US Tanks on German Roads - Cold War

[gwb123]

It was cold, wet and rainy this weekend, which seemed perfect for some nostalgia about my tour in Germany during the 1980's.

 

When we moved from there, some of our possessions were lost in a warehouse fire. That included a number of my photos. Fortunately, the negatives had been packed separately and I finally have the equipment to scan them.

 

Most Americans have not had the experience of facing a tank in incoming traffic. In Germany, it was not only common, but also led to some quick discussions of who had the right of way... generally it was given to the tank.

 

Keep in mind that some of those roads dated back to the 1200's and clearance, especially in towns, could be an issue. Every time we ran REFORGER (Return of Forces to Germany), some vehicle driver with limited vision took out a corner chunk of a building dating back to 1420. It was a testament to these houses that they remained standing.

 

As far as European compact cars... things often did not end well.

 

This first shot was taken from my M151A1 Jeep. If it had come to an argument, we actually got there first... however, we decided to yield the road to the approaching column.

 

Ah... the good old days...

 

And by the way... depending on the time of day, shadows, fog, etc.... the headlights on these vehicles were the only thing that gave you a warning they were coming at a safe distance.

[gwb123]

M-113's about to turn left across our path. These do not stop very quickly especially on slick roads. As I recall, we just waved the whole column on.

[gwb123]

Of course, it was not enough to run our tanks through the countryside... this one is in the middle of a town.

[gwb123]

Imagine going out to your farm to get some work done in the middle of the winter and finding the US Army blocking your path!

 

During exercise, we had a habit of just showing up anywhere!

 

To be fair, notices were posted in the local newspapers warning citizens where the maneuver area would be. That still led to some awkward encounters.

 

If anyone else has any other photos to add, please feel free!

[12thengr]

Tanks! Try getting one of these big buggers around in your small German towns. Mobile Assault Bridge, West Germany, 1978.

[gwb123]

phpUSzfyYPM.jpg Tanks! Try getting one of these big buggers around in your small German towns. Mobile Assault Bridge, West Germany, 1978.

 

Oh those must have been fun. Not much flexibility in getting around corners. That one looks ready to roll sideways!

[gwb123]

One of the longest vehicles in our inventory was the HET, or Heavy Equipment Transporter.

 

I think the ones we were using actually had a European styled tractor.

 

When these moved through a highly populated area, we were supposed to notify the local traffic coordinator and the Polizei.

They, in turn, would make arrangements to have them escorted and the traffic stopped so they could get through.

 

We had two that were supposed to move through I believe Wiesbaden. For whatever reason, they missed their movement time and ended up stuck in town snarling up the 5pm rush hour. We were not very popular with the local folks for awhile with that one.

 

Note the size of the vehicle compared to the American mid-sized sedan that is passing it. There are two of them there, being prepped for departure by E Co. / 708th on Baumholder.

[Bob Hudson]

What did this do to the surface of the roads?

[gwb123]

If you look at the very first photo, you will see that the treads have two black rubber pads on them. In theory, this kept the roads from getting torn up.

 

And actually, even the side roads in Germany were very well constructed. I seem to recall that the roads were all rated for the amount of weight they could carry. You have to remember the West Germans were quite wary that they might be invaded by the Warsaw Pact, so many of these things were planned out.

 

Now... when it came to curbs and such... depending on how the tank hit them, they could be crushed.

 

Also, the weight capacity of bridges had to be taken into consideration. On some of the spans, they had to time how often a new tank could enter the bridge... not only for weight, but also for the sympathetic vibration.

 

I have another thread I am going to post that shows what happens when you ignore soil conditions.

[Sabrejet]

Great pics Gil. I recall an ex US tanker telling me that whenever they went on maneuvers in W.Germany, there was always an officer following the convoy in a Jeep specifically to deal with compensation claims by German residents whose property was inevitably damaged whilst the vehicles were passing through their villages. He said it was not uncommon for walls and fences to be demolished and for parked cars to acquire a dent or two!!

[BEAST]

Gil,

 

Nothing better than taking a company of Bradleys, each weighing 27 tons, screaming down the Autobahn at 40 MPH!

[12A54]

Great pics Gil. I recall an ex US tanker telling me that whenever they went on maneuvers in W.Germany, there was always an officer following the convoy in a Jeep specifically to deal with compensation claims by German residents whose property was inevitably damaged whilst the vehicles were passing through their villages. He said it was not uncommon for walls and fences to be demolished and for parked cars to acquire a dent or two!!

As a tanker in W. Germany 1984 - 1987 (and again '95-'99), I'll tell you that it's all true. In fact, many farmers would implore us with beckoning waves to maneuver onto their fields so they could claim a years worth of crops from the maneuver damage officer. I saw cars crushed, curbs destroyed, bridges nearly collapsed, and small walls crumbled. But when the big wall fell it seemed to have been worth it all.

[pmanton]

Memories of Reforger :-)

[gwb123]

Great pics Gil. I recall an ex US tanker telling me that whenever they went on maneuvers in W.Germany, there was always an officer following the convoy in a Jeep specifically to deal with compensation claims by German residents whose property was inevitably damaged whilst the vehicles were passing through their villages. He said it was not uncommon for walls and fences to be demolished and for parked cars to acquire a dent or two!!

 

Chickens....

 

If a US vehicle ran over a chicken, we not only paid for the chicken, but all of the eggs it would have produced in it's lifetime, the eggs it's progeny would have produced, and the following generation as well. Hopefully it would only be one of them (or a rooster... they were somewhat cheaper...). Hitting a flock of them really drove up the price.

 

The worst thing I personally saw was an M88 recovery vehicle on the autobahn. The Germans used ot have these black and white marker poles about every 10 meters and a meter tall. I think they were to mark the edge of the road in the fog or snow, as well as the depth of the snow. Anyway, this king of the oversized vehicles was not judging the edge of the road very well... I was following in a jeep and watched as for several miles the M88 rolled over and flattened these poles into mush. There was no safe way to pull them over so we just watched them until they exited the highway. I tried right then and there to raise our damage control officers, but of course I couldn't get them on the radio.

 

At a higher level, when we planned exercises, there was a budget set aside for maneuver damage costs. Estimates were based on weather, soil conditions, crops in the field, etc. If something changed, like the ground not freezing and being able to withstand the weight of tanks, sometimes the entire exercise was cancelled.

[gwb123]

Gil,

 

Nothing better than taking a company of Bradleys, each weighing 27 tons, screaming down the Autobahn at 40 MPH!

 

I can only imagine! Some of the German and French wheeled recon vehicles also moved pretty fast down the road... it was intimidating to be passed by one of those on a two lane country road in my little lime green VW Scirocco. Almost endedup in ditch one day, courtesy of the French Army!

[gwb123]

...... But when the big wall fell it seemed to have been worth it all.

 

Couldn't agree with you more!

[gwb123]

Found this in the files tonight from a 1970's recruiting brochure... look how nice and clean everybody is! And how wide the roads are!

 

Below that... a road sign most Americans have not seen on their highways...

[gwb123]

Of course, if we put one out on display, people were all over it.

 

This is from a Baumholder Family Day, probably in 1981. Most of these folks are probably US dependents, but I'd imagine there were some locals there as well.

 

One wonders how much of the vehicle still functioned after such events. Note the weary crewman sitting on the front fender.

[gwb123]

Okay.. no tanks in this one, but this most likely staged photo from a recruiting brochure illustrates a very real traffic situation one could encounter in the country villages or out in the hillsides.

 

A friend of mine almost plowed into a herd of these critters with her POV coming around a curve in a forest road... took 15 min. for them to get out of the way... not a good thing when you are trying to get to work on time. The shepherd just smiled at her...silly American!

 

Behind the jeep it looks like an infamous Gamma Goat with an electronics shelter and an antenna folded down on the front of it.

[Johan Willaert]

Talking about road damage, in 1987 I spent an entire three week FTX putting up signs to indicate dirty/damaged roads and keeping records of them to establish compensation later on...

The amount of mud a tank battalion can leave behind on the roads once they get out of the fields in the fall is just mindblowing...

[Sabrejet]

Johan...that's why "War & Peace" was in the balance this time last year. The UK had suffered a week of exceptionally heavy rainfall ahead of the show. The organizers and the local roads/highways people were very concerned about safety issues because of the amount of mud the many tracked vehicles and military trucks would deposit on the surrounding public roads. In the event, as you know, the weather conditions improved and the show went ahead as planned!