Grafenwöhr

Grafenwöhr is a town in the district Neustadt (Waldnaab), in the region of the Upper Palatinate (German: Oberpfalz) in eastern Bavaria, Germany. It is widely known for the United States Army military installation and training area, called Grafenwöhr Training Area, located directly south and west of the town.

History

Early History

The town was founded in the 9th century on an island between the river Creussen and the Thum stream. During its early days, the inhabitants and town belonged to nobles from Schweinfurt, Bamberg, and Leuchtenberg. Originally called Weit, the name changed to Wöhr (island). The name, Grafenwöhr, means Counts' Island. This area was very swampy and Grafenwöhr was on an island. The land was drained for agricultural use.

20th century

In 1907, Prince Luitpold, regent of the Kingdom of Bavaria, selected the area near Grafenwöhr as the place best suited for training of the Bavarian Army. Construction began in 1908 and by 1915, the training reservation covered an area of 37 square miles (96 km²). The first artillery round was fired in the training area at 0800 hours on June 30, 1910. Throughout World War I, from 1914-1918, the area was used for training and equipping of combat units. After the end of the war, the Berlin High Command used Grafenwöhr Training area for the 100,000 man German army. In 1936, the training area was expanded to the present size of 90 square miles (230 km²). On 5 and 8 April 1945, the camp and town were subjected to Allied air raids. On 20 April 1945, the last German Commander of the training area surrendered to the American forces. After World War II it became an important Cold War training site for the United States Army and allied forces. Many German Bundeswehr units still use the training area for maneuver and live-fire weapons training.

Post Cold War

The military installation is also home to one of the largest Army construction projects in Europe, called Efficient Basing-Grafenwöhr. The Grafenwöhr Training Area houses the 7th Army Joint Multinational Training Command (JMTC). The 7th Army JMTC owns almost all of the U.S. Army training facilities and assets in Europe. The Grafenwöhr Training Area is one of its largest training areas and includes ranges where almost all weapons systems from small arms, tanks, artillery pieces, guided munitions, and other military apparatus may be tested by warriors who may use them in combat. Though owned by the U.S. Army, the area is the largest multinational training area in Europe. Grafenwöhr, also known as the East Camp, is the main post and is located on the north east edge of the training area. The Vilseck military community, also known as the South Camp, is on the southern boundary.

The Grafenwöhr Army Airfield provides safe orderly and expeditious air flow to all air traffic requesting services including but not limited C-130's from the 37th Airlift Squadron at Ramstein AB, Germany. The airfield is manned 24 hrs a day by advisory services and at a minimum from 8 am to 5 pm by air traffic controllers both in a control tower and an approach control. Due to its length and relative proximity to the JMTC training area, it makes for a realistic simulation of short field operations encountered around the world. Bunker dropzone is also located within the Grafenwöhr Training Area. It is used to practice airdrop of troops, equipment, and supplies.

Tenant Units

• 7th U.S. Army Joint Multinational Training Command
• 7th Warrior Transition Battalion
• 18th CSSB
• 7th Weather Squadron
• 535th Engineer Company
• 12th Chemical Company
• 69th Signal Battalion
• 709th Military Police Battalion
  • 615th Military Police Company
    • 512th Military Police Augmentation Platoon
    • 514th Military Police Augmentation Platoon
• 172nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team
  • 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment
  • 3rd Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment.
  • E Troop, 5th Cavalry Regiment
  • 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment
  • 57th Signal Company
  • 504th MI Company

Former Units

• B/25 FA (TAB)

Geography

The civilian town of Grafenwöhr rests nestled between low hills. The area is widely forested and the nearby region is mostly used for agricultural purposes. Farms and dairies cover much of the surrounding landscape. Grafenwöhr is positioned geographically such that it experiences very mild summers and cold winters.

Sports

• Soccer. SV Grafenwöhr. The adults and children mostly all are in either the Kreisliga or Bezirksoberliga.^[2]
• Fishing. The area around Grafenwöhr is excellent for fishing. There are many lakes on the training area and the surrounding area that are fished. Common fish landed in the area are Carp, Pike, Rainbow Trout, and Brown Trout.
• Hunting. The area around Grafenwöhr is heavily forested and provides for excellent hunting. Wild boar (wildschwein), roe deer (reh) and red deer (Rotwild) are the most commonly hunted animals.
• Other. The U.S. Military hosts a wide variety of sports within the boundaries of the camps.

Transport

• Road. Grafenwöhr is located along Bundesstrasse B299. Civilian transportation to, from, in, and around Grafenwöhr is limited to the automobile. There are a limited number of taxi and bus services available.
• Rail. The only railroad in Grafewöhr is strictly for military use and transport only. However, there are several rail stations nearby where civilian passenger trains run. The closest Bahnhofs (rail stations) are Pressath, Schwarzenbach, Freihung, and Vilseck.
• Air.The only airfield in Grafenwöhr is strictly for military use and transport only. The closest international airport is located in Nuremberg, approximately 90 kilometers away.

VIPs and Important Visitors

• Prince Luitpold, selected area to become a military training area.
• Elvis Presley, while he was doing his military service. (He also visited various bars in town where he sang one song or another.)
• Adolf Hitler, visited the training area several times during WWII and even gave speeches from the water tower.

Media

Armed Forces Network (AFN) Bavaria broadcasts from the Grafenwöhr Training Area. grafenwoehr.com provides news, shopping, dining and other information about the Grafenwohr area. The Bavarian is a military newspaper for the Grafenwöhr Training Area

Photo gallery

References

External links

• English website of Grafenwöhr
• Bob Decker's site includes a couple of stylized maps showing Graf
• 7th Army JMTC website
  • Grafenwöhr the home of the U.S. Seventh Army for 60 years
• "Elvis in der Oberpfalz" (german)