(R. Goldbacher) Off the top of my head I would say 5300 is Div. Headquarters, facing the flagpole. Division commander and assistant, chief of staff, Div. Sgt. Maj., S1 thru S4, Provost Marshall, Div. surgeon. I worked in the building, in 8th MI Detachment Counterintelligence Ops, under S2. As did our photo interp. section.

I believe the MI detachment itself was billeted and headquartered in the adjoining building 5303. And I think the small building 5339 was used by our motor pool. 5345 could be the chapel, facing the street. And I believe JAG office was in 5301.

I believe buildings in the back by ball field were all Signal Corps.

This is all pretty fuzzy. I spent some time online looking at old films and photos. I'm almost certain about Div. HQ building, though.

The 8th MI Detachment had small field offices in BK, Baumholder, and Heidelberg, where the division had large troop concentrations. These were primarily for security clearance investigations and document security functions, in addition to the general counterintelligence mission. None in Mainz, which had an airborne battalion, or Dexheim, which I believe had a missile battery. We serviced them from BK.

I can't speak for other division staff. I don't know of any staff sub-units at other locations, aside from those organic to the battalions.

Talked with my former XO and he offers this:
1- we had no field office in Heidelberg, it was Mannheim. My mistake.
2- he says I correctly identified the 8th MID motor pool structure, 5339, but based on its location he believes the MI Detachment was housed in building 5304, not 5303 as I had indicated. He seems certain and he worked there daily. I worked in 5300, the division HQ.

The medical battalion (1) provides division level medical service to the division to include -

a. Operation of division clearing stations with a limited short-term holding capacity.

b. Ambulance evacuation of patients from unit medical treatment facilities.

c. Medical supply and organizational maintenance of medical equipment.

d. Emergency dental treatment.

e. Limited psychiatric service. and its attachments with all items of supply except class V, medical supplies and equipment, aircraft parts and supplies, cryptographic materiel, water, repair parts, and airdrop equipment. In addition, the battalion provides -

The medical battalion is assigned to the support command. The three medical companies are capable of operating ambulance and clearing stations in support of the brigades. Normally, a clearing station will be operated by each company for the unit that it supports. Each medical company can operate two clearing stations for displacement and short duration operations.

The headquarters and support company ambulances and clearing station normally operate in the division support area to support division troops and the support command.

Medical units normally furnish support on an area basis. For details of the operation of the medical battalion see FM 8-15..

(1) The 8th Medical Battalion (1966) was located at Lee Barracks, Gonsenheim (Mainz) (STATION LIST, 31 Dec 1966).

Webmaster note: It looks like the 8th Med Bn got moved around a lot in that time frame: in 1964 the battalion was located at Wackernheim; in 1965 they were stationed at Coleman Barracks, Sandhofen and, sometime early 1966, they moved to Lee Barracks.)

We had the ¾-ton ambulance and the standard jeep, not sure what the military number was and, yes, we used 100-foot cargo chutes to drop the jeeps and they went out the tail gate of the 130’s. We took the deuce and a half with generator trailers in the 130’s also, but were landed at the airport and unloaded.

I went to jump school in Wiesebaden in 1965 and was assigned to Company B Airborne after jump school. I was involved in the drop in Denmark and the next year around Munich.

Your web page brings back lots of memories. First Sargent Bland was our first sarg, a great guy and no nonsense leader.

We had one helicopter jump at a place called Kuberg Hill using the old CH34 copter. The rest of my 13 jumps were out of C-130’s. Great plane and still in use today.

Kuhberg Hill was a miserable place to use for a drop zone, windy and surrounded by trees! The riggers jumped first and were drifted into the trees, we called them wind dumbies. It took two loads of them to figure out the wind drift, it was just border line as far as wind vel. I remember looking out the chopper door and seeing nothing but trees below us.

Again, thanks for the memories.

The supply & transportation battalion (3) is responsible for supplying the division and its attachments with all items of supply except class V, medical supplies and equipment, aircraft parts and supplies, cryptographic materiel, water, repair parts, and airdrop equipment. In addition, the battalion provides -

a. Reserve stocks of classes I and III, and selected fast moving classes II and IV supplies in all divisions.

b. Transportation for logistic support operations.

c. Transportation for tactical movement in the infantry division, when required.

d. Bath facilities when properly augmented and, when practical, clothing exchange service.

e. Map supply.

f. Graves registration service, when properly augmented.

g. A division salvage collection facility.

h. Limited purchasing and contracting.

i. Coordination for laundry and exchange services.

j. Limited capability for rigging supplies and equipment for resupply by air.

k. Advice to division units on food service matters.

The supply and transport battalion provides and operates distribution points for classes I and III supplies in the brigade trains areas as well as in the division support area. On request, classes II and IV supplies are delivered by the support command to forward class I supply distribution points for issue.

Selected classes II and IV supplies may also be stocked at forward class I supply distribution points. Division reserve stocks of classes I, II, III, and IV supplies are maintained in the division support area.

a. Supply and transport elements from the battalion may be attached to or placed in support of divisional units operating in independent or semi­independent missions. When properly augmented, the battalion provides bath unit support on an area basis. The battalion, when properly augmented, provides graves registration support in each brigade area to receive, identify, and arrange for evacuation of dead to the division collection point. It also provides a graves registration collection point in the division support area.

b. In the infantry divisions, corps or army transportation units must be provided if combat units are to be moved in a single lift.

c. For details of the operation of the supply and transport battalion, see FM 10-50.

(1) The 8th S&T Battalion was modified from the type supply and transportation battalion defined in FM 54-2 by the addition of Detachment "C," an airfield support unit for the division.
(2) 8th S&T Battalion was also modified by the addition of the 11th Quartermaster Company, an air equipment support unit that provided support to the airborne elements of the division.
(3) The 8th S&T Battalion (1966) was located at Des Gouttes Kaserne in Bad Kreuznach (STATION LIST, 31 Dec 1966). Detachment "C" was located at the division's airfield in Finthen and the 11th QM Co was stationed at Rhein Kaserne, Biebrich (Wiesbaden).

First thing I noticed was the NCO leadership was serious about everything. Looking back they had to be. We supported 2nd Brigade and had a detachment in Wildflecken supporting 1st Brigade who had the mission of plugging the Fulda Gap from the south, linking up with 4th ID (?) and 3rd Armored to the north.

2nd Brigade's mission was to cover the rear of 4th ID and 3rd Armored and 1st Brigade. Basically, back then we were to stop an advance to Frankfurt from a Warsaw Pact agressor, i.e. stop them cold. Period .

B Co 708th Maint unit had an small arms repair shop, canvas repair shop, welding & machine shop, an evac section, wheeled vehicle repair section, engineers\line section.

We did alerts at least once a mounth. We had an hour to be on the vehicles, packed with everything ready to head to the Gap.

We fixed a lot of things there. I was a machinist. We went to Graf. We always had a detachment in the field, mostly at Graf and Hohensfels. And don't forget REFORGER. The 1sgt there wanted us to be infantry. With all the equipment we had I wished we were infantry. They made cammo net one time in Graf the size of the Texas.

The last REFORGER I went to we roll in there, I get my net up quick over my 109 van and my 1sgt comes by, looks at it an goes: You have it upside down. After that I said if I stay in, I'm going to be a grunt and screw this net. Then they wake me up at 2 am to fix a stripped out bolt on a Gama Goat's alternator bracket. They insisted it had to done then and there. So, I manage to wake up and fix the thing. I just laid down in the van, its 6 am, and that same 1st sgt is running around in MOPP 4 screaming 'gas, gas, gas.' I'm like, man if he was wearing MILES gear his beeper would be goin off in real quick. Yep, 1st Sgt Egan wanted us to be infantry.

One thing, if we ever had to plug that gap he would have kept us alive.

My next unit was an infantry unit. They can have their cammo net. My old 1st sgt got his wish.