USAREUR Units - 24th Inf Div

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24th Infantry Division
(Page 2)
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.

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2nd Bde

3rd Bde

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5th Bn, 32nd Arm

1st Brigade

2nd Brigade

2nd Brigade DI

3rd Brigade - 24th Infantry Division (Fwd)

3rd Brigade Patch

1967

(Source: STARS & STRIPES, Dec 21 1967)

On Dec 20, 1967 HQ USEUCOM announced that most of the 24th Inf Div (division headquarters; two infantry brigades; division artillery; division support command) as well as several other Army and Air Force units were to be redeployed to Fort Riley, Kansas as part of the REFORGER concept. (Under the plan up to 35,000 soldiers and airmen would leave Germany as part of an effort to cut US foreign exchange costs.)

The commanding general of the 24th Inf Div , Maj Gen Roderick Wetherill, explained that 3rd Brigade would remain in Munich as the forward deployed element of the division.

In preparation for the troop shift, 3rd Brigade would be reorganized to minimize the unit moves within the Munich area. At the time of the announcement, 3rd Brigade was probably organized as follows:

UNIT DESIGNATION	STATION	COMMENTS
HHC, 3rd Brigade	Warner Bks, Munich
1st Bn, 21st Infantry	Warner Bks, Munich
2nd Bn, 21st Infantry	Warner Bks, Munich
5th Bn, 32nd Armor	Will Ksn, Munich

The reorganization would see 5th Bn, 32nd Arm and 2nd Bn, 21st Inf transferred to 2nd Brigade; and 3rd Bn, 19th Inf (Henry Ksn, Munich) moved to 3rd Brigade from 2nd Bde.

Other 24th Inf Div units that would stay on with 3rd Brigade:

UNIT DESIGNATION	STATION	COMMENTS
1st Bn, 34th Artillery (HJ)	Will Ksn, Munich
1st Bn, 35th Artillery (155mm)	Henry Ksn, Munich
co-sized unit, 2nd Sq, 9th Cav	Warner Bks, Munich	C Trp (in 1969)
co-sized unit, 24th Med Bn		D Co (in 1969)
co-sized unit, 3rd Engr Bn		D Co (in 1969)
co-sized unit, 724th Maint Bn		E Co (in 1969)

Small elements of the signal battalion, MP company and other divisional support units would also remain.

24th Inf Div (Fwd) Headquarters Building, Sheridan Kaserne, Augsburg (Barri Vickers)

1968

(Source: STARS & STRIPES, April 19, 1968)

USAREUR has announced that HQ 3rd (Rotation) Brigade of the 24th Inf Div and 1st Bn, 34th Arty will be relocated to Augsburg starting in May and June. The moves are part of a relocation plan that is connected with the larger REFORGER program (redeployment of the 24th Inf Div to the States) currently under way.

The plan includes the relocation of more than 80 other Army units (ranging from detachment to battalion in size) within Germany. The plan - which will take several years to complete - can be seen as an internal readjustment of tactical and support units within USAREUR and will not lead to any reduction in USAREUR troop strength (unlike the REFORGER program).

After the moves have been completed, Warner Kaserne and other troop installations in the northern Munich area as well as Infantry Kaserne in Augsburg will be returned to the German government.

Division Artillery

24th Inf Div Artillery Headquarters building, Will Kaserne, Munich (Webmaster's collection)

M-110 8inch howitzer of 24th Inf Div Artillery (Bill Leonhardt)

M-109 155mm howitzer of the 24th Inf Div (Bill Leonhardt)

1967

(Source: USAREUR STATION LIST, 30 June 1967)

ORGANIZATION:

	UNIT		STATION
	Hq/Hqs Battery		Will Ksn, Munich
	2nd How Bn, 7th Arty (1)		Sheridan Ksn, Augsburg
	3rd How Bn, 11th Arty (2)		Will Ksn, Munich
	1st How Bn, 13th Arty (1)		Sheridan Ksn, Augsburg
	1st Rkt Bn, 34th Arty (3)		Will Ksn, Munich
	1st How Bn, 35th Arty (1)		Henry Ksn, Munich

(1) 155mm SP

(2) 155mm / 8in SP

(3) Honest John

1967

(Source: Email from Brad Scheminske, 1st Bn, 35th Arty, 1967-68)

I was stationed with the 1st of the 35th Arty at Henry Kaserne, northeast Munich, during 1967 & 68. It was an M-109 SP 155 mm howitzer unit. (Six howitzers per battery, all M-109 155mm self-propelled. Three firing batteries in the Battalion: Alpha, Bravo and Charley. Headquarters Battery, of course, included the administrative troops plus the battalion motor pool folks, etc.) I was the AXO of B Battery and later the XO of A Battery. We were part of the 24th Infantry Division (Mech).

I arrived in Munich in late February or early March 1967 after graduation from OCS at Ft. Sill. I was assigned as the Asst. Executive Officer of Battery B. The unit was a self-propelled M-109 155mm howitzer outfit. I remember my first Battery Commander was Captain Van Stone, don't remember his first name, but I do remember my first meeting with him; it was the first time I heard the line: "We go by first names here, I will call you Brad and you can call me Captain." It stuck, I still don't remember any other first name, but I do remember he was married to a stunningly beautiful German woman named Renate.

The Battalion Commander was LTC Lee, again I don't remember a first name. The B Battery First Sergeant, Sergeant Clifton, was a great Top Kick, straight out of central casting for the role and the only guy I ever met who wore the 24th Infantry Division patch at the top of both sleeves, he'd been with the 24th in Korea.

We were in Henry Kaserne next door to the 3rd Engineers. In about March of 1968 I became the Exec of A Battery. The Battery Commander was 1st Lt. Dale Pulrang. He was a true "redleg" and I am told he now resides in retirement in Lawton, OK, next door to Ft. Sill. I remember the shortage of field grade officers caused by the war in Viet Nam created a situation where many slots were under-filled, i.e. slots for captains held by lieutenants and so on. Also, our supply situation was always short. We never could get requisitioned parts in a timely fashion. Being a nuke capable unit, we were supposed to be able to get "mission critical" parts within 24 hours on an "05" requisition, but that 24 hours sometimes took more than a year, so the combat readiness always was, in my memory anyway, virtually non-existent. I took some comfort in the mistaken belief the Warsaw Pact forces probably were as poor as our forces seemed to be, until they moved in and took Czechoslovakia in about 30 hours in the summer of 1968.

On the upside, living in Munich was one of the most enjoyable times of my life. I fell in love with the Bavarian people and with the beauty of the countryside. I remember there were three kasernes in the immediate area: Henry Kaserne, Will Kaserne and the big one, Warner Kaserne. Across town was McGraw Kaserne. Adjacent to Warner Kaserne was a several block area of pre-WW II apartment buildings used as BOQ's, which was where I lived, an area affectionately known to its inhabitants as the "Dirty Acre" and the Warner Officers' Open Mess close by.

I went back to Munich in the summer of 2001 with my wife and two daughters. In 1967-68 Warner Kaserne was about the edge of Munich, but the city has grown beyond it by at least a couple of miles. I found both Warner Kaserne and Will Kaserne, they both are still there but seem to be occupied by German military, I didn't find Henry Kaserne although it may still exist too. The old Officers Club is still there but has been joined to what was Warner Kaserne and the old "Dirty Acre" still exists and seems to house foreign workers. So far as I could tell, there is no American military presence in Munich anymore. I remember even when I was there, there were rumors the German government wanted us out before the 1972 Munich Olympics.

There remains a significant American military presence in Garmisch. When we were there, only a few weeks before the 9-11 attacks, the gate guards were American civilian women, civilian contractors. I wonder if that has changed since 9-11.

AVIATION SECTION

(Source: Email from Thurston Fogleman)

I will give you as much history as I can, a lot of water under the old bridge and memories lost.

I was assigned to the Aviation Section in 1964 and was crew chief of several aircraft, one was an O-1 Bird Dog and a U-6A Beaver. I was also the section parts man.

I cain't remember any of the pilots but do remember some of the enlisted people.

The company hqts. was at Will Kaserne in Munich, Germany, and the section was at Schleissheim Army Airfield.

If I remember correctly we had 6 aircraft: 2 O-1s, 2 U-6As and 2 H-13s.

Now fellow enlisted coworkers: Sfc James R. Burkhalter (section sergent); S Sgt, Bruce Lawton (tech inspection); Sp4 Robert Beasley (section clerk); Sp4 Pasture (crewchief).

I was held over from coming back to the US by a year to come back with the division when it returned in 1968 to Ft. Riley Ks.

I transferred to the medical section (I was a schooled trained fixed wing mechanic, and also a school trained Medic 91B/67B mos's). We had put all equipment in storage in Germany and returned in early 1969 for Operation REFORGER 1 to see how fast a division could be moved from the US and set into operation in Europe.

All that BS for a week in the field LOL.

That's about all I can remember other than bits and pieces which I could get into if you were interested. Just assorted memories.

I was a Spec4 when I was assigned and made Spec5 while with the 24th.

5th Bn, 32nd Armor

1964

5th Bn, 32nd Arm Will Ksn, Munich
1. 24th Inf DivArty Hqs	2. Sign to Kaserne	3. Medical track
4. Medical track	5. M88 recovery vehicle	6. M113 APC
7. M60 Patton	8. Deuce-and-a-half	9. 5th Bn, 68th Arm barracks
10. On Will Ksn

(Source: Email from Byron D. Hanson)

I was assigned to the 5th Bn of the 32nd Armor on 15 July of 1965. I was assigned to the 3rd Paltoon of A company as a loader on an M-60. We were stationed at Will Kaserne. Oh Yeah, we had an MP Unit housed right at the back gate. Draw your own conclusions about that positioning. I was there from 15 July 1965 to 18 Febuary 1968.

Our tank park was near Leopold Street and we had a gate direct to the old DZ (Drop Zone) for near by manuver area. My Company commander was named Capt. Brown and he was a VMI graduate. His First Sergeant was F/Sgt Berry. He drove a 1965 Cadillac. I was impressed. (Footnote: Elvis Presely was a member of the 32nd Armor, but it was before my time (and in Friedberg). He was in the M-48 tanks.)

We were equipped with M-60 tanks and a very few M-60 A-1 as "dozer tanks." We were assigned to 3rd Brigade of the 24th Infantry. Our Batallion even had an S-3 Air and the airpale was a Mohawk.

Will Kaserne housed the EM Club and the NCO Club. We had a gym and a field ground for dismounted drill. We also had the medical and dental dispensery. There was an Engineer "Float Bridge" unit on Will Kaserne and we would maneuver with them for water barrier crossings. Will Kaserne was served by the front main gate off of Leopold Street and a back gate that led directly to the "village."

We were in the barracks about four months out of the year. The rest of the time we were in Hohenfels or Grafenwoehr or intransit to some other training area. Someties we would road march and other times we would "rail" the tanks. Try driving an M-60 onto a German flat car some time. We lived outside (of the post) almost eight months of the year.

Will Kaserne must have been a German Army barracks before our ocuppation. The buildings were already set up for housing troops.

Will Kaserne had a huge tank wash and if you ever were assigned to "extra duty" it would be to dig out the grit pit from all the mud.

There was a field artillery unit on Will Kaserne at the same time as my assignment and they were equipped with 155-mm self propelled cannons and some eight inch self propelled Howitzers. I cannot guess at the unit designation.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
(Source: Email from Barney Fergus)
Reference Byron D. Hanson's email above: his last paragraph mentions an Artillery unit on Will Kaserne. It was the 3rd Bn, 11th Arty, which I was assigned to from 1962 till 1964.

It consisted of HQ/Service Btry, A, B, C Btrys of 155's & D Btry of 8-inch guns. A lot of great memories from those days!!

Lineage Data for Infantry Units assigned to 24th Inf Div (1958 thru 1970)

At the time (1958) of activation of the 24th Inf Div in Germany, the Division was organized under modified PENTOMIC (ROCID) Tables with three infantry (1 BG,19 Inf; 1 BG, 21 Inf; 1 BG, 34 Inf) and two airborne infantry (1 ABG, 187 Inf; 1 ABG, 503 Inf) battle groups. Within 8 months the two Abn BG's were replaced with infantry battle groups (2 BG, 2 Inf; 2 BG, 28 Inf).

2nd Battle Group, 2nd Infantry