assigned to the Brigade have done.

 
(Source: Welcome to the 59th Ordnance Brigade, 59th Ord Bde special orientation brochure, no date (probably 1982))
3rd Ordnance Battalion
 

One Of A Kind

The 3rd Ordnance Battalion is a one of a kind unit.

It is the only battalion in the U.S. Army with a general support missile maintenance mission. Its units have the unique advantage, at least as far as the 59th is concerned, of being in or very close to military communities.

The 3rd is also a notable battalion in that it sends its servicemembers to far away places such as Crete (Greece), Italy, Berlin, Grafenwoehr, and Garlstedt in Germany for support of missile firings.

A former 3rd Ord commander once remarked that the average soldier in his battalion was "not only very technically oriented but also liked to get out and enjoy the attractions of Germany".

The 3rd Ordnance Battalion has a wide ranging mission. It provides general support and some direct support maintenance for every type of missile system the Army uses in NATO: Hawk, Nike-Hercules, Pershing, Chapparral, Redeye, Stinger, Lance, Tow, Dragon, Shillelagh, Vulcan gun system and Forward Area Alerting Radar (FAAR).

Although the 3rd's mission is centered around missile maintenance, it has a wide variety of jobs within its ranks with over 68 MOS's among its 942 members.

A little history: The 3rd began as an automotive support unit in the Pacific theatre during World War II (note the cog and palm tree on its crest) and was deactivated after the war. During the Vietnam conflict the 3rd Ord served as a conventional ammunition battalion until its deactivation in April 1972.

  The 3rd's recent history has been dotted with honor, as it became the first unit in USAREUR in 1981 to store and maintain the advanced Stinger missile. That same year, the 3rd also underwent inspection from none other than the Vice-Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, Gen. Thomas Vessey.

The 3rd also fielded a fine Nijmegen (Netherlands) March team in 1980 which went on to place among the top 10 percent of the 10,000 soldiers that trecked the famous 1000 mile route.

The battalion sends soldiers to the Armed Forces Recreation Centers in Garmisch every year for adventure training. There they are instructed in survival techniques under adverse conditions.

When the 59th underwent a reorganization in 1977, the 3rd reactivated and took under its wing the 4th Ordnance Company in Miesau; the 41st Ordnance Company in Kaiserslautern; the 563rd Ordnance Company in Wiesbaden; and the 579th Ordance Company in Neu-Ulm, which has since been transferred to the 56th FA Brigade.

In providing general support it repairs, maintains, stores, renovates and issues missiles to direct support units around USAREUR, a complicated mission to say the least.

The 3rd also provides direct support for units such as the Berlin Brigade, the 2nd Armored Division Forward and the 7th Army Training Center.

Part of the 3rd's mission is to maintain an 'Operational Readiness Float' in which a reserve of missiles, generators and other support equipment are kept for use by other units when their equipment breaks down.

The 3rd's organic companies, in brief:
The Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the 3rd is situated on Taukkunen Barracks in historic Worms, city of the Protestant Reformation. Soldiers in Worms, when not involved in the affairs of operating a battalion, have ample opportunity to visit the Martin Luther monument, roam through Romanesque and Baroque churches, attend a winefest, or see the opera in this city of 80,000 along the Rhine River. The headquarters also plays host to battalion tournaments in basketball, football and softball each year.
  The 4th Ordnance Company at the Miesau Army Depot near Kaiserslautern services Nike-Herkules and Improved Hawk missiles for the 32nd Army Air Defense Command. Its members take advantage of the many volksmarching (German for "people's walk") and hiking trails in the Miesau area.

The 4th distinguishes itself through an active suggestion awards program that contributed over $ 144,000 in savings during the first five months of 1981 alone.

The 4th is part of the Zweibrucken Military Community and its members have close access to all the benefits of Kaiserslautern as welI.

As a note, the 4th's location is the scene of a yearly gathering of Miesau's Protestants under an oak tree in a sensitive part of the Miesau Army Depot. The tradition is a centuries old token of the religious defiance of the town's citizens.

The 41st Ordnance Company in Vogelweh, near Kaiserslautern, performs ammunition storage, issue, and maintenance functions on a wide variety of missiles, mostly at its two storage facilities in Fischbach and Weilerbach. It also features a Dedicated Delivery Service program whereby missiles are exchanged on site at artillery batteries.

Both the 41st and the 4th are located close to the Kaiserslautern Military Community, which contains approximatelys 50,000 servicemen and has several large exchanges, auto garages, pizza huts, camera and stereo shops, parts stores, and other spacious facilities operated by the Army/Air Force Exchange Service.

The 563rd Ordnance Company in Wiesbaden maintains ten different missile systems. It competes strongly in sports activities within its military community and within the Battalion. During off-duty time soldiers of the 563rd enjoy the many sights in Wiesbaden on the Rhine River and take in an occasional round of golf at a course located adjacent to its Kaserne.

The 3rd Ordnance Battalion isn't the largest battalion-sized unit in the 59th, but it has one of the strongest traditions of excellence to be found in any unit.
 

 
72nd Ordnance Battalion moved to the new 72nd Ord Bn Page
 

 
197th Ordnance Battalion moved to the new 197th Ord Bn Page
 

 
294th US Army Artillery Group moved to the new 294th USAAG Page


A word of caution -- Sites mentioned here are either government property or owned by private citizens.
DO NOT TRY TO ENTER them unless you have obtained proper authorization from the owners!
 
(Source: A Look Back ... at the 59th Ordnance Brigade. Final issue of the 59th COURIER, the command newspaper, published in 1992.)
512th US Army Artillery Group
 
The 512th U.S. Army Artillery Group was constituted in the Army of the United States in February 1943 as the 512th Field Artillery Battalion. The 512th was activated at Camp Rucker, Ala. in June 1943.

Following training, the battalion went to Europe where it participated in four World War II campaigns.

After the cessation of hostilities, the 512th returned to the United States and was inactivated in December 1945 at Camp Kilmer, N.J.

In September 1948, the battalion was redesignated as the 463rd Field Artillery Battalion and allotted to the Organized Reserve Corps. Redesignated as the 512th U.S. Army Artillery Battalion in March 1952, the unit was withdrawn from the Army Reserve and allotted to the regular Army in December 1952.

The 512th was active in Japan from March 1955 to March 1956.

Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 512th Field Artillery Battalion was redesignated in September 1959 as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 512th U.S. Army Artillery Group.

The group was activated in October 1959 at Fort Bliss, Texas and moved to Italy where it was inactivated in November 1961.

The 512th U.S. Army Artillery Group was reactivated at Fort Sill, Okla. in March 1962. The 512th arrived in Germany in July 1962 and was assigned to the Special Ammunition Support Command with further assignment to the 548th U.S. Army Artillery Group.

In April 1965, the group headquarters and the 510th Ordnance Company relocated from Urlau to Guenzburg.

In 1970, the 512th was moved permanently under operational control of the 59th Ordnance Group, which was later redesignated the 59th Ordnance Brigade.

The 512th inactivated in June 1992.

2nd U.S. Army Field Artillery Detachment
The 2nd U.S. Army Field Artillery Detachment was organized and activated at Fort Sill, Okla. in September 1962 as the 2nd U.S. Army Missile Detachment. In January 1963, the detachment moved to Germany and was assigned to the 512th U.S. Army Artillery Group. The detachment was inactivated in June 1991.

24th U.S. Army Field Artillery Detachment
The 24th U.S. Army Field Artillery Detachment was organized and activated in January 1961 as the 24th U.S. Army Missile Detachment at Fort Sill, Okla. Upon arrival in Europe in July 1961, the detachment was assigned to the 548th U.S. Army Artillery Group and then to the 512th U.S. Army Field Artillery Group in July 1962. The detachment was inactivated in May 1992.

36th U.S. Army Field Artillery Detachment
The 36th U.S. Army Field Artillery Detachment was organized and activated in October 1959 at Fort Sill, Okla. as the 36th U.S. Army Missile Detachment. Upon completion of training, the 36th Detachment moved to Germany in 1960. The unit was assigned to SASCOM upon its organization. The detachment was further assigned to the 548th U.S. Army Artillery Group and then to the 512th U.S. Army Artillery Group in July 1962. The unit was inactivated in May 1992.

74th U.S. Army Field Artillery Detachment
The 74th U.S. Army Field Artillery Detachment was organized and activated in April 1965 at Fort Sill, Okla. as the 74th U.S. Army Missile Detachment. The detachment moved to Germany in June 1966 and was assigned to the 512th U.S. Army Artillery Group in support of the German Air Force's 1st Surface-to-Surface Missile Wing.

In January 1971, the two U.S. missile detachments assigned to the 512th, the 74th and 82nd U.S. Army Missile Detachments, were combined. The 82nd was merged with the 74th and redesignated as the 74th U.S. Army Field Artillery Detachment. The 82nd had supported the 1st SSMW from November 1969 until January 1971, and was the first U.S. Army unit to receive a unit to unit streamer from the German Air Force.

Since its deployment in 1966 the 74th U.S. Army Field Artillery Detachment had provided continuous support of its strategic NATO mission along with the 1st SSMW. In 1990 the 74th and the 1st SSMW close working relationship was recognized with the USAREUR Partnership award.

With its formal inactivation on 15 July, 1991, the 74th completed over 25 years of service in support of the NATO alliance.

The 74th was one of only two Pershing IA units in the world.


84th U.S. Army Field Artillery Detachment

The 84th U.S. Army Artillery Detachment was organized and activated in December 1966 at Fort Sill, Okla. as the 84th U.S. Army Missile Detachment. The 84th moved to Germany in January 1967 and was assigned to the 512th U.S. Army Artillery Group. The unit was inactivated in May 1992.

510th Ordnance Company
The 510th Ordnance Company was constituted in the Army of the United States as Company F, 54th Quartermaster Regiment in May 1936.

The company was activated in June 1941 at Fort Dix, N.J. and in June 1942 it moved to Fort Meade, Md. The unit was redesignated as Company F, 54th Ordnance Regiment in August 1942, and in October 1943 it was redesignated as the 872nd Ordnance Heavy Maintenance Company.

In April 1943, the 872nd was transferred to Dawson Creek, Canada. Later that year, the company was redesignated as the 872nd Ordnance Heavy Automotive Maintenance Company.

The 872nd moved to Fort Ord, Calif. in April 1944 and was alerted for overseas movement. Departing the United States in January 1945, the 872nd arrived in France in January 1946. For its service in the European Theater of Operations, the company received credit for two campaigns.

After the war, the 872nd remained in Germany until March 1946 when it returned to the United States for inactivation later that month.

In February 1947, the unit was redesignated as the 510th Ordnance Heavy Automotive Maintenance Company.

The company was redesignated in April 1959 as the 510th Ordnance Company for assignment to the Armed Forces Weapons Project. The 510th was activated in June 1959 at Sandia Base, N.M. as a special weapons and missile general support company.

In August 1962, the 510th arrived in Germany and was assigned to the 512th U.S. Army Artillery Group. The 510th was inactivated May 1992.

512th USAAG Subordinate Units - Personal Recollections:
510th Ordnance Company
2nd US Army Field Artillery Detachment
24th US Army Field Artillery Detachment
36th US Army Field Artillery Detachment
74th US Army Field Artillery Detachment
82nd US Army Field Artillery Detachment
84th US Army Field Artillery Detachment

(Source: Email from Rick McBee, 512th Arty Gp, 1969-1970)
  Memories of Richard McBee of the 512th Arty Gp in Günzburg, Germany, 1970

Just an update on your 512th in Germany information. The personnel office roster for that year at the Prinz Eugen Kaserne just outside of Gunzburg Germany was made up of CWO Leroy.C. Sweet; SGT Mendez; SP5 Richard McBee; SP4 Alan Lang; SP4 Pete Spera; SP4 Bruce Shoe and SP4 Robinson.

I was assigned there when I came through Frankfurt after dropping out of Infantry OCS after the end of the fourth month (OC1 - 70 - Second to None was our slogan but I decided I didn't like the kind of guy I was turning into as a wielded sword man.). In the casual company in Frankfurt I got bored sitting around waiting to be assigned, so I walked into the personnel office and asked if they had any place in the medical corps that I could be assigned since my background was in Biology. They said no, but could I type. I said I knew where to put my fingers on the keys because I had one class in typing in High School, so they called up the Det. in Gunzburg and I got assigned as the new Officer Records Clerk for all the 512th SASCOM Detachments in early Dec. of 1969.

When I arrived in Gunzburg, in December, the fellow I was replacing, named Larry, had almost the same history as me and he sold me his old (really old) VW and also talked to the land lady who had his apartment in town with his wife and they agreed to rent the place to me after he rotated out at the end of January. They put me in the barracks with a room mate, Gary Sauers, who had also just arrived. Gary liked to play the song "Nights in White Satin" - almost drove me crazy he played it so much. The barracks were absolutly first class, having been old officer quarters for the Germans in WW2 and had been upgraded. Big rooms we actually had cleaning ladies (putzfraus) who came in and cleaned. Fabulous meals and on Sunday when the cooks didn't work we got to go into the kitchen and make breakfast. That's where I learned how to make omlettes. I stayed in the barracks until Jan. 24th when my wife arrived from her home in England (I having gotten married there in between the end of Infantry AIT and OCS in July). We moved into the Lamb Hotel in Gunzburg for a week until Larry moved out. The first night in the hotel was Fashing, night before Lent starts. The Germans had a giant party all night long and kept us awake, but it was good to be together again after so long apart.

In the personnel office I found that my typing was not up to snuff and I needed to go into the office after hours for two hours or so each night for that first month that I was there in order to keep my assignments up to date. By the end of that first January I had the system pretty well down. It's amazing what motivation can do for a fellow. They signed me up for a correspondence course to upgrade my skills so I could be promoted to SP5 which was the roster level for my position. It took me about two months to complete everything and I was then promoted to SP5 and we had a big party out at one of the gasthauses where we passed around the half gallon of whiskey between drinking liters of beer. A lot of crossed eyes and staggers by the time we left. I got a couple of days leave in January before my wife came over and took a quick trip with one of the 510th Det clerks, Shinn, down to Garmisch to go skiing. Fabulous place and a good Gasthaus to stay in as well. Also went to a beer festival in Munich with some of the guys and just about got crushed by the masses of people moving from place to place.

After my wife arrived, she met up with the wife of another SP4 - Barry, whose name was Julie. Jill and Julie and also the wife of SP4 Mallette shopped together and kept each other sane while we were off doing our work each day. When they had an alert on the base, for some reason the jeep was supposed to come around through town and collect all of us who were married and haul us into base at whatever time so we could take off for the woods. For some reason they could never find my place, so I would arrive at 8 AM ready to go to work to find that everyone was all suited up in helmets and had the trucks all loaded for the field and had been there since two in the morning. This happened three times while we were there and never once did anyone come wake me up or find me. Fortunately the Russians never decided to press the button.

After work every day we had R&R in the base canteen with the slot machines and a few beers. The worst duty was policing cigarette butts, the rest of the time we were in our offices typing like mad trying to keep up with paperwork pre-computer era. On the days when Robie had to put together all the rosters for the Dets. we all spent the entire day walking around one big table piled high with stacks of paper putting together the bundles that had to go out to everywhere in the world to let them know who we were. The most tedious job was completing the Officer Efficiency reports for the Colonel. I couldn't make more than three errors on a page and the paper was non-erasable anyway so it was perfection ...or... I ended up typing a number of things over. In fact the last part of the report had to fit exactly into a special rectangle. The amount of writing could generally only be gotten into the space by laborously back spacing each letter to cram things together. That was when I sweated blood, getting in the last letters if I already had my quota of corrections.

Weekends my wife and I saw a fabulous number of castles, hiked in the German woods and met some people who were always helpful and friendly. One day I'll go back and have another look at the area because it was probably as great a place to be stationed as one could wish for.

I got an early out in Dec. 1970 to return to graduate school at Montana State.

510th Ordnance Company
(Source: Email from Thomas McGeeney, 510th Ord Co, 1962-64)

GOOGLE EARTH
 
Have been looking for where SASCOM went. I was in the 510th Ordnance Company when it deloyed in 1962. We joined the 512th USAAG at Urlau (), Germany. It was a Bundeswehr Ammo depot. I rotated back in 1964 as my enlistment was up.

The Nickle 'N Dime (510th) was suppose to deploy earlier, probably in 1959, but the political, governmental aspects weren't right so they trained as a unit and disbanded. Then in January 1962 they were reorganized again. Most of the personnel on Sandia Base were brought in and given a promotion. I enlisted in the Army in March of 1961 and by April 1962 I was SP4. Three of us in the company got E4 promotions that month. All the E4's that came to the Army that month went to the 510th. The push was on to get the best in that unit and get it over to Germany. We got the promotions. E8, E7, and E6 in December 1961 and their promotion party was when I first arrived on December 30, 1961.
My buddy in the 510th was a personnel clerk and worked at 512th personnel section. He and the rest of the clerks there used to tell me about the personnel actions. Some of tlhem were pretty funny. They had to administer the Missile Detachments. Some supported German artillery units, others the French.

During the time when the French Army was being kicked out of Algeria, the 512th ran some paper problems, pretending to issue ammunition. This brought the French soldiers to our depot to similate an ammo issue. This gave us a chance to work with the French. We had a Cajun from Louisiana, and a French Canadian from New York. They handled the translation. The 512th had a couple of German interpreters.

I went to the Army language school and took chinese mandarin, but never completed the course. The French officers would tell us how the French Army was being shot up by American War Surplus Sniper Scopes, their nylon, rayon uniforms stood out so sharp detail on the sniperscopes.

Oh, one of the funny incidents. One of the Missile Detachments had a 1st Sgt that keep going AWOL, with a German girl. When they got him back, bust him a rank and before they could reassign him he would go AWOL again. This went on for some time. Eventually they had him at Sgt E5 and had to bust him, only they needed a Dept of the Army Order (from the Pentagon) as the 1st Sgt was an NCO in his MOS and below Sgt E5 was only a Specialist rating in E4. So a General Order from the Dept of The Army was gotten to bust him from NCO to Sp4. Funny thing when me and my personnel clerk buddy rotated, there was the former 1st Sgt on our troop ship in brand new fatigues. Sp4 rank an all.

About the Missile Detachments, I only came into contact with them by way of my buddy who worked at 512th Personel section. Also, all the two clerks that worked with him used to form our 'drinking group' when we went to Leutkirch, town just north of Urlau. All that Urlau had was a train station and our Bundeswehr Ammo Depot. And maybe a gasthaus. They hauled the sidewalks in at dark.

Herlazhofen (?) had a Moor Bad and in the summer it was popular with all the local girls wearing bikinis, which in 1962 just drove us American GI's wild. The Hotel at Herlazhofen had a cellar and the owner made it into a niteclub with the arrival of the two American Army units. It was within walking distance of the Depot, if one was young. I walked it and it took about 45 minutes. I had a VW and used it most of the time. The owner called it "The Kellar Bar", us Americans called it The "Killer Bar". On Saturday nights it had a dance with a 5-piece band. All the Greek and Italian girls, who worked at the local factories would come. Along with all the Greek and Italian boys, who looked on the girls as their private property. Funny thing there were no fights and with the highter intelligence of the sodiers of our units I never witnessed any problems.

One incident sticks out. We had a security platoon of 111's infantrymen, who ran 'gatekeeper duty' while a German Army Infantry Company had SASP security. These security people, 3 PFC's, were attending a dance one saturday night and they rented a room at the hotel. Two of them had a girl in the room and wouldn't let the third member in the room. Not to be denied access, the soldier went to the end of the hall and climbed out on the eave to crawl the 6 feet to enter a window into the room. It was winter and there was snow and ice and our soldier probably had too much to drink, anyway he either slipped off, or was pushed off as he tried to get in the room. Knowing the character of the personnel involved and the two in the room didn't want him in anyway, he probably was helped off the eave as he tried to enter the window. It happened as I was due to rotate home. He suffered serious injury, landing on his feet, it broke both ankles and knees I think. He was from Puerto Rico and after he got out of Augsburg Army Hosp, he was sent home to Puerto Rico. They were setting up a Court Martial to find out what happened the week I left. I got the information on his status when I wrote to people in the unit when I was back in the States. When I reported to the Company, the 1st Sgt asked me if I would pick him up at the Leutkirch Station, as I was coming in passed it. It was 6:00 AM and I had a girl in Memmingen that I visited at Night, coming back to the unit in the morning (I had to use a pass and because of this didn't get any 3 day passes). I was sorry to see him have this accident.

The missile detachments. I remember there was one at Saar Louis, I believe, or Alsace-Lorraine. Can't remember. We went on a German Army maneuver near Nuremberg. I had to ride in a Gemany Army 10 Ton truck, one of our ammo movers. The 5th Transportation Battalion was our Host Unit. It was headquartered at Kempten. It had a Administrative Co, where our jeeps and sedans and drivers for them came. Then it's 2nd Company was Infantry for our security and the 3rd Company was the truck company for ammo hauling. I think they had 60 of them. Not the small 1 and half Mercedes Unlitum but the big 5 or 10 ton jobs.

When we first arrived there was a Kantine at the entrance to the Urlau Ammo Depot, outside the gate. It was a walk to go down to it, but for the lack of anything to do, we would hike on down. There was a lot of Construction going on and all the workers used this Kantine. Later it was moved up to the German part of the base and there was an Open House, The 1st Sgt had me put on Class A's and attend as a representative of the 510th. They had an NCO section and Senior NCO so it was pretty nice. It was about 75 ft. from our orderly room/operations section so for a break we used to go over to the Kantine/Mess for coffee. Also, as a German Army Kantine it served Alcohol all day. Many the mornings I needed a little hair of the dog and there was Bluna (orange soda) and Steinhaeger. It pulled me through.

Just remembered that when Overseas pay ended they kept all the SASCOM units drawing it. That $12.00 a month was real nice. I don't remember the exact date, sometime after we were at Urlau. Maybe early 1963. In any event Stars and Stripes carried an article about it and named those US Army units that were still authorized to earn Overseas pay. Yes, you guessed it, there is your list of SASCOM Detachments, etc. We were listed as being stationed at UrLau, Germany and everytime for the next month or so, we would be 'razzed' by the 4th Armored when we went to their PX at Wiley Barracks. It was all good natured. As I remember, they even listed Turkey and Greece as well as Germany. Don't know if they listed the actual unit designation, and I think they did, but I know there was Urlau, Germany.
 
Here's some more on the 510th Ord Co. Look at the map, in the middle find Ulm. That was headquarters Combat Comband A, 4th Armored Division. Also where the Football team for the Divison played their games. Wiley Barracks was where we stayed when in Ulm, transit barracks on the top floor. Everytime I was there the floor was littered with condums, unopened. This was in 1962 and I don't thnk the Army has changed since then.

Follow Ulm east and you have Gunzburg. Continue south and you hit Memmingen, where I used to take a pass to be with a girl before duty the next day. Remember I picked up the poor Pueto Rican that 'fell' off the eave and smashed up his legs. From Memmingen continue south to Kempten, headquarters for our NATO host unit, 5th Transportation Battalion of the German Bundeswehr. From Kempten there is a small road that goes Northwest to Urlau. I used to use this when I was hitting the night spots there. They had more of a 'rough house crowd' something like Ulm. Ulm had the 4th Armored Division and one never knew when Manuevers were on in the Gasthaust you where in. South of Urlau is Isny, where Field Marshall Rommel had a summer home. When Hitler had the attempt on his life, it got a going over. Also, US units arrived and wanted to check it out, also. We had CID stationed with 512th and their Capt would fill us in on all this trivia. Coming back to Leutkirch follow the road Soutwest to Lindau on the Boden Sea, just north is Friedrichshafen, where count Zeppelin built his air ships. We used to bo to dances on Sunday afternoon in Memmingen, then changed to Lindau. It was great.
The Beatles were just getting started, but only radio Luxemberg had their music. Radio Luxemberg, all the GI's remember that. The East Germans ran one too, but their English just stunk, music was great, but their trying to be hip just didn't cut it. We were in London when Pres. Kennedy was assassinated, and the Douglas House (US Air Force Hotel for service men) was hosting an All Air Force football championship. All the teams in Europe. Spain, everywhere. When the news broke Saturday, we had heard rumors since noon or around then, as we visited bars. At 6 or 7 in the evening they had an English TV program, I think it was like our Medic, where it is an Operating room. This was being played in the bar we were in. During the program announcements were made about the presidents condition. From when they took him to the hospital and during the surgery. Bad taste on the Bristish, they had a regularly scheduled TV Show that was a doctor bit during surgery. After 15 minutes of the show, with announcements of the president's condition, they had a woman in a formal evening gown playing the harp. Real bad scene, but it was a regular program schedule.

One Sunday at Lindau all they had was Stark Bier. 22% alcohol, tasted like wine. We usually drank the 11% draft. You really were floating after we had 1 pitcher for the 5 or 6 of us. Imagine us trying to consume our normal amount and having it twice as strong. Boy were we wasted. What a time, though.

One day we had a Russian Army Colonel in a Mercedes with Military Mission Plates and driver. He was in uniform and driver was a German civilian. He was trying to get a room at the gasthaust we used in Leutkirch, and the girl said they didn't have any. We were coming in and he was 3 feet from us talking to the girl. We all called the base per instructions. Our CID Capt told us the next day that the French were chasing that car all over Bavaria. It seems that Urlau was in the southern part of Germany and the French had the southern part. Also, before our company arrived the German radio announced that the US Army 510th Ordnance Company was going to be stationed at Urlau, Germany with Nuclear Weapons. I got this from a German Lawyer I met who lived in Leutkirch. He and his wife took me on several vacations with them. Unfortunately both died several years after I left. I got the news from the lawyers mother who I had met. Two years ago the sister of the lawyers wife visited me here in Long Beach. She married and had a son. The son also visited the previous year.

We used to use the German Doctor that did Sick Call in the morning at the Bundeswehr Infantry Comany, but operations were done at US Army Hospital in Augsburg. We did have an automobile accident where the enlisted man went to the Leutkirch Hosp, then back to the Bundeswehr Infantry Company Dispensary. He was an American enlisted man that got drunk and stole an NCO's car after a company party in Leutkirch. Since they wanted the Morning Report to read "The Defendant was kept under Armed Guard", a detail was drawn up where a guard stood over him 24 hrs a day at the Despensary. Since he was in the headquarters platoon, my platoon, we all had a turn at guarding him. He wasn't going anywhere and he wasn't violent, but the Morning Report had to read, "that he was under armed guard". It was storming with thurnder and lightning and our weapon was .45 automatic in a shoulder holster. With the lightning, I got scared and took the shoulder holster off and put it around my hip, didn't want any ammo going off next to my heart. Kind of stupid, but with all those German Army bunkers stored with explosives, and the lightning rods on them, my 25 year old mind was all over the place. About the only problem was when the officer of the day dropped in on a Sunday and observed the prisoner putting the automatic back together because the 'guard' was unfamiliar with the side arm. His weapon, like most of the company, was the M-14. Needless to say the Officer of the Day didn't find any humor at all in it. The OD was an old Cavalry soldier from during WW II and probably got commissioned in the mid 50's. He was the 3rd ranking officer and when our CO was relieved, the executive officer took over and the Cavalry soldier took as Executive Officer. The Executive Officer was the Operations Officer, who I worked for. I tell you about the CO being relieved next time.

We in the 510th had also the 8-in shell, and I haven't seen it listed only Honest John and Nike Hercules.

Here's a picture of the 'Ole Nickle & Dime' when we passed in review at Sandia Base. It was April of 1962. We were lined up as follows. All the high ranking NCO's were on the right side of the company so their chevrons were viewed by the reviewing stand. All officers were in the front row, plus needed high ranking NCO's to fill out the ranks in the front row. All tall soldiers to the front. Because of my height, I was in the second row, but hidden by SP5 Freeman (2nd soldier in the front row). This is counting from the right file of the company. MSgt Walmsley is the 'Heavy Set' soldier in the middle of the picture, SP5 Freeman is to his right. 2Lt Silvera is to his right saluting and SFC Cashman is to his right. 1Lt Holland is to his right saluting and SFC Pulliam is to his right. The officer saluting is Capt Greenberg. Behind MSgt Walmsley is SSgt Pruitt and behind him is Sgt Horn. We had a parade every week or once a month I can't remember. Maybe once a week as we are missing some senior officers. Major Clute, our CO, was leading with the guidon bearer, SP4 Crowley, who are out of the picture. This ought to bring back some memories if any of the people in the picture happened to be surfing the net and find it. You have a great web wite on all of the units that gave NATO their Nuclear 'PUNCH'. Thank goodness it was never needed. OH, I kept my military shot record card, as it shows me being innoculated for Yellow Fever in December of 1962. Yellow Fever isn't necessary for duty in Germany, but Cuba it is. We were all vacinated for Yellow Fever, as that was the time of Cuban Missile Crisis. Thank Goodness Russia 'Blink". We had just arraived in August/September and about 2 or three weeks later our COMMO section RTT's were all light up with Operation Immediates. None were addressed to us, but somebody was really getting ready to "Kick Ass & Take Names". Morning formations were a little uneasy and the 1Sgt always kept us appraised, then our M14s and Ammo arrived, which was normal for a new unit to Germany, but it didn't help calm us. The Yello Fever was the big jolt. Thank goodness we had a quiet Xmas.

510th Ord Co - 1962-64
Urlau

 

1. Urlau Ammo Depot (88 KB)

2. Urlau Ammo Depot (82 KB)

3. Sp4 McGeeney (90 KB)

4. Bunk ready for IG Inspection (103 KB)

5. Sp5 Rogers (35 KB)

6. German Bundeswehr trucks (58 KB)
 

7. At the local gasthaus (107 KB)

8. Troopship returning to US (103 KB)

9. 510th Ord Co passing in review at Sandia, April 1962 (123 KB)
 
 
 
510th ORD CO, APO 35, UNIT ROSTER - SEPT 1963:

Page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Two
soldiers I met in this unit, they were room mates, and we all used to go out during unit training while we were at Sandia Base. Anyway the older was Franklin Freeman and he make E-8 I think.  Talked to him on the phone in the 1980's.  He used to live in Long Beach, CA, my town and when we were hitting the clubs he used talk about Long Beach.  We had some mutual friends. I mention him because he stayed in this field and made 1st Sergeant.  Probably some of you remember him.  He isn't on this roster as he got out.  His enlistment was up 6 months after we made the unit move to Germany.  He wouldn't sing a RE UP slip unless he made E6, his position rank.
 
It was a "Power Play".  Everybody going into the 510th was guaranteed a stripe.  Franklin was a SP5 but he didn't have time in grade.  There were several people with time in grade as SP5 but they weren't in this Nuclear Field until they joined the 510th right out of school.  Franklin worked this field for some time at Killeen, TX.  He came up from there to join the 510th with Capt Downs, SFC Cashman and several others who knew this job and had worked it for several years.  He told me over the phone that he enlisted within the 90 day period and returned to Nuclear Weapons. 

Anyway Franklin's name isn't there.
ORGANIZATION of the 510th Ordnance Company in 1963

Section OIC / NCOIC  
Command Section CPT Alfred N. Downs 510th Ord Co CO
Communications Section SGT Myron R. Sele  
Operations Section CPT William E. Mercer  
Security Platoon 1LT Myles Bynum  
Maintenance Platoon Hqs CPT Paul L. Greenberg  
Electrical Section CWO Milton E. Cunningham  
Mechanical Section CWO Charles F. Newberry  
Calibration & Technical Repair Section SP5 Terrel J. Vickoren  
Special Section CWO James A. Lormand  
Supply Section 2LT Donald A. Gaertner  
Storage & Issue Platoon Hqs CPT Donald V. Holland  
Storage Section SGT Leoncio A. Gil  
Service Section PFC Gary D. Reich  

2nd US Army Field Artillery Detachment
(Source: Email from Jack Gibbons)
Just wanted to let you know that we also supported 4/295 (4th Battery, 295th Armored Artillery Battalion, German Army) which was located in Immendingen. It was a 155SP battery and supported 10th Panzer Division. 

24th US Army Field Artillery Detachment
(Source: Email from Kenneth J. Bowen)

Not only did we provide support to the GE 1st Mountain Div, but we also had warheads designated for 1st Bn, 36th FA at Reese Kaserne in Augsburg, GE.  We hardly ever communicated with them, though. 

Since we were on the kaserne (Ritter Von Leeb) that was the headquarters of the GE 8th Artillery Regiment, most of our day to day operations were in support of the Germans.  We supported an Honest John Bn, an 8-in Bn, and a 155mm Bn.  While I was there, we had the unique experience of moving all our weapons from an old obsolete site to a newly constructed on.  We used Chinooks.  It's funny,  we couldn't tell anyone what we had but all you had to do was ask any local and he could tell you where the "Amerikanische Atomwaffen Lager" was located.

I was there from July 1, 1973 to August 22, 1975.  The Bader-Meinhof gang was active then, and there were times when I had to carry a loaded weapon while traveling to the site.  I was the site security officer.  The support between us and the Germans was mutual.  We provided custodial support and they provided facilities and vehicles with drivers.  Most of them could speak a little English.  You would have thought that a mountain division would have lighter artillery than 155 mm and 8" SPs.  That didn't stop them from going where they wanted, though.  Going to the field with the Germans was quite different than going with a US unit.  I was always with the regimental headquarters and we would move into a town, find a Gasthaus, and set up shop in one of their larger rooms.  Occasionally, we did have to rough it and spend the night in the woods. That was only at Grafenwoehr.
Kenneth J. Bowen


36th US Army Field Artillery Detachment
 
(Click here to read Dave Hodgeboom's email on the ADM engineer platoon that supported II GE Corps)

 
1965
(Source: Email from Jim Breckenridge)
36th USA Missile Detachment, Ingostadt, Germany, 1965-1968. We were billeted at Pioneer Kaserne in Ingolstadt and had our weapons site outside of Hepberg.

We supported a German unit in Regensburg but only got down there several times a year for training.

 
(Source: Training Times, August 1983)
Small but highly efficient detachment; Hemau supported by Hohenfels

by Ed Caum

South of Hohenfels, 20 minutes by car, is a small detachment with a very big mission.

Hemau, a German kaserne with an American detachment, falls under the Hohenfels community when it comes to the support of this small, elite detachment.

The 36th US Army Artillery Detachment's 56 soldiers provide fire support to the 4th Artillery Regiment and to the 2nd Co., 210th Engineer Battalion of the 2nd German Corps. The detachment's mission is ensuring the custody, security, organizational maintenance and transfer of special weapons for their German counterparts.

All community medical, commissary and engineer support is the responsibility of the Hohenfels commander.

The breakdown of the detachment is not as exceptional as its mission. First Platoon is made up of artillerymen; Second Platoon consists of engineers; and the Headquarters Platoon includes everyone else: administrative clerks, cooks, etc., according to 1st Sgt. Glen T. McClure.

"Our chain of command consists of both U.S. Army and NATO superiors even though we fall under NATO for operations," explains McClure.

The mission the detachment fills is demanding but the soldiers here are the best at what they do, and they have the record to prove it.

"In the last two years of Special Weapons Tactical Inspections we have received no deficiencies and no comments. This means the inspectors found nothing adverse on either us or the host nation," McClure says proudly.

"
These inspections check our procedures for storage, transportation and assembly," he says.

"Being the type of unit we are, we have many more inspections than the average unit and we keep above accepted standards because the soldiers here know their jobs and know them well," he says. "These inspections set us apart from most other detachments of this type in Europe. We have a track record that is hard to beat.

"When the inspectors do come to a unit like this it's the young soldiers, the PFCs and the Sp4s, that make or break it.

"If they're motivated and have the desire to excell, which has to be instilled in them, they're going to pass the inspection."

Motivation is not a problem for these secluded soldiers. "We keep their motivation up by taking good care of them and taking an interest in everything they do," says Capt. David R. Champion, detachment commander. "We take good care of them and their families. Almost every soldier that serves here extends once or reenlists."

A few of the soldiers have family members who live in a nearby Bundeswehr housing area that has 24 apartment units dedicated to U.S. Forces personnel.

"We have 23 command sponsored family members living in the Hemau area and eight noncommand sponsored," says McClure.

"When you look at our soldiers on a day-to-day basis you can see they don't settle for an acceptable standard. They shoot for the top," says McClure.


74th US Army Field Artillery Detachment
(Source: Email from Russell Stanley, 1969)
Just to add a little local color to the history of the 74th USA Arty/Msl Detachment...
 
I arrived in the unit mid 1969 (my first assignment after FAOBC and Pershing 1A School) and was one of very few officers assigned to the unit.  CPT Frank Armstrong (last I heard was a hospital administrator in Denver, CO) was CO, 1LT Jim Hess was XO and MSGT ("Top") Culberson was 1st SGT.  Some of the officers who immediately come to mind were 2LT Allen Ryan, 2LT Gregory Pritchett and another 2LT Dave (?) (who lived with Armstrong and Pritchett).  Hess also ran the Infantry/security platoon in addition to all the XO ash and trash duties while the rest of us were assigned to one of four firing support teams (supported by an E5 or E6) each assigned to direct support of a Luftwaffe firing battery.  I worked closely with Hauptmann Jost Bayert and developed an off duty friendship that included dinners at each others homes, skiing together at Garmish and weekend tours of Munich and the countryside with our wives. 
 
When I first arrived, the LT's had to rotate the Special Ammunition Site (SAS) and Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) site duty among the Officers (excluding Armstrong) which meant we had 24 hour duty every third day.  It was pretty tedious especially when we knew that the people (and generally all the wives) who weren't on duty were at an ongoing party that rotated among the homes of the Officers not pulling duty.  We were later joined in 1969 2LT John White, 2LT Dick Jolliffe and 2LT Vic McGuire.  They added welcome depth to the duty roster and freed some of the original officers to focus on "staff" type duties, such as a full time S2, that needed some attention.  Armstrong left and was replaced by CPT Meredith (who was the exact opposite of Armstrong).  2LT Jim Ashby (last I heard was a banker in Greensboro, NC), an Infantry Officer, later arrived and took over the Infantry Platoon from Hess.  Hess left and I took over as XO in early 1970 and became a constant challenge to 1SGT ("Chuck") Culberson.  His sage counsel, candor, patience and interest in my performance as XO has forever indebted me to him (and all the other professional NCO's we were so lucky to have during my assignment at the 74th) and, I'm sure, made things much easier for all those with whom I worked.
 
During this time, we had two Pershings counted down and "ready to fly" at the site located just outside the perimeter of Schwabstadl and a number of weapons at the SAS ready for field deployment.  Our focus was, first and foremost, security and control of the weapons at the QRA site and the SAS site, and then, training for the frequent special ammunition handling (for example, destroying the weapons at the SAS, transporting the weapons and transferring weapons from one missile to another as necessary) proficiency reviews by our parent organizations.  The remainder of our time was spent on individual military training (for example, we upgraded from the M-14 rifle to the M-16 rifle during that time and had to qualify everyone in the unit on the new weapon before that person pull a duty tour) which was a challenge since some part of the Enlisted, NCO and Officer force was always unavailable for training.
 
The advance party for the 82nd (Arty Det) arrived in early to mid-1970 and we spent a good deal of our time working out the details of joint custody and how we would share the joint responsibility for security at the SAS.  MAJ Mandeville (by the way, he was from Chickasha, OK) was CO of the 82nd, 1LT Bob Manatt was XO (he later was plant foreman at the creosote plant in DeQueen, AR).  We were jealous when the rest of the unit arrived with a full TO&E of Officers, NCO's and Enlisted men (we were still struggling to get up to full strength) but we were happy to see them since, once they qualified to pull duty, they relieved us of half the requirements for a SAS Duty Officer.  Off the top of my head, some of the other Officers were 2LT Maas, 2LT Mockenhaupt and CW4 Cullenbine (who last I heard was a ski instructor/bum in Red River(?), NM) just to name a few.  Chief Cullenbine was assigned (thank you, MAJ Mandeville) to technical support of both units since the 74th had not had, until that point, an embedded technical support Warrant Officer.  Chief Cullenbine was probably one of the most welcome additions from the 82nd.
 
Because of our location, the nature and size of our unit, our assignment and our close living conditions among all ranks, we had been generally isolated from most of the disruptive influences prevalent through out the military in the early 70's.  The arrival of the 82nd brought a whole new dimension to life at the 74th.   We suddenly had an Field Grade Officer in our midst, we had to coordinate support and custodial responsibilities and there was a little natural competition between the units.  We also had a larger number of troops running around during the off duty hours in the small towns in which we were stationed.  During WWII, that area of Germany had been bombed extensively and was a vital part of the Nazi war machine with production facilities, concentration camps and last resort strategic defensive positions.  Most Germans knew we were there supporting the Luftwaffe but since most of us lived in the small towns "on the local economy" we (and our wives) just had to get used to some of the strange looks we got when we frequented local bars, restaurants, clubs and shops.
 
MAJ Mandeville was great to work with but the (merger of the units) hand writing was on the wall and he, naturally, was interested in what was happening at the 74th after the 82nd got settled into their assigned area.  It made things a little dicey every once in while since we were beginning to have some on, and off, duty discipline problems and recreational drug use was becoming a real issue.  That was a particularly sensitive issue because of the nature of our assignment.  
 
I left for RVN (2nd Bn, 11th FA, 101st Airborne ("On Time, Sir")) and missed the actual merger of the two units.  I kept in touch with some people for a while but we've all eventually gone different ways.  All-in-all, it was great 18 months in Germany and I would have loved to go back for another tour.  It was a great time to be there with a great group of Officers, NCO's and Enlisted men (everyone of them - even though most were draftees and only making the best of the situation).  We all should have enjoyed it more...

(Source: Email from Lou Scheiderich, 1971-73)
I was stationed at Schwabstadl with the 74th Artillery Detachment from Feb 1971 to Aug 1973. What a great assignment. I lived in Klosterlechfeld just down the road on the third floor of the Gasthaus Bayerische Löwe with my new bride. It was like a 2 1/2 year honeymoon, no interference from in-laws, not much money either, but the whole of Europe to explore. The way we pulled duty in those days, between the 2 Q sites (Webmaster: Schwabstadl and Landsberg-Süd?) and the SAS in Lagerlechfeld it was very conducive to 3 day passes. We took every advantage to get out and explore the countryside.

I developed a deep love for the country of my forefathers during those years and have been back dozens of times including two assignments as a government civilian in Stuttgart. We maintain a very close relationship to this day with the family who put us up in Klosterlechfeld during our time at Schwabstadl.

(Source: Email from Bill Selosky, "B" Team, 74th USAFAD, 1977)
When we had our down time after our duty at the Q our building went from one extreme to another.  Initially everyone would head out to the Augsburg PX for cigarettes, and or adult beverages, their German girlfriends home, or headed to the Bahnhof to head down to Munich where the discos, the district, and -- when in season -- the Octoberfest woukd keep you busy. During these periods, the building would be extremely quiet.

As everyone would return, the building became extreme.  You would hear everything from Zeplin to Bootsy at volumes the discos would envy.  Most of the guys would have their smaller groups they would hang out in designated rooms. Occasionaly the entire place went wild and the room doors would open and the real parties would begin.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
I arrived at "B" Team 74th USAFAD, Schwabstadl Kaserne in the fall of 1977. I remember the fall being so beautiful and winter turning into a gray color, as if life became a black and white photograph.  Upon my arrival, my team was on their 30-day compound duty at the Kaserne in Schwabstadl. There was still down time, but our unit worked normal hours during this 30 day period and had free weekends with the exception of duty over at the headquarters building when scheduled as such. 
 
After our 30-day compound duty we would pack up, load onto a German driven bus with our weapons and proceeded to the Q.  The ride always seemed so long, and I felt as if we were purposely driven in circles before our arrival at the pad.  Upon arrival at the Q, the other team would be packed up and begin to load as soon as we exited the bus. We would check our weapons into the weapons room unless assigned to relieve the team on a pad.  Signal, cooks, and Officers would make a flawless shift of command without ever missing a beat, or attention to the security at hand.
 
Our stay at the Q was just another cycle that was 8 hours on, and 8 hours off, 3 pads, 3 P1A's per pad, two Americans, and two Germans per pad.  In this joint effort -- we were the custodians of the warheads, while the Germans were the owners of all the hardware.  This is also the reason the Germans drove us everywhere, even for medical attention.
 
Periodic permeter inspections of the woodline around the Q would usally produce empty Russian K ration cans.  It was as if they wanted us to know that they knew we were there, and we did.  We were also alerted ocassionally to look in the sky and we would see satellites traveling across the heavens.  There was talk that they were Russian satellites and that they could read our names in the dark that were sewn onto our OD green wardrobe.  I never really bought into that, but who really knows...

 
(Source: Email from John Maxham)
I was stationed in Schwabstadl Germany with the 74th USAFAD during the years of 1977-79.

We had four teams A-B-C-D and HQ. I was assigned to "B" Team for 1 year, "A" Team for 1 year and Hq for 8 months. We had Pershing missiles that were in a town called Ochsenhof which was near a town called Kempten up in the mountains in Bavaria. We would go there every 6 weeks to change team member.

Schwabstadl is near a town called Schwabmunchen. Lagerlechfeld Base was across the street. What a great time I had. I was a spec- 4 and was in charge of a squad. Many many stories. I will be going back in 3 weeks. I met my wife (German) while station in Schwabstadl. Her family has a farm over there.
John Maxham

 
(Source: Email from John W. Shank II)
I was stationed in Germany for three different tours. As I looked your various web pages, a thought comes to mind. There were three field artillery battalions and two US artillery detachments over 100 mile from the border waiting to excute their mission. These units: 1/41 FA, 1/81 FA, and 3/84 FA along with the 74th USAFAD and 85th USAFAD on QRA status with your Pershing1a and Pershing II missile.

The 74th and the 85th were supported by the German 1st and 2nd Surface-to-Surface Missile wings. I am sure that a lot of veterans from 1962-89 were not aware of the massive firepower backing them up. The men and women who manned the Pershing missile are proud to have been your "ace in the hole." I thank God we never had to release that monster.

In 1989, the hard, and long hour paided off when that wall came crashing down. Ladies and gentlemen, JOB WELL DONE!

First of all, there was only one warhead detachment (74th USAFAD, 512th US Army Artillery Group in Gunzburg) -- our counterpart was the German 1st Surface-to-Surface Missile Wing out of Landsberg. As for Landberg Süd, the older guys said it was and old Nike site, but we used it for training. Our garrison was located in Schwabstadl () and the QRA site was located at Ochsenhof (); the custodial storage site was located on the Lechfeld Air Base (), a short distance from Schwabstadl.

I don't remember the name of the kaserne that the 1st SSW was at. I have made an interesting discovery with Google Maps on the internet. If you search for Ochsenhof Germany and then click on Ochsenhof/Gorisreid you will see an aerial view of Ochsenhof. The guard towers are no longer there and main guard isn't either. You can also look at the Lechfeld Airbase, the bunkers are still there. Camp Redleg (Waldheide) () can also be viewed, but there's nothing left of the site but air hangar. You can still see the outline of the site.

I was assigned to both 74th USAFAD (1977-80) and the 3/84th FA out of Heilbronn (1982-86).

 
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Here is a picture I found on the net of Ochsenhof. In the photo, our barracks is on the left and all the buildings in the late 70's were painted white. This photo was take near the perimiter fence. The main gate is out of view behind our barracks.

74th USAFAD - 1962-64
Schwabstadl
Some photos that were taken in about 1978-79 at Landberg Sud
 

1. (KB)

2. (KB)

3. (KB)

4. (KB)

5. (KB)


 

82nd US Army Field Artillery Detachment
 
(Source: Email from Charles Harden)
After training at Ft. Sill, OK as a 15E10, Pershing Missile Crewman (Pershing 1a), I was assigned to the 82nd USA Artillery Detachment (Lechfeld) and arrived there in March, 1971. At that time both the 82nd and the 74th USA Arty Dets were in a training mode for receipt of the first Pershing 1a equipment to be given to the FKG 1 of the German Air Force. Our other mission at that time was warhead security at the Special Ammunition Storage site (SAS) on the Lechfeld Air Base. Training included use of the “Permissive Action Link” (PAL) mechanism to enable the warhead, mating the warhead to the missile, security operations at the SAS, and use of shaped charges to destroy the warheads should there be a chance of them falling into unauthorized (German or Warsaw Pact nation) hands.

We shared the guard duty at SAS with the guys from the 74th, but after consolidation of the 2 units in the spring or summer of 1971 the teams were rearranged to make best use of available personnel, and I was sent over to Schwabstadl (at the south end of Lechfeld airbase) to join a team at what had been the 74th USA Arty Det. The CO at the 82nd was Major Craig Mandeville out of some little town in Oklahoma, and the 74th was commanded by CPT Thomas Morse, affectionately known as “Mad Dog.” Upon consolidation of the units, MAJ Mandeville became CO of the 74th and “Mad Dog” became XO. MAJ Laurence Mooring followed as the next CO probably in 1972, and in about 1973 he was replaced by MAJ John Kearns. First Sergeants Charles Culberson and subsequently Echevarria ran the Orderly Room through 1974 when I left the unit.

After consolidation, the 74th had a TO&E strength of about 230 men. It was generally a “cushy” assignment but with a lot of boredom after our teams were repositioned at the Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) site south of Landsberg, and stood guarding the missiles. I quickly saw the futility of a 2 year stint on guard duty and offered my services to 1SG Culberson as a typist. When I left the unit in 1974, I had qualified as a personnel specialist as was the unit administrative NCO.

All things considered, it was a great way to do military time, and in retrospect it is apparent that the Pershing Missile had a great deal to do with “winning” the cold war. I’m glad to have been a part of it.
Charles Harden

 
(Source: Email from Bill Newton)
I was with the 82nd Missle Det (Pershing 1A warhead support) with SASCOM in the early 70's. We were located at Lager Lechfeld (Lechfeld Air Base - ) and later, when the unit was merged with the 74th at both Lager Lechfeld and Schwabstadl. An interesting time and I've recently converted some slides from that time into digital. You're welcome to post them. They are from the SAS site (on the airbase - hush hush) and from some training days.

82nd USAFAD - 1970s
Lager Lechfeld

 

1. Pershing 1A (KB)

2. Inside the double fence (KB)

3. Igloo in the SAS site (KB)

4. Ops building (KB)

5. Barracks buildings (KB)

6. One of the barracks (KB)
 

7. Two F-104's of Jabo 32 (KB)

8. (KB)

9. (KB)
 

10. (KB)




 

 
SASCOM Organization late 1964
 
(Source: A Look Back ... at the 59th Ordnance Brigade. Final issue of the 59th COURIER, the command newspaper, published in 1992.)
514th US Army Artillery Group
 
The 514th US Army Artillery Group was constituted in February 1943 in the Army of the United States as the 514th Field Artillery Battalion, (155mm Gun)(Tractor Drawn). The battalion was activated later that year at Fort Lewis, Wash.

After completing unit training, the battalion departed Fort Lewis and traveled to Fort Bragg, N.C. where it was assigned to the XVIII Corps for further training in May 1943.

The 514th arrived in Europe in October 1944 and received credit for participating in four campaigns.

In August 1945, the 514th returned to the United States where it was inactivated in February 1946.

In September 1948, the 514th Battalion was redesignated as the 958th Field Artillery Rocket Battalion and allotted to the Organized Reserve Corps. The battalion was active from September 1948 through August 1950 at Fresno, Calif.

In March 1952, the 958th Field Artillery Rocket Battalion was redesignated as the 514th Field Artillery Battalion and it was allotted to to the Regular Army later that year.

Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 514th Field Artillery Battalion, was redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 514th US Army Field Artillery Group in May 1961.

Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 514th US Army Artillery Group was activated in Germany and stationed at Mönchengladbach in December 1961. The Group was subordinate to the Special Ammunition Support Command. The 514th Group's mission was to implement the SASCOM Special Ammunition Support Program in cooperation with the Northern Army Group (NORTHAG) and Second Allied Tactical Air Force (2ATAF).

With the merger of SASCOM and AWSCOM in October 1972, the 514th USAAG was deactivated.


The personnel and spaces made available from the deactivation were used to establish the 59th Ordnance Group Staff Element at NORTHAG. The staff element at NORTHAG was inactivated in April 1992.

 
(Source: A Look Back ... at the 59th Ordnance Brigade. Final issue of the 59th COURIER, the command newspaper, published in 1992.)
548th US Army Artillery Group
 
The 548th US Army Artillery Group was constituted in the Army of the United States as the 548th Field Artillery Battalion in March 1944.

Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 548th Field Artillery Battalion was redesignated as Headquarters and Headquaters Detachment, 548th US Army Artillery Group in May 1961. The 548th US Army Artillery Group (Provisional) was organized and assigned to the Special Ammunition Support Command in August 1961.

In October 1961, Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 548th US Army Artillery Group was (officially) activated and assigned to SASCOM.

In April 1962, the group was further attached to the US Army Element (Support Command), Headquarters, Central Army Group (CENTAG). Consurrently, the 548th Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment moved to Seckenheim.

With the merger of SASCOM and AWSCOM in October 1972, the 548th USAAG was inactivated and its subordinate groups assigned directly under the new 59th Ordnance Group. The liaison role performed by Hqs 548th became the responsibility of the 59th Ord Gp Staff Element at CENTAG which was composed of spaces from the 548th. The staff element at CENTAG was inactivated in June 1992.
Webmaster Note: According to some information I found some time ago, HHD, 548th USAAG was originally located at Lüdenscheid, Germany, a small town northeast of Köln (Cologne). Can anyone confirm and provide details?

 
165th Signal Company
 
1975
(Source: Email from Carl F. House)
The 165th Signal Company was formed out of the maintenance and signal platoons of HHC 59th ORD GP (SASCOM). Stand up date was on or about 21 Sep 1975. The Company was commanded by CPT John G. Tesmer (sp?).

I was transferred to the 165th with no movement involved from HHC 59th on the date I provided (21 Sep 1975).  The 59th, 22nd Avn and 165th shared the same motor pool.

I was also assigned to 1/54 Inf, Bamberg, 1979-1982; and 7th Army CATC, Vilseck 1984-1987.

 
 
(Source: Email from Bruno Harmann)
 
  I was a Sp4 stationed in the 165th Signal Co, Pirmasens. While I was only in the Army for three years I remember Pirmasens well.

I was a 29N Dial Office repairer, I did telephone work. I remember re-wiring many buildings in the Husterhoeh Kasernes. I helped to rewire the Banana building and many of the "outsites" as we called them.

I had a NATO secret clearance and often had to travel to Fischbach and many other places out in the woods in a green Army VW van that I picked up brand new in Wolfsburg. I remember often going out to some of these sites, sometimes alone to fix telephone problems at the nuke sites. Some of them were guarded by MP's and geese, lol.
I am fluent in German so I often had to do "special" duties.

In the 165'th I remember CO Captain Christopher Benoit. We'd be out in the woods sometimes and he would send us a pizza. I believe that was for Able Archer? I also remember a Captain Woodhouse in the 165th.

I was also attached to the 267th Sig co. in Pirmasens and did work for them in the telephone office in the Banana building and Muenchweiler and Dahn and Fischbach. The woods out there were so beautiful. I am a rock climber so when I was off I would often take my POV and go climbing with some of the German civilians I met on the sandstone cliffs which were all over the place.

I remember doing special duty driver for General Cunningham sometimes.

 
Permissive Action Link Detachment
 
(Source: Email from Gary Smith, PAL Det, 1963-67)
I was assigned to the USA PAL Det (Permissive Action Link) from 1963 to 1967.  The unit was organized to install the Permissive Action Link devices throughout the European Theater.  The unit spent its time in the early stages testing the devices before the program was fully implemented and then traveled throughout the theater installing the devices.  I was with the unit almost from its inception until the program was fully implemented.
 
Teams were composed of two commissioned officers and two non-commisioned officers, E-6 and above. Each team was composed of two sub teams, A and B, so that no one individual knew the entire code utilized.  There was extensive travel throughout the theater during the implementation phase.

I’m sure you know what the Permissive Action Link is, it is fairly common knowledge now but at its inception the mission and everything about it was highly classified.  I didn’t even tell my Dad what I did until a few years after I was out of the Army. 

As it was, the unit was almost the “president’s baby” and we got almost anything we wanted.  The CO at the inception, a Major H. Eugene Kelson, took full advantage of this and we got many privileges and perks, such as a 6 day TDY trip to Paris to learn about NATO.  Major (later Colonel) Kelson was a real character and I can remember on two occasions he almost got us arrested.  

For almost a year, the mission was not fully agreed on and we didn’t have a lot to do.  There was a lot of pinochle and ping pong played but in the end this may have paid off, as the personnel became very close knit.  Most of the young officers in the unit lived in BOQ’s in two army posts, one of which was half school teachers and one which was more than half nurses. 

We had a great group and we went on week end trips in small groups almost all over Germany.  Munich and Garmisch-Partenkirchen were our favorites.  At least a couple of marriages blossomed out of this close relationship but a lot of the relationships were more like brother and sister.  

A later phase of the mission involved tested of the devices and became very boring.  Can you imagine eight hours a day opening combination locks over and over?  There were quite a few failures in the early days and this testing phase stretched out for quite a long time, but the devices had to work flawlessly.  Much of the early testing was at the 529th Ordnance Company in tunnels dug during the Second World War by the Germans.


 
(Source: Email from William Howard)

I also was a member of the PAL Detachment. Arrived in Pirmasens on 29 Dec 1964 and was assigned to the PAL Detachment. We were a subordinate unit of USAREURCOMZ. While I was there we were not a part of the 59th Ord. Bde.

I was there from Dec 64 until Oct 1966, then was sent to Orleans to the 11th Military History Detachment to write the history of the move out of France.

In March 1967 I returned to the PAL Detachment and was there until June 1967 at which time I returned to the USA, enroute Vietnam.


 
Warhead Custodial Detachments - 1960s
 
(Source: Annual Historical Summary, USAREUR & Seventh Army, 1 Jan to 31 Dec 1966)
 
Program Expansion

Although all host nations except the Federal Republic of Germany encountered problems in providing the agreed level of logistocal support to US custodial detachments, USAREUR provided nuclear weapons and custodial support to 18 additional non-US NATO delivery units that achieved nuclear operational status during 1966. (See table.)

In addition, 14 Belgian, FRG, and Italian delivery units -- including one 8-inch howitzer, three Honest John, and ten Nike Hercules batteries -- were to achieve nuclear capability during the first half of 1967.
 
TIMELINES (the following timeline is still in draft form - I am experimenting to find a good way to present the attachments/detachments of subordinate units and assignments of missions - and, yes, suggestions are welcome!)

1. 552nd USAAG, 1960s-1970s (KB)



 
Warhead Custodial Detachments - early 1980s
 
NORTHAG
UNIT
HQS UNIT
STATION
SUPPORTED UNIT
COMMENTS
13th USAFAD
294th USAAG
Liliencron Kaserne, Kellinghusen
Arty Regt 6 (1)
6th GE Inf Div (Mech)
75th USAFAD
294th USAAG
von-Briesen Kaserne, Flensburg
Arty Comd 600 (2)
GE Rkt Bn 650 (LANCE)
99th Ord Det
294th USAAG
von-Briesen Kaserne, Flensburg
LANDJUT Corps
.
294th USAAG
59th Ord Bde
von-Briesen Kaserne, Flensburg
LANDJUT Corps
294th supports German elements of LANDJUT Corps
_
_
_
1st USAFAD
552nd USAAG
Schill Kaserne, Wesel
Arty Comd 1 (3)
GE Rkt Bn 150 (LANCE)
5th USAFAD
552nd USAAG
Dünsen
Arty Regt 11 (4)
11th GE Inf Div (Mech)
8th USAFAD
552nd USAAG
Johannes Post Kaserne, Havelte, Neth.
Dutch LANCE unit (5)
I NE Corps
23rd USAFAD
552nd USAAG
LTC Tonnet Kaserne, t'Harde, Neth.
Dutch unit (6)
I NE Corps
25th USAFAD
552nd USAAG
Niedersachsen Kaserne, Barme
Arty Regt 3 (7)
3rd GE Armd Div
32nd USAFAD
552nd USAAG
Clausewitz Kaserne, Nienburg
Arty Regt 1 (8)
1st GE Armd Div
81st USAFAD
552nd USAAG
St. Barbara Kaserne, Dülmen
Arty Regt 7 (9)
7th GE Armd Div
162nd Ord Co
552nd USAAG
Mühlenberg Kaserne, Sögel
I GE Corps; I NE Corps
.
552nd USAAG
59th Ord Bde
Mühlenberg Kaserne, Sögel
I GE Corps; I NE Corps
.
_
_
_
4th USAFAD
570th USAAG
Houthulst Kaserne, Werl
(10)
I BE Corps
9th USAFAD
570th USAAG
Northumberland Barracks, Menden
26 Fld Regt (11)
UK
15th USAFAD
570th USAAG
Barker Barracks, Bergen
5 Hvy Regt (12) ??
UK
22nd USAFAD
570th USAAG
Dempsey Barracks, Sennelager
39 Fld Regt (13) ??
UK
26th USAFAD
570th USAAG
Paderborn
27 Fld Regt (14) ??
UK
69th USAFAD
570th USAAG
Peninsular Barracks, Menden
50 Msl Regt (15)
UK
583rd Ord Co
570th USAAG
Handorf Kaserne, Münster
I UK Corps; I BE Corps
570th USAAG
59th Ord Bde
Handorf Kaserne, Münster
I UK Corps; I BE Corps
(1)
.
(2)
.
(3)
.
(4)
.
(5)
.
(6)
.
(7)
.
(8)
The 32nd USAFAD has 65 assigned soldiers; about half hold Atomic Demolition and Munitions job specialty (MOS 12E) and the others are Army Artillery Cannoneers.
(9)
.
(10)
The 4th USAFAD supports four different artillery battalions within I BE Corps (including one LANCE battalion).
(11)
.
(12)
.
(13)
.
(14)
.
(15)
.
 
CENTAG
UNIT
HQS UNIT
STATION
SUPPORTED UNIT
COMMENTS
3rd USAFAD
557th USAAG
Salm Kaserne, Philippsburg
Arty Regt 12 (1)
12th GE Armd Div
7th USAFAD
557th USAAG
Hardtberg Kaserne, Treysa
Arty Regt 2 (2)
2nd GE Inf Div (Mech)
30th USAFAD
557th USAAG
Steuben Kaserne, Giessen
Arty Regt 5 (3)
5th GE Armd Div
83rd USAFAD
557th USAAG
Westerwald Kaserne, Montabaur
Arty Comd 3 (4)
GE Rkt Bn 350 (LANCE)
85th USAFAD
557th USAAG
Fliegerhorst Kaserne, Teveren
FKG 2 (2ATAF) (5)
German Air Force Pershing unit
96th Ord Co
557th USAAG
Aartal Kaserne, Herbornseelbach
III GE Corps; 2ATAF
_
557th USAAG
59th Ord Bde
Aartal Kaserne, Herbornseelbach
III GE Corps; 2ATAF
_
_
_
2nd USAFAD
512th USAAG
Gen.-von-Fritsch Kaserne, Pfullendorf
ArtyRegt10 (6)
10th GE Armd Div
24th USAFAD
512th USAAG
von-Leeb Kaserne, Landsberg
Mtn Arty Regt 8 (7)_
1st GE Mtn Div
36th USAFAD
512th USAAG
Steuben Kaserne, Hemau
Arty Regt 4 (8)
4th GE Inf Div (Mech)
74th USAFAD
512th USAAG
Schwabstadl Kaserne, Schwabstadl
FKG 1 (4ATAF) (9)
German Air Force Pershing unit
84th USAFAD
512th USAAG
Eberhardt Finck Kaserne, Grossengstingen
Arty Comd 2 (10)
GE Rkt Bn 250 (LANCE)
510th Ord Co
512th USAAG
Neue Kaserne, Günzburg
II GE Corps; 4ATAF
_
512th USAAG
59th Ord Bde
Neue Kaserne, Günzburg
II GE Corps; 4ATAF
_
(1)
.
(2)
.
(3)
.
(4)
The 83rd USAFAD, the only LANCE support unit within the 557th, supports the 350th GE Rocket Bn and III GE Corps Artillery.
(5)
The 85th USAFAD supports PERSHING missile system and is the largest unit within the 557th; it has more than 200 assigned soldiers and a large signal detachment.
(6)
.
(7)
The 24th USAFAD, comprised mainly of 13B artillerymen and 12E atomic demolition specialists, provided special weapons support to the 1st German Mountain Division and to II German Corps, with direct support provided to the 2nd Company/210th German Pioneer Battalion and the 8th German Mountain Artillery Regiment.
(8)
.
(9)
.The 74th USAFAD supports PERSHING missile system and is the largest unit within the 512th USAAG - about 600 soldiers.
(10)
.

 
Related Links:
570th USAAG - a comprehensive site that covers the special weapons support group and its subordinate warhead custodial detachments.
4th USAFAD - web site dedicated to those who served at the 4th USAFAD during the COLD WAR.
8th Missile Det - Edward Starks has just started a website dedicated to the 8th Missile Det stationed in Steenwijk, the Netherlands.
27th Ordnance Company, Büren - great website hosted by a former member of the 27th Ord Co. The company supported 570th USAAG.
27th Ordnance Company - Picasa Photo page
Site Pluto - 69th Ordnance Company - a very interesting site hosted by John Myers that features Site Pluto, located at Longare, Italy, which was operated by the 69th Ord Co and used as a depot for atomic weapons in support of the 559th USAAG's mission in Italy.
81st USAFAD, Dülmen - Homepage of the Dülmen Warthogs!
84th USAFAD, Grossengstingen - nice page dedicated to the veterans who served with the 84th USAFAD at Grossengstingen, southern Germany.
History of a Quick Reaction Alert site - Ochsenhof
(German language only!) - site is hosted by Jörg Auernhammer, a former member of the 1st Flugkörperstaffel of FKG 1 at Saarburgkaserne, Landsberg/Lech, 1980s. This unit was supported by 74th USAFAD, 512th USAAG. Site contains a nice strip map of QRA Ochsenhof.
50 Missile Regiment - Excellent homepage of the British missile unit that was supported by the 69th USAFAD.
Traditionsvereinigung RakArtBtl 150 - a website hosted by veterans of the III (GE) Corps LANCE unit out of Wesel. This link goes directly to their What's New Page - a link there leads to the History Page of the 150th which was initially equipped with the SERGEANT and later the LANCE missile. The unit was supported by 1st USAFAD. (Sorry, German language only!)
NATO Armies 1950-1980, the first thirty years - an interesting web page by Jose-Maria Serrano
Kampementen & Legerplaatsen & Kazernes - Dutch website shows many pictures of Dutch military installations in Holland and Germany - some familiar to US warhead custodial detachments - Harde t' (Luitenant-kolonel Tonnet Kazerne) and Havelte - Steenwijkerwold ( Johannes Post Kazerne) ; also check out the Duitsland (Germany) link that leads to a page with several of the NIKE sites