U.S. Army Berlin (USAB) was a command of the United States Army created in December 1961, at the height of the Berlin Wall crisis. USAB was a combined command with the Headquarters, U.S. Command Berlin (USCOB). This combined organization was sometimes called the "Berlin Command". USCOB/USAB was a separate command from the U.S. Army Europe (USAREUR) which had previously been in command of American troops in West Berlin.
The major general who commanded this organization held the title of "Commandant; U.S. Commander Berlin; Commander, U.S. Army Berlin". A brigadier general served as the "Commander, Berlin Brigade (Infantry); Deputy Commander, U.S. Army Berlin and Community Commander".
The shoulder sleeve insignia adopted by USAB was the same as the patch used by the Berlin Brigade – the USAREUR patch with a Berlin tab. By the mid-1960s, the Berlin tab was incorporated into the patch.
Its headquarters were located at the Clay Headquarters Compound on Clayallee in Berlin's Zehlendorf district.
Units locations
Military of 6,941st Guard Battalion, Truman Plaza.
After the reunification of Germany on 3 October 1990, the presence of U.S. military forces in Berlin was no longer necessary, but was retained (along with the British and French forces), until the Russian military withdrew from eastern Germany. USAB was inactivated on 12 July 1994 with President Bill Clinton participating in the casing of the colors ceremony. Since then, USAB housing areas, schools and the Army Hospital have reverted to civilian use, some for German citizens and others being taken over by the U.S. Embassy. Truman Plaza was razed in 1996, in anticipation of new housing for employees of the German federal government relocating from the former capital Bonn, which began in 2009/2010. Across the street from Truman Plaza was the Berlin Brigade headquarters, part of which serves as an annex of the Embassy of the United States in Berlin. The nearby library and adjoining Outpost Theater have been converted into the Allied Museum, which documents the American, British and French presence in Berlin during the Cold War.
U.S. Army Physical Security Support Element - Berlin
Footnotes
↑ The 42nd Postal Branch had the distinction of being the very last unit to be withdrawn from Berlin.
↑ The 42nd Engineer Company (now known as 42nd Clearance Company) was reactivated on 12 May 2010 A.D. at Warner Barracks, in the German city of Bamberg, under the 18th Engineer Brigade. On 31 July 2013, the 42nd cased its colors in Bamberg and uncased its colors on 14 November 2013 at Ft. Knox, Kentucky.
1 2 It has the distinction of being the longest continuously assigned units in Berlin. Both units arrived to Berlin in a 37-vehicle convoy, on 2 July 1945. The commanders of both units were high school buddies. Dr. Merle Farris, first commander of the 168th Med Det (VS), and his wife, Myrna, attended the joint MEDDAC, DENTAC, 168th MED DET(VS) deactivation ceremony on 10 May 1994. 4. February 2008, the 287th MP was reactivated under the 97th MP Battalion at Fort Riley, Kansas. In September 2024 the 97th MP Bn inactivated along with three companies, which included the 287th.
BerlinBrigade.com dedicated to all that served in West Berlin from 1945 to 1994
Berlin 1969 life of the Western Allies at the midpoint of the Cold War
↑ The 287th MP Company was reactivated on 17 February 2008 at Fort Riley, Kansas, under the 1st Infantry Division. In September 2024, the 287th inactivated with inactivation of the 97th MP Battalion at Riley, KA.
Related Research Articles
The Army National Guard (ARNG) is an organized militia force and a federal military reserve force of the United States Army. It is simultaneously part of two different organizations: the Militia of the United States, as well as the federal ARNG, as part of the National Guard as a whole. It is divided into subordinate units stationed in each state or insular area, responsible to their respective governors or other head-of-government.
The 97th Infantry Division was a unit of the United States Army in World War I and World War II. Nicknamed the "Trident division" because of its shoulder patch, a vertical trident in white on a blue background, it was originally trained in amphibious assaults as preparation for deployment in the Pacific Theater. It was deployed to Europe in 1944 when casualties from the Battle of the Bulge needed to be replaced.
The 34th Infantry Division is an infantry division of the United States Army, part of the National Guard, that participated in World War I, World War II and multiple current conflicts. It was the first American division deployed to Europe in World War II, where it fought with great distinction in the Italian Campaign.
The 502nd Infantry Regiment, previously titled the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, is an infantry regiment of the United States Army. The regiment was established shortly after U.S. entry into World War II, and was assigned as a regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, "The Screaming Eagles", one of the most decorated formations of the U.S. Army. The regiment saw substantial action in the European Theater of World War II and was inactivated in 1945, shortly after the end of the war. Reactivating in a new form in 1956, the 502nd Infantry has served in the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War, Iraq War, War in Afghanistan, and Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq. Since 1974, the regiment has been classified as an Air Assault unit. Currently, its 1st and 2nd battalions are active. Both battalions are assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division.
The Berlin Brigade was a US Army brigade-sized garrison based in West Berlin during the Cold War. After the end of World War II, under the conditions of the Yalta and Potsdam agreements, the Allied forces occupied West Berlin. This occupation lasted throughout the Cold War. The French Army also had units in Berlin, called French Forces in Berlin and the British Army's unit in Berlin was the Berlin Infantry Brigade.
The New York Army National Guard is a component of the New York National Guard and the Army National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the United States Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization. National coordination of various state National Guard units are maintained through the National Guard Bureau.
The Kansas Army National Guard is a component of the Army National Guard and the Kansas National Guard. Kansas Army National Guard units are trained and equipped as part of the United States Army. The same ranks and insignia are used and National Guardsmen are eligible to receive all United States military awards. The Kansas Guard also bestows a number of state awards for local services rendered in or to the state of Kansas. It is, along with the Kansas Air National Guard, an element of the Kansas National Guard.
The 194th Armored Brigade is a separate brigade of the US Army. All armor, cavalry, and armor and cavalry mechanic soldiers, and Marines in equivalent specialties, are trained by the 194th under the armor component of the Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Moore, Georgia, where the 194th has been garrisoned since 2012.
The 193rd Infantry Brigade is a United States Army infantry brigade, which was originally constituted in the Army's organized reserves on 24 June 1922 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 193rd Infantry Brigade and assigned to the 97th Division. The brigade was converted and redesignated in February 1942 as the 97th Reconnaissance Troop, 97th Division. In February 1943, the Troop was ordered into active military service and organized at Camp Swift, Texas. It was reorganized and redesignated in October 1945 as the 97th Mechanized Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop.
The 56th Artillery Command is a two-star command of the United States Army that serves as the Force Field Artillery Headquarters for U.S. Army Europe and Africa, with a mission to synchronize, integrate, and control fires and effects in support of the theater land component. The unit was originally formed on September 14, 1942, as the 56th Coast Artillery Brigade and has been reorganized and redesignated several times until its inactivation on June 30, 1991, following the reunification of Germany and the end of the Cold War.
Taylor Barracks is a former military installation in the Vogelstang suburb of Mannheim, Germany, operated and administrated by the United States Army, Europe, USAREUR. In Dec 2010 USAREUR announced that the installation was handed back to the German government.
The 67th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade is a maneuver enhancement brigade (MEB) of the Nebraska Army National Guard (NE-ARNG). It derives its lineage from the 67th Infantry Brigade (Mechanized), previously a component of the 35th Infantry Division (Mechanized). The brigade has also been organized as an area support group from 2003–2008, and as a battlefield surveillance brigade from 2008–2016.
The 14th Military Police Brigade is a military police unit stationed at Fort Leonard Wood, in Missouri. The 14th Military Police Brigade provides the Army with Soldiers, DA Civilians, and leaders of character who provide the basic and advanced skills required to execute policing, detention, and security mobility support across the range of military operations.
The United States Army Alaska was a military command of the United States Army located in the U.S. state of Alaska. A subordinate command of I Corps, USARAK was the ground element of the Alaskan Command. USARAK was headquartered at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and commanded by a major general. USARAK was reflagged as the 11th Airborne Division on June 6, 2022.
The 793rd Military Police Battalion was a battalion-sized unit in the United States Army stationed at Fort Richardson, Alaska. The battalion was responsible for all Regular Army Military Police units and operations in Germany and eventually in the state of Alaska.
The 97th Military Police Battalion is a Military Police Battalion of the United States Army based at Fort Riley, Kansas. Activated in Europe during World War II, the unit provided military police support and during the Korean War, the 97th Military Police Battalion conducted internment operations throughout the duration of the conflict. Since then, the Battalion has honorably served the country in several conflicts to include Vietnam, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and most recently, returning in July 2010, Operation Enduring Freedom.
The Tennessee Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. It is administered by the Tennessee Military Department. National coordination of various state National Guard units are maintained through the National Guard Bureau.
United States Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF) is an Army Service Component Command (ASCC) /Theater Army responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) area of responsibility.
The 307th Infantry Regiment was a National Army unit first organized for service in World War I as part of the 77th Division in France. It later served in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Since then it has served as a training Regiment. In 1999, it was withdrawn from the Combat Arms Regimental System and redesignated as a non-branch regiment. The regiment's 1st Battalion is assigned to the 174th Infantry Brigade at Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst, New Jersey, with the 2nd Battalion is assigned to the 157th Infantry Brigade at Camp Atterbury, Indiana.
The 3rd Ordnance Battalion (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) (unofficially referred to as the 3rd Explosive Ordnance Disposal Battalion) is a unit of the United States Army currently stationed at Joint Base Lewis–McChord. It is assigned to the 71st Ordnance Group at Fort Carson, Colorado, which is under the 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosive (CBRNE) Command, Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
