The Joint Multinational Training Command Training Journal 3

100URNALOJ URNALOJ

7TH U.S. ARMY JOINT MULTINATIONAL TRAINING COMMAND www.hqjmtc.army.mil commemorative edition

T R A I N I N GT R A I N I N GT R A I N I N G

JOIN

T MU

LTINATIONAL TRAINING COM

MAN

D

7TH UNITED STATES ARMY

celebrating a century of training excellence

grafenwoehr:then, now andin the future

grafenwoehrfrom 1966 to 2010;a german civilian’saccount

a visual historyof the grafenwoehrtraining area

the grafenwoehr100 year legacyof biodiversity

BY BRIG. GEN. STEVEN L. SALAZAR,COMMANDING GENERAL7TH U.S. ARMY JMTC

BY DENVER MAKLE,JMTC PUBLIC AFFAIRS

BY MARGIT RANZ,DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS,ENVIRONMENTAL DIVISION

WITH AN INTRODUCTION BYCOL. CHRIS SORENSON,COMMANDER, U.S. ARMYGARRISON GRAFENWOEHR

100 YEARS

J M T C C O M M A N D

JMTC PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Commanding GeneralU.S. Army, Europe Gen. Carter F. Ham

Commanding General 7th U.S. Army JMTC

Brig. Gen. Steven L. Salazar

is an unofficial publication of the7th United States Army Joint

Multinational Training Command.

Circulation is 5,000 copies.

Editorial views and opinions arenot necessarily those of theDepartment of the Army.

Correspondence may be sent to:HQ 7th Army JMTC

Attention: Public Affairs Office,Building 123, Room 101

APO AE 09114or via Bundespost:HQ 7th Army JMTC

Attention: Public Affairs OfficeLager Grafenwoehr, Geb. 123

92655 Grafenwoehr

Telephone: DSN 475-7776or commercial 09641-83-7776email: [email protected]

Public Affairs Officer 7th U.S. Army JMTC

Maj. Jennifer R. Johnson

Deputy Public Affairs Officer7th U.S. Army JMTC

Denver Makle

JMTC Public Affairs SpecialistsChristian Marquardt

Michael Beaton

JMTC Public Affairs StaffSgt Maj. Rodney WilliamsStaff Sgt. Lyttleton Yates

THE JOINT MULTINATIONALTRAINING COMMAND

J M T C C O M M A N D

JMTC PUBLIC AFFAIRS

TRAINING JOURNAL

The Training Journal is published quarterly by the JMTC Public Affairs Office

to provide information on people, policies, operations, technical developments,

trends and ideas of and about the Joint Multinational Training Command.

The views and opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Department of the Army.

THE EDITORS WOULD LIKE TO THANKAND ACKNOWLEDGE THE FOLLOWING

INDIVIDUALS FOR THEIR GRACIOUSCONTRIBUTIONS OF TIME, MATERIALS,

AND RESOURCES, DURING THEPRODUCTION OF THIS EDITION

OF THE JMTC TRAINING JOURNAL:

WILLI BUCHFELDER,HEIMATVEREIN GRAFENWOEHR

HERMANN DIETL,ARCHIVIST AND PRINT MEDIA COLLECTOR

OLAF MEILER, GRAFENWOEHRCULTURAL AND MILITARY MUSEUM

SGT. MAJ. GERALD MORGENSTERN,BUNDESWEHR PUBLIC AFFAIRS

edith SPAHN AND ALEXANDERKNEIDL OF THE SPAHN PHOTO STUDIO

GRAFENWOEHR CITY MAYORHELMUTH WACHTER

ELKE WATKINS AND ULRICH MAUSHAKEAND THE FEDERAL FORESTY OFFICE

GRAFENWOEHR STAFF

THE EDITORS WOULD LIKE TO THANKAND ACKNOWLEDGE THE FOLLOWING

INDIVIDUALS FOR THEIR GRACIOUSCONTRIBUTIONS OF TIME, MATERIALS,

AND RESOURCES, DURING THEPRODUCTION OF THIS EDITION

OF THE JMTC TRAINING JOURNAL:

WILLI BUCHFELDER,HEIMATVEREIN GRAFENWOEHR

HERMANN DIETL,ARCHIVIST AND PRINT MEDIA COLLECTOR

OLAF MEILER, GRAFENWOEHRCULTURAL AND MILITARY MUSEUM

SGT. MAJ. GERALD MORGENSTERN,BUNDESWEHR PUBLIC AFFAIRS

edith SPAHN AND ALEXANDERKNEIDL OF THE SPAHN PHOTO STUDIO

GRAFENWOEHR CITY MAYORHELMUTH WACHTER

ELKE WATKINS AND ULRICH MAUSHAKEAND THE FEDERAL FORESTY OFFICE

GRAFENWOEHR STAFF

7th UNITED STATES ARMY JOINT MULTINATIONAL TRAINING COMMAND TRAINING JOURNAL SUMMER 2010

1

UR NA LOJ UR NA LOJT A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

joint multinational training command

100 YEARS

2GRAFENWOEHR: EXCELLENCE THEN, NOW

AND IN THE FUTUREBrig. Gen. Steven L. Salazar, Commanding General

3NCOS' TRANSFORM MULTINATIONALS: BUILD U.S. CORPS

Command Sgt. Maj. Darieus ZaGara, JMTC Command Sgt. Major

THE ARMY'S OLDEST NCO ACADEMY SHOULD BETHE FIRST STOP AFTER DEPLOYMENT

Master Sgt. Jody R. Heikkinen, 7th Army NCO Academy

4ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF HISTORY,

ONE PREMIER COMMUNITYHerbert Steinbeck, U.S. Army Garrison-Grafenwoehr, Public Works

5GRAFENWOEHR TERRAIN DEPICTION, THEN AND NOW

Col. Stephen S. Seitz, JMTC Public Affairs

6JMTC WEB WATCH

7100TH ANNIVERSARY SPOTLIGHTS

LEGACY OF BIODIVERSITYMargit Ranz, U.S. Army Garrison-Grafenwoehr, Public Works

NOT JUST A TRAINING AREA, BUT A RARE WILDLIFE REFUGEDenver Makle, JMTC Public Affairs

8GRAFENWOEHR 1966 TO 2010; A GERMAN CIVILIAN’S ACCOUNT

Denver Makle, JMTC Public Affairs

10HOHENFELS TRAINING AREA: 72 YEARS IN THE MAKING

Sgt. 1st Class Bryan Hammond, Joint Multinational Readiness Center

12THE FUTURE OF TRAINING - GRAFENWOEHR RANGES

EVOLVE TO REFLECT CURRENT TRENDSCapt. Trevor P. Needham, Range Operations, JMTC

13THE HISTORY OF THE GTA

WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY COL. CHRIS SORENSONCommander, U.S. Army Garrison Grafenwoehr

33CELEBRATING THE HISTORY MEANS

CELEBRATING INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTIONS TOO Ryan Meyer, Museum Curator

35REPLICATING REALITY:

TRAINING AIDS, DEVICES AND SIMULATORSDan Feazelle and Jim Coon, Training Support Activity Europe

J M T C C O M M A N D E R ’ S C O L U M N

2

D

STEVEN L. SALAZARBrigadier General, U.S. ArmyCommanding

By Brig. Gen. Steven L. Salazar

Army Training Network

Grafenwoehr:excellence then, nowand in the future.today, grafenwoehr has become somuch more than a great place to train. for the u.s. army, it is now thelargest army installation in europe.

tomorrow and well intothe next 100-years,

the grafenwoehrmilitary community willcontinue to represent

excellence.

uring its first 100-years, the Grafenwoehr Training Area (GTA) has seen some incredibly interesting times. These gates have welcomed military greats, such asPatton, Westmoreland, and Powell. Infamous figures, such as, Hitler and Mussolini, and Horthy were here too;but, perhaps the best remembered personality to visit the GTA ranges was Sgt. Elvis Presley, “TheKing of Rock and Roll, who visited the training are formaneuvers and training, between 1958 and 1960. The staple of our proudhistory is the hundreds ofthousands of Soldiers thathave come year-after-year,U.S. and multinational forces,to train because of GTA'spremiere training facilitiesand reputation for trainingexcellence. The GTA has always been a "world-class" place to train.For nearly 50-years, every unit in U.S. Army Europecame here to train. During the Cold War, forces in Europewere a quarter-million strong, and training theseSoldiers was a continuous and compelling process.When the Wall came down, GTA stood as the center-piece of European Theater Security and Cooperation,developing relationships with so many of our friendsand partners in the region. Each revealed its characterfollowing the attacks of 911, now a coalition of 44Nations in Afghanistan.

For our NATO partners and allies across Europe Grafenwoehr is the center of training excellence.The place of shared experiences, during rain, snow,dust or knee-deep mud. We are now focused onsupporting NATO efforts in Afghanistan, while helpingnumerous armies across Europe build capacity anddevelop professionally.

Today, Grafenwoehr is not only a great place to train.Its also a great place to live. For the U.S. Army, it is nowthe largest installation in Europe, and home to morethan 40,000 Soldiers and family members. We're nolonger just a training area. We are a military communityin the great state of Bavaria. Tomorrow and well into the next 100-years, theGrafenwoehr Military Community will continue to rep-resent excellence. In addition to being environmentally responsible, it is a world-class training resource for the U.S., German and NATO Armies. It is recognized as a symbol symbol of military profession- alism and competence. It is an enduring place that fosters friendships and partnerships. Grafenwoehr is a great community for our Army families to live and thrive. It is indeed "great to be at Graf!" Prost and Cheersto another 100 Years!

As we mark this historic anniversary, we rememberthe contributions of the GTA over these 100 years, while we look to the future and commence the next 100-years of training excellence.

Ready Thru Training!


ince some Soldiers may not have completed the first level of the NCO Education System because of a 12-to-15 monthdeployment to Iraq or Afghanistan. Upon re-deployment, Soldiers returning from combatoperations are given priority to attend the 7thArmy Non-commissioned Officers Academy(7th Army NCOA). Upon returning to their USAREUR-based unit,Soldiers have seven days of re-integrationtraining then a maximum leave period isscheduled. Following the mandated 45-days ofleave these Soldiers are allowed to attend pro-fessional military training and receive 90-daysof priority over non-deployed USAREUR-basedSoldiers to attend training. "This is a good time for Soldiers to take thistraining," said Sgt. Major Antonio R. Reyes,Deputy Commandant at the 7th Army NCOA."It is a good way to get the Soldiers in themind-set of doing the things required of themin Garrison, like writing NCO Evaluation Reports(NCOERs), suicide prevention for junior leadersand counseling Soldiers." Because junior Soldiers are likely to reportto the NCOA with a couple of deployments, already under their belts, when they arrive forthe 15-day Warrior Leader Course (WLC), theyprovide great insight regarding current infor-mation and lessons learned. "The training Soldiers receive during WLChelps young NCOs develop self discipline andprofessional ethics, while also demonstratingthe skills and knowledge for leading, disciplining,and developing Soldiers, said CommandSergeant Major Hu Rhodes, commandant of the7th Army NCOA. "The cadre can adjust certaintactical experiences based-on student feedbackand experience. One of the most common isthe use of IED simulations during tacticaltraining." IED's evolve daily in the contemporary op-eration environment, and lectures are out-dated if they are more than 30 days old. So,the cadre utilizes the Center for Army Lessons

3

JMTC COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR’S COLUMN

SBy Master Sgt. Jody R. Heikkinen,Chief of Training at the 7th Army NCOA

the army’s oldest ncoacademy should be thefirst stop for someafter deployment

continued on page 11.

DARIEUS A. ZAGARACommand Sergeant Major, USAJMTC CSM

ncos’transformmulti-nationals:build u.s.corps

The history of theGTA is as complex asthat of the AmericanNoncommiss ionedofficer (NCO). Likethe American Armyitself, with its blended traditions of the French, British,and Prussian armies, the GTA continues to transforminto a unique place where training and community mergeto become the Grafenwoehr Military Community. During the past 100 years, uniforms changed, facilitieswere renovated, and units have come and gone; how-ever, the unwavering dedication of professional NCOsremains, those who see it as their sole purpose to trainSoldiers for any mission, anytime and anywhere. The NCOs at JMTC don’t just train U.S. Soldiers.A key component of what we do is to train our multinational partners. All training at the JMTC’s Combined ArmsTraining Center, the NCO Academy, Joint MultinationalReadiness Center, or elsewhere, has a multinationalflavor. The JMTC is the only place in the U.S. Army whereU.S. Forces and partner-nations regularly train together. The example our NCOs set is especially important forthe NCOs of our multinational partners as they con-tinue to transform and strengthen their own profess-ional NCO Corps’. The JMTC has the right resources totrain foreign nations and, make their NCOs the “back-bone” of their armies and valuable members of the teamas they are standard-bearers for their organizations. As leaders of warriors, there is no greater responsibility,or honor, than to train Soldiers. As we celebrate the100th Anniversary of the training area, let us rememberthe NCOs who came before us, those who helped totransform the GTA into a state-of-the-art facility, whilealso reflecting on how we meet the needs of today’s Army.

Ready Thru Training!

By Command Sgt. Maj.Darieus A. ZaGara

V I S I T J M T C O N L I N E A T WWW.HQJMTC.ARMY. MIL

100 YEARS

4

uring the last century, the Grafenwoehr Training Area (GTA) has changed from a small German artillery and maneuver training area into the premier U.S.Army training base outside the continental United States. Originally established to support the artillery and maneuvertraining of the soldiers assigned to the 3rd Bavarian ArmyCorps, the training area boundary covered approximately9,100 hectares (22,486 acres) and extended from Grafenwoehrto Weihern to Haag and Hammergmuend. When constructionon the training area started, more than 230 people fromeight villages had to be relocated.

In 1935, the GTA was expanded extensively to its currentsize of 22,600 hectares (56,000 acres) with about 20,900hectares (51,650 acres) of land dedicated to training.Grafenwoehr became a key artillery, tank and maneuvertesting and training area to support the growth and expansionof the German Army prior to World War II. The expansioneffort included the “Suedlager” or South Camp at RoseBarracks and affected people from 58 villages spread over17 political communities. In May 1945, after the surrender of Germany, the U.S.Army occupied the GTA and established a tank training areain 1947. In 1948, the installation was assigned to the7th Army and designated a tank training center. Between 1951 and 1953, the camp was renovated to theform and structure seen today. The construction projectscompleted in this time frame included, among others, thefield camps Tunesia, Cheb, Kasserine, Aachen, Algiers andNormandy. These facilities could house 42,000 troops.In 1959 the tank training center became the Seventh ArmyTraining Center (7ATC), supervising 7ATC’s major trainingareas (Grafenwoehr, Hohenfels & Wildflecken) and the 7thArmy Combined Arms Training Center at Rose Barracks.Its primary mission was to prepare the U.S. forces for the

imminent attack of Soviet forces from Eastern Europe. Since 1976 Grafenwoehr has been the Headquarters of the7th U.S. Army Training Command (HQ 7ATC), which providestraining to the U.S. Army, Europe (USAREUR). In 2005 it became the command element for the JointMultinational Training Command (JMTC) comprising theGrafenwoehr Training Area, Combat Maneuver Training Center(CMTC) in Hohenfels, the Combined Arms Training Centerin Vilseck, and the Training Support Activity, Europe. The JMTCassists the militaries of the former Warsaw Pact countries andRussia in transforming their forces and our NATO allies in pre-paration for current conflicts. At the same time, CMTC trans-formed into the Joint Multinational Readiness Center (JMRC).Additionally, the JMTC’s 7th Army NCO Academy at Grafen-woehr trains hundreds of allied and partner nations’ Non-commissioned officers every month. Changes in training requirements, technology and doctrineas well as command and control procedures during the past25 years resulted in the execution of several constructionprograms, to include: - Complete major upgrade of ranges in the early 1980s caused by the introduction of new technologies such the M1 Abrams tank and the new generation of helicopters. - Expansion of Rose Barracks occurred in the mid-1980s to accommodate the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division. - Even more remarkable is the execution of the Efficient Basing-Grafenwoehr (EB-G) construction program in 2001. When all EB-G construction is completed in 2011, U.S. Army Garrison-Grafenwoehr will transform from a non- tactical training support garrison into the premier army training base outside the continental United States and the home to a brigade combat team and its enabling assets. Part of the transformation is the construction of sevenmotor pools with 28 company operation buildings, battalionand brigade administration areas, 12 barracks with 154 “1+1”spaces, built-to-lease housing, a child development center,a youth activity center, an elementary and middle school,physical fitness centers, a community service center, a trau-matic brain injury clinic, and a centralized post exchangeand commissary complex. These modern, flexible and innovative facilities create anenhanced working environment and community where 3,800Soldiers and 6,800 family members enjoy a high standard ofliving. One hundred years has brought many changes to theGrafenwoehr Training Area, but one fact remains irrefutable –Grafenwoehr is Europe’s premier installation to live, work and train.

D

One hundred years of history,one premier communityBy Herbert Steinbeck, U.S. Army Garrison-Grafenwoehr, Public Works

Photo courtesy JMRC

F E A T U R E


775

F E A T U R E

Grafenwoehr terrain depiction,then and nowBy Col. Stephen S. Seitz, JMTC Director of Simulation and Training Support

Upper left: Soldiers and artillery observers training at the GTA in 1912Above: This 1912 map was one of the first available to the soldierstraining at the Grafenwoehr Training Area.Photo courtesy of the Cultural and Military Museum Grafenwoehr.Left: A screen capture of GTA Range 211 “geospecific” terrain created for smallunit gaming-based training using Virtual Battlespace 2. Images courtesy of JMSC

Above and inset: This map of the Grafenwoehr Training Area above is the issue Elvis wasusing, during his second visit to the GTA in 1960, as the Cold War in Europe was heating up.Photo courtesy of the Cultural and Military Museum Grafenwoehr.

Above: Aerial photography shows the development of the GrafenwoehrMain Post and the Netzaberg military community. The comparison showshow imagery has improved, and how Grafenwoehr has developed.On the left, aerial photos taken in 1963; on the right, photos taken in 2008.

O ne hundred years ago, maps were enhanced by aerial photography taken from balloons above the Grafenwoehr Training Area (GTA). As technology improved, maps weremore accurate and new terrain products emerged. So units can trainmore effectively with realistic terrain,the Joint Multinational SimulationCenter has a Terrasim Team thatcreates "geospecific" terrain forapplications. For example, geo-specific terrain can enhance VirtualBattlespace 2, a game-based sim-ulation used for small unit training;Virtual Reality Scene Generator,which provides unmanned aerial system over-flight capabilityfor constructive exercises to train staffs; Deployable Instrumen-tation System Europe (DISE), whichTraining Support Activity Europe(TSAE) employs for live-instrumentedtraining. The DISE operators trackSoldiers and vehicles by satellite,and can play-back their locationsduring after-action reviews. The TSAE Integrated Training AreaManagement (ITAM) Team alsosupports training with kiosks that print custom training areamaps. The Army Range Mapper provides access to training areaimagery and a powerful suite of geospatial tools. The ITAMViewer is easy-to-use software for building custom maps andimagery. The ITAM Flight Simulator allows users to control speed,direction and altitude, as they "fly" through Grafenwoehr.

The TSAE provides ways to createcustom terrain products with theirITAM viewer. The TSAE Integrated Training Area Management (ITAM) Team alsosupports training with kiosks that print custom training area maps.ITAM also provides raised relief maps. Images courtesy of TSAE.


100 YEARS

66

JMTC WEB WATCH

explore the militaryhistory of the

grafenwoehr trainingarea (GTA) online at

www.hqjmtc.army.mil/grafenwoehr100.html

explore the militaryhistory of the

grafenwoehr trainingarea (GTA) online at

www.hqjmtc.army.mil/grafenwoehr100.html

Why you should bookmark it:The Grafenwoehr Cultural and Military Museum, located onthe Untere Torstrasse in downtown Grafenwoehr maintainsa permanent collection of uniforms, weapons, photos, filmsand unusual relics that spotlight the history of the trainingarea from 1900 to present. Special exhibitions illustrate theGrafenwoehr Training Area’s colorful past, memoirs and artifactsfrom every decade with insightful views into the lives of theSoldiers who trained there over the past century and a specialcorner of the museumis dedicated to oneof Grafenwoehr’smost famous visitors,Sgt. Elvis Presley.In English & German. For more informationvisit the museumonline.

www.museum-grafenwoehr.com

www.history.hqusareur.army.mil

Why you should bookmark it:The United States Army Europe Military History Office (MHO)has created a Web site that both teaches and entertainssimultaniously. Using fascinating visual materials, includingmaps, official docu-ments, publicationsand photographs,the MHO Web siteis a treasure troveof U.S.Army, Europeand Cold War history.more information onthe history of the GTA.

The JMTC’s Web site celebratesthe amazing

100-year history of theGrafenwoehr Training Area.

The special section includes:

100 YEARS

Why you should bookmark it:This Web site highlights “Grafenwoehr Training Area, Yesterdayand Today.” It offers the viewer an extensive and meticulouslyresearched look at the training area’s colorful past, aspresented by the local author and Bundeswehr officer.The site is compre-hensive and easy tonavigate, includesmany interesting his-toric GrafenwoehrTraining Area never-before-publishedphotos. Translations arein English and German.

www.graf-trainingareabook.com

video documentariesand commentaries

photo archivesand slideshows

animated timelinetour through the

training areas past.

The JMTC’s Web site celebratesthe amazing

100-year history of theGrafenwoehr Training Area.

The special section includes:

video documentariesand commentaries

photo archivesand slideshows

animated timelinetour through the

training areas past.


7

his year, 2010, is not only the 100th Anniversary of the GTA, it was also proclaimed as theInternational Year of Biodiversity by theUnited Nations. Biodiversity refers to thevariety of life on Earth, including allthe different plants, animals and micro-organisms, their habitats, and thevariety of the genes.The world is currently experiencing anextraordinary loss in species richness.According to the International Union forConservation of Nature, the world iswitnessing the greatest extinction crisissince dinosaurs disappeared from ourplanet 65 million years ago. Facing this serious problem, is thereanything that can be done on the GTAto support biodiversity? Many rareanimal and plant species already existhere. A total number of 3,010 differentplant and animal species were recordedin a recent study, of those, 770 of themthreatened or endangered. Experts onrare species rated Grafenwoehr TrainingArea to be a refuge of extraordinarilyhigh value, especially for birds and moths. The most famous example is thewhite-tailed eagle. It was extinct inBavaria, but on GTA this impressivebird has found a new home. Since itsmigrated back to GTA, it has beensuccessfully breeding for several years.But why do rare animals thrive on atraining area? According to Dr. StevenWarren, former Director of the Centerfor Environmental Management ofMil itary Lands at Colorado StateUniversity, biodiversity is highest inareas with many different types ofdisturbance. In other words, biodiversitybenefits from the co-existence of naturalundisturbed lands with tremendouslydisturbed areas, and from many differentstages between those two extremes This kind of landscape exactly de-scribes military training areas. Rangingfrom bare soil on dig sites, sparselycovered ground at the impact areas,grassland in maneuver areas, to un-touched wetlands, there exist manydfferent types of habitats for rare species.

T

F E A T U R E

100th Anniversary spotlights legacyof biodiversity By Margit Ranz, U.S. Army Garrison-Grafenwoehr, Public Works

studies show grafenwoehr training area (GTA) is aunique haven for plant and animal species

The German Sea Eagle, one of the many rare andendangered specis that are to be found only in theprotected habitat of the Grafenwoehr Training Area.Photo courtesy of the German Federal Forestry Office.

The USAG Grafenwoehr EnvironmentalDivision started a study to determineeffects of military disturbances on bio-diversity in 2008. The objective was todetermine if military training reallysupports biodiversity. Altogether the results of the studyshow that not only can certain speciescope with the conditions in GTA, but thatbiodiversity as a whole benefits from thediverse landscape created by militarytraining. Continuing military training is the mostimportant management recommendationspecies experts gave to the Environ-mental Division. However, with newtraining patterns, the positive effect onbiodiversity could change. With moretraining being conducted with simulationsnowadays, it means fewer disturbances.It is possible that additional land manage-ment activities will be necessary in thefuture to continue to ensure the highecological value of the training area.

The spark from a round, or the blast of a500-pound bomb could mean forest-fire,except the German Federal Forestry Office(FFO) at Grafenwoehr manages a successfulorganized system of tree planting, harvesting,and a network of firebreaks and water tablecontrols stemming from a 100-year tradition. “The close relationship between militarytraining and a protected environment wasrecognized by the original founder of thetraining area, said Ulrich Maushake, federalforestry director, since 1995. “This resultedin the establishment of a military ForestryOffice on April 1, 1910 by royal order ofPrince Luitpold, the Regent of Bavaria. The Forestry Sustainment Program, aprogram developed and funded by the U.S.Army and the German Federal Govern-ment was initiated in 1967. “There are morethan 50-60 kilometers of firebreaks on thetraining area, their construction and main-tenance are critical for reducing range fires,thereby increasing training time,” saidMaj. Scott Moore, chief of range operations.“The six-year program sustains and improvesthe conditions for optimal training, whileconserving nature.” Moore said. “There arespecies on the training area that don’t existanywhere else in the world.” For example, Grafenwoehr is the homeof the largest red deer population in theregion, approximately 3,000 deer are on theinstallation. “The first priority is to allow the plants andanimals to thrive,” said Maushake.“Then, thegoal is to align the military usage and con-servation efforts.” Through a controlledprogram, there are exceptional huntingopportunities at Grafenwoehr. The FFO controls the wildlife population.Efforts simultaneously reduce the spread ofdisease and encroachment, while creating ahealthy and effective training environmentfor Soldiers. “The conservation methods and measureshave reduced the amount and severity of rangefires because of firebreaks and firefighting pondsand water control dams, increasing trainingtime for troops,” said Moore. “The FFO staffminimizes soil erosion, allowing training man-euvers year-round and over greater distances.” This year, as the Grafenwoehr TrainingArea celebrates its 100-year anniversary, sodoes the FFO, and to commemorate 100years of service the FFO planted more than200 large oak trees.

not just a trainingarea, but a rarewildlife refugeBy Denver Makle, JMTC PAO


100 YEARS

8

F E A T U R E

was born in Kaltenbrun, I grew up there, and I am still living there. When I was young, about 12 years old, my playground was the trainingarea," said Manfred Lobenhofer, long-term employee of theU.S. Army Garrison-Grafenwoehr. "When we heard the firstbullet or the first boom; my friends and I were there." He recalls befriending Soldiers, who were often in thefield a couple of weeks at a time. "Growing up just outside Grafenwoehr's gates, there wasday and night fire, right outside our house, in our neighbor-hood on the village boundary in the 60s-70s. I could see theartillery firing on a daily basis. When they fired the HonestJohn, a rocket, it was almost daylight at night," he said. The youth would buy bread from the local bakery for thetroops that were restricted to the training area. He remem-bers picking-up spent brass to trade for spending money. No wonder, he speaks English almost as easily as hisnative tongue. Lobenhofer, the human resources officer at Grafenwoehr,who manages personnel actions for more than 1,200 U.S.and 3,300 host-nation employees, has had a successful run;a 44-year career with the U.S. Army. He retires July 31. "I went to the German-American Volksfest in '66, the CPO[Civilian Personnel Office] then had a recruitment boothat the Volksfest because they needed people. They couldn'tget anybody because it was high employment - almost nobodyunemployed,” he said. "They even paid money if you broughtsomeone to work for the Army. They paid $100.00 at that time." He submitted his application in August. In October,Lobenhoffer was working as a clerk with the Engineers on post,now the Directorate of Public Works (DPW) in the Real Property section. "One of my first major projects was to capture [document]capital improvements to the buildings," he said. For example,the post initiated a plan to convert the heating system fromcoal-burning to oil-burning spaceheaters. "Today you havecentral heating systems at all our field camps." Likewise, he remembers when the installation installed anew street-lighting system. "When Soldiers left the club the lights were broken,he said. "They would knock them out every night, until theyclosed the Pine View Club, an enlisted man's club." It was a different time then, most of the Soldiers werehere only for training, and they didn't have families here.The Pine View Club was at Camp Normandy, which is now theRange Operations building. It was a source of income for theinstallation, and provided entertainment for the visiting troops;however, after a night of drinking the Soldiers would knock

the lights out on-purpose, explained Lobenhoffer. By 1976, Lobenhoffer realized he wasn't going to move-upworking at the DPW. "I applied for a job at the personnel office and I wasselected. That's how my career got started," he said. "I seemyself as one of the lucky guys, coming in as a clerk in the60's, and then continually moving to the top of the pay scale.Many others have done the same thing. But, you can alsostay in your job, all day long, all year-round, and five yearsor more, and you have your same pay grade."

The U.S. Government offers some unique opportunities forhost-nation employees; German citizens should consider a career with the U.S. government, he said. "Myself, I service 3,300 local national employees andU.S. personnel. So far we have no changes to our tariffagreement, said Lobenhoffer. "A lot of German companieseliminate the Christmas bonus, the Leave bonus, and theyeven increase the weekly work-hours without any additionalcompensation. Working for the U.S. Army, we still have ourtariff agreement, and never had any kind of cuts." Since 2006, the number of local national employees andU.S. citizen employees employed in the region has increasedagain. Statistics show the local national workforce make-upmore than 60 percent of our workforce in Bavaria. "During the past 60 years, the U.S. Army has developed ahighly skilled local national workforce in a variety of areas.We don't want to give up those skill sets. We want to main-tain the same level of service at the same level of efficiencyas we have become used to," said Larry Gottardi, DeputyChief of Staff, G1 (Personnel) at U.S. Army Europe in Heidel-berg. "We have to communicate with the available employee

“I

Grafenwoehr from 1966 to 2010;a German civilian’s accountBy Denver Makle, JMTC Public Affairs

host nation employee retires after 44 years

The entrance to the Grafenwoehr Training Area circa 1966. Today the entranceshown above is known as “Gate One” and still leads directly into the Marktplatzof the city of Grafenwoehr. Photo courtesy of CATC


9

population, potential employees, that this is a worthwhilecareer, and we have to attract them to consider employmentwith the U.S. Army and U.S. Government, and help wherewe can to get the right people with the right skill sets,the right job."

Gottardi said the U.S. Army is competitive with Germanemployers because it offers developmental and trainingopportunities, as well as, the cultural exchange. The benefitswere not always appreciated in the past. "When Soldiers were here for training in the '60s and '70s,everybody was complaining because the bank line at thattime was full of Soldiers. And later on, when there weregreen machines [machines for banking transactions] it wasa headache for the permanent party on payday he said. When the Army decided to upgrade Grafenwoehr as oneof the enduring installations many Americans living herecomplained because they knew there would be drasticchanges to the community. The expectation was that morepeople would generate more traffic and other problemsassociated with a larger installation. These were problemsthat weren’t seen before. “ I remember when there were ten cars on the road, nowthere are 100 cars on the road. It took me 11 minutes toget to work. It takes me 20 now,” he said. You just havemore volume of people around you.” He thinks its good for everyone. German citizens havecareer opportunities they might not have otherwise, andAmericans and Germans live together well. “In the early 80s, we had to hire practically everyone whocame through the gate because soldiers had to go back totheir military assignments or their units,” he said. He explained in the old days that Soldiers performed a lotof the roles that are now done by civilian employees, U.S. orlocal national. When a unit came to Grafenwoehr for training they hadan advanced party to set-up for the training, and they wentback to home station. Another group of Soldiers was left-behind to clean up, he said.

Editor's note: Bavaria is one of the largest German states, and of all thelocal national employees employed within U.S. Army Europemore than two-thirds of the local national workforce is locatedin Bavaria at the major training areas, Hohenfels, Grafenwoehrand Vilseck.

German Secretary of Defense Helmut Schmidt is welcomed by Richard Nixon’sSecretary of Defense Melvin Laird during a 1970 visit to Grafenwoehr. Schmidtwould be elected German Chancelleor two years later. Photo: USAREUR MHO

The Grafenwoehr watertower in 1999. The standof trees that obscures mostof the structure has sig-nificantly thinned out sincethis photograph was taken,revealing the sun dial andother interesting details ofthe tower’s Franconiandesign style.Photo: Paula Gutzman,JMTC PAO

“It was called the borrowed military manpower project,and we had to bring in almost 800 German nationals onboard because all the Soldiers went back to their units.”he said. Then in the 90s, the Army started to downsize. “We had a big reduction-in-force. We downsized the CPACfirst from 70 slots to 35,” Lobenhofer said. “Then, the Armycut across-the-board hundreds of positions. We went downpretty fast.” “It’s just change,” he said. People don’t like change. He retires to his hometown, just outside of Grafenwoehr,within earshot of the munitions and Soldier training, withmany fond memories in tow. “To me it is music, and it should be music to us, becausewe have a lot of chances here. We service, in our footprint,Grafenwoehr, Vilseck, Hohenfels and Garmisch, 3,200 localnational employees. But here are actually more than the3,200 I’m servicing in the CPAC. You still have AAFES, thePond contractor and many other private companies, whooffer jobs on post.” There are people who complain about the increased pop-ulation, however, the U.S. Army is a stable employer,” he said.“Grafenwoehr is the best place to be and the Army is the bestcompany to work for,” he says.


100 YEARS

10

he Hohenfels Training Area (HTA) was originally founded by the German Army on April 1, 1938. With approximately 544 properties and farms in thearea impacted by the new site, the German resettlementorganization was tasked with compensating the landownersfor the land required for the training area. Since German tradition was to name training areas afterthe nearest town, the training area was almost namedSchmidmuhlen Troop Training Area given that the acquisitionof land and the evacuation of homeowners started from thenorth near the town of Schmidmuhlen. However, GeneralRitter von Schobert, commanding general of German VIIArmy Corps, decided to name it Hohenfels Troop TrainingArea since the camps, waterworks and sewage systemswere located near Hohenfels.

To participate in training exercises, German troops fromthroughout the country arrived at the train station inParsberg. The troops marched from Parsberg to the res-ervation where they dispersed. The Soldiers lived underextreme field conditions camping in four-man tents, withno showers, warm water for shaving and mess halls. Drinkingwater was carried in their canteens and food carried in theirknapsacks. The entire training period was considered to be afield exercise from the moment they left the railroad stationuntil they re-boarded the train. Besides small arms—mortars, 20mm and 37mm anti-aircraft guns, 75mm mountain guns and 105mm fieldartillery pieces (howitzers) were fired in the training area.In the winter of 1939-1940, a bunker line was constructedin the Albertshof-Grossmittendorf area where Germantroops received training and prepared for the attack againstthe “Maginot Line” in France. From late 1939 to early spring 1940, 3,000 Polish non-commissioned officers and soldiers were interned at Unter-oedenhart (location of today’s 1-4 Infantry Regiment).During the fall of 1942, around 7,000 Prisoners of War(POW) from the British Empire who refused to work were

permanently billeted at the camp. During this time, eachPOW received a gift parcel weighing 5 kg every 14 daysfrom the allied Red Cross. These POWs could walk freelywithin close vicinity of the camp. By day they traded coffee,tea, and cigarettes received in Red Cross parcels for itemsthey needed or wanted, and returned to their quartersat sunset. On April 22, 1945, the American Army entered thetraining area with nine tanks coming from Velburg/Hohenburg via Willertsheim-Albertshof releasing theBritish and about 300 Americans. There was no resistancefrom the German side. Units of the German division “Goetzvon Berlichingen,” as well as other units had already left moving towards Regensburg. The “Adolf Hitler Corps,”billeted in Camp Poellnricht, left during the night of April 21,1945, without fighting. However, the Hungarian troopsfailed to hoist a white flag, and did not give any signs ofsurrender. Allegedly 40-50 were killed and injured duringthe fighting. The U.S. tanks, with infantry following,continued unhampered through to Hohenfels, and proceededfrom the Lauterach valley via Schmidmuhlen to the Naabat Burglengenfeld. The permanent party Soldiers hadorders to withdraw via Roding to Cham, but those whocould not reach the southern bank of the river Danubewere captured near Fischbach in them Bayerischer Wald. In 1948, the training area was opened for the resettle-ment of refugees and expellees from Soviet-occupiedGerman territories. All new settlers were integrated in thecommunity of “Hohenfels-Nainhof”, which became one ofthe largest rural communities in Bavaria. At this time,the Bavarian Secretary for Agriculture and Forestry visitedHohenfels and emphasized that ‘no more will this soil beused to train men in the art of war”, and “never again, solong as we live, will Hohenfels become a center for militar-istic activities of any kind.” Three years later, U.S. Forces claimed the area formilitary training purposes, and requested its expansion tothe west. In a meeting hosted August 17, 1951 at Parsbergbetween the German government, State Government ofBavaria, Land Commissioner of Bavaria, and U.S. Armyrepresentatives, an agreement was reached to extend thetraining area to the west. About 780 families, more than 3,256persons evacuated the area as a result of this agreement,and in October 1951, the training area was increased to itscurrent size of 40,017 acres. American units began trainingthere in October of that year. Compensation was made to landowners within a veryshort period and led to hectic activity everywhere. Lumbermerchants, real estate agents, and businessmen poured inby the thousands to bid for the approximately 200 hectaresof forest to be felled and hauled away. Contractors went to work; the sound of hammers, cater-pillar vehicles, cranes, bulldozers, scrapers, crusher plantsand the blasting of rocks dominated for almost one year.Approximately 100 million Deutsche Marks (24 million Dollars)was spent for construction. The city of Hohenfels began toprosper when the training center opened. Roads were built,lumber cut, and real estate prices soared.

TBy Sgt. 1st Class Bryan Hammond, Joint Multinational Readiness Center

Hohenfels Training Area:72 Years in the making

On April 22, 1945, American troops arrive at the Hohenfels Training Area. The U.S.Troops liberated 300 British and American Soldiers from captivity. Today, it’s notuncommon to see the British or other multinational troops training at Hohenfels. Photo Courtesy of Sgt. 1st Class Bryan Hammond.

F E A T U R E


11

In 1952, a massive construction program was initiated in thecurrent field camps known as Camps Albertshof, Poellnricht,Mehlhaube, and Linderberg. Motor pools were excavated;troop billets erected and mess halls built. Camps Albertshofand Poellnricht received the majority of permanent structureswhile Camps Melhaube and Linderberg were developed foruse primarily as tent cities with the only permanentstructures being the mess halls and latrine facilities.Hohenfels was experiencing its highest economic growthperiod in more than 1,000 years. In January 1953, the economic boom subsided and thelocals returned to their past ways, tilling the soil. The firstunit to move onto the training area was Company C, 406thEngineer Battalion, and in 1955, the German Bundeswehrwas founded. In 1956, the first German unit, the 5th PanzerDivision, was stationed at Camp Poellnricht until theirdeactivation in 2001. With the establishment of the Bundeswehr headquarters,their first task was the initiation of the 5th Armored Division,which later transferred to Koblenz, and after several months,the appointment of the first Liaison Officer to the U.S.headquarters. His staff was about 200 people, most of themcitizens of Hohenfels and the surrounding communities. In 1958, the HTA was reorganized under the SeventhArmy Training Center, predecessor of the 7th Army TrainingCommand. In March 1975, a mechanized infantry battalionof “Brigade ‘75” was stationed at Hohenfels pending com-pletion of the brigade’s permanent Garrison in northernGermany. “Brigade ’75,” later designated 3rd Brigade,2nd Armored Division, was deployed from Ft. Hood, Texasto the European Northern Army Group of NATO. In October1978, the battalion was moved to its northern Germanylocation, and two years later was relocated to Hohenfels.Additionally, the Basic Noncommissioned Officers’ Courseoffered at the Combined Arms Training Center moved fromRose Barracks to Camp Poellnricht. In 1984, the training area had 52 ranges within its firingand maneuver area and a Multiple Integrated Laser Engage-ment System warehouse that held enough equipment for15 companies. REFORGER, which was coined from REturnof FORces to GERmany, exercises and HAWK, a U.S. mediumrange surface-to-air missile, sites became primary missionsfor the HTA. Due to the increasing training requirements forthe U.S. Army, in 1986, development of the Combat ManeuverTraining Complex, a new facility providing realistic and stress-ful training that approximates the combat environment. On November 16, 1990, the 1st Battalion, 4th InfantryDivision becomes the permanent Opposing Force on Hohenfels.In 1994, the U.S. Army withdraws from Wildflecken, andHohenfels and Grafenwoehr becomes the main focal pointfor all U.S. Army trainingh in Europe. In 2005, The Combat Maneuver Training Center was officiallynamed the Joint Multinational Readiness Center (JMRC). After 72 years, the JMRC continues with multinationaltraining exercises and trains U.S. Army Europe units andour multinational partners for current conflicts in Iraq,Afghanistan and around the globe.

oldest nco academy

So, the cadre utilizes the Center for Army LessonsLearned website for the most up-to-date, unclassifiedinformation to teach, coach and mentor students,said Rhodes. The 7th Army NCOA supports the Overseas Con-tingency Operation and the International SecurityAssistance Forces through leadership training andseat allocations. To date, the 7th Army NCOA has trained 2,350Soldiers. Of those, 29 are International MilitaryStudents. Recently WLC class 08-10 graduated 265U.S. and four multinational Soldiers. They graduatedduring May 2010. The NCOA will successfully graduateapproximately 3,200 U.S. Soldiers, including approx-imately 86 IMS by the end of FY10.

continued from page 3.

The front gate of theU.S. Army’s oldest NoncommissionedOfficers Academylocated in Bad Tolz,Germany, in 1970.The 7th Army NCOAis now located atthe GrafenwoehrTraining Area.

The academy uses a comprehensive program ofinstruction that assists units with mandatory ArmyRegulation 350-1 training, which is required by everyunit regardless of deployment status. Classes aredirected at the team and squad level and focus ontopics, such as, suicide prevention, junior leaderbattle-mind principles, cultural awareness, andsexual prevention and response. These classesprepare the Soldiers to become more effectiveleaders. The curriculum uses a combination ofhands-on situations and vignettes that mirror sit-uations commonly seen in Army units. Additionally, the 7th Army NCOA has become theproponent for the Modern Army Combatives Program(MACP) in USAREUR. The academy constructed atraining facility to provide levels I and II of the pro-gram, and has assisted a Mobile Training Team totrain and certify level III. The academy trained morethan 3,000 U.S. and foreign Soldiers in level I, andmore than 800 in level II. Additionally, the academysent MTT's throughout Europe, training Army, AirForce and Navy service members within their localcommunities. "This unique ability to provide essential commanddirected training enables Soldiers to train as theyfight, and better prepares the Soldiers for combatOperations in the CENTCOM Theater," said Reyes.


100 YEARS

12

ince the Bavarian Army fired that first howitzer round 100 years ago, the Grafenwoehr Training Area (GTA) has prepared soldiers for operational theaterson every continent, and against every type of foe. On anygiven day U.S. and multinational units conducting small armsqualifications, vehicle gunnery, live-fire exercises, artillery-fire missions, airborne operations, and aviation gunnery canbe found on the ranges of GTA. These capabilities make thetraining one of the most diverse, but also, one of the mostcomplicated training areas within U.S. Army Europe. “Up to 50-cal weapons systems, we can generally keep aunit on the same range, and set-up the appropriate targetry,based on the needs of the unit training,” said Maj. Scott Moore,chief of GTA range operations. “There are approximately 13multi-purpose maneuver ranges, and we can integratedismounted/mounted maneuvers, call for close-air support,and artillery.” Grafenwoehr is one of the few places in Germany wherethat is possible, he said. As any Soldier can tell you, the only thing certain in theArmy is change; the GTA is no exception. U.S. and NATOforces continuously change their tactics, techniques, andtraining standards to meet a new and evolving threat.With U.S. and multinational forces deployed in support ofmissions in Iraq and Afghanistan; the training area has under-gone significant changes and modifications to meet thoseneeds. “In the 90s, Grafenwoehr saw 12,000 Soldiers training perday,” said Ray Cropps, GTA Scheduler,” today we are fullybooked with 3,000.” There was a change in training and doctrinal standards,said Cropps. Today, units such as the 170th Heavy BrigadeCombat Team prepare for a wide-spectrum of tasks andtactics as they prepare for deployment. Brigade CombatTeams must be trained for force-on-force tactics, as well as,counter insurgency, asymmetric warfare, and urban combat.To meet the diverse training requirements, the GTA adjustsmethods for how ranges are used and scheduled for unitsto help them meet their training objectives. As a former 1st Armor Division Master Gunner, Cropps re-members when Bradleys and tanks lined the tank trail,waiting for their turn at the gunnery table. At that time, unitsprepared for conventional, force-on-force warfare, with anemphasis on heavy and mechanized gunnery. Just as the Infantry and Armor Branches are now combinedas maneuver, so too have the ranges on the GTA combined tomaneuver ranges. Ranges are no longer listed as Bradley,Scout, or Tank gunnery ranges. Ranges are now scheduledand utilized as multipurpose ranges, where a training elementcan conduct multiple training scenarios on one range complex. By making ranges multipurpose, while preserving the legacycapability schedulers, schedulers maximize available land onthe GTA allows the training area to do more with less.

“Upgrading the ranges to allow units to conduct multi-purpose training increases the effectiveness of training byallowing units to train several different tasks simultaneously,”said Ernest L. Roth, JMTC maneuver coordination officer.“It improves our ability to train because many differenttraining scenarios can now be trained on the same range,cutting down on the need to spend time driving to differentranges.” Range 118 is probably the range that has undergonethe greatest transition, said Roth. “It was used only for tank gunnery, and the old layoutconsisted of one of the older range towers, set on top of aneven older "West Wall" test bunker from the 1930's, severalfiring positions and parallel course roads,” said Roth. “Nowthe range is a modern multipurpose complex that allows unitsto train dismounted and mounted tasks, and integrate forcesin a live-fire environment, while tracking the training toprovide real-time feedback for after-action purposes.”

"The 2009 upgrades to Grafenwoehr Training Area's Range118 includes two live fire villages, one of which includes five-single story live fire structures and a two story 360-degreeshoothouse, 3-D mannequin type targets, multiple E-typetargets, day-and-night cameras, and a speaker system toprovide realistic sound effects during training. Roth recallsspending up to 36 hours on a range to qualify his unit in theold days. Roth was a Soldier with the 2nd Armored CavalryRegiment in the 80s." Today, Soldiers from the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment usea range for an entire week to conduct dry-fire [withoutammunition], blank [with blank-rounds], and live-fireiterations. The only difference being the training requirementsof the unit. Live-fire training is the standard for units preparing fordeployment, but requires large amounts of land and time;as forces face new and adaptive enemies, the training areachanges to meet the threat by providing the best technologyand resources available.

SBy Capt. Trevor P. Needham, Maneuver Branch OIC, Range Operations, JMTC

F E A T U R E

The future of training - Grafenwoehrranges evolve to re�ect current trends

Maneuvering mounted and dismounted elements on the GTA ranges is anessential and complicated task when training Soldiers. Photo: JMTC PAO


13

THE HISTORY OF THE GTA

O n June 30, we are ce lebrat ing the 100th anniversaryof the Grafenwoehr TrainingArea and with it 100 yearsof excellent training. The training area wasestablished in 1910 for theSoldiers of the BavarianRoyal Army. Since 1945, ithas prepared U.S., NATO,and recently non-NATOSoldiers for their missionsaround the world. It is the U.S. Army’s best equippedand most modern training area outside the continentalUnited States providing Soldiers with state-of-the-artopportunities for live and simulated training. But trainingisn’t everything. The Grafenwoehr Training Area is alsoan example of the excellent partnership and coopera-tion between the U.S. Armed Forces and its host nationpopulation and agencies. Every day, we partner andcooperate with the German Army, the Federal ForestOffice and other host nation authorities, including themayors and citizens of the communities around thetraining area, to prepare and accomplish our joint,multinational mission here. We are proud of this outstandingfriendship and cooperation and that

is why we are celebratingthis anniversary together:The 7th Army Joint Multi-national Training Command,the U.S. Army GarrisonGrafenwoehr, the GermanArmy, the Federal ForestOff ice and the Ci ty ofGrafenwoehr without thesupport of each the trainingarea would not be what itis today: an outstandingplace to live and train for

our Soldiers, Civilians and Family Members. I inviteall of you to take part in the events of the fest weekfrom June 27 to July 4. We have put together a greatprogram that includes a concert by the USAREUR bandon June 27, a grand tattoo by the German Army onJune 30, exhibitions in the Grafenwoehr Museum aboutthe history of the training area and the Federal ForestOffice, the local Grafenwoehr Citizens’ Fest and ourown 4th of July celebrations, ending the week with aspectacular fireworks display. Come out and celebrate -not only the 100th anniversary of the training area butalso the friendship and cooperation with our German hosts.

Together, it is our duty to preservewhat we have established and tocontinue to shape the future together!

W I T H A N I N T R O D U C T I O N B Y C O L . C H R I S S O R E N S O NC O M M A N D E R , U . S . A R M Y G A R R I S O N G R A F E N W O E H R


100 YEARS

14

19111910 19131912 1914Grafenwoehr’s first Commander,General Oskar Menzel arrivesat the new training area.General Menzel begins thefirst of many internal improve-ments and lays-out rangesand fields of fire for testingartillery, and areas for infantrymaneuvers.

Establishment of the BavarianMilitary Forest Office atGrafenwoehr.

The iconic Grafenwoehrwater tower is completed.

On June 30th the first artillery shell is fired at the GTA from a 150 mm Field Howitzer.

By January 1911, more than10,000 Bavarian soldiers aretraining at the GTA.

The typical Bavarian InfantrySoldier was 18 years old,literate, and from a longtradition of military service.

He wore a heavy grey jacket,and wool pants, utility andammo belt and leather boots.Around his neck, he wore asignal flashlight, which wasconsidered “modern”addition to his kit. His pointed helmet isan allied propagandaicon by the end ofWorld War I.

Bavarian Army Headquarters,based in Munich authorizestraining with a new and modernweapon, the machine gun. Other “modern” weaponsintroduced at the trainingarea, during this time areBalloons and C-type biplanesto assist with observationand fire-direction.

June -Archduke Ferdinand ofAustria is murdered by anassassin in Sarajevo.Within weeks, all Europeanpowers begin mobilization.

July - World War I begins.

Grafenwoehr becomes amajor Prisoner of War (POW)camp.

The prisoners createan enduring legacy.They establish a militarycemetery for soldiers ofall nations at Grafenwoehr.

By 1913, the Grafenwoehrairfield, named 'AirfieldHammergmuend' is a fullyoperational facility for thenew science of militaryaeronautics.

April -Grafenwoehr hosts one of thelargest military exercises priorto World War I, with more than12,000 soldiers, 540 officers,1,000 horses, 60 machine gunsand 16 aircraft taking part.

Timeline compiled by JMTC PAO from numerous sources including but not limited to Official U.S. Army and Bundeswehr Web Sites, the Library of Congress, the U.S. National Archives, the Bavarian State Archives and The Grafenwoehr Cultural and Military Museum.


15

1915 1917 1918 19191916January -Trench warfare leads to stalemate and carnage as theAllies - Great Britain, France,Russia- and the Central Powers-Germany, the Austro-Hungarianand Ottoman Empires incurhuge casualties everydaywith no advantage for theattacker.

April -The U.S. Declares war onGermany.

June -General John J. Pershing andthe first troops of the AmericanExpeditionary Force (AEF)arrive in France.In September AEFsoldiers areassigned tothe trenches;the tide turnsin favor of theAllies as AEFtroops attackalong thewestern front.It would take28 years andanother worldwar before U.S.forces wouldfinally arrive atthe gates ofGrafenwoehr.

April -The POW camp at the trainingarea is closed. During the warthe training area detainedsoldiers of all Allied nations,but larger numbers of French,Russians and Romanians.

May thru October -WWI brought uncertainty,civil unrest, and revolutionin Germany.

The Kaiser abdicates.

In November a Republic is proclaimed in Berlin. On November 11 an Armistice is signed in Compiegne, France,and a ceasefire isdeclared, effectivelyending the war.

The Grafenwoehr TrainingArea is converted into ademobilization point.

June -The Treaty of Versailles limits theGerman army to 100,000 menand officers. Because of drasticmilitary cuts in spending theexistence and future of theGrafenwoehr Training Areafalls into speculation.

The total Allied casualties bythe end of the war top 22 million, or 52 percent of all soldiersmobilized.

The Central Powers - Germanyand Austria – fighting on twofronts east and west, sustainedmore than 37 million casualties,about 66 percent of all forcesmobilized. Later, all combatantsoldiers of the war would cometo be known cumulativelythereafter and forever, as “The Lost Generation.”

In early 1915 a secondgeneral officer, GeneralFerdinand Hocheder isassigned to the trainingarea as Commander ofPOWs. The POW popula-tion at Grafenwoehr, bythe end of 1915, is morethan 15,000 men.Hocheder is a conscien-tious and honourablewarden.

The prisoners at Grafen-woehr were healthy,active and productive. The POWs built places ofworship, created sculpturesand drawings, stagedtheatricals, formed concertbands and even establishedtheir own bakery.


100 YEARS


19211920 19231922 1924January - Following the German defeatin World War I, and the harshterms imposed by the Allies,the Grafenwoehr Training Areaalmost closes for good in 1919.

In fact, so many soldiers leftGrafenwoehr, the local citygovernment used emptybarracks to house 74 homelessfamilies.

In spring, a dynamic newofficer takes command ofthecGerman National Army,General Hans von Seeckt.He introduces a new sense ofcamaraderie in the Germanranks, and begins to train thearmy on the lessons-learnedfrom World War I and promotesnew thinking and new tactics.He sees Grafenwoehr as vitalto rebuilding the German army.

May -Seeckt replaces the politicalGTA commandant who hadbeen elected two yearsearlier, with the WWI veteranOberst Fritz Krummel.

An early advocate of armoredmechanized warfare, and fast-moving mobile armored units,Captain Heinz Guderian explores the use of tanks inan offensive role at theGrafenwoehr Training Area.

Guderain becomes a familiarfigure at the training area,during the next 20 years.His concept of tank warfare,is later published in 1936under the title “Achtung!Panzer!”, a seminal work inmodern offensive tank warfare.

May - Training activities at the GTAaccelerate. Seeckt appointsOberst Hoffman as the newGTA commander.

16

August -Due to inflation and currencydevaluation a Soldier’s payreaches 2 million Reichsmarks,as the currency loses it’s valuedaily.

By October, Grafenwoehrcitizens burn the worthlesspaper money in their stovesto warm their homes.

November -Less than 200 miles south ofthe GTA an attempted coupd'etat, the Munich Beer HallPutsch by the fledgling NaziParty, led by General ErichLudendorff and Adolf Hitler,is put-down, after days ofbrutal street-fighting.

1925 1927 1928 19291926In the spring of 1926 GeneralHans von Seeckt observes anexercise with one-tenth of theentire German Army, withmore than 600 officers and8,300 troops at the GTA. Seeckt retires shortly thereafter.

His legacy, keeping the mostelite soldiers in the rankswhen the allied terms of theVersailles Treaty forced theReichswehr to purge some20,000 of it’s officers in the1920s.

In 1926, of the 100,000 menpermitted to serve in the army40,000 were NCOs, and eachof these were regarded aspotential officer material.

The Artillery Observationtower at Schwartzenberg Hill,known today as the BleidornTower is complet.

The GTA hosted many youngsoldiers through-out thedecade, Captain Walther vonReichenau, Majors HeinzGuderian and Erich vonManstein, Lieutenant ColonelFranz Halder and Colonel Gerdvon Rundstedt, amongstothers - all of whom wouldinvent, or go on to perfect,the strategies and tactics ofBlitzkrieg, in great part onthe ranges of the GTA.

In 1927 Lieutenant Clausvon Stauffenberg, a keyleader of the Germanresistance to Hitler, istraining on the rangesof Grafenwoehr.

In the parliamentaryelections of 1928 less thanthree-percent of Germansvote for the NationalSocialist “Nazi” Party.

January - The world economic crisis at theend of the decade critically de-stabilizes the government of theWeimar Republic. Various extremepolitical parties emerge from thecivil unrest.A world-wide Great Depressionbegins which will last more thana decade.

April - Wooden Tanks! FollowingWWI, the German Armywas prohibited frombuilding or trainingwith armored or trackedvehicles, but as early as1923 the rebuilt GermanArmy began experimentswith "simulated" tanks...made of bailing wire andpressboard!

17

U.S. War Department officialsrequest Congress fund aRegular Army with an enlistedstrength of 150,000 Soldiers.


100 YEARS

18

19311930 19331932 1934January -The German governmentannounces it will no longeradhere to the limitations setforth by the Versailles Treaty.

In the summer of 1932,General Heinz Guderiantests his theories of mobilityand maneuverability, and thepossibilities of coordinatedtank maneuvers with infantryand air power.

January -Hitler is elected Chancellor.

The German National SocialistParty is on the rise.

August -German President Hindenbergdies. Hitler, as Reich Chancellor,transfers the president's powersto himself and appropriatesauthority of the German states.

Bavaria, and all of its militaryposts, including the Grafen-woehr Training Area, are nowdirectly under his authority.

The U.S. Armed Forces was limited in the 1920s and 1930s,following the Great Depression. By 1939, in response tothe rise of Nazism and Japanese expansion, the U.S. Armygrew considerably, but was not well-equipped or trainedfor war.

The U.S. Army Air Corps was reorganized in June 1941,as the U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF), but remainedsubordinate to ground commanders.

By June 1941, shortly before the United States was drawninto WWII, the Army had grown to nearly 1.5 million.


19

1935 1937 1938 19391936

GrafenwoehrHeavy Metal, 1939

January -The second great expansionof Grafenwoehr takes placeby order of the War Ministryin Berlin.

The GTA doubles by35,000 acres to the westof the existing camp toaccomodate thestupendous growthof the resurgentWehrmacht, morethan 3,500 civiliansare relocated outsidethe training area.

March -30,000 German soldiersmarch into the demilitarizedRhineland border region.

The French back-down inthe face or well-trainedGerman troops.

September - Hitler attacks Poland, while theSoviet Union closes in to occupylarge areas of eastern Poland.Britain and France declare waron Germany.World War II begins.

March -Hitler occupies Austria.

June -Hitler visits Grafenwoehr and observes a obstaclebreaching exercise. By thistime the GTA is second tonone in rifle and machine-gunranges, combat infantry andarmor ranges, and possessesan authentic bunker/pillboxsystem for training over-coming defensive obstacles.

September -Hitler occupies the CzechSudetenland.

November -Hitler orders Kristallnacht,an anti-Semitic programof hate and violence againstJews all across Germany.

February -Heavy Artillery firingat the Training Areacommences.

March -Hitler reintroducesmandatory militaryservice in the GermanReich and the army isincreased from 100,000to 550,00 troops, andits name is changedfrom “Reichswehr” to“Wehrmacht.” The scope and tempoof training at the GTAgrows exponentially.

June - The German Ju 87, betterknown as the Stuka, a groundattack aircraft and form ofaerial artillery, is regularlyparticipating in tank andinfantry manuevers at theGTA. The Stuka is a keyelement in the early successof the German Wehrmachtattacks across Europe,beginning in 1939.


100 YEARS

20

19411940 19431942 1944May -Blitzkrieg tactics, in partdeveloped and tested at theGrafenwoehr Training Area,enable the German Army todefeat and occupy Belgium,Denmark, France, Greece,the Netherlands, Norwayand Poland.

The French Army, consideredthe best in Europe is sweptaside and the British Expedi-tionary Force is routed, narrowlyescaping capture at Dunkirk,less than one month afterWehrmacht combat oper-ations begin.

July -The Battle of Britain begins.In September, sustained Luft-waffe bombing attacks arelaunched against UK cities.

June -Hitler invades Russia.

More than 4.5 million Axistroops drive east surroundingand capturing large numbersof Soviet troops on four active fronts. Initial break-throughsprove deceptive as Sovietforces regroup later in theyear, and slow or stopWehrmacht advances intothe Russian interior.

December -The United States entersWWII after being attackedby Japanese forces at PearlHarbor on December 7th.

Four days later Hitler,declares war on theUnited States.

The Spanish "Blue Legion,"more than 18,000 Spanishsoldiers, many of who arecombat veterans of theSpanish Civil War, swear anoath to fight for Germany.They arrive at the GTA fortheir uniforms, equipmentand training prior to leavingfor the Russia. Like manyforeign troops trained at theGTA, The Blue Legion will seeaction at the Siege of Leningradand elsewhere all along theRussian Front.

April - Regiment “Nordland,” threeforeign SS Scandinavian unitsarrive in Grafenwoehr to formthe core of a new SS volunteerPanzer-grenadier division. Volunteers are chiefly fromNorthern Europe but morethan 1,200 Romanians areadded to their strength.

February - The Battle of Stalingrad,which began in July 1942,ends with the surrender ofthe German 6th Army. It is a major turning point in the war. At the same time, Minister of ArmamaentsAlbert Speer visits the GTAto observe testing ofGermany's heaviest andmost powerful tank builtto date.

May -General Heinz Guderian, asChief Inspector for PanzerCorps, visits Grafenwoehr toevaluate 250 Panther tanksbefore their deployment tothe eastern fronts.

June - The 12,000-man ItalianSan Marco Division beginstraining at the GTA.

May -Mussolini visits the GTA toand observe its training.

June -The Longest Day: The largest invasion in historycommences on the Normandybeaches of France. American,British and Canadian forcesestablish a beachhead afterbreaching Hitler's "FortressEurope." After fierce fightingthey drive east to take Paris.

June - Reichsführer-SS Himmler,overseer of the exterminationcamps and commander of theGestapo visits SS units inGrafenwoehr. His speech,delivered in the local theater,promotes loyalty to the regime.


21

1945 1947 1948 19491946January -The Battle of the Bulge:Hitler sends a quarter ofa million troops into theAllied western front, indeadly winter weather.More than 76,000 U.S.Soldiers are casualtiesof the onslaught, butwin the battle, counter-attack and drive on.

April -Two allied bombing raidstake place on the townand post. U.S. 3rd ArmySoldiers fighting their waythrough Bavaria arrive toaccept the surrender ofthe GTA 10 days later.

April/May - Hitler commits suicide.The Red Army takes Berlin.Germany surrenders.

February - Soviet coup d'état inCzechoslovakia.

June - The Cold War Begins. The Soviet Union cuts-offland routes to the Alliedzones of Berlin, promptingthe Berlin Airlift – U.S. andBritish forces provide a life-line of food and fuel to thebeleaguered city, until theSoviets yield, and lift theblockade a year later.

April - NATO is established with aheadquarters in Brussels.

The organization constitutesa system of collective defensewhereby its member statesagree to mutual defense.

May -Formed from the three westernzones of occupation and WestBerlin, The Federal Republic ofGermany (FRG) divides from theSoviet sphere of occupation andestablishes its capital in Bonn.

August -The Soviet Union explodes itsfirst atom bomb.

October -The East German DemocraticRepublic (GDR) is formed andclaims as its capital Berlin.

January - Americans start training atGrafenwoehr. Tankers attendcourses at the 7th Army TankTraining Center near Vilseck,Germany, while artillery andinfantry units train at boththe GTA and at Wildfleckentraining areas.

In the aftermath of the war,and in the ruins of the maincamp, a Prisoner of Warcollection point isestablished, while some8,000 members of theGerman SS are sent toprison in Bernreuth.

June - U.S. General George Marshallas Secretary of State announcesa comprehensive programof American assistance tohelp rebuild Europe.

Germany defeated is dividedby the Allies into four zones.The American zone consistsof Bavaria and Hessen,Southern Germany, and thenorthern portions of thepresent day state ofBaden-Wuerttemberg.

The U.S. Constabularyestablishes a training areafor the newly activated 370thand 371st Infantry Battalions.The area between Grafenwoehrand Vilseck will be used.In 1948, the U.S. Tank TrainingCenter HQ is established atRose Barracks, until war damageat Grafenwoehr is repaired.

The U.S. Army officiallyre-opens Grafenwoehr forunit training.


100 YEARS

22

19511950 19531952 1954May -General Dwight D. Eisenhowervisits the GTA in his final weeksas NATO Commander.

One month later, he returns tothe U.S. to campaign forPresident.

June -The Korean War begins asCommunist forces invadeSouth Korea.

November -The U.S. Seventh Army, deactivated in 1947, is reactivated.

1951 June -V and VII Corps arrive inEurope and are assignedto Seventh Army.

From 1950 to 1953 largeconstruction projects changethe face of the Training Area.The Barracks “Tunisia,” “Cheb,””Kasserine,” and Camps Aachen,Algiers and Normandy areadded. Theses facilities com-bined are capable of housingmore than 42,000 troops.

Developed in the early 1950s,the Honest John Rocket, thefirst U.S. battlefield, close-support nuclear weaponwas fired with weighteddummy warheads.

March - Soviet General Secretary andPremier Joseph Stalin dies.

January - U.S. Soldiers at the GTA areregularly shown government training films at the localmovie theater throughoutthe Cold War years.


23

1955 1957 1958 19591956May -The Soviet Unioncreates The Warsaw Pact,a military-treaty organi-zation of eight nationsinitiated and sponsoredby the Soviets. It is theCommunist Bloc counterto NATO.

November -The German Bundeswehris officially established. West Germany joinsNATO.

July -West Germany introducesconscription, and activatesthe Bundeswehr (GermanArmed forces).

One month later, the firstGerman Bundeswehr soldiersarrive and are billeted atCamp Normandy at GTA.

Although early plans for theBundeswehr called forseparate bases, the U.S.establishes a co-useagreement for Camps Algierand Normandy for jointtraining and maneuvers.

October -The Soviet Union invadesHungary occupying thecapital, Budapest, followingHungary’s decision to with-draw from the Warsaw Pact.Hungarian resistance is crushedby Soviet troops and tanks.

November -Pvt. Elvis Presley, the King ofRock & Roll, visits Grafenwoehrfor six weeks of winter trainingwith his unit.

1958 through 1959 -A newly remodelled Grafen-woehr Post becomes theheadquarters of the SeventhArmy Training Center.

In addition to the GrafenwoehrTraining Area, the HohenfelsTraining Area is consolidatedunder the command.

The Seventh Army TrainingCenter becomes the largesttraining complex in Germany.

Rose Barracks becomesthe home of the Seventh ArmyCombined Arms School,

January - U.S. Forces across centralEurope, including thosestationed in France, areusing the GrafenwoehrTraining Area by this time.

August -Bundeswehr tanks andsoldiers take to theGrafenwoehr Ranges.


100 YEARS

24

19611960 19631962 1964August -At midnight, August 12, unitsof the East German armyinstall barbed-wire fencesalong the 124 miles ofAllied sectors in Berlin.

October -High Noon: Soviet andAmerican tanks face-offat Allied CheckpointCharlie in Berlin.

October -Third ArmoredDivision’s GeneralCreighton Abramsphotographed inGrafenwoehr forthe cover of TIMEmagazine.

June -U.S. Army Europe reaches itspeak strength of 277,342personnel.

October -President John F. Kennedyspeaks to the world in atelevised speech from theOval Office at the heightof the Cuban missile crisis.

U.S. and NATO militaryforces in Europe go tothe highest state of alert.

October -Communist Party FirstSecretary Nikita Khruschevis deposed by the Russiangovernment as leader ofthe Soviet Union.

Leonid Brezhnev and AlexiKosygin assume power overthe state.

July -The stone and barbed-wirebarricades that dividingBerlin since 1961 arereplaced by a permanent,18 foot high wall aroundAllied sectors thatmake-up West Berlin.

February -Elvis Presley returns toGrafenwoehr to train andparticipate in the NATOexercise “Winter Shield.”

Maneuvers involve 60,000men of the U.S. Army andGerman Bundeswehr.

Elvis, now a sergeant,shuns exceptionaltreatment and duty.

In his free time Elvisoccasionally visits localtaverns in the city ofGrafenwoehr, just pastthe front gate, where hesigns countless autographsand patiently sits forphotos with hisGerman fans.


25

1965 1967 1968 19691966March -President Johnson announcesplans to withdraw two divisions from Europe.

Beginning in the mid-1960s,U.S. Army Europe contributesto the car in Vietnam, byproviding personnel.

The GTA offers jungleand counter guerillatraining for personneldeploying to Vietnam.

January -The largest NATO Exercise to takeplace in Europe, the first ExerciseREFORGER [from REturn of FORcesto GERmany] begins.

About 12,000 Soldiers come fromthe U.S. to join the 220,000-man,U.S. Seventh Army in WestGermany.

In addition, 96 F-4 fighter-bombers attend fromStateside to participate.

The Soviet news agency, Izvestia,describes REFORGER as, "a newwestern plot directed atincreasing tension in Europe."The exercise is hosted in Bavariaat Grafenwoehr, 50 miles fromthe Czechoslovak border.

January -Charles de Gaulle, leaderof the French government,says he will withdrawmilitary forces from NATO.

The United States must vacateits bases in France by theend of the year.

Consequently, U.S. ArmyEurope and SeventhArmy Headquartersmerge at Heidelbergin 1967.

December -Allies then, Allies now:Bundeswehr Forces welcomeUnited States Army unitsrestationed from Franceinto Germany.

August -Approximately 200,000Warsaw Pact soldiers, ledby the Soviet Union invadeCzechoslovakia, for thesecond time.The soldiers were sent tostop political reforms andfreedoms and set-up anew government moreclosely aligned withthe Kremlin.


100 YEARS

26

19711970 19731972 1974November -A Pentagon reorganizationstudy proposes adding morecombat units to USAREUR.

April -V Corps Headquarters and theTerrace Club in Frankfurt arebombed by terrorist groupRed Army Faction (RAF).The RAF would bomb USAREURheadquarters in Heidelbergone month later.

1972 to 1973:The Seventh Army TrainingCenter's responsibilitiesdramatically expand. It is now responsible for allU.S. Army training activitiesin Europe.

Combat support courses fromthe Combat Support TrainingCenter in Oberammergau aremoved to Rose Barracks.

1970 -President Nixon’s Secretaryof Defense Melvin Laird visitsGrafenwoehr, where he meetsHelmut Schmidt.Schmidt will later becomeChancellor of West Germany.

Historical note: Every ColdWar West German Chancellorwith the exception of one,Konrad Adenauer visits theGrafenwoehr Training Areain one capacity or anotherfrom 1947 to 1991.

May - The M-16AI rifle, the TOWanti-tank weapon, the AH-1GCobra and the OH-58Aobservation helicopter areadded to U.S. Army Europe’sarsenal.


27

1975 1977 1978 19791976January -RAF terrorists bomb U.S. Armybarracks of the 42nd ArtilleryBrigade at Giessen. SeveralRAF members are killed inthe ensuing firefight.

August -The first A-10 attack aircraftarrive in Europe and are putthrough their paces at theGrafenwoehr Training Areafor the international press. The A-10, affectionatelyknown as “the Warthog” isa deadly tank killer thatsupports the infantry.

December - The Soviet Army invadesAfghanistan.

January -The 3rd Battalion, 509thInfantry is activated atLee Barracks in Mainz,and moves to Vicenza,Italy. At the same time,the 8th Infantry Division's1st and 2nd Battalions,509th Infantry were dis-continued and replacedby two mechanizedbattalions, making thedivision fully mechanized.

The year 1975 markedthe end the Army's largestlogistical organization,the U.S. Theater ArmySupport Command.The Command has morethan 69,000 U.S. and localnational civilians, supporting over 400,000U.S. Soldiers in Europeand the Middle East.

July -The Seventh Army TrainingCenter becomes the 7th ArmyTraining Command (7th ATC)Established on July 1, 1976,the command is responsiblefor the Grafenwoehr andHohenfels Training Areas,the Combined Arms TrainingCenter at Rose Barracks, nearVilseck, and the TrainingSupport Activity, Europe.The 7th ATC facilitates andmanages training, includingthe development of concepts,requirements, and theevaluation of trainingreadiness.

Transmission ControlProtocol (TCP), which iscritical to moving data onthe modern Internet, isintroduced in 1976.


100 YEARS

28

19811980 19831982 19841984 - 1985: The first M1A1 Tanks arrivefor trials at Grafenwoehr andHohenfels.

From 1981 to 1993, theU.S. Army extends andenlarges Rose Barracks,the southern tip of theGrafenwoehr Training Area. The total cost of renovationsand enlargement exceedsone billion U.S. dollars.

September - The Red Army Faction (RAF)carry out an unsuccessfulrocket propelled grenadeattack against the carcarrying the U.S. Army'sWest German CommanderFrederick J. Kroesen inHeidelberg.

First M2/3 and M270 MultipleLaunch Rocket System is firedat Grafenwoehr.

The M270 is a mobile unit,well-suited for the shoot-and-scoot tactic. It can fire itsrockets rapidly, and quicklymove-away to avoid returningcounter-battery fire.

From the July 1982Spearhead magazine:“An eight-inch howitzerfrom the 1st Bn., 40thField Artillery fires fromunderneath its camo atthe Grafenwoehr TrainingArea before rumblingdown the range road toanother firing point.”

November - Operation “Real Train” beginsat the Hohenfels Training Area.Participating M603A Tanksare the most advanced of theM60 series, but are later re-placed by the M1 Abramsin 1984.


29

1985 1987 1988 19891986August -Major upgrades arecompleted at Grafen-woehr facilities, and theranges are renumbered.

SIMNET, a wide areanetwork with vehiclesimulators and displaysfor real-time distributedcombat simulation isreleased for testing in1985, by the DefenseAdvanced ResearchProjects Agency.

SIMNET is subsequentlyfielded in 1987, and wasused for training untilsuccessor programscame online inthe 1990s.

November -Freedom Prevails: After weeks of civil unrestthe East German governmentannounces its citizens will beallowed to visit West Berlin,causing a flood of East Germansto the west, and bringing aboutthe fall of the Berlin Wall, morethan a quarter century afterit was erected.

July -Soviet Forces withdraw from Afghanistan. Civil war eruptsamong tribesmen and multiplerival factions seeking controlof the country.

The Combat ManeuverTraining Center (CMTC)is activated at Hohenfels.The CMTC mission is toprovide realistic combinedarms training for U.S. ArmyEurope, and Seventh Army’smaneuver battalion taskforces in force-on-forceexercises.

The USAREUR Soldier in the mid 1980s was many

things. More than any other institution, the Army

had become America’s great melting pot.

As a member of an all-volunteer Army the Soldiers

assigned to U.S. Army Europe experienced cohesion,

teamwork and esprit de corps in picturesque

Europe, and by 1987 the Army’s recruitment slogan,

“Be All You Can Be” was an open invitation to talent

from every part of the country, and to individuals

from every social or ethnic background.

April -The nuclear reactor at Chernobyl in the Soviet Unionmelts-down and explodesreleasing a cloud of radio-activity into the atmosphereover eastern Europe andScandinavia.


100 YEARS

30

19911990 19931992 1994April -The 283rd Base SupportBattalion inactivates andthe Wildflecken TrainingArea is returned to theGerman government.

October -7th Army Training Centerhosts the largest, mosttechnologically complex,joint and combinedcomputer-assistedtraining exercise inthe U.S. Army to date,ATLANTIC RESOLVE 94,which replaces the annualREFORGER exercises.

U.S. Army Europe (USAREUR)begins reducing forces inGermany, closing facilitiesand communities.

Area Support Teams inAmberg and Bindlach areclosed as part of theUSAREUR-wide draw down.

January -Communist governments fallin Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia,and Romania, signalling theend of the Soviet empire inEurope. Latvia and Estoniadeclare independence five months later.

January -"Centurion Shield," the lastREFORGER is hosted 60 mileswest of Grafenwoehr.

August -Saddam Hussein invadesKuwait. The U.S. respondswith Operation Desert Shield.Seventh Army TrainingCommand begins trainingunits for deployment. VII Corpsdeploys to the region in Nov.where it plays a key role in the“100 Hour War” that liberatesKuwait in February 1991.

July -NATO’s Allied Land ForcesCentral Europe becomesoperational at U.S. ArmyEurope’s headquarters inHeidelberg with a staff ofseven nations: Belgium,Canada, Denmark, Germany,the Netherlands, the UnitedKingdom and the United States. The troops of these armiesbecome regular fixtures onthe on GTA ranges in yearsto come.

September -In an unusual statistical mile-stone, for the first time in U.S.history, Army retirees out-number active-dutypersonnel because ofradical downsizingof the U.S. Army.

February -Operation Desert Stormbegins. In one week, the U.S.led coalition pushes Iraqiforces out of Kuwait andacross the border into Iraq,where the coalition halts150 miles south of Baghdad.

June -Yugoslavia begins to breakapart. The Dayton Accordsend the ethnic war, five yearslater, in December 1995.

August -The Seventh U.S. ArmyNoncommissioned OfficerAcademy relocates andbecomes a tenant unit ofthe GTA.

December -Soviet Premier Gorbachevannounces the break-upof the Soviet Union.


31

1995 1997 1998 19991996October -The Nuremberg AST atMerrill Barracks is closedand returned to theGerman government.

December -To enforce a peacefulresolution to the on-going conflict in theBalkans, 20,000 U.S.Soldiers deploy to Bosniafor Operation JointEndeavor. In the firstthree months, the U.S.Air Force flies 3,000missions, more than15,600 troops, anddelivers more than30,100 tons of cargo.Many of the combatand support elementsare trained, then air-lifted from the GTAdirectly to the Balkans.

January -7th ATC participates in TaskForce Eagle peace supportcertification operations priorto their departure forOperation Joint Endeavor.The JMTC maintains an activerole in training units deployingto the Balkans as part ofOperation Joint Guard, anddeployments to Albania,Macedonia, and Kosovo forOperation Joint Guardian.

June -NATO deploys Kosovo Force(KFOR) to promote stability inthe Balkans. USAREUR’s TaskForce Falcon deploys as themain element of theMultinational Brigade.

September -After years of civil war Kabuland Afghanistan fall to theTaliban.

1997 - 2000: The draw-down forces theclosure of many USAREURbases in Germany. With fewexceptions the bases areturned over to the Germangovernment.

Planning begins for theconstruction of a Multi-Purpose Range Complexat the GrafenwoehrTraining Area.

March -Operation Allied Force, NATOcombat operations against Serbia,commence. USAREUR deploysTask Force Hawk to Albania insupport of the operation.

May -The GTA Range 117 modernizationand expansion project is com-pleted to meet the new gunneryrequirements of the M1A2 Tank.

Likewise, Range 204 is completedto meet the standards of theOperation Desert Storm BradleyFighting Vehicle.

Fielding of the new M109A6Paladin Howitzer and GermanHowitzer 2000 results in newprocedures and firing areas toallow realistic training with newartillery systems.

NATO turns 50.


100 YEARS

32

20012000 20032002 2004May -The first Counter-ImprovisedExplosive Device trainingbegins at Grafenwoehr.

November - Plans are announced totransform The CombatManeuver Training Center(CMTC) at Hohenfels, into theJoint Multinational ReadinessCenter. The transformationwill be complete in 2005.

After years of study, the U.S.Army unveils a new uniform,dubbed the Army CombatUniform (ACU). It becomesstandard-issue for alldeployed troops in thefall of 2005.

September - The Grafenwoehr TrainingArea is being assessed forpossible closure.

It’s strategic significance andimportance to U.S. Army Europeare discussed at the highestlevels of the Pentagon.

September -On September 11th, a seriesof coordinated suicide attacksby Al-Qaeda against the UnitedStates by 19 terrorists whocrash four airliners into the World Trade Center,The Pentagon and afield in Pennsylvania.

October -In response to the attacks,the United States launchesOperation Enduring Freedom,(OEF) in Afghanistan.

U.S. Army Europe units deployin support of OEF includingSETAF’s 173rd AirborneBrigade.

March through April - Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF)begins as the U.S. Army andMarines attack Iraq frombases in Kuwait. The 173rd Airborne Brigadejumps into Iraq in the largestcombat airdrop since WWII.Baghdad is captured only16 days after OIF begins.

The 1st Armored Divisiondeploys to Iraq for a15-month combat tour.

September -USAREUR introduces EfficientBasing Grafenwoehr (EBG).The EBG initiative enhancestraining readiness, improvesforce protection, and providesnew or renovated facilitiesfor Soldiers and families.


33

2005 2007 2008 20092006April -Rose Barracks begins a$600 million expansion.

September -The Seventh Army TrainingCommand changes itsname to the Joint Multi-national Training Command(JMTC). The new namerepresents it's key role insupport NATO and theU.S. European Command'sTheater SecurityCooperation program.

At that same time, CMTCtransforms into the JointMultinational ReadinessCenter.

While, the 7th Army NCOAcademy is traininghundreds of allied andpartner nations’ non-commissioned officers.

The Joint MultinationalSimulation Center opens astate of the art 50,000-Rsquare-foot facility fordigital models, simula-tions and virtual training.

At this time the JMTC atGrafenwoehr employs closeto 3,900 local GermanNationals. Current salaryand wage payments total160 million Euro per yearand contracts with localbusinesses amount toapproximately 250 millionEuro annually. Americanpurchasing power in theregion is approximately35 million Euro. An additional 30 millionEuro per year is spent onrents by American families.

April - 3,500 soldiers of the 2ndStryker Cavalry Regimentmove to Rose Barracks.

The influx ofmore than 3,5002nd StrykerCavalryRegimentSoldiersdoublesthe localpopulation.

As Grafenwoehr prepares for itscentennial, its ranges andfacilities are fully operationaland teeming with U.S. and Multi-national Soldiers training fordeployments to Iraq andAfghanistan. The JMTC’s Combined ArmsTraining Center instructs Soldiersfrom more than 38 countries fromaround the world.

While continuing to supportcombat operations in Iraq andAfghanistan, the U.S. Army Europecontinues with its most compre-hensive transformation since theend of World War II. The GTA continues to adapt andshape itself to meet the needsof the Soldiers preparing forcurrent and future operations.

September -GTA is approved for a seriesof Department of the Armyrange projects under theCombined Arms MOUT TaskForce initiative. Constructionof an Urban Assault Course,a 360-degree live-fire shoot-house and an Urban BreachFacility begins, while the GTAlive-fire assault buildingproject is completed.

October -United States Africa Command(AFRICOM) is established.

Training with the ShadowUnmanned Aerial System begins at the GTA.


100 YEARS


34

On June 30, 1910,Soldiers from the 2nd Royal Bavarian

Foot Artillery Regiment fired the first roundon the Grafenwoehr Training Area.It fell 800 meters short of its target.

In the spirit of cooperation and partnershipthat exists between the U.S. and the

German militaries, 100 years later,a crew of German Soldiers fired a ceremonial

round to honor a century of training excellence.

Also, on this day, a U.S. crew fired a live-round“on target” to inaugurate the next 100 years.

It is through mutual support thatwe can achieve the ultimate goal -

peace.

JOIN

T MU

LTINATIONAL TRAINING COM

MAN

D

7TH UNITED STATES ARMY

his June 30, 2010, marks the 100th Anniversary of the Grafenwoehr Training Area (GTA). For some, the mere fact this installation has endured for 100 years is, in itself,a reason to celebrate. However, one must look at the events, whicharticulate the 100-year history to appreciate what this anniversarymeans to the community, U.S., German and multinational, it serves. When the cannon crew from the 3rd Bavarian Artillery Regimentfired the first-shot that summer morning in 1910, it signified theofficial opening of the training area, but was also the beginning ofa long legacy of excellence for the GTA. From the very beginningand before the World War I, units trained to prepare for war, usingthe most advanced technology and weapon systems of the day.Throughout its 100 year history, GTA’s ranges have hosted state-of-the-art weapons, such as, balloons and biplanes, the German Army’sstandard machine gun, the MG 08, the Honest John rocket, andtoday’s first-person training simulator, Stryker Combat Vehiclesand Virtual Battlespace 2.

TBy Ryan Meyer, Museum Curator, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment

celebrating the history means celebratingindividual contributions too

On June 30, 2010, there is an opportunity to visit the iconic Grafenwoehr watertower. Visitors will see an aerial view of the Garrison, and learn about the eventsof the past 100 years. For those that are not able to make this historic celebration,you can visit the JMTC website at: www.hqjmtc.army.mil/Info/Historyfor more information.

A residual of the training — during the past 100-years, Soldiers walkaway from Grafenwoehr confidant, motivated and prepared tosuccessfully face the challenges of combat. The secret to the GTA’s longevity is its ability to be at the cutting-edge of instruction and preparedness. This, in large part, is due tothe amazing Soldiers and Civilians who come to work, believing in acause greater than themselves. Individuals committed to giving 110percent, day-after-day, to ensure their missions are accomplished;therefore, insuring Grafenwoehr as a community of excellence. As we celebrate this momentous occasion, and the stories of days-gone-by, remember to celebrate each other, and the importance of ourown individual contributions, for we are the Grafenwoehr Training Area.

2010


100 YEARS

35

By Daniel Feazelle Chief, Regional Training Support Center Grafenwoehr & Jim Coon, Chief, Training Support Center Hohenfels

n the 1920s simulated tanks conducted maneuvers at the Grafen- woehr Training Area (GTA).The German army was prohibited fromusing heavily armored or tracked vehiclesfollowing World War I, so the rebuiltGerman army made tanks of bailingwire and cardboard, and modern tanktactics, later called 'Blitzkrieg' or"lightning war," were perfected usingsimulated tools. In 2010, the U.S. Army doesn't usecardboard tanks anymore, today's Armyand multinational troops train at theGTA using innovative training aids anddevices to enhance training at GTA.Located in 17 cities and six countriesthroughout Europe, the Training SupportActivities Europe (TSAE) identifies,acquires, manages, and sustains thetraining resources to support all levelsof training for every major unit andorganization.

Having served more than 30-yearsin the Army, Harry Martin, a retiredCommand Sgt. Major and contractemployee at Grafenwoehr remembersusing another Soldier, as a buddy topractice first-aid training. Today, ad-vanced medical training aids are usedat home-station and are available at thelocal Training Support Center (TSC). The Regional Training Support Center(RTSC) provides state-of-the-art trainingsupport to both tenant and rotationalunits in the RTSC Graf area of operation. RTSC Grafenwoehr maintains, andsupports two robust and uniquely differ-ent Training Support Centers at Vilseckand Hohenfels.

"The SIMMAN, Mega Code Kelley andUltimate Hurt Man are mannequins thatreplicate heartbeat, pulse and even pro-vide feedback by talking to the Soldier,who is administrating first aid," saidMartin. "You can give them IV's. You canpenetrate the chest. The mannequinscan be dressed with a sucking chestwound, or with a missing limb for thecorrect treatment."

The mannequins die, if not properlytreated, Martin said. Today's simulatorsand simulations make replicating trainingeasier and more realistic than in the past. "In the late '50s and '60s we used the"Puff Board" for call-for-fire missions,"he said. A call-for-fire mission requiresan observer to call an aircraft to drop-bombs or munitions on an area that maybe nearby troops or civilians."Once theSoldier gave the coordinates for thefire-mission the instructor would movethe little puff ball to the approximatelocation, and then the Soldier was re-quired to ask for a correction to completethe fire mission." Now at Vilseck and Hohenfels, Soldiersuse an advanced Call-for-Fire Trainerthat replicates realistic fire missions ina virtual environment that trains Artillerywith Close Air Support, Naval Gunfire,and Mortars. Today's simulators are more reliablebecause computers track a Soldiersprogress. "During the 1970s and 1980s, youwould put a pencil inside the barrel of a.45 caliber pistol," said Steve Wesnoski,the regional training aids, devices, andsimulators officer for Grafenwoehr,

I

F E A T U R E

Replicating reality: training aids,devices and simulators

The Common Driver’s Trainer (CDT) at VilseckPhoto: Directorate of Simulations and Training Support.

SimMan is a portable and advanced patient simulator.Photo: Directorate of Simulations and Training Support.

Hohenfels and Vilseck. Wesnoski retiredfrom the Army after 29-years of service."You would site a spot on a paper tapedto the wall." When the Soldier fired the weaponthe pencil would come-out and markthe paper, he said. Today's trainingdevice, the Engagement Skills Traineruses actual weapons to fire lasers atvirtual targets. A computer notates thehits and misses. "We went from putting pencils topaper to computerized simulators,"Wesnoski said. "We train with everyweapons system from a pistol to anantitank weapon using the EST." The local Training Support Centers(TSCs) allow Soldiers to train usingadvanced systems like the EST, whichreplicates day-and-night firing, usingmore than 100 scenarios.

The Stryker Mobile Gun System (MGS) is a gunnerytraining simulator for vehicle commander/gunnerteams in the Stryker MGS vehicle. It is rapidlydeployable and features a high-fidelity crew com-partment, replicating the vehicle's turret and firecontrol system. The system is designed to developand sustain individual, crew and platoon precisiongunnery skills, to a level of proficiency allowingtransition to live-fire training or combat gunnery.Photo: Directorate of Simulations and Training Support.

7th

un

ite

d s

ta

te

s a

rm

yjo

int

mu

lt

ina

tio

na

lt

ra

inin

g c

om

ma

nd

hq

. 7th

ar

my

jmt

cp

ub

lic

af

fa

irs

of

fic

eb

ld

g.12

3, r

oo

m 10

1U

nit

28

130

AP

O A

E 0

9114

ww

w.h

qj

mt

c.a

rm

y.m

il

JM

TC

JU

RN

AL

OJ

UR

NA

LO

JOINT MULTINATION

AL TRAINING COMMAND

7TH UN

ITED STATES ARMY

RE

CY

CL

E

T R

A

I

N I

N G

The Joint Multinational Training Command Training Journal 3

Documents

public affairs ofcer

jmtc public affairs

army jmtcattention

jmtc training journal

department of public

n gt r

army jmtcby denver makle

t c c o