History of Peden Barracks Wertheim (former Reinhardshof) The airbase Wertheim was above the town of Wertheim, and its construction started in 1936 on the site of the then existing farming estate Reinhardshof. During the construction of the air-base next to the airfield buildings , extensive barracks with accommodation and staff buildings and one officers mess and officers quarters were built. In the construction of the buildings local materials were used , giving each building a distinctive character. See photo troops kitchen or cafeteria below. Architect of the air-base was from Munich Walter Schuessler , who was also responsible for Giebelstadt. From Schuessler also came, the draft of the war memorial on the Kaffelstein above Kreuzwertheim. On 19 December 1937 the airfield was officially opened and covered by the III . / StG 165. Rod and I. / StG 165 were in Schweinfurt, III. in Kitzingen. The association was initially then equipped with aircraft of type HS 123, with JU 87 B. The Stuka group - 1939 renamed III / StukaG 51 - . Remained in the square until 08/09/1939. During the war , however, the occupancy of the place changed hands several times. So first was the I. / Carrier group 186 (on-board Fliegergruppe Graf Zeppelin ) from 11/08/39 to 04/11/40 in Wertheim. To form new blood as fighter pilot – they had to visit the dive-bomber pilot school - 2, which was from 03/07/1940 to 29/04/1941 in Wertheim. From 30/04/41 to January 43 followed by the Stuka school #1, in December 1942 renamed to Staff Sturzkampfgeschwader 101. It followed from January 1943 to 16.05.1943 the supplementation group Stuka Squadron 77 - later IV Stuka Squadron 151. From 1942 began in Wertheim, the gliding training - especially in terms of gliders DFS 230 - first by the supplementation group (S) 1to 25/02/1943 and from 09/03/43 up to 12/14/1943 by the load towing training squadron of Stuka-Associations. In parallel, the reorganization of the II. / ZG 76 Bf 110 from August 1943 to January 1944. In the period from 05/07/44 to 06/10/44 the pilot school gave B15 a short spell on the pitch, where - was co-used, the use of port Dornsberg - as with the load trailing training. At the end of the war moved from February 1945 the night raid group 1 (South) to Wertheim. She remained there until the place was taken by advancing American Forces. On 01/04/1945 (Easter 1945) the place by invading American troops was occupied. Prior to moving away German troops blew up on 31.3.1945 parts of the place, especially in the area of technical facilities (car yard, etc.). From July to Christmas 1945 was the airbase first used as a camp for so-called displaced persons (DPs ) - Foreign workers employed in Germany. At that time approx. about 6,000 Poles and 9,000 Russians were housed there. On 11.09.1945 the Polish constituted the demand to release the city to plunder. To prevent this project, the local commanding officer , Cptn. Barber, placed tanks around the area. This intervention in favor of the town of Wertheim resulted in the first very tense relationship between the population and the occupying troops relaxed somewhat. After completion of the repatriation of DPs the barracks served from February 1946 as a refugee settlement. Partial directed into usable buildings also craft and commercial businesses a. The airfield was used for agriculture. As part of the reenforcement of the Allied Forces in Germany, American forces intervened on to the field of the former air base. As of mid- 1951, the evacuation of the place and the re-settlement of the inhabitants into the district Bestenheid began. On 12 June 1952, the later as Peden Barracks called barracks were put into operation. The first unit was a helicopter squadron that was stationed in Wertheim, which moved to Schwäbisch Hall in 1985. From 17 December 1954 the settlement of 72th Field Artillery Group began which was strengthened (later 72nd Field Artillery Brigade) to Wertheim, the mid-80s to the 4/27 Fieldartillery. So you can say that from 1954 the focus of the use of the barracks was the ground-based associations and the aeronautical use played only a minor role. The stationing of American troops required significant extensions of the barracks infrastructure. This affected not only the accommodation and family apartments, but also the technical areas for tanks and other heavy equipment. The runway of 600 meters length was also paved, because during the war it was only a turf-runway. After the end of the Cold War , a reduction of U.S. forces in Germany , in the course of which the Peden Barracks were classified as dispensable began. From the spring of 1992, the withdrawal of American troops, which was completed in mid-1994, began. After the release of the installation the city Wertheim planned a re-use. As a branch of the national police school Baden could be set in a number of buildings of the barracks Württemberg. The establishment of an asylum seekers home in other released barracks was not in the spirit of the city. Interestingly, this collective accommodation in close proximity to the police school - a neighborhood, who according to witnesses was not free of conflicts. Meanwhile, the situation due to the dissolution of the collective accommodation is adjusted. Since 1.1.1997 the town of Wertheim is the owner of the airbase-site and devotes her conversion to a new district. Another aeronautical use (and civil) were excluded. The airfield is converted to an industrial park, the former housing area in a residential area. Remarks: I hope, that my English was good enough to translate this from German into English and that everyone understands what I was trying to say.
Posted on: Sun, 02 Feb 2014 09:29:56 +0000
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