Husterhoeh Kaserne
Encyclopedia
Husterhoeh Kaserne was a military facility in Pirmasens
, Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
. Kaserne
is a German
loanword that means "barracks." It was a United States
military base 1945–1994. Since then it is a German
base, most of which has closed. The base still has some US military operations and German military storage.
, approximately 15 miles (24.1 km) from the French
border. It is bordered on the east by the Bundesstraße
270 and the west by Landesstraße 482.
orchard
, the Husterhoeh Kaserne covered a large plateau to the North of the city of Pirmasens, as well having an extremely large underground system of caves and tunnels that ran to adjacent townships. The facility was initially started by the Germans during the 1930s; above-ground facilities were built to house Wehrmacht
soldiers manning the Siegfried Line
along the French border. and included tunneling extensive underground facilities. Work was stopped in 1941 due to the war needs for personnel and resumed minorly in 1944. The facility was captured on 21 March 1945 by the 71st Infantry Division, used as a war materials storage center, then was expanded by additional construction from the late 1950s through mid 1970s; in 1976 it was officially created as a full army base of its own right (US Military Community, Pirmasens). The last construction under US Military control was construction of replacement motor pool facilities for the 59th MP Co, in 1986-1987. Since return to German control of the majority of the base, additional construction, removal and modification of existing buildings has occurred.
storage facilities are now used by the German military for POMCUS storage. The American street names have been retained.
270th Signal Company - Activated 1975 in (West) Germany - Inactivated 15 September 1993 in Germany (AUTODIN Switching Facility personnel)
74th ARMY POSTAL UNIT
79th Engineer Battalion (Construction). (I was assigned to HQ Company from Sep60 - Apr63)
546th Maintenance Company - The unit provides Direct Support Maintenance Service on an area basis for military standard equipment
Detachment 13, European Special Activities Area (ESAA)
These smaller supported bases and storage have been returned to German control as well.
A small unit, specializing in convoy escort, was also stationed at the kaserne, though for a brief period. It was the 511th MP platoon, housed in a 2-story building well to the rear of the facility. The unit guided, managed traffic control and served as a lightly armed escort for convoys carrying exotic weapons and their parts throughout Germany. Later (not sure of dates) the unit was transferred to Massweiler, then disbanded and the unit's members were portioned out as security guards at Dahn and Fischbach. The unit also served as OPFOR (then called something "aggressors" or something like that) for ordnance units when they went to the field.
Pirmasens
Pirmasens is a district-free city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, near the border with France. It is famous for the manufacture of shoes. The surrounding rural district was called Pirmasens from 1818 until 1997, when it was renamed Südwestpfalz....
, Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Kaserne
Kaserne
Kaserne is a loanword taken from the German word Kaserne , which translates as "barracks". It is the typical term used when naming the garrison location for NATO forces stationed in Germany...
is a German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
loanword that means "barracks." It was a United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
military base 1945–1994. Since then it is a German
Bundeswehr
The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...
base, most of which has closed. The base still has some US military operations and German military storage.
Location
It is at the Northern edge of the city of PirmasensPirmasens
Pirmasens is a district-free city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, near the border with France. It is famous for the manufacture of shoes. The surrounding rural district was called Pirmasens from 1818 until 1997, when it was renamed Südwestpfalz....
, approximately 15 miles (24.1 km) from the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
border. It is bordered on the east by the Bundesstraße
Bundesstraße
Bundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
270 and the west by Landesstraße 482.
Construction
Originally built in place of an appleApple
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
orchard
Orchard
An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit or nut-producing trees which are grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive...
, the Husterhoeh Kaserne covered a large plateau to the North of the city of Pirmasens, as well having an extremely large underground system of caves and tunnels that ran to adjacent townships. The facility was initially started by the Germans during the 1930s; above-ground facilities were built to house Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
soldiers manning the Siegfried Line
Siegfried Line
The original Siegfried line was a line of defensive forts and tank defences built by Germany as a section of the Hindenburg Line 1916–1917 in northern France during World War I...
along the French border. and included tunneling extensive underground facilities. Work was stopped in 1941 due to the war needs for personnel and resumed minorly in 1944. The facility was captured on 21 March 1945 by the 71st Infantry Division, used as a war materials storage center, then was expanded by additional construction from the late 1950s through mid 1970s; in 1976 it was officially created as a full army base of its own right (US Military Community, Pirmasens). The last construction under US Military control was construction of replacement motor pool facilities for the 59th MP Co, in 1986-1987. Since return to German control of the majority of the base, additional construction, removal and modification of existing buildings has occurred.
Current use
Most of the facility is now used as commercial property, with multiple car dealerships and commercial companies on the site. The city has also located a major soccer stadium on the site. The U.S. Army Medical Materiel Center Europe (USAMMCE) is still operational and continues to occupy its former location. The heliport landing strip has been removed and is a grass field; numerous other buildings have been removed or re-engineered for other uses including the former US Army fire station (removed), the motorpool buildings to the north of the 76th Transportion Company (Medium Truck)'s motorpool (removed), etc. The buildings, which have neither been re-inhabited/re-used nor demolished, are in very poor condition (source: personal visits, 1999, 2005, 2008). The curved "Banana" Building has been modified with a museum and related entrance at the center, the entrance of which now faces outwards. The POMCUSPOMCUS
POMCUS is a military acronym for "Prepositioning Of Material Configured in Unit Sets".The POMCUS system kept large amounts of pre-positioned equipment in West Germany in defense of the West against the Communist threat during the Cold War...
storage facilities are now used by the German military for POMCUS storage. The American street names have been retained.
Historical use
- 1937 - 1944: German Military facility, utilized as a combination factory-fortress facility and above-ground barracks.
- 1944 - 1945: German Military-run facility, utilized as an air raid shelter for Niedersimten.
- 1945 - 1976: US Military facility, general depot, used as a pre-cursor for POMCUSPOMCUSPOMCUS is a military acronym for "Prepositioning Of Material Configured in Unit Sets".The POMCUS system kept large amounts of pre-positioned equipment in West Germany in defense of the West against the Communist threat during the Cold War...
-type storage of ready-to-roll armor. - 1976: US Military facility, officially classified as a complete base; creation of USMCA-P, under control of the 21st Support Command.
- 1976 - 1994: US Military facility, complete base, US Military Medical Materials Center and HQ for 59th Ordinance Brigade. POMCUSPOMCUSPOMCUS is a military acronym for "Prepositioning Of Material Configured in Unit Sets".The POMCUS system kept large amounts of pre-positioned equipment in West Germany in defense of the West against the Communist threat during the Cold War...
site. - April 22, 1994: Official hand-over ceremony, returning control of the majority of the base to the Germans.
- June 15, 1994: Official date of turn-over.
Historical units
- 2nd Military Intelligence Battalion 7th Army, This unit tracked missions that 73rd CBTI out of Stuttgart flew along the East German and Czech borders. The OV1D and RV1D aircraft carrying SLAR and Quick Look II systems.
- 5th Combat Equipment Company
- 9th Ordnance
- 12th Ordnance Bn (SWD)
- 71st Ordnance Group
- 22nd Aviation Detachment
- 58th Signal Company (Support) This unit was at Husterhoeh 1n 1959,1960 and early 1961
- 59th Military Police Company (59th MP, 95th MP Battalion, 21st Support Command, USAEUR)
- 59th Ordnance Brigade HQ (Advanced Weapons Support Command)
- 165th Signal Company, serving 59th Ordnance Brigade
- 63rd Finance Support Unit
- 76th Transportation Company (Medium Truck) (53rd Transportation Bn, 37th Transportation Group, 4th TRANSCOM, USAEUR)
- 2nd Battalion 56th Air Defense Artillery
- 294th Base Support Battalion (responsible for draw-down & turn-over of base, 1992–1994).
- 415th Base Support Battalion (remote: located in Kaiserslautern, assumed responsibilities of 294th BSB)
- 504th Engineering Service Company
- Detachment B, 201st ASA (502nd I&S Bn, 66th MI Gp)
- Headquarters Company, Pirmasens Army Base (USMCA-P)
- Team 4, SDEUR, (527th MI Bn, 66th MI Gp)
- US Army Medical Materiel Center - Europe (USAMMCE)
- 563rd Ordnance Company (1992–1994)
270th Signal Company - Activated 1975 in (West) Germany - Inactivated 15 September 1993 in Germany (AUTODIN Switching Facility personnel)
74th ARMY POSTAL UNIT
79th Engineer Battalion (Construction). (I was assigned to HQ Company from Sep60 - Apr63)
546th Maintenance Company - The unit provides Direct Support Maintenance Service on an area basis for military standard equipment
- USASSG, ACSI, Communications Unit, Pirmasens, Germany (Attached Unit, permanent assignment was room 3A514, The Pentagon, Washington DC)
Detachment 13, European Special Activities Area (ESAA)
Outlying bases
Husterhoeh Kaserne served as the primary base for several outlying smaller bases, including:- US Army General Hospital (USAH) at Muenchweiler
- Fischbach Ordnance Depot
- Massweiler Ordnance Depot
- Clausen Depot
- and over 28 other storage sites
These smaller supported bases and storage have been returned to German control as well.
A small unit, specializing in convoy escort, was also stationed at the kaserne, though for a brief period. It was the 511th MP platoon, housed in a 2-story building well to the rear of the facility. The unit guided, managed traffic control and served as a lightly armed escort for convoys carrying exotic weapons and their parts throughout Germany. Later (not sure of dates) the unit was transferred to Massweiler, then disbanded and the unit's members were portioned out as security guards at Dahn and Fischbach. The unit also served as OPFOR (then called something "aggressors" or something like that) for ordnance units when they went to the field.
External links
- Installation Maps and Pictures, including both Husterhoeh Barracks and Muenchweiler USAH and limited historical context.
- SASCOM and 59th Ordnance Brigade, includes details on various units and activities stationed at both Husterhoeh Kaserne and Munchweiler USAH.
- AWSCOM and 71st Ordnance Group, includes details on various units and activities stationed at both Husterhoeh Kaserne and Munchweiler USAH.
- Pirmasens/Husterhoeh entry at GlobalSecurity.Org, historical context.
- EverythingKMC - Support website for the Kaiserslautern Military Community