Celebrating 80 years of partnership with German allies in Baumholder

The 16th Sustainment Brigade together with the City of Baumholder organized a celebration in Baumholder, March 18, commemorating 80 years of partnership between the U.S. military and the Baumholder community. The event featured a joint military parade with U.S. and German Soldiers.

The parade was led by the commander of the 16th Sustainment Brigade, Col. Matthew Alexander, City Mayor Günther Jung, District Mayor Bernd Alsfasser, Col. Olaf Tuneke, Commander of the German Artillery School, and Capt. Frank Zimmer deputy Commander of the Baumholder Military Training Area along with the U.S. Army Europe and Africa Marching Band, honoring the enduring friendship between the two nations.

They marched through the city from the Main Gate to the Brühl Stadion. It was a parade the kind of which had not been seen in the streets of Baumholder since the 1960s. Hundreds of spectators lined the roadside and celebrated the soldiers. Students at the local Elementary School (Grundschule Westrich) cheered them on from the schoolyard with handmade German and U.S. flags.

At the Brühl Stadion the Soldiers lined up, the band played the German and U.S., national anthem and the commander of the 16th Sustainment Brigade, Col. Alexander, gave a short but emotional speech, thanking the numerous Baumholder residents and visitors who had followed the parade formation for their decades of unique friendship. “We’re not just looking back; we’re also looking forward to where we’re going,” said Col. Alexander.

“Baumholder is not only one of the largest U.S. Military bases in Europe, but also unique,” he emphasized. Over 80 years, a mutual partnership has developed, they have come together, and lasting friendships have developed. This is mainly due to the citizens of the city and the two mayors in the city and the district, the U.S. commander stated and exclaimed: “Thank you for your hospitality!”

Mayor Günther Jung then took a brief look at history and March 18, 1945, when the first U.S. soldiers entered the city, while most Baumholder residents waited in fear and uncertainty for the foreign soldiers and held out in their cellars. But, there was also a sense of relief. The Wehrmacht had planned to delay the advance of the Americans in the area of Baumholder for a long time. Anti-tank ditches were dug out, and anti-tank guns were brought into position. The Infantry received anti-tank weapons.

Fortunately, there was a turn of the tide. Just in time, German soldiers withdrew towards Kusel and the Glantal valley, so Baumholder was saved from large battle actions. U.S. soldiers of the 302nd Infantry Regiment of the 94th Infantry Division arrived on March 18, 1945, at about 3 p.m. in Baumholder and the people got to see people with dark skin for the first time. The residents, dominantly female, were afraid. Intimidated by the propaganda of the Nazi regime, thoughts arose such that they will shoot us now and the dark soldiers are man-eaters and will harm us. However, this uncertainty quickly turned into a close bond, because they weren’t just handing out chewing gum and chocolate which quickly made the U.S. troops popular; they also kept order in an uncertain time.

Upon order of the American command, German groups had to fill in the tank ditches. The abandoned ammunition was gathered and sunk into the Baumholder lake. The residents had to turn in weapons of all types, binoculars, cameras, typewriters, radios and clocks. Street signs were dismantled, and houses and apartments were requisitioned and quartered by American soldiers. Wine that was stored in the basements and hard liquor were desired spoils. Therefore, it happened that soldiers had slept on a bed-couch in a requisitioned apartment for some weeks without knowing that there were 30 bottles of wine inside of it. After the release of the dwelling, it was a great joy for the owner.

Many Baumholder residents regretted the fact that the U.S. presence ended for the time being in July 1945. However, the U.S. soldiers returned in 1951 as the Cold War escalated – and have remained to this day. “I hope they stay for many more decades,” said Jung at the end of his speech and thanked Col. Alexander for organizing this parade. The idea was initiated by Melanie and Bernd Mai, who suggested the commemorative march through the city to Col. Alexander and were paramount in the organization.