USAREUR Units - 1st Constabulary Brigade

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1st Constabulary Brigade
US Constabulary
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 contact me.

Brigade History (1946-1947)

Air Section

1st Con Regt

3rd Con Regt

15th Con Regt

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Brigade History

May 1946 - September 1947

Organization as of 1 May 1946

(Source: )

Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1st Constabulary Brigade, US Constabulary, was organized on 1 May 1946 at Wiesbaden, Germany from personnel of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Armored Division.

In the early period, the brigade consisted of a Headquarters and Headquarters Troop located at Wiesbaden to which three regiments were attached:
1st CON Regiment at Kassel
3rd CON Regiment at Wetzlar
15th CON Regiment at Weinheim (then relocated to Seckenheim in January 1947)

1st Brigade was responsible for law enforcement and security within the German administrative districts of Land Hessen (North and South), the Regierunsbezirke of Wiesbaden and Kassel and the Landeskommisarbezirke of Karlsruhe and Mannheim. In the first months of operation, not all Constabulary units were located at their final stations. This was primarily due to occupation of those assigned facilities by other units or organizations (displaced persons or prisoners of war) pending relocation to other facilities. Also, some facilities required extensive repairs prior to occupation by CON units.

ORGANIZATION (May 1946 - September 1947)

1st Constabulary Regiment - Assigned Units

HQ 1st Con Regt Kassel inactivated on 20 Sep, 1947

11th Con Sqdn Rothwesten Kaserne, Kassel inactivated on 20 Sep, 1947

12th Con Sqdn Neustadt inactivated on 20 Sep, 1947

91st Con Sqdn (Bad) Hersfeld redesignated as 22nd Con Sqdn (prob mid 1947)

3rd Constabulary Regiment - Assigned Units

HQ 3rd Con Regt Wetzlar inactivated on 20 Sep, 1947

37th Con Sqdn Weilburg inactivated on 20 Sep, 1947

68th Con Sqdn Büdingen

81st Con Sqdn Ludendorff Ksn, Fulda moved from Bad Mergentheim to Fulda in May 1946; inactivated on 20 Sep, 1947

15th Constabulary Regiment - Assigned Units

HQ 15th Con Regt Weinheim relocated to Seckenheim sometime after Jan 1947

1st Con Sqdn Knielingen

14th Con Sqdn Darmstadt

15th Con Sqdn Panzer Ksn, Schwetzingen

May 1946 -- Area of Responsibility and Disposition of units of the 1st Constabulary Brigade

In accordance with a EUCOM directive, the US Constabulary was re-organized under a troop ceiling of 18,000 between July and August, 1947. The mission of the Constabulary remained unchanged.

If you have more information on the history or organization of the 3rd Con Bde, please contact me

October 1947 - December 1948

Organization as of 1 September 1947

With the discontinuence of 3rd Brigade on July 1, 1947, 1st Con Bde also assumed responsibility for law enforcement and security within Land Württemberg. In the process, the 1st Bde lost two regiments (1st and 3rd, both inactivated) and gained one regiment (15th) from the discontinued 3rd Bde. Responsibility for the Landeskommisarbezirke of Karlsruhe and Mannheim passed to the 15th Con Regt; the 14th retained the Hessen South sector and assumed security responsibility for the sectors to the north previously patrolled by the 1st and 3rd regiments.

ORGANIZATION (September 1947 - December 1948)

14th Constabulary Regiment - Assigned Units

HQ 14th Con Regt Fritzlar Ksn, Fritzlar reorganized and redesignated on 20 Dec, 1948 as Hq Co, 14th A/C Regt

10th Con Sqdn Fritzlar Ksn, Fritzlar reorganized and redesignated on 20 Dec, 1948 as 1st Bn, 14th A/C Regt

22nd Con Sqdn McPheeters Bks, (Bad) Hersfeld redesignated as 24th Con Sqdn in Feb 1949

27th Con Sqdn Darmstadt inactivated on 15 Dec, 1948; served as a carrier unit for the formation of the 74th FA Bn

15th Constabulary Regiment - Assigned Units

HQ 15th Con Regt (1) Loretto Kaserne, Seckenheim inactivated on 20 Dec, 1948

1st Con Sqdn Knielingen reorganized and redesignated on 20 Dec, 1948 as 2nd Bn, 14th A/C Regt; subsequently moved to Schweinfurt (date?)

14th Con Sqdn Böblingen

15th Con Sqdn Schwäbisch Hall inactivated on 15 Dec, 1948; served as a carrier unit for the formation of the 70th FA Bn

(1) HHT, 15th Con Regt was reactivated and reorganized as a separate Squadron (15th Con Sq (Sep)) effective May 1949; the unit served with distinction as one of two border squadrons of the US Zone of Occupied Germany until inactivated on 15 Dec 1952.

September 1947 -- Area of Responsibility and Disposition of units of the 1st Constabulary Brigade

January 1949 - October 1950

ORGANIZATION (January 1949 - October 1950)

14th Armored Cavalry Regiment - Assigned Units

HHC 14th A/C Regt Fritzlar Ksn, Fritzlar moved to Fulda in Jan 1952

1st Battalion Fritzlar Ksn, Fritzlar moved to Fulda in August 1951

2nd Battalion Flugplatz (Conn Bks), Schweinfurt moved to Bad Kissingen May 1951

3rd Battalion Coburg moved to Friedberg in November 1950
moved to Bad Hersfeld in June 1951

24th Constabulary Squadron

24th Con Sqdn McPheeters Bks, (Bad) Hersfeld Originally, the 22nd Con Sqdn performed border patrol duties from Bad Hersfeld; on 20 May 1949, the unit was redesignated as the 24th Con Squadron with all 22nd personnel and equipment being absorbed by the 24th

Up to 1951 the 24th Con Squadron patrolled the border area from a point east of Kassel (Hebemshausen) to a point west of Coburg, a distance of 225 miles. In the summer of 1951 the 14th A/C Regiment's battalions moved forward to stations in Bad Hersfeld, Fulda and Bad Kissingen and assumed the border patrol mission.

With the arrival of the 2d Armored Division in mid 1951 as part of the Troop Augmentation program, Seventh Army negotiated with the French to station them at Baumholder in exchange for the 14th ACR kaserne in Fritzlar. HQ 14th ACR was subsequently moved to Fulda.

January 1949 -- Disposition of units of the 1st Constabulary Brigade

1948

(Source: Constabulary Lightning Bolt, April 9, 1948)

Camp Pieri is Dedicated in Army Day Ceremonies

1ST BRIGADE - In a joint Army-Air Force ceremony on Army Day in Wiesbaden, the 1st Brigade's home was officially renamed and dedicated as Camp Francis W. Pieri, after the Iate Capt. Pieri of 4th Armored Division fame. Headquarters, 1st Brigade, was originally redesignated from 4th Armored Division Headquarters, and the camp was formerly called "Camp Taylor."

Approximately 250 troops, half Constabulary and half Air Force, took part in the Army Day Review at the Camp parade field. Constabulary representatives were members of 1st Brigade Headquarters, and the Air Force men were troops from the five Air Force units stationed at Camp Pieri. Lt. Col. Ralph H. Elliott, Brigade Operations officer, was commander of troops. T/Sgt. George T. Jones carried the colors, and the 686th Air Force Bandfurnished the music.

After the yellow-scarved trooper, and blue-scarved Air Force men passed the reviewing stand, the Brigade Air Section, under the command of Maj. Erdi V Lansford, swooped over the parade field, ending the colorful ceremonies which were blessed by sunshine following a 12-hour rain.

In Reviewing Stand
In the reviewing stand were Brig. Gen. Joseph Smith, Wiesbaden Post Commander; Brig. Gen. Arthur G. Trudeau, Brigade commander; Col. Wallace H. Barnes, deputy director of Personnel and Administration, EUCOM; Lt. Col. Arthur L. West, EUCOM; Lt. Col. Arthur L. West Jr., also of P&A, EUCOM; Lt Col. John M. Brown; Capt Charles A. Gill; 1st Sgt James McMillian; and M/Sgt, Joseph H. Genter, recent recipient of the Bronze Star Medal.

Col. Barnes was a Battalion commander, later chief of staff, of the 4th Armored prior to its coming overseas. Col. West commanded the 10th Armored Infantry Battalion in the 4th Armored Division from the beginning of combat until he was wounded in December 1944. He was also commander of the 72d, now the 14th, Constabulary Squadron for one year. Maj. Gen. John S. Wood, retired, who commanded the 4th Armored during combat, was unable to attend. Although now dead of the PCIRO, he is temporarily absent from the Zone.

Capt. Pieri was commanding officer of Company B, 24th Armored Engineer Battalion, 4th Armored Division, serving as Engineering liaison officer of Combat Command B. He was killed in action August 22, 1944, while accompanying the leading elements of the 51st Armored Infantry Battalion Task Force in the attack on Montargis, France.

Kills 30 of Enemy
As he was riding toward the front of the column, it was fired upon by the enemy machine guns and small arms. The troops immediately took cover while Capt. Pieri opened fire with a 30-caliber machine gun mounted on the vehicle. He fired two belts of ammunition, killing approximately 30 of the enemy, but lost his own life in the action.

Capt. Pieri was known as an aggressive and gallant officer. Previously at Countances, France, Capt Pieri had bravely lead the leading Infantry troops into the city. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross posthumously by a Third U.S. Army order.

In his address to the troops, Gen. Trudeau reminded the assembled troopers and Air Force men of their duty to their country. He spoke of the sacrifices of the men at Lexington and Concord, the soldiers at Pearl Harbor and Bataan, and of men like Capt. Pier. He stressed the sacrifices that all members of the armed forces undertake to make for the welfare of their country when they take the oath.

The general praised the cooperation between the Army and the Air Force in their dally contact at Camp Pieri. While friendly rivalry exists between the forces, he stated, everyone realizes that the Army, Air Force, and Navy must stand shoulder to shoulder to function in the purpose for which they have jointly dedicated themselves, to guarantee the safety of their nation.

Gen. Smith expressed his appeciation of the friendship between the services and stated his satisfaction with the fine spirit of joint cooperation at Camp Pieri.