Helmstedt

Where 246 Provost det of 2 RMP used to be stationed. They controlled all the military traffic to Berlin. They had a small camp including a NAAFI roadhouse just off the autobahn.

Can anyone add to this please?
Camp name?
Pics?

Thank you

ACD Helstedt as it is today. Or at least when the satellite pictues were taken, which I am sure was after it was handed back to the germans

http://tinyurl.com/2gxgsg

Note to S/Sgt Mike Bolland,I have two fotos of freinds from the Naafi unit.I would like to download them but how do do it? You probably would know them.If so I would like to have their names.I was at the Helmstedt Detachment from 1960 to 1962,the last year as Operation Sgt. my email is <<alk.ger@arcor.de Both of the fotos show me with these two men.

As for that question of where that unit was statoned.It could only be at the Alpha Checkpoint by Helmstedt.The MP´s worked along with the American MPs and the Gendarmes from France. I was one of the MPs from America.

I can remember going through there a few times.

The most memorable were when I travelled to Poland to visit my wifes relatives. The Brit side was ok but when I got to the East German side we used to be kept waiting for hours while they checked the passports.

So, ianr...when did you travel to Poland?

In the 70's Canadian personnel were forbidden to travel into the east sector, for obvious reasons.

My parents did go to Berlin for a weekend but they flew in via Templehof and were restricted to the American/British sectors. They did visit Checkpoint Charlie, of course (how could they not??) but weren't able to get any closer to the Eastern Sector than the observation towers allowed.

Post Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War would of course probably free up such restrictions considerably, but I am still surprised NATO troops were able to travel into Bloc countries, unless of course by then Poland was no longer part of the Bloc and it was post-reunification so simply a matter of driving through German territory (all the same by then) and into Poland.

I would have loved to have visited Prague but of course when I was there, that was impossible.

My first trip was in 1979 whan I was stationed in Hannover and I went a further 4 times after that before the Wall came down.
It was quite a performance to get permission to go, especially the first time.
I remember being interviewed by the Int Corps prior to going and I obviously could not not take anything that identified me as military although the East German and Polish authorities knew who I was as I had to apply for visa's.
We were kept waiting at the East German 'Marienborn' side of the checkpoint for about 3 hours after our passports had been taken from us through a small letter box size opening in the building.
Our son who was 3 at the time was fast asleep on the back seat as it was in the early hours.
An East German guard kept walking round the car all this time.
It was quite an eerie experience.

I have also been several time since the wall came down, the first just 4 months after the event and that was pretty strange as well.

Helmstedt,
Can remember well the crossing point.In the late 50s our Armd Car Troop had a narrow escape when we accidently crossed the border in a fog,and the first village we came to all the villagers come dashing out thinking we had come to liberate them!Those Daimlers certainly showed their merit on the return journey!
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Don

donald wrote:

Helmstedt,
Can remember well the crossing point.In the late 50s our Armd Car Troop had a narrow escape when we accidently crossed the border in a fog,and the first village we came to all the villagers come dashing out thinking we had come to liberate them!Those Daimlers certainly showed their merit on the return journey!
------
Don

Eheheheheh...I think I've mentioned the story about back when the Berlin Wall went up (1961/62), DND in it's infinite wisdom thought it worthwhile to do a 'dry run' evacuation drill of military personnel and their families in the event the Russians did invade. Not a bad idea....in theory.

Thing is, some Einstein forgot to inform the local civilian authorities so when various deuce-and-a-halfs (Canadian lorries) pulled up to various locations out on the economy to collect us all (and us kids all had tags on with daddy's name, rank, and serial number), the local German population believed there was an actual invasion occurring and raced after the departing deuce-and-a-halfs desperately trying to clamber on board. Absolute mayhem! Funny in retrospect, but at the time terrifying for them, no doubt!

I was at ACD Helstedt from 69-72 ish. Staffing was Maj (OC), SSgt plus othe Lcpls & Cpls all RMP. There was a SSgt , Ordinance Corps Russian interpreter, 1 Signals Cpl. The rest were German civilians. ACD moved premises while I was there, can't remember the year though. It was based right next to the Autobahn where the service station is now I guess. It was an old farmhouse type building that housed offices on the ground floor and staff acc on 2nd. The cellar was for whatever Signals did! There was a large garage that housed a Magirus D 27 ton recovery vehicle, a couple of land rovers, an Opel Kapitan, plus my favourite a couple of old 250 BMW bikes that we could bomb off on off road. There was a few other prefab buildings that were used as acc and mess. There was also the NAAFI roadhouse which was very popular. I don't have any photos sadly.

Thanks Brian. That's just how I remember it, I especially remember the bus as I wrote it off when collecting it from REME workshops in Berlin!

Ray i have These in my collcetion

And another 2 of mine

That's cool Brian. Thanks. Were you at Helmstedt? I was there 69- 72. Most of my time there was in the old premises in the photo above, then final year in the posh new building with single rooms with ensuite.

I was at Helmstedt in the summer of 1974, when I took over the duties of the REME Sgt whilst he was on a course. There were two REME personnel, Sgt and Cpl. Our vehicles were 1 x Magirus Deutz recovery wagon, and a Landrover and flatbed trailer for smaller casualties. My abiding memory of a recovery was when an American Express 38 Tonne Artic broke down in the middle of the Elbe Bridge.
When I got out of the vehicle and touched the ground, I could hardly stand. The road bounced up and down by about 30cm. The crew had forgotten to refuel before they left Helmstedt, so I had to tow them back to their compound in Helmstedt. It was a German Bank Holiday, and when we reached the border, the civilian German cars coming out for the holiday were queuing up at the border post as only Germans can. When I hit the blue lights and sirens, it was like something out of the Keystone Kops, as they struggled to open up the centre lane of the autobahn, as the law stated. 64 tonne of vehicle and casualty bearing down on them, soon made them respect the law. It was pleasant posting.

RayThwaites wrote:

That's cool Brian. Thanks. Were you at Helmstedt? I was there 69- 72. Most of my time there was in the old premises in the photo above, then final year in the posh new building with single rooms with ensuite.

Hi Ray
i was not in the Army, but i worked for the army. was with the MSO as a dog handler in Hameln were i live ,my father was in Berlin with the 1st Border Regiment which became the Kings Own Royal Border Regiment in 1959 ,i was born there BMH Berlin..
because of this i collect anything to do with the British Army in Berlin..as you can see ,a few of my Berlin Plaques ..

Thanks Brian

Brian,

thanks for uploading the article of “SOLDIER”. I would like to know what year it was written. I am interested in all matters regarding the four power agreement of Berlin. That includes of course the checkpoints Alpha, Bravo and Charlie.

Wolfgang

Hi Wolfgang ..
I will try and find out when it was printed ..I had the magazine but sold it with a lot more others  ...I scanned the article but the date is not on there .. but it must be from about the 60s...

i was at Helmstedt from June 1958 to December 1960 it was 247 Berlin provost company then I was the driver of the 6x4 scammell in the picture cpl PaddyCarruthers was the reme mechanic there were 2 rmp cpls and 12 or so l/cplls plus Capt Rushbey and s/s walsh and a l/cpl medic, cook was a german called lofty and a female we called frau hips .2 German drivers 1 petrol pump attendant 2-3 watchman on the gate plus the naffi staff. I was allso the film projectionist

Hi jimpan,

when you was with the 247th in Berlin did you had something to do with the checkpoints Bravo and Charlie?

Wolfgang

HI Wolfgang i used to recover any uk, usa, Frech milatery who brokedown on autobahn to or from
Berlin so yes i had something to do with checkpoint at Helmsted
jimpan

Hi jimpan,

I understand, you operated from your base Helmstedt.
Brought you the broken vehicles always back to Helmstedt or also to Berlin
depending of the distance?

Wolfgang