How the Russians lived.

I'm putting up some pics of a old Russian camp south west of Berlin. This place was massive it was ment to have housed 3 Tank Bde, SAM Bde, Arty Bde and EW Regt. I felt tiny seeing this place.

This is where they limed Enemy at the gates.

Kavallerieschule Kaserne Krampnitz Berlin

Nice pics, but where is the NAAFI then?

Yes in 20023, we did a Trafalgar Coach Tour of Eastern Europe, kicking off in Frankfurt, then Berlin, (went to Potsdam), Warsaw, Krakow, Prague, Budapest. Saw a couple of old Army Camps around there, suffice to say, Russian Army Barracks were not 5 star.

We visited the Auschwitz 1 Camp and it was a Polish Army Barracks pre war, before the Germans made it a Concentration Camp. Then visited Auschwitz 2, the purpose built Concentration Camp, huts and complete with Gas Ovens. Moving visit.

Excellent photographs, Cleat. Photographs 2 and 3 remind me of the MQs in Dortmund-Barop in the early 70s!

As i was serving during the cold war, the east was not a real world for us.

Even the east germans where kind of evil in our opinions.

Later then, i saw ex-russian soldiers in Hannover that was in 1994, wearing cheap track suits selling self brewed wodka and vine.

I felt sorry for them.

My Father was a prisoner of 2nd WW in Russia ( he was only 16 then and they brought hi all the way from Königsberg to Tscheljabinsk) He was treated fine there and released as soon as possible.

Hi Uli,

Visited Brunswick when I was in Germany 1952-54 & 1962-6 but cannot say I remember any of the Brit soldiers stationed there.
Finally, when do you become a Feldwebel.

Jimsigs1

jimsigs1 wrote:

Hi Uli,

Visited Brunswick when I was in Germany 1952-54 & 1962-6 but cannot say I remember any of the Brit soldiers stationed there.
Finally, when do you become a Feldwebel.

Jimsigs1

Hi Jim,

You start as (deepending where you are : Jäger, Schütze, Grenadier = Infantry, armoured Units for Example) but thats all private ranks - then later it works out like this :

Gefreiter = Lance Corporal

Obergefreiter / Hauptgefreiter = Corporal

Unteroffizier ( Petty-Officer - not a warrant officer)

Feldwebel ( Oberfeldwebel, Hauptfeldwebel) - Seargeant, Staff Sergeant

Leutnannt (Oberleutnannt) Lieutenant

Hauptmann = Captain

Major = Major

Oberst = Colonoel


and then the list of generals in their different ranks.


cheers

Ulli

Your contributions are very interesting Ulli, keep up the good work please.

I have happy memories of Duisburg, Glamorgan Barracks, Wickrath, Rheindahlen, Witten and Wetter.

Hi Uli,

Thanks for the information on ranks etc. Talking about the General ranks, I have a copy uniform of Field Marshal Rommel complete with awards, medal ribbons, knights cross & Pour le Merit. All copies but non the less very impressive. Don't know why I have it. My Son and I decided a few years ago to obtain a uniform dress it up with the correct insignia, medal bars etc taken from photos. My Sister lives in Gersthofen, Bavaria (been there for some 30 years) and took me a couple of years ago to see Rommels grave just outside Ulm.

Jimsigs1

@ Goldmohur : thanks you :-) i try to get in contact with authorties of Waldkaserne, Hilden ( Ex St. David Barracks, Hilden) to see, if i can take some photos from inside.

@ Jimsigs : Rommel is one of the few, still having a proper reputation in this country.

Goldmohur wrote:

Your contributions are very interesting Ulli, keep up the good work please.

I have happy memories of Duisburg, Glamorgan Barracks, Wickrath, Rheindahlen, Witten and Wetter.

i sometimes find it funny, that there is only some germans, keeping an interest of the english soldiers and their families, living in germany for years and ages and - they have left alot of more than positive memories - i.e. the BFBS , like for me, growing up as a teenager in the 70ties, listening to this Radio-Station regulary - eagerly waiting for Peter Jones on a Saturday afternoon when it came to Football . I felt in love with Everton Football Club at this time and still love this club.

Or listening to John Peels Music - who was very popular here in germany by a lot of people - and of course listening to daily prgrammes and chit chats

At least, germans (west - germans) and english mixed, sometimes sharing a live in bars and pubs, i have no idea, how it worked out with the russians and east germans during the days, when massiv russian army was deployed to the east of germany - but i have to admit, that i was very impressed, the way, the russians performed, when they left germany :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUxsWqWUuBk


cheers

Ulli

Excellent videos Ulli, I had no idea that something of that nature existed.

Got to agree on that.

Seeing the pics of the various buildings left behind by the Russians....of course, I have no emotional connection to any of them, but they reminded me of the many similar places left to fall into ruin that were former Canadian and British facilities, both in North-Rhine Westphalia and down in around Lahr. It is such a shame.

While some of the former camps, etc. have been "re-tooled" and are now used for civilian purposes, most notably the camps in Deilinghofen and Hemer, many stand empty and moldering away.

I never really understood this. Here was this entire infrastructure in place with, by and large, well-built, solid buildings (especially those in the older camps, former German barracks, then, Canadian, then British or, in the case of Lahr, former German, then French, then Canadian) that could have been used for any number of things in a booming economy....offices, even housing with a bit of reconfiguring, small industrial shops and such....but instead were abandoned and left to rot, literally. Sad, yes, because when I see pics of the places in Werl and Soest and Iserlohn/Hemer and even Lahr they have an emotional connection for me, but also such a waste.

Now, I remember reading somewhere...I think on a Canadian Brat site I was a member of for a while....there were some issues re cost of purchase, title, etc. For instance, the Lahr Kaserne which housed not only barracks, but the school, the youth club, and some Married Quarters and related buildings (car pool etc) was turned down by the Lahr burghers because it would have been too expensive for them to lease/buy it from whoever it was who held the title on it. Complicated stuff from what I understand and yet I always assumed such properties actually belonged to, at least, the local government or the German Federal Gov't, and that we leased it....a 99 year lease sort of deal for pennies (I suppose that would be pfennigs or marks) a year then, upon us leaving or whatever, it'd revert to the "owners" to do with as they would. I guess they have; nothing!!!

Apparently, it wasn't just "our side" who experienced this abandonment of viable property, it would seem so did the Russkies!