Storck Barracks
Encyclopedia
Storck Barracks/Illesheim Kaserne is a United States Army
facility in Germany
, located about 15 miles northwest of Ansbach
(Bavaria), about 240 miles south-southwest of Berlin
.
Storck Barracks is part of the United States Army Garrison (USAG) Franconia. It is named after Colonel Louis J. Storck, who served as Executive Officer for the 4th Armored Division, Commander of Combat Command A and the 37th Armor Regiment, and S-3 and Commander of the 704th Tank Destroyer Battalion in World War II. Colonel Storck was awarded the Silver Star posthumously for his gallantry in action near Raids, France from July 17 to 25, 1944.
It is the home of the 2nd Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment, and the 3rd Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment, both equipped with the Boeing AH-64 Apache
; D Co 412th Aviation Support Battalion (all units part of the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade) and the 3rd of the 58th Airfield Operations Battalion (AOB). It has a Commissary, Post Exchange, Gas Station and Shoppette. It also has an Elementary School and Family Housing.
beginning in 1934, with construction completing in 1936. This construction was in conjunction with the Hohenfels Maneuver Training Area (MTA) and in violation of post World War I agreements.
In 1936, the airfield went into operation as a supply, maintenance and repair facility for the Luftwaffe. The Castle Berlichingen in Illesheim was used for the Headquarters. The same year the Bahnhof and the Post Office were built. Only one combat unit was assigned during the 1930s, Zerstörergeschwader 52 (ZG 52), during mid-1939 equipped with early-model Messerschmitt Bf 109
Ds.
, two bomber units, Kampfgeschwader 76 (KG 76) and KG 51 were assigned briefly, KG 76 being transitioned at Illesheim from Dornier Do 17
Z light bombers to Junkers Ju 88
A mediums in 1940/41. KG 51 underwent transition training from the Ju 88 to the Messerschmitt Me 410
for 10 months during 1942 before being assigned to the Western Front.
In addition to the transition training, Illesheim served as a major supply Depot for German Wehrmacht
forces in Sicily and Crete. Only about 20% of the material utilized by the Depot was kept on the airfield. For security reasons, the remainder was distributed throughout the surrounding villages.
In 1943, in response to the Allied air attacks on Germany, the base transitioned to a day/night interceptor airfield as part of the "Defense of the Reich
" campaign by the Luftwaffe. For the next two years, a series of Bf 110, Me 410, Bf 109G, Fw 190A and Ju 88 units were assigned to Illesheim. Nachtjagdgeschwader 6 (NJG 6), a RADAR-equipped Bf 110 night interceptor unit, was credited with 200 confirmed Allied kills.
Between 1943-1944 Illesheim was only attacked twice, once along the railroad tracks and once on the airfield with two drone aircraft being destroyed as a result. In early April 1945, the last Luftwaffe unit, Zerstörergeschwader 101 (ZG 101), flying a mixture of Bf 110s and Ju 88s, left the airfield, taking with them everything that could be transported and burning the rest.
"R-10 Illesheim".
C-47 Skytrain transports immediately began to use the airfield, flying in supplies for the advancing ground units, and evacuating casualties to rear areas. A week later, the Ninth Air Force
48th Fighter Group, equipped with P-47 Thunderbolt
s moved in, flying their last combat sorties of the war. On 3 May, the 48th was joined by the P-47-equipped 362d Fighter Group
.. By late April 1945, the German forces were in full retreat, and many units were beginning to surrender to the American forces. Illesheim Airfield was pressed into service as a Prisoner of War Camp to hold the German POWs, who were put to use repairing the buildings and cleaning up the area after the surrender.
Immediately after the war ended, the German POWs were organized into several labor battalions, and transported to damaged areas to assist in the initial reconstruction efforts. The USAAF organized the 1348th Labor Supervision Company and the 201st Labor Supervision Center, Aviation to spearhead these efforts. The P-47 combat groups moved out by the end of July 1945, being replaced by the Air Technical Service Command 42d Air Supply Squadron and 30th Air Depot (Illesheim Air Depot) which both served as supply and maintenance centers for USAAF needs, but also served as a center for destroying former Luftwaffe Aircraft and German Army ground vehicles and armor which were unsuitable for use in the reconstruction effort (47th Mobile Reclamation and Repair Squadron).
In May 1947, the Air Force units began moving out of Illesheim, the facility being turned over to Army units who used the airfield as a garrison post as part of the American Zone of Occupation, renaming the facility Storck Barracks.
during the Cold War
, and today, as part of the continuing USAREUR mission in Europe.
Since 1947, there has been a succession of US units with a variety of missions stationed at Illesheim. In the late '50s and early '60s new construction was accomplished to include troop billets, a dining facility, and family housing apartments. Major renovations occurred in 1973, and in 1985-1987 the Flight Simulator was constructed.
Since 2001, units from Storck Barracks have been deployed to the Middle East
and other combat areas as part of the Global War on Terrorism. It is suspected that many personnel and much of the equipment assigned to Storck are in deployed status, as aerial photographs of the facility show an almost empty ramp, with just a few Apache helicopters present.
The facility today bears little or no resemblance to the wartime Luftwaffe airfield from which it originated. Modern, state-of-the-art facilities are present, the only remaining evidence of its former use as a combat airfield is the disturbed areas at each end of its 2,000' runway, overlaid over the former 4,500' concrete runway.
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
facility in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, located about 15 miles northwest of Ansbach
Ansbach
Ansbach, originally Onolzbach, is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital of the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Ansbach is situated southwest of Nuremberg and north of Munich, on the Fränkische Rezat, a tributary of the Main river. As of 2004, its population was 40,723.Ansbach...
(Bavaria), about 240 miles south-southwest of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
.
Storck Barracks is part of the United States Army Garrison (USAG) Franconia. It is named after Colonel Louis J. Storck, who served as Executive Officer for the 4th Armored Division, Commander of Combat Command A and the 37th Armor Regiment, and S-3 and Commander of the 704th Tank Destroyer Battalion in World War II. Colonel Storck was awarded the Silver Star posthumously for his gallantry in action near Raids, France from July 17 to 25, 1944.
It is the home of the 2nd Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment, and the 3rd Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment, both equipped with the Boeing AH-64 Apache
AH-64 Apache
The Boeing AH-64 Apache is a four-blade, twin-engine attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear arrangement, and a tandem cockpit for a two-man crew. The Apache was developed as Model 77 by Hughes Helicopters for the United States Army's Advanced Attack Helicopter program to replace the...
; D Co 412th Aviation Support Battalion (all units part of the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade) and the 3rd of the 58th Airfield Operations Battalion (AOB). It has a Commissary, Post Exchange, Gas Station and Shoppette. It also has an Elementary School and Family Housing.
History
Fliegerhorst Illesheim was built by the German LuftwaffeLuftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
beginning in 1934, with construction completing in 1936. This construction was in conjunction with the Hohenfels Maneuver Training Area (MTA) and in violation of post World War I agreements.
In 1936, the airfield went into operation as a supply, maintenance and repair facility for the Luftwaffe. The Castle Berlichingen in Illesheim was used for the Headquarters. The same year the Bahnhof and the Post Office were built. Only one combat unit was assigned during the 1930s, Zerstörergeschwader 52 (ZG 52), during mid-1939 equipped with early-model Messerschmitt Bf 109
Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109, often called Me 109, was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid 1930s...
Ds.
German use during World War II
With the breakout of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, two bomber units, Kampfgeschwader 76 (KG 76) and KG 51 were assigned briefly, KG 76 being transitioned at Illesheim from Dornier Do 17
Dornier Do 17
The Dornier Do 17, sometimes referred to as the Fliegender Bleistift , was a World War II German light bomber produced by Claudius Dornier's company, Dornier Flugzeugwerke...
Z light bombers to Junkers Ju 88
Junkers Ju 88
The Junkers Ju 88 was a World War II German Luftwaffe twin-engine, multi-role aircraft. Designed by Hugo Junkers' company through the services of two American aviation engineers in the mid-1930s, it suffered from a number of technical problems during the later stages of its development and early...
A mediums in 1940/41. KG 51 underwent transition training from the Ju 88 to the Messerschmitt Me 410
Messerschmitt Me 410
The Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse was a German heavy fighter and Schnellbomber used by Luftwaffe during World War II. Though essentially a straightforward modification of the Me 210, it was designated the Me 410 to avoid association with its notoriously flawed predecessor.-Design and...
for 10 months during 1942 before being assigned to the Western Front.
In addition to the transition training, Illesheim served as a major supply Depot for German Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
forces in Sicily and Crete. Only about 20% of the material utilized by the Depot was kept on the airfield. For security reasons, the remainder was distributed throughout the surrounding villages.
In 1943, in response to the Allied air attacks on Germany, the base transitioned to a day/night interceptor airfield as part of the "Defense of the Reich
Defense of the Reich
The Defence of the Reich is the name given to the strategic defensive aerial campaign fought by the Luftwaffe over German occupied Europe and Germany itself during World War II. Its aim was to prevent the destruction of German military and civil industries by the Western Allies...
" campaign by the Luftwaffe. For the next two years, a series of Bf 110, Me 410, Bf 109G, Fw 190A and Ju 88 units were assigned to Illesheim. Nachtjagdgeschwader 6 (NJG 6), a RADAR-equipped Bf 110 night interceptor unit, was credited with 200 confirmed Allied kills.
Between 1943-1944 Illesheim was only attacked twice, once along the railroad tracks and once on the airfield with two drone aircraft being destroyed as a result. In early April 1945, the last Luftwaffe unit, Zerstörergeschwader 101 (ZG 101), flying a mixture of Bf 110s and Ju 88s, left the airfield, taking with them everything that could be transported and burning the rest.
USAAF use
Illesheim Airfield was only lightly damaged during the war by Allied air attacks, and on 13 April 1945 elements of the United States Army 101st Cavalry Group moved into the village and airfield unopposed by the retreating Wehrmacht. The USAAF IX Engineering Command 819th and 831st Engineering Aviation Brigades moved in on 16 April 1945 to repair operational facilities and clear unexploded mines and other dangerous munitions from the field. On 17 April the airfield was declared operationally ready for transport use, being designated as Advanced Landing GroundAdvanced Landing Ground
Advanced Landing Ground was the term given to the temporary advance airfields constructed by the Allies during World War II in support of the invasion of Europe...
"R-10 Illesheim".
C-47 Skytrain transports immediately began to use the airfield, flying in supplies for the advancing ground units, and evacuating casualties to rear areas. A week later, the Ninth Air Force
Ninth Air Force
The Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....
48th Fighter Group, equipped with P-47 Thunderbolt
P-47 Thunderbolt
Republic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...
s moved in, flying their last combat sorties of the war. On 3 May, the 48th was joined by the P-47-equipped 362d Fighter Group
362d Fighter Group
The 362d Fighter Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Tactical Air Command, stationed at Biggs Field, Texas. It was inactivated on 3 August 1946....
.. By late April 1945, the German forces were in full retreat, and many units were beginning to surrender to the American forces. Illesheim Airfield was pressed into service as a Prisoner of War Camp to hold the German POWs, who were put to use repairing the buildings and cleaning up the area after the surrender.
Immediately after the war ended, the German POWs were organized into several labor battalions, and transported to damaged areas to assist in the initial reconstruction efforts. The USAAF organized the 1348th Labor Supervision Company and the 201st Labor Supervision Center, Aviation to spearhead these efforts. The P-47 combat groups moved out by the end of July 1945, being replaced by the Air Technical Service Command 42d Air Supply Squadron and 30th Air Depot (Illesheim Air Depot) which both served as supply and maintenance centers for USAAF needs, but also served as a center for destroying former Luftwaffe Aircraft and German Army ground vehicles and armor which were unsuitable for use in the reconstruction effort (47th Mobile Reclamation and Repair Squadron).
In May 1947, the Air Force units began moving out of Illesheim, the facility being turned over to Army units who used the airfield as a garrison post as part of the American Zone of Occupation, renaming the facility Storck Barracks.
United States Army use
Storck Barracks/Illesheim Kaserne has been a major Army garrison for over 60 years, being a key NATO post in the defense of Western EuropeWestern Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, and today, as part of the continuing USAREUR mission in Europe.
Since 1947, there has been a succession of US units with a variety of missions stationed at Illesheim. In the late '50s and early '60s new construction was accomplished to include troop billets, a dining facility, and family housing apartments. Major renovations occurred in 1973, and in 1985-1987 the Flight Simulator was constructed.
Since 2001, units from Storck Barracks have been deployed to the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and other combat areas as part of the Global War on Terrorism. It is suspected that many personnel and much of the equipment assigned to Storck are in deployed status, as aerial photographs of the facility show an almost empty ramp, with just a few Apache helicopters present.
The facility today bears little or no resemblance to the wartime Luftwaffe airfield from which it originated. Modern, state-of-the-art facilities are present, the only remaining evidence of its former use as a combat airfield is the disturbed areas at each end of its 2,000' runway, overlaid over the former 4,500' concrete runway.
See also
- Advanced Landing Ground