d o g
f a c e s o l
d i e r s
A photographic
journey of the
Third Signal Co. of
the 15th Regiment
of the U.S. Third
Infantry Division-
WWII
by Denis Toomey
I joined the 3rd Inf Div at Ft Benning early 1958. 3rd Div
was one of the "Pentomic" Divisions. Pentomic Div had 5 Battle
Groups. In April 1958, 3rd Div went to Germany, "Operation
Gyroscope" (gyroscope meant to career soldiers that you would
ALWAYS return to the US from overseas to the same place (Benning
in case of 3rd DIV). Meaning that a career soldier could for
once buy a house while still in the army. Gyro didn't last
long.
When we got to Germany, Div HQTRS I believe was at Wurzburg,
but not certain. I was in Co. B, 123 Sig Bn. 123 Hqtrs I know
was Hindenburt Kaserne, Wurzburg. I was on a Direct Support
Platoon from 123d to two Inf Battle Groups at Bamberg. The two
BGs were: 1/15 INF (I think their unit crest said, "Can Do";
and the 2/4 INF. The other 3 BGs were at: one at Kitzigen; one
at Schweinfurt; one at Auschaffenburg (don't remember BG
numbers). Kitzigen also had the Div AVN Maint Spt and HQ 703
Ord BN. I was NCOIC (SP5) of DivSigMaint at Bamberg for 3
years. We supported primarily 2/4 and 1/15 Inf. Also a Sqdrn
of 7th Cav which was a move-where=needed, providing armored
support to 2/4 & 1/15 Inf if a live "RED" alert came in ("RED"
meant the soviets were attacking from the east vs the many many
"WHITE" practice alerts 3rd Div had (always "surprise" alerts,
any day of week or hour of day. Including like 0200 early
Sunday mornings after troops out drinking all day etc.
Just thought that little bit of 1/15 history of interest to
you maybe. I agree as to readiness posture of the 3rd Div, at
least during years (1958-1961) in Germany, was at all times, not
only just before some inspection etc, combat ready. We spent
probably 50% of our time in the field, training (NATO, 7th Army,
Division, BN, Company, and even down to Platoon in-field
training. Any minute of any day, 3rd Div was ready for war and
well trained to perform. Mission in 3rd Div, 58-61, Germany:
If soviets attacked we were to retreat to the west side of the
Rhine River (150-guess-miles from Bamberg/Wurzburg and the 5
BGs). Our Div mission was not to stop the soviets, but to delay
their advance a couple of weeks while retreating to the Rhine
giving the US time to bring in replacement infantry. Estimate
was that by the time the 3rd got to the Rhine, the Div would
have been pretty well "sacrificed" and not much left of it. We
were all briefed re that often.
Kitzingen
Harvey closed 3 years ago and Larson closed last year. I was at
Harvey from 1/73 to 9/74. I don't know what years you were there so
I don't know if you will recognize some of these pictures.
I was in HQ Co.1/15th Inf. 3rd Inf. Div stationed at Harvey Barracks
from 1/73 to 9/74. I always wanted to go back and last week I along
with my wife did. The place was sad to see. Harvey has been closed
for the past 3 years.
I
was wrong about the closing date for Harvey. I wrote to the guy I
met in Wurzburg. He was the military liaison with the Germans. He
said Harvey Barracks, Larson Barracks, and the Airfield at
Giebelstat all closed in Oct. 2006. Leighton is scheduled to be
closed and returned to the German government during the Summer of
2008.
There is a big fence going around the whole place
with locked gates on the roads. We couldn't get in but was able to
see a lot from the road. Including my barracks. There were weeds
growing all over. It looked like a ghost town. Larson closed last
year and is also a ghost town. We went up there and the only thing
being used is the golf course (by the Germans). Next year they are
closing Leighton in Wurzburg. They closed Rhine Mein AFB a couple of
years ago and transferred everything to Ramstein.
We drove by Rhine Mein and saw them knocking down
the barracks where I rotated through. You know the Gateway to
Europe. I'm sure the Germans are happy to get all their land back
but a lot of places that relied on the GI buck went out of business
or changed to something else.
Bob Wiecezak
Harvey Barracks Post HQ looking through
the fence.
Harvey Main Gate.
Harvey back gate.
My old barracks HQ Co. 1/15th Inf.
Benos Gusthaus
Across the road from Harvey
(Out of business)
Harvey Control Tower and Hangars
Swimming Pool Kitzingen
Deutsches Haus in Kitzingen
(No longer a disco)
The Cave in Sulzfeld
(Out of business)
The leaning Tower of Kitzingen
Wings of the Marne!
I am very proud of my time in the Third! I have never served in a
better trained, more motivated unit in my 23 years of service. You
know what they say, there is no woman sweeter than your first. The
Third was my first.
Greg Lee
B Co "Bandits"
13th AHB, "Seek, Strike, Destroy, Marne Vipers!"
3rd Infantry Division (Heavy Mech)
Grafgunnery -
The mighty 13th AHB readying for an awesome gunnery score.
We qualified as a battalion higher than any other AHB in the Army
that day.
Bandits on Range
JVega -
This is my platoon sergeant
and the man that taught me how to be an NCO.
My Cobra -
This is 67-15477, my AH-1 and the first ship I crewed.
Home sweet Home -
This was the divisional ARTEP. We moved so much this FTX
we got tired of putting up and tearing down tents in the dark
so we improvised.
Took this at a gunnery at Graef.
Jake Berry - Jackson Percy Berry Jr.
My best friend and roommate, he lived in Lake City, FL
The is CWO James Reardon (sp) from
Boston MASS
Comstock and Owens
Pictures from Kitzingen
I am Roland Richter and I was working on Harvey
Brks. For 30 Years. I may have some
pictures that may be interesting for your site. I was working at
Facilities Engineering Div. and hope we provided a good service
to you all. Here are a view pictures, if you want more I would
have to go through my pictures and scan them to send them to
you. The plaque on the memorial stone as you can see we’ve
planted 2193 trees during the our so
called Excellence Program.
Harvey Brks is
going back to the German authorities
at the end of March 2007. Marshall Height Housing Area is
closed, it is like an empty town
within Kitzingen. Larson I believe
is also going back soon if it hasn’t already. Since 1 Jan
07 I am no longer employed with the
US Army after 30 Years.
Best Regards,
Roland Richter
Picture with
the fire ladder is in front of Bldg. 142 HarveyBrks. Previous 2nd BDE HQ at
this time I believe and later DISCOM HQ. The memorial stone to the
right of the fire ladder is called “Rocky” and I think it presented
2nd BD 3rd ID and “Rocky” was moved to the states with the units,
should be somewhere on an US post. (If it is the statue of
"Rocky" the Bulldog, it is in the Marne Gardens at Ft. Stewart, GA)
The memorial stone and it’s plaque was removed by order of the
Commander, since it was violating some Army
Reg.. Well it was a good idea of a civilian employee to place
some memories for his/her departing Boss.
Picture show
some of the Local Nationals employed with the US Army going to an
annual outing riding on US Buses in the ’80.
The memorial stone and it’s plaque was removed by order of the
Commander, since it was violating some Army
Reg.. Well it was a good idea of a civilian employee to place
some memories for his/her departing Boss. Picture
shows the rear of Bldg. 142 and a tree planting action under the
lead of LTC Beckworth, DPW.
Pictures are
from the tree felling at Harvey Brks.
Main Gate.
Picture
shows the rear of Bldg. 141, the right part is the Military Police,
in the center there are the garages for
the MPs and the Commanding General in the older days. The left part
is the local Firestation. The memorial
stone was place due to a heavy tree planting action on Harvey and
Larson, and Marshall Heights.
Harvey Dental Clinic
Clinic Parking
Harvey Engineering Division
Theater on Left-Clinic on Right
Soldier and Roland's Dad
US. Soldier with two locals
German American Friendship early 1950's
U.S. Army Bus- Wuertzburg
Larson Building 46 DISCOM HQ
Larson Tunnel, Building 6 & 9
These first two pictures are of the Schwanheim
Training area, the next two are Three Cross Hill (Aschaffenburg) and
the last is in front of 3rd Medical Bn.on Graves Kaserne, My last
night in Aschaffenburg.In the training area you will notice an
American Soldier sitting with an German Soldier, we were training
with them at the time.
JD Fagan
Click on photos for larger image
These photos were taken around 1969-1970 at Graf . I was with A
Co. 10th Engineers at the time as we were field support for the
64th Armor Division. Here are more photos, but the left top one hit home.
I thought who ever was a member of Browns Renegades, they might
want this photo.
Thanks for what you do
for the 3ID. I have to admit that of all the units I had been a
member of the 3ID was the only one I felt truly a part of. It
was home even after I left Germany. I wish I had extended. I
will always be a Dog Faced Soldier!!
Yours,
Dave Matteson
Huntsville Alabama
This is Frank R. Pizzo Bamberg (May 58 thru Oct
59). As I surf your peacetime site I see more and faces that I
recognize, its spooky, maybe I am just getting old.
pizzoo@gmail.com
703rd Maint. BN.
Kitzingen Germany Photos
Russell Hicks sent me some photos to get to a historian,
hopefully you can post them to the 3ID page and people will
contact Russell Hicks.
I came across this web page consisting of units of the 3ID at Larson
and Harvey Barracks as well as others. I was a Specialist 4th Class
on staff with the 703rd Maintenance Battalion in the S-2 section as
a Draftsman and Photographer July 1975 to July 78. I have in my
possession a few very early original photos of some of the bases
going back to the early sixties and even before. They were given to
me by my OIC. I have attempted to contact the current Battalion
Commander of the 703rd currently stationed at Ft. Stewart GA. With
no success, if you have any ideas how I could give these pictures to
the command for its unit history I would be happy to do so. I have
included a few pictures I took in 1976 and a group picture of us
from the S-2 Section at that time, I was 18 years old.
One note, the picture of the jeep wrecked happened during one of our
FTX it is B&W, but as GI’s will do this vehicle was stripped for
parts and painted various colors such as pink, purple and so on.
I only had the ability to take B&W pictures at that time.
Sincerely,
Russell
Russell E. Hicks, II
1032 Archer Road
Max Meadows, VA 24360
PH: (276) 637-3571
Email: hicks@naxs.com
I was
searching on line for information on where I was stationed with 3ID in
the 1970's and I found this great link of photos of the barracks and
things. I think you could add these to our site (unless you already
have it there). There may be others like Wuezburg, Shwienfurt etc.
I was with the 703rd Maintenance Battalion, 3rd
Infantry Division, from 1983 to 1984. While stationed at Fiori
Barracks in Aschaffenburg and Larson Barracks in Kitzingen, I met a
couple of these guys. We certainly shared a lot of laughs and a lot
of good times. We were together at Larson Barracks for a Battalion
Ceremony. Phil DeRuntz
ghost.g.dog@gmail.com
The first is John
Frick. This must be at the time of another 3:30am ALERT.
The group photo
consists of Art Garcia and Kevin Mitchell as well as Kevin Falvey.
I was with the 15th Inf.,
1BN, "C" Comp., 3rd Pl. from 10/1961 to 4/1964. First I was stationed
in Bamberg and later in Bad Kitzingen (or was it Schweinfurt - you may
have the station listing). The attached photographs are of a 3rd
Division parade (various units) and open house in either Bamberg or
Kitzingen(?) in '63 or '64 (my memory leaves much to be desired). I
thought you may want them for your website which I thoroughly enjoy by
the way.
Wally de Jongh
PS Bill Todd might be interested in the DH "Otter" airplane as
mentioned in his request # 425 (1/9/2001).
I WAS IN HEADQUARTERS CO., 123RD SIGNAL BATTALION,
3RD INFANTRY DIVISION AT HINDENBURG KASERNE, WURZBURG, GERMANY 1968
- 1970. HERE ARE A FEW PHOTOS I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE OF HINDENBURG
KASERNE.
Ronn Pirrelli
Photos Courtesy of Andrew
Sloss
1st How Bn, 10th Arty
HQ-Battery,
3rd Infantry Div Arty-Larson Barracks 1970
HQ and HQ Battery-Larson Barracks 1970
HQ Building-Larson Barracks 1870
3/76- Larson Barracks 1970
Service Club and HQ (rear view)
Photos courtesy of Bill
Henry, Dyersburg TN
3BN 67ADA-1989
I really like the web site I've spent hours browsing and I decided to send
these pics of what Larson Barracks looked like in 1989.
Ever wonder how everyone got their names on their headbands.
I just loved being a private.
Thanks again
Richard Cooper
Mortar Battery 1st BG
15th Inf. 3d Inf. Division
These photos were taken at Ft. Benning in January 1958. They are of the
First Platoon and the Detail Platoon. The Detail Platoon Sergeant, Claude
Rickett recently celebrated
his 80th birthday and is still active in our Mortar Battery veterans
group.
We have approximately 65 members. Our Battery clerk Don Wilcox gets out at
least 2 newsletters a year and we have had bi-yearly reunions at Ft
Benning since 1998.
Our website is====>
http://mortarbattery.tripod.com/
Bill Birney
This picture is from Basic Training, Fort
Benning
Oct. 1957 to May 1958 before we were shipped
to Bamberg, Germany
Some of these men in this picture I recognized
in one of your photos on your website,
the Audie Murphy Monument at Holtzwihr.
the picture of nine soldiers (0000holtz00.jpg).
Can you tell me anything about this picture?
Where did it come from? etc
Frank R. Pizzo
Company "C", 4 Platoon
1st Battle Group 15th Infantry
3rd Division
Bamberg, Germany
May 1958 to Oct. 1959
I was in HHD 4th Support Battalion, 3rd
Infantry Division at Larson Barracks in Kitzingen,
Germany-1985-1986. Here are some photos of the kaserne.
Kevin Knutson
Photos of Headquarters of 4th Brigade, 3ID
Kaserne, Germany
Hallo,
My name is Martin, I'm from Aschaffenburg, Germany. I made some pictures of
ready Kaserne as it is today. I send them to you maybe you like to use them!
Cheers, Martin
This is some of 3rd Platoon B Troop 3rd
Squadron 4th Cavalry at Grafenwoer, West Germany.
This is some of 3rd Platoon B Troop 3rd
Squadron 4th Cavalry at Grafenwoer, West Germany.
This is Bravo Troop 4th Squadron 4th Cavalry. After REFORGER 1988.
Contributed by Jim Warner
JIWARNER@aol.com
Staff Sgt. Jimmy Caldwell plays the part of the U.S. Army's
most-decorated soldier in a ceremony Tuesday, May 16, 2000, unveiling the Postal
Service's Audie Murphy stamp.
Kitzingen Germany
3rd Aviation Bn. Kitzingen Germany
A correction to the
caption in this photo
I served with Chris Lawry in the Aviation Company,
Third Infantry Division during the early 1970's. I was there from April
1971 thru June 1974.
In the above photo, my name is incorrectly listed as CWO-2 Duffy. It
should be CW2 Guffy.
The man next to me (first from the right of the
photo) is USAF CWO4 William "Willie" Waterman. The person to the left of
me (looking at the photo) is CPT James R. Lane.
I would like to establish contact with Chris Lawry.
Do you have a current e-mail address for him?
I served in 3rd Infantry Division 3/67 Air Defense
Artillery Battalion
from 84-87 at Larson Barracks in Kitzingen, West Germany. I served in
Delta Battery (the largest and only exclusive Chaparral battery in the
world) until it was deemed an untamable logistical monster and the
Chaparrals were split between Delta and Charlie Batteries and intermixed
with Stinger crews. I then served with Charlie Battery 2ndPlatoon. It
was one of the most unforgettable post's of my Army career. Doug Simon
Harvey Barracks 1971 to 1973
Photos from Chris Lawy
Photos from Chris Lawy 3rd Aviation Bn. Kitzingen Germany,
Harvey Barracks 1971 to 1973