German Army Ski Training

In Winter 60/61 a bunch of intrepid fools volunteered to go skiing with the Bundeswehr. At that time the British Army had about zero ski clothes rather off-white cotton smock and trousers and skis about 9 feet long.
After a very long train trip we reached Sonthofen in Bavaria, then a German truck to the village of Tiefenbach. We then walked 5 miles UP all the way. Our instructor was Willy a grizzled old Staff Sergeant who had forgotten more about skiing than most champions. We fell down a lot!
We had no hot water! Willy took us to the pub, great going down but try it coming back up when you are legless, you find out who your mates are then. It certainly was better than Osnabruck.
In summer 2008 my family and I went from Qatar to the REME hotel in Wertach (Yes! it is still open) and after a very long search, due to the fact that in a 20 mile radius there are 3 Tiefenbachs, I found the pub, unfortunately the track up the mountain to the hut is now walkers only, so did not make it. The pub is now a very sleazy "Western Saloon" place, which in those parts means that at night it is full of "night fighters".
In Wertach there is now a winter ski centre still used by the few lads left in Germany as well as UK - based people, its a great place for a holiday.

Does any one remember the Winter training camp in Silberhutte near Braunlage. usually one week Down hill and ten one week langlauf... usually 4 days living in snowhouses. was there feb 69 and it was -10 to -15 .. hard times but looking back enjoyed it. this years winter brought back the memories.

Hi Relay, Went there in 1971 as I recall. I believe it was down the road from St Andreasburg. I seem to remember a place called Twelfh House somewhere around the area? It's a few years ago,so I might be wrong.

Relay 69, lots of guys from Osnabruck used to go to Silberhutte, our trip to Tiefenbach was a regimental thing. From the tank barracks in Osnabruck we used to drive in one of the lad's cars (58 Taunus) all the way to Braunlage and have some very lively weekends there, great place and is now very touristy.
Couple of coincidences here; My UK house is located along the road to Killinghall from your old barracks in Harrogate, it is now an Army Foundation College with fabulous accommodation for the yougsters. You may be pleased to know that the town of Harrogate has permanently recognised their relationship with R. Sigs. Very close to the war memorial in town, opposite Betty's is a stone plinth and metal plaque in honour and recognition of the many thousands of R Sigs personnel who served in Harrogate.

Where were you in Sharjah? T.O.S. or the RAF base? There is very little left now though last time I was there a short stretch of the main road from Dubai to Sharjah was part of the original runway, Sharjah and Dubai are now built up to a level you would not believe.

Yes Malaboman Harrogate was a Good time but so was shajah we were withh 222 sigs and adjacent to the RAF with the Guards ,Engineers etc only 9 months but very interesting having wrecked a rover on ex and having only 48 hours to do it up again for the next Ex what a job slept 18 hours after that.

I was wandereing off the topic St andreasburg thats where we went downhill and if I remember rightly there were Norwegan trainers as well as German.
I arrived with a group by train I think it was a narrow guage thing with a bell ringing on the Loc. after disembarking ( around 2200) at the station it was like a film set. agroup of soldiers forming up into troops on the platform, which was covered in snow slight snowfall large flakes in the lights of the station and this steam locomotive slowly hissing at a standstill with its bell slowly ringing. with the odd command being bellowed out.... weierd ..

at st andreasberg eating Bockwurst in the breaks between runs..

I went to Silberhutte 3 years on the run, great place, great ski-ing in a beautiful area of the country. Also had some great nights in St Andreasberg.

There's a couple of pics on my site of guys at St.Andraesburg, Harz in Jan/Feb 1962.

http://www.redcap70.net/1Corps(3).html/index.html

FrankBaron22 & 23.

If there is a link problem-go to 1 Corps album 3 photos 22 & 23.

I was at the tin city that was Silberhutte in 1959-1961, as the medic from 7 Fld Amb in Osnabruck, we had to defume our selves every morning as the pot belled stoves put as much smoke in the room as it did up the chimeny, but a great time was had by all,
Going on about Osnabruck as my kids live there I was there last month and if any one wants to see photos of Roberts ,Blacker ,Belfast Barracks or what is left of them I will forward them if you PM me .
Does any one remember the Gastate Muller just up the hill from the camp, I used to rent a room there at week ends for the family so we could have plenty of time ski-ing

Brian

malaboman wrote:

In Winter 60/61 a bunch of intrepid fools volunteered to go skiing with the Bundeswehr. At that time the British Army had about zero ski clothes rather off-white cotton smock and trousers and skis about 9 feet long.
After a very long train trip we reached Sonthofen in Bavaria, then a German truck to the village of Tiefenbach. We then walked 5 miles UP all the way. Our instructor was Willy a grizzled old Staff Sergeant who had forgotten more about skiing than most champions. We fell down a lot!
We had no hot water! Willy took us to the pub, great going down but try it coming back up when you are legless, you find out who your mates are then. It certainly was better than Osnabruck.
In summer 2008 my family and I went from Qatar to the REME hotel in Wertach (Yes! it is still open) and after a very long search, due to the fact that in a 20 mile radius there are 3 Tiefenbachs, I found the pub, unfortunately the track up the mountain to the hut is now walkers only, so did not make it. The pub is now a very sleazy "Western Saloon" place, which in those parts means that at night it is full of "night fighters".
In Wertach there is now a winter ski centre still used by the few lads left in Germany as well as UK - based people, its a great place for a holiday.

Just come back from Wertach we stayed in the Drei Mühlen Lodge for the week, great time I love Bavaria. Even had time to pop into the REME hotel for a few pints.

HQ 20 Bde had the use of a ski hut (Actually a rather nice barn) in silberhutte, I went on Snow Queen every year, it was great fun, we had an exchange soldier from 21 Panzer in Augustdorf as one of our Instructors. Good times.

jim wrote:

HQ 20 Bde had the use of a ski hut (Actually a rather nice barn) in silberhutte, I went on Snow Queen every year, it was great fun, we had an exchange soldier from 21 Panzer in Augustdorf as one of our Instructors. Good times.

Snow Queen was great when you could get on it. That's when i decided i wanted to take skiing further and try to become an Instructor. Joined the Army in 1987 and finally made it to JSSI(A) in 2005. And it wasn't down to me not trying....lol

But seriously and on a sadder note I remember at one time All the Corps and even some Regiments had Ski lodges in Bavaria. I think most of them are gone now. Visited the reme 1 before i left Germany and also used the Joint Service Ski Centre.

Anyone know how many Corps Lodges are left.

our regiment hired a hotel in a place called hinang, near to obersdorf for 4-5 months each year. loverly place & often think of going back.......happy days.

reg

My wife tells the story (and she'd kill me if she saw this) about the time she was in Germany visiting a friend she knew from her student nursing days at Guy's Hospital who was now an MO at BMH Hannover.

In the course of the visit she was persuaded go with them to the Harz Mountains to try skiing, an undertaking she aproached with considerable foreboding. Things went pretty well as expected as she wound up in a heap half way down what she thought was a deserted hill.

As she lay there trying to gather herself together, she saw to her horror a bunch of small bushes suddenly rise out of the ground and begin to ski toward her in single file. Turns out the "bushes" were American soldiers on a skiing excercise. As each man passed her they would look down at her and say with typical American politeness: Howdy, Ma`m.

LOL recce, I love it.

The 20 Bde one was near silberhutte I think

I was at Silberhutte in the winter of 1963-64. I really wanted some 'sport' ski training but my Regiment (R. Signals) put me down for the Winter Warfare Training. I was the only voulunteer from the unit and having been duly kitted out with all the white goods including real string vests set off by train. The Admin had not read the joining instructions properly so I did not arrive with all the other volunteers but individually on the narrow gauge railway right into a timber yard just round the corner from the training centre. It was b. cold and very cramped. This was my first experience of joining in with whole companies of infantry including RWF who all stuck together like glue and it took a few days to settle in. As previously mentioned by others the first week was basic training but then it got interesting with lots of cross country and overnight stays under bivouacs on ground sheets of pine fronds. At one stage near Torfaus we were very close, it seemed, to the IGB and the tower of the 'Brocken' seemed very close.

I remember a 'tea dance' on Sunday afternoon which seemed to be popular with the local girls who did not seem to mind dancing with loads of temporarily liberated squaddies who had been deprived of civilised company for some weeks.

My lasting memory is of the train back to my unit at the end of the training. As usual from Hannover we all went our separate ways and I was on a train going Westwards full of Bundeswehr National Servicemen celebrating their Demob! That was a booze up to remember and I was included as I was in uniform and they tried to teach me all their 'demob' songs. The Oompah Oompah beat was of heavily booted feet stamping on the coach floor. I suspect it may have needed more than cleaning after that trip.

I was later stationed near the Harz and used to visit regularly in summer for picnics. In fact I was there last week and managed to get to the top of the Brocken and look back towards St. Andreasburg and Torfaus. It all looks so much nicer in summer. Last year in March it was more like my original memories, cold wet and snowing hard. Luckily I was in a nice airconditioned car rather than in the back of a draughty Bedford 3 tonner.

we did not have to volunteer for ski training , we were sent to winterburg for a couple of months whether we wanted to or not, it was winter of 57,top brass decided that the raoc bods of rhine sub depot viersen should go to winterburg , learn to ski. and frighten the life out of the russians, what a joke, we were billeted in a nissen hut , one pot bellied stove for heating hells bells it was narf cold at night, , no ski lifts for us , we struggled up every slope ,then struggled down again . even the local little kids made us look silly , i should imagine the russian high command were trembling , not with fear . just peeing themselves with laughter, mountain troops we were not, bloody good at bull though, ginger,

Loved our version of snow queen.....Franski..............all the way to Murnau near Munchen....only supposed to be for a week......nobody else wanted to go......the only thing I volunteered for that worked out right...6 weeks of skiing . boozing.yank bashing........... fraternizer with the local German girls who loved us brits

my name is Alan(cliff)Durden. LCpl RASC then RCT. serving in Bielefeld
I was at Winterberg and Silberhutte in winter of 1964 and 65 went on the 3-week course, then stayed on as a ski instructor for the rest of the two seasons . .
I sacked the white smock and Combat Suit for proper ski pants blue/white and red/white ski jumpers with RASC Ski instructor badge on the front(at Winterburg and Silberhutte , then RCT ski instructor badge at Hintersein) and thick Blue ski jacket and ski boots and used 165 ski and bindings, (a lot easier than the 6 ft planks the winter training centre provided).I had acting rank of Sgt for the next two seasons (3 months at a time), then went to Hinterstien in Bavaria, in 1967,68, and 69.
I enjoyed every minute of it on the piste (downhill) skiing and langlauf (cross country) If anyone remembers me shout out. I can remember Jim Danton (L/Cpl on the RCT Ski team), Bronco Lane (Cpl RCT Ski team),2/LT Simms (RCT Ski team), and chalky white (Dvr on the RCT team, Langlauf) in Hinterstein in Feb 1969. I have some pics somewhere, if I can find them.
.I used to teach the OC's Wife and kids to ski as well, what a doddle, with a big bundle of ski lift tickets then off to Oberjock (on the Austrian border) for the day, skiing and drinking hot chocolate.
cheers.