Coleman Kaserne

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Coleman Kaserne (original German name: Panzerjäger Kaserne) was a United States Army base located in the German city of Gelnhausen, located in the state of Hessen. Coleman Kaserne should not be confused with the U.S. Army "Coleman Barracks" which is located in Mannheim.

Built for the Wehrmacht, construction of the base was started in 1933 and completed in 1936. It was the garrison of the Wehrmacht's 9th Anti-Tank Battalion (Panzer-Abwehrabteilung 9, abbreviated as PzAbwAbt 9). Part of the German 9th Infantry Division, PzAbwAbt 9 departed for the Western Front in September 1939 and never returned. The Kaserne was captured by the U.S. Army in 1945. Subsequently, the base was temporary home for Headquarters, 14th Armored Cavalry Regiment of the US Constabulary in the late 1940's. Coleman Kaserne received its name when the 4th ID occupied the Kaserne in 1951. The base was named Coleman Kaserne for a 4th Infantry Division soldier who had been killed in action during World War II.

Occupied by the 4th Infantry Division (4th ID) from 1951 to 1956, the 3rd Armored Division (3rd AD) moved into the Coleman Kaserne on 30 June 1956, replacing the 4th ID, which rotated to Fort Lewis, Washington. Coleman Kaserne was ultimately home to the 3rd AD's 2nd Brigade. 2nd Brigade was created in the 1963 ROAD conversion (ROAD: Reorganization Objective Army Division, an Army initiative to reorganize the structure of their divisions); this essentially renamed 3rd AD's previous command at the base, "Combat Command B". Initial ROAD-authorized battalions at Coleman Kaserne were 1st Battalion, 33rd Armor; 1st and 2nd Battalions, 48th Infantry (Mechanized); and the 2nd Battalion, 6th Field Artillery.

Following 3rd AD inactivation in 1992, the part of the Coleman Kaserne complex known as Coleman Village became a bedroom community for the 414th Base Support Battalion (BSB). Coleman Village then became quarters for married personnel and their families assigned to the 1st Armored Division's 1st Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment aka "The Blackhawk Squadron", located at Armstrong Barracks in Büdingen. Shortly thereafter, however, Coleman Kaserne was returned to the German authorities and was temporarily used to house refugees seeking asylum.