Coleman Kaserne (original German name: ''Kaserne Gelnhausen'') was a
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
base located in the German city of
Gelnhausen
Gelnhausen () is a town, and the capital of the Main-Kinzig-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. It is located approximately 40 kilometers east of Frankfurt am Main, between the Vogelsberg mountains and the Spessart range at the river Kinzig (Main), Kinzig. ...
, located in the state of
Hessen
Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major historic cities are Da ...
. Coleman Kaserne should not be confused with the U.S. Army "
Coleman Barracks
Coleman Barracks/Coleman Army Airfield (ICAO: ETOR) is a United States Army military installation located in the Sandhofen district of Mannheim, Germany. It is assigned to U.S. Army, Europe (USAREUR) and administered by the U.S. Army Installat ...
" which is located in
Mannheim
Mannheim (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (), is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, second-largest city in Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, the States of Ger ...
.
Kaserne
''Kaserne'' is a loanword taken from the German word ' (plural: '), which means "barracks". It is the typical term used when naming the garrison location for American and Canadian forces stationed in Germany. American forces were also sometimes ho ...
is a German word for barracks.
History
Built for the
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
, construction of the base was started in 1933 and completed in 1936. It was the garrison of the Wehrmacht's 9th Anti-Tank Battalion (''Panzer-Abwehrabteilung 9'', abbreviated as ''PzAbwAbt 9''). As part of the German 9th Infantry Division, ''PzAbwAbt 9'' departed for the
Western Front in September 1939 (ultimately, the unit was assigned to the war against the Soviet Union); it never returned to Gelnhausen. The ''Kaserne'' was captured by the U.S. Army in 1945. In the late 1940s the kaserne was simply called Gelnhausen Kaserne. In 1947 a segregated unit, the 547th Engineer Construction Battalion, was stationed at Gelnhausen Kaserne. In 1948 the 547th was redesignated as an Engineer Combat Battalion, and was assigned to the
U.S. Constabulary
The United States Constabulary was a United States Army military gendarmerie force. From 1946 to 1952, in the aftermath of World War II, it acted as an occupation and security force in the Allied Occupation Zones in Germany, U.S. Occupation Zone ...
. The 547th relocated from Gelnhausen to Darmstadt in August, 1951. Also, Gelnhausen Kaserne was temporary home for Headquarters,
14th Armored Cavalry Regiment
The 14th Cavalry Regiment is a cavalry regiment of the United States Army. It has two squadrons that provide reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition for Stryker brigade combat teams. Constituted in 1901, it has served in conflicts ...
of the U.S. Constabulary in the late 1940s. Coleman Kaserne received its name in 1950. It was named for Lt Kenneth W. Coleman, a Black soldier who was assigned to the 761st Tank Battalion, and who was killed in combat in the autumn of 1944 in NW Europe. He received the Silver Star.
The
4th Infantry Division (4th ID) occupied Coleman Kaserne from 1951 to 1956 (Most of that time was during the U.S. Occupation Zone in western Germany; the U.S. Occupation in western Germany ended on May 5, 1955). "
Combat Command
A combat command was a Combined arms, combined-arms military organization of comparable size to a brigade or regiment employed by armored forces of the United States Army from 1942 until 1963. The structure of combat commands was task-organized ...
B" (CCB) of the
3rd Armored Division (3rd AD) from Fort Knox, Kentucky, moved into Coleman Kaserne on 30 June 1956, replacing the units from the 4th ID, which rotated to
Fort Lewis Fort Lewis may refer to:
* Fort Lewis (Colorado), a former United States Army post (1878–1891) in the U.S. State of Colorado
** Fort Lewis College, a college in the Durango, Colorado, United States
** Fort Lewis Skyhawks, athletic teams of Fort L ...
,
Washington
Washington most commonly refers to:
* George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States
* Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A ...
. 3AD's Combat Command B converted to the designation, 2nd Brigade, 3rd Armored Division as part of the 1963 ROAD conversion (ROAD: Reorganization Objective Army Division, an Army initiative to reorganize the structure of their divisions). Initial ROAD-authorized battalions at Coleman Kaserne were
1st Battalion, 33rd Armor; 1st and 2nd Battalions,
48th Infantry (Mechanized) (the 1st Bn is currently a Basic Training Unit at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri); and the
2nd Battalion, 6th Field Artillery. Support units assigned to Coleman Kaserne were the 503rd Military Police and Company E, 122nd Maintenance Battalion.
Following 3rd AD inactivation in 1992, the part of the Coleman Kaserne complex known as Coleman Village became a bedroom community for the 414th Base Support Battalion (BSB). Coleman Village then became quarters for married personnel and their families assigned to the
1st Armored Division's 1st Squadron of the
1st Cavalry Regiment aka "The Blackhawk Squadron", located at Armstrong Barracks in
Büdingen
Büdingen () is a town in the Wetteraukreis, in Hesse, Germany. It is mainly known for its well-preserved, heavily fortified medieval town wall and half-timbered houses.
Geography
Location
Büdingen is in the south of the Wetterau below the Vog ...
. Shortly thereafter, Coleman Kaserne was returned to the German authorities and was temporarily used to house refugees seeking asylum.
Notable residents
* Jeremy Jones, news editor for ABC affiliate KTUL in Tulsa, Oklahoma was born November, 2nd 1981 at Gelnhausen.
*
Tia and
Tamera Mowry
Tamera Darvette Mowry-Housley (née Mowry) () (born July 6, 1978) is an American actress, television personality, and former singer. She first gained fame for her teen role as Tamera Campbell on the ABC/ WB sitcom '' Sister, Sister'' (opposite h ...
, actresses, both born July 6, 1978, at Gelnhausen
*Like many
American soldiers,
Colin Powell
Colin Luther Powell ( ; – ) was an Americans, American diplomat, and army officer who was the 65th United States secretary of state from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African-American to hold the office. He was the 15th National Security ...
, then lieutenant of the
3rd Armored Division, served at Coleman Kaserne in the 2d Armored Rifle Battalion, 48th Infantry (1958-1960). Many years later a street on the kaserne was named after him. During the
Second Gulf War there was some discussion about renaming the street because of Germany's stance on the war. The mayor of Gelnhausen strongly objected.
Present day
The base was decommissioned. Many of the original barracks buildings and soldiers' accommodation still stand. They have been modernized and are now home to local businesses and authorities. For a time, the district military replacement office for the Rhine-Main region was housed there. It was later also used as asylum and refugee accommodation. Today, the Coleman Center with stores and supermarkets is located on the site of the barracks. The former parade ground is used for circus performances and music events. The site is also home to a Martin Luther Foundation senior citizens' center and a nursing home.
Sources
* Die Panzer-Abwehrabteilung 9 in Gelnhausen und ihr Schicksal, 1935–1945, Maerchenstrassen-Verlag, 1996, 36396 Steinau an der Strasse, Germany,
3rd Armored Division Yearbook 1963* Spearhead Newspaper, May 21, 1973, published by the 3rd Armored Division, Frankfurt, Germany
{{Coord, 50, 12, 28, N, 9, 10, 20, E, type:landmark_dim:1000_region:DE-HE, display=title
Barracks of the United States Army in Germany
Military installations of the Wehrmacht
Buildings and structures in Main-Kinzig-Kreis
1936 establishments in Germany
Military installations established in 1936
1990 disestablishments in West Germany