Osnabruck. 1960 - 62

This continues my first post of yesterday. So what about Osnabruck, well it was my first post outside of UK after time in Deepcut, Arborfield and Gosport. I went to 16/5 QRL LAD REME as LAD Clerk. Despite horrors such as the 2.00am to 4.00 am stag on guard at the regimental petrol point in -20C with 4 layers of clothes on, I loved it. The Regiment were great and were very good towards the LAD and other attached people.
During exercises I was EME's radio operator, cramped into the back of his Champ with a C42 set and an old C19 set.
Of course there was always the hilarious action going on. We all remember the day a very green 2Lt ordered his Centurion Driver to carry straight on through the "big puddle". Some puddle! it was the Mitteland Canal at Achmer. It took 3 full days to recover, then spent 1000 man hours at 23 Base Wksp at Hamm.
I can remember the secret goings on in C Squadrons tank shed one weekend when my pal Woody Woodward (later a mechanic with Gloucestershire police), me and a forgotten man, wrapped a block and tackle around the gun of a Cent. in order to remove the massive engine from my 1952 Borgward Pullman Fast-Back (worth a fortune now). This massive beast later failed on a hill near Braunlage in the Harz with 5 of us aboard on the way to a weekend of booze and general debauchery when a half-shaft failed. You can't believe the methods we employed to entice the Morris 1 ton Water Truck to get out of barracks and do a 100 mile return journey, with the beast on tow for the return.
I got "removed" from the happy Lancers at the end of '62 because of an irretrievable breakdown in relations between me and Sgt Rogers (the barsteward) which culminated in me swinging a floor bumper in the direction of his head. I was saved from a murder charge by Cpl. Swampy Waterland, thanks mate!
After I had done my 1 week CB (yes only 7 days - mitigating circumstances and all that) I was posted to 11 Inf Wksp REME at Minden in Westminster Barracks. Here things changed drastically for the good for me, I'll give you a flavour of life in Minden next time.

Any pics of your time in Traz?

Hi Recymech. Yes got loads all black and white. Unfortunately I am in Qatar now and will not be back in UK until August next year.
All my photos are in storage, I even have some from the REME Junior Leaders School at Deepcut before the move to Arborfield, this was back in 1957/58.
My colour photos started in Berlin and have some great shots of both the town and military affairs.
I also have some slides of Bavaria and Berlin of really good quality and still have all the original films kept in sealed tubes.
I guess when I get back to UK my first 6 months will be spent downloading to this site, but first will have to digitalise most.
If I can afford it I might get them all done professionally as prints to CD or DVD. Who were you with in Osna.

Malaboman,

Look foward to one day seeing your photos on this site on your return, I spent five years attached to 4th Regt RA in Roberts Barracks, I absolutely loved Osnabruck and really miss the place, I can't believe that it's all gone now, such a shame the best years of my Army career so far. Now serving in Cyprus but hopefully return to Germany after this 2 year holiday then we'll be able to visit Traz on the weekends especially at Xmas for the Christmas market. I have loads of pics of the place and I really must get them uploaded.

Hi recymech
In my days Osnabruck was not a good place to be. Although the war had been over for 15 years there was still a substantial number of ex-nazis about. Very large areas of the city were out of bounds and it really was dodgy if you managed to find yourself in some of the boozers there.
Two Osnabruck snippets for you.
1. Why did the 11th Hussars never get posted there post-war?
Answer. When Osnabruck was occupied in 45 they had a ceremonial handing over to the Brits by the Burgomeister. The Hussars came into town in their tanks headed by the Colonel, as he approached the dias he was shot dead by a sniper from the gigantic concrete bunker in the city centre. The Hussars nearly went beserk and the place was in chaos for 3 days before calm was restored.
Incidentally I guess the concrete bunker is still there, they said they could not blow it up as half the town would have gone with it and left it to deteriorate over a 200 year period.

2. The 3rd Carbineers who were in Osnabruck before the 16/5th had some lads badly beaten up in said dodgy pubs. Some nights later some of their lads got well oiled, broke into the ammo store for some bagged charge, got into a Cent and drove it down town chased by lots of Politzei and RMP.
After slithering round the icy cobbles they got to the pub, put in the bagged charge and a 7 lb tin of POM powder, which fits nicely down a 105mm barrel, then let fly.
There were injuries in the pub but none fatal. The lads responsible got 56 days in Colchester and were forever more Regimental heroes. True by the way.

Not to take you away from Germany to much but the above reminds me of a dodgy pub in Winnipeg Manitoba. The PPCLI had a couple of lads put in the hospital from there. In true infantry style the pub was rushed, cleaned out and the lads went out the back door. 2 minutes later they were back in true infantry style again to mop up and continued out the front door. Oddly enough the Wpg. police never really pushed the investigation to hard.

Malaboman,

2 excellent stories there, bet it was very different in the wild old day's. Things like that would never happen in this day and age lol.