In 1960, the U.S. Army completed deployment of nuclear weapons systems throughout NATO.[6] The Kriegsfeld Depot was one of many sites used to both store and maintain the hardware. This, of course, included the nuclear warheads that the artillery and missile systems were designed to deliver. Over the succeeding years, North Point became one of many facilities that serviced, repaired and distributed these “special weapons” to not only Army units but to the other branches of the US Armed Forces and to other NATO allied forces as well.
The historical record did not reveal the exact date when the depot at North Point was actually constructed. However, US Army documents disclosed that the German Wehrmacht used the site as an ammunition and supply depot beginning in the late 1930’s. The original function of the facility was to serve as one of the many supply points for the Siegfried Line, some 50 miles west of the site. The US Army took over the location after WW II. During the 1950’s several different ordnance battalions used the installation to store conventional weapons and ammunition. In 1954, both the 135th Ordnance Company and the 15th Ordnance Battalion were stationed at Kriegsfeld and this arrangement lasted until 1959.[7] At one point in September of 1956, Kriegsfeld was actually scheduled as a site for a NIKE firing battery of the 32nd AAA Battalion. However, this was changed in 1957 when German opposition to the plan developed.[8] Those issues were not resolved until 1959.
The Kriegsfeld facility was remodeled and improved on many occasions during the 1950’s. The property was fenced in 1954 and the original wooden guard towers were constructed in 1955. Utilities received an up-grade in 1956 and the weapons igloos were completed on June 30th 1956. The “bunkers” were built using the “construct and cover” [with dirt] technique.[9]
The guard force for the facility was initially supplied by personnel assigned to the on-site ordnance companies. However, ordnance commanders began complaining that installation “security” functions siphoned away an already existing shortage of trained ordnance technicians. As a result, in late 1958, the security operation at Kriegsfeld was re-assigned to a Seventh Army infantry company. It would be this infantry unit that would eventually become the 558th MP Company.
In 1959, preparations for the reception of tactical nuclear warheads at Kriegsfeld (and other sites as well) resulted in both a general re-alignment and a mission alteration of forces in the area. As a result, the 15th Ordnance Battalion Headquarters moved out of the North Point facility and assigned its subordinate Company A to continue the mission at Kriegsfeld. Then, in June of 1959, the 619th Ordnance Company was re-activated at Kriegsfeld out of the remnants of “A” Company of the 15th Ord. Bn. and the new unit took over special weapons operations at the site. [10] The 619th Ord. Co. would remain at North Point until the day the facility closed.
In 1960, nuclear warheads were distributed to Army ground forces in Germany and that year official records begin to refer to “North -Point” as a nuclear weapons “pre-stock point”. The records of USAREUR delineate Kriegsfeld as a facility containing storage igloo’s capable of “withstand[ing] an atomic blast.”[11]
The task of providing security for all nuclear facilities was delegated to the MP Corps in 1961. In 1962 when the 558th was re-activated, it simply took over the Infantry unit previously assigned to the site and became the 558th Military Police Company. Mr. Phillip Schearer, a NCO and a Nuclear Weapons Assemblyman, was stationed at North Point when these events took place. He reported that:
The 619th Ordnance Co. was just set up…we did not have an MP unit… an Infantry Company provided security…it was decided to change the grunts MOS to MP and re-name the company…the CO [of the renamed company] was passed over three times …offered a RIF (Reduction in Force) or reduction to enlisted status…he dropped from Captain to SFC E-7…
We had the widest mix of weapons…Corporal, Honest John, Nike, 280mm and 8-inch rounds…Our [nuclear weapons] were about the size of Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined…I always felt the policy that the MP’s had no “need to know” what they were guarding was a serious mistake…they needed to understand the importance of defending North Point[12]
Other units assigned to the Kriegsfeld Depot during the middle 1960’s were the 554th MP Company, the 184th Ammo Company, the 763rd Medical Detachment as well as E Company of the 102nd Signal Battalion. Most of these support units remained on-site for many years. The 554th MP Company was transferred out of AWSCOM late in 1967 and assigned to Headquarters USEUCOM where it was given a law enforcement mission at Vaihingen Germany. The unit became known as the “General’s Guard.”
[1] National Archives and Records Admin. Record Group 338, Sub-group 5, M.P. Divisions, Unit
Operational Records, USAREUR General Order No. 154, dated April 19, 1962.
[2] Ibid.
[3] AWSCOM Headquarters, located in Pirmasens, West Germany, was subordinate to the general
command structure of the US Army Communication Zone Europe (USACOMZEUR) which was
originally located in Belgium. In 1967, it also had a Hdqt. unit in Worms, Germany.
[4] The origin of the name “North Point” could not be ascertained in the historical record.
[5] The 59th Ord. Brig. was activated in Germany on March 24th 1962 out of the renamed AWSCOM.
AWSCOM had been created in 1959 out of the 71st Ord. Battalion, which had been activated in
Germany in 1955. In 1961 and again in 1972, the 72nd Ordnance Battalion was assigned to the 59th Ord.
Brigade (AWSCOM). The 619th Ord. Co. (Kriegsfeld) was, both times, placed organizationally under
the 72nd. In October of 1972, AWSCOM and SASCOM (Special Ammunition Support Command)
were merged and many Army Artillery Units were deactivated. Reorganization of these units occurred
in 1974, 1978 and 1982. However, the units were all deactivated in June of 1992 when the 59th Ord.
Brigade completed the task of removing all nuclear weapons from Europe. The 59th was eventually re-
activated in 1994 at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, where it remains today.
[6] Nuclear weapons delivery systems were first deployed in Germany in 1956. However, the atomic
warheads were held in both the US and England (Air Force) until 1960. Following the NATO Summit
Conference of 1957, the U.S. promised “to establish large scale advanced weapons in Western Europe”
which was relatively complete by 1960.
[7] Headquarter, USAREUR Historical Division, Annual History Report, 1 July 1956 – 30 June 1957.
(1958) p. 229.
[8] Ibid. p.267.
[9] Ibid. p.267.
[10] Headquarter, USAREUR Historical Division, Annual History Report, 1 July 1960 – 30 June 1961.
(1962) p. 167.
[11] Ibid. p. 182.
[12] Phillip Schearer, Interview statement written April 18th, 2002. Mr. Schearer was a member of the 619th
from 1961 to 1963.
The
558th Takes Control
Originally, when the 558th assumed security at Kriegsfeld, the depot was assembling and maintaining nuclear warheads for several missile and artillery systems then being deployed throughout NATO. Consequently, it did not take the Warsaw Pact long to discover the significance of the Kriegsfeld Depot and to decide what their planned response would be. Mr. Schearer reported that by 1963, the Soviet Union had listed North Point as number three (3) on their target priority list.[1]
The primary mission of the 558th at North Point was two-fold. First, and most importantly, the company was responsible for the complete and continuous security of the post. This included a main gate at the entrance of facility, the ADT Alarm Center, and the infamous perimeter guard towers that encircled the weapons portion of the depot. Second, the MP Company provided security for convoy movement of nuclear material in and out of the base. Most of the convoys involved truck transport but on some occasions aircraft movement was conducted with either helicopters out of North Point or fixed wing aircraft from neighboring Sembach Air Base.[2]
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Entrance to Kriegsfeld Special Weapons Depot (North Point) circa, 1970.
“A” Gate is on the right, half hidden by the large sign. The
lower level of the large building on the extreme right was the Hdq. of
the 558th.
Photograph courtesy of Melvin Somes and Shoebox Photos Project |
Throughout the 1960’s and early 1970’s numerous organizational problems existed at Kriegsfeld. Some were eventually corrected but some were beyond the solution capacity of either the MP or Ordnance commanders.
Administratively, the 558th company commander was in charge of his unit. However, operational control of the unit was vested with the commanding officer of the Ordnance Company, usually a Major. This duplicity of command created friction among the officer cadre and on occasion it would percolate down the chain of command. . On many occasions ordnance procedures conflicted with that of the MP’s. The end result was a less than ideal working relationship between soldiers of the two units at the post.
In addition, the company detachment that had been assigned to the 558th during the Korean War was carried into the unit’s service in Germany. This “paper” outfit required that officers keep a distinct and separate set of books for the detachment. Commanders had to account for the weapons, equipment and material but were not given the personnel to staff the detachment.
Also, incoming troopers, both enlisted men and officers, had to endure a special “security clearance” background investigation prior to being allowed access to the weapons portion of the installation. In some instances, this process (referred to as a personnel reliability program or PRP) took over eight (8) months. The lengthy security validation process frustrated everyone. Commanders were prohibited from proper utilization of MP’s until they were “cleared” and the MP’s working tower duty viewed assignment pending PRP as “busy work”.
Finally, the Kriegsfeld personnel suffered through both billeting and housing shortages. In the 1960’s the post had only two barracks on site and a dependent housing area at a small satellite facility called Weirhof. Weirhof was located several miles from the depot and also contained a chapel, an officers club, the BOQ, and the medical clinic. This facility provided housing for officers and senior NCO’s but was
shared with other military units in the area. Therefore, it suffered with a chronic shortage of available living quarters. Moreover, all enlisted personnel who were unmarried, including the MP’s, lived on post in one of the two barracks. Single males where prohibited from living off-post. These rigid rules resulted in overcrowding at both the post and Weirhof and thereby contributing another factor to low morale.
The Depot
The Kriegsfeld Depot was, as most of the NATO nuclear sites had been, a bifurcated Army post. One section of the installation was a typical army post containing billets, mess hall, company administrative offices and a motor pool. Access to the post was controlled through a singular road entrance known as “A” Gate.
The second section contained the weapons facility. This more secure area, referred to as the “inner perimeter” in company documents, but because it was on higher ground, it was known as “the hill” to most soldiers, consisted of about 40 acres of woodland with approximately a dozen earth-covered bunkers. These bunkers were used for both the storage of “sensitive” material and for the assembly and maintenance duties performed by the 619 Ordnance Co. personnel. During the early 1960’s, the weapons section of the post contained what Mr. Schearer referred to as “tons of material.”
The Kriegsfeld Depot defense plan stipulated that in the event of an incursion or attack upon the facility that a supplemental force from either the Seventh Army or Eighth Infantry Division would respond to North Point as a back-up defense force. Viewed as somewhat of a “pipe-dream”, this Augmentation Reserve Force (ARF) was to respond from places such as Kaiserslautern, Bad Kreuznach or Baumholder and arrive at North Point within four (4) hours. Although never used or tested, many commanders and their soldiers figured by that time the base and its personnel were “goners.”
[1] Ibid.
[2] Sembach Air base was returned to the Government of Germany in Jan. of 1995. A weather
detachment of the USAF remains on-site.
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view of North Point depot, circa 1970. The bunker section was behind the
long white building (Day room and supply) on left. Directly behind this
building was the heliport and the walking post (No.12). The EM Club,
post theater and gym are barely visible on far right. The MP Barracks
and the Secondary Alert Team (SAT) room were in the building on the
right, which is casting a shadow on the roadway.
View was looking out the window of the Ordnance personnel
barracks.
Photograph courtesy of Melvin Somes and Shoebox Photo Project |
| This photograph looks over the fence line
from the Ord. Barracks to the Sergeant-of –the- Guard building located
within the “inner perimeter” section of North Point. circa, 1970.
Photograph courtesy of Melvin Somes and Shoebox Photos Project |
The weapons storage section of North Point was encircled with eleven (11) wooden guard towers. (The twelfth [12th] guard post, next to the helipad, was a walking post) The individual towers consisted of a sheltered interior portion measuring six (6) feet square with a three (3) foot wide catwalk around the
outside. The towers were approximately 20 ft. high and spaced some 200 feet apart. The perimeter of the weapons section of the facility was protected by a lighted, double fence and the remainder of the installation was protected by a single fence. It was in the towers that the MP’s performed guard duty. They watched for either unlawful entry or unauthorized personnel. Equipment in the towers during the 1960’s consisted of a field phone, a SOP Manual and an ammo box with matches. Lighters and strike-anywhere matches were prohibited inside the weapons area.
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Guard Towers of the 1960’s Although this is not North Point - it is representative of the towers used all over Europe at the Special Weapons Depots. |
The ordnance depot section of North Point contained approximately eight (8) storage bunkers (igloos) and one (1) large maintenance (main) bunker. Many MP’s can remember seeing ordnance personnel working on either the Nike, Pershing, or Sergeant missile hulks or the various artillery rounds inside or adjacent to the main bunker.[1] Ordnance personnel worked day shift, Monday through Friday with weekend leave. MP’s worked around the clock with constantly oscillating shift schedules.
A guardhouse at the entrance of the weapons section, manned by the Sergeant of the Guard (SOG), controlled access to the special weapons section. A motorized MP unit stationed at the “SOG Shack” had to patrol the bunkers and sign a check sheet every hour attesting that the bunker doors were padlocked.
Opening a bunker received special attention. Ordnance personnel had to connect a field phone to the front of the bunker and give the proper code to the alarm center. This ADT alarm center, originally located next to the MP offices, was staffed around-the-clock and alarms would sound if the bunker doors were tripped without prior permission.
[1] The Sergeant missile system was deployed in Germany in 1962 and the replacing Lance system was
deployed in September of 1973. The first Lance system fielded went to U.S. Army - Europe. The
system gained notoriety as a “neutron bomb” because of its enhanced radiation warhead.
Working
at Kriegsfeld
Inspections, alerts and dignitary visits were a common occurrence at North Point. Frequently, the commander of the Ordnance Co. would challenge or spot-check both the on and off-duty MP’s. Viewed as harassment, the practice further eroded morale. Alerts to test the response and reaction of the Secondary Alert Team (SAT), a two-man quick response unit, were activated on almost a weekly basis. Some alerts were even called by the MP’s in the towers in response to the “boogieman” who roamed the wooded area of the depot at will.
Stories of the macabre continue to plague the reputation of North Point. Even today, veterans of the units assigned to North Point still perpetuate what appear to be largely rumors of reported suicides and homicides at Kriegsfeld. The historical record does not confirm any of the incidents. Although some GI’s were relieved and hospitalized for either psychiatric or abuse problems, no evidence of the stories of monsters or murders perpetrated in connection with tower duty was ever uncovered.
Visits to Kriegsfeld by NATO member commanders and US Navy Captains were less frequent but they did occur. Also, the West German Army frequently brought weapons into and out of the installation. As a result, many military and NATO dignitaries knew more about the weapons at North Point than most of the MP’s did.
Some visits were essential to the operations at Kriegsfeld. Lt. Walter Rotsch, who served with the 558th in 1966, reported that the Permissive Action Linkage (PAL) detachment responded to North Point on a regular basis. This unit, headquartered at Pirmasens, had one part of the code for input into the nuclear warheads to initiate a detonation sequence. Officers and senior NCO’s staffed the PAL unit and they traveled throughout AWSCOM territory re-setting the firing codes of the nuclear weapons.[1]
In addition, security inspections were scheduled for the site approximately three (3) times a year. These were conducted by AWSCOM command officers and resulted in a certification of the facility and its personnel as a secure site. The inspections were of two (2) types. One was a technical proficiency inspection (TPI) and the second was a physical security inspection (PSI). The Commanding Officers of units that did not pass these certification inspections found their careers in the Army extremely short.
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Field Maneuvers, 1970. MP, Sp/4 Melvin Somes of the 558th guards a helicopter as it prepares to depart on an air mission. These aircraft departed on a regular basis with nuclear weapons for a “classified location … somewhere in Europe”. Photograph courtesy of Shoebox Photos and Melvin Somes. |
Working conditions at North Point were not very pleasant. The MP’s assigned there were essentially security guards who spent their overseas tour in a guard tower watching a perimeter fence. Eventually, the MP’s working guard duty in NATO became known as “tower-rats”. Neither the inventor nor the origin of this somewhat disparaging term is known. In the 1960’s it was not in use at Kriegsfeld. However, by 1976 it was in use all over Europe.
Duty at North Point was monotonous, lonely and during winter months, very cold. The original wooden towers did not get heat until after the bitter winter of 1966 and then only after many MP’s came down with freeze related injuries. That year, Lt. Thomas Anderson managed to get electric heater equipment for the towers and the MP’s provided the labor to wire the system during off-duty time.
Relaxation and diversion from the poor working conditions was limited. Recreation was available at either the post movie theater, the Enlisted Men’s (EM) Club or a local civilian gasthaus. Overindulgence in alcohol and the resultant incidents were always a problem. On many nights after the clubs closed the post facility suffered damage. On more than one occasion an intoxicated MP was the victim of either a fatal pedestrian or auto collision.
Diversion from the duty while atop the guard tower was virtually non-existent. Reading or writing within the confines of the “inner perimeter” was verboten. Similarly, radios were also prohibited during guard duty but this rule was violated wholesale. Although done enmasse, MP’s who were caught by their Lieutenants either reading or listening to a radio were assured a weeks worth of walking post (No. 12) as punishment. Thankfully, most squad leaders, the Sergeants, turned a blind eye on tower recreation. Many MP’s picked out either a tree or deer family and watched them grow. Some of the more enterprising troopers were able to tame hedgehogs and squirrels and make “tower pets” of them. (This practice probably led to the eventual use of the term “tower rat”)
By 1976, a program that allowed MP’s to sign up for rotation out of North Point and into a Corps unit had been instituted. However, it required at least a full year service at the facility with two (2) years of enlistment remaining. Colonel Dan Watkins (Ret.) reported that most soldiers turned it down, by then having made up their minds to leave the Army and not wanting the turmoil of moving, losing friends and learning a new company.[2]
Diagram of North Point, 1967. Not to scale
[1] Walter Rotsch, written narrative, March 31, 2002.
[2] Daniel Watkins, Written Narrative, Feb. 3, 2003
The plan appears to have been of limited duration. Soldiers assigned there during the 1980’s reported
that they would “have done anything to get out of North Point.” Many did.
Renovations
and Improvements
As time moved on the working conditions at North Point improved. In the early 1970’s terrorist activity in Europe drastically increased the Army’s concern about a potential attack on any site such as North Point. This concern resulted in both physical improvements to nuclear weapons sites all over NATO and to the restructuring of the type of nuclear weapons held at each site. Major Mike Yurk (Ret) was a Lieutenant at North Point from 1977-80 as the changes were nearing completion and he offered the following narrative.[1]
Our greatest threat was from terrorist and that threat became more acute during
the late1970’s and early 1980’s as did security concerns. From the 1972 terrorist
attack at the Munich Olympics to the rise of attacks throughout Europe… and the
Middle East… there became a greater concern that terrorist would attack a nuclear
weapons site in an effort to get a nuclear weapon. The increased threat and
emphasis on security of nuclear weapons had a significant and positive effect on
the MP units and the storage sites. Units and sites that had been ignored by
everyone finally got attention and money.
The renovations at North Point began in 1976 and were completed by 1980.[2] The entire weapons section was rebuilt and the post facility went through partial renovation. A new Site Security Control Center (SSCC) was constructed within the “inner perimeter” and that building had a large cement tower (Tower One) built into the structure. New fence lines and new steel towers, reduced from eleven (11) to seven (7), were put into service. The new towers had bulletproof glass and were relocated between a new double fence-line. A roadway was built between the fences which then allowed motorized patrols direct access to the perimeter. In addition, better communications devices, sensor alarms on the fences and operable searchlights were all part of the new equipment installed during the rebuilding.
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North Point, circa, 1980 New “Tower One” was attached to the Site Security Control Center (SSCC). New fence lines and wire had also been added. Photograph courtesy of Mike Yurk. |
Several changes in both command and facility occurred at North Point during the 1970’s. Most were of minor importance and had little effect on the working environment. Some, however, were major changes effecting thousands of soldiers.
A divisional reorganization in October of 1972 resulted in the 59th Ordnance Brigade being placed under USAREUR command. Both the insignia and shoulder patch of all of the units at Kriegsfeld changed from the “white arrow” of AWSCOM to that of the familiar “blue shield” of USAREUR. Also, in November of 1972, the 72nd Ordnance Battalion was reactivated under the 59th Ord. Group and the units at Kriegsfeld were placed under the control of the 72nd. The 72nd Ordnance Battalion had previously been authorized a unit crest, emblazoned as “security and reliability,” and after the command changes, all units at North Point began wearing the crest. Then, in June of 1980, the 59th Ordnance Group was authorized a “crossed cannons” shoulder patch and that insignia was worn by all units in the Group. ( Photographs of the crest and patch are included in the photograph gallery)
In 1974, the 131st MP Detachment was transferred from Kaiserslautern to Kriegsfeld and assigned to the 558th MP Co. In reality, this detachment was the old Munsan-ni section that was allotted in 1951 but never assigned personnel following the company reactivation in Germany. The additional personnel included with the assigned detachment allowed the CO of the 558th to institute a new K-9 unit.
By 1975, the K-9 section at North Point was operational and aided with the increased need for security and the detection of potential terrorist threats. The K-9 troopers assisted with vehicle searches, package checks and the patrol of the perimeter fence as well as the weapons storage area. The 131 MP Detachment retained its distinct unit number until 1977 when it was deactivated and absorbed into the 558th MP Company.
Also, the Kriegsfeld units abandoned the “static” (stationary) defense mode in the 1970’s. The change was instituted throughout the command and required that all units initiate full-field combat support activation exercises. These exercises required that the 619th and 558th move to a designated field site and set-up a nuclear weapons depot capable of supporting artillery and missile battalions. The famous “Reforger” exercises were one of the series of maneuvers that the 558th and the 619th participated in.
The post section of the base was also improved with either the construction of new facilities or the renovation of existing ones. A third barracks along with numerous other support buildings were constructed. A bowling alley and a new educational center were also added during the renovation process. The gymnasium was remodeled and enlarged. Moreover, a daily bus service to Kaiserslautern, Sembach, Ramstein, Miesau and Worms was instituted at about the same time.
The type of nuclear weapons that North Point stored and maintained also changed during this time period. By 1978, the site was processing nuclear artillery rounds only. Gone were the missile hulks, their hardware and warheads. Those weapons were transferred to either other sites or other Ordnance companies in a general re-alignment of weapons facilities that occurred throughout Germany in 1974.
A divisional reorganization in October of 1972 resulted in the 59th Ordnance Brigade being placed under USAREUR command. Both the insignia and shoulder patch of all of the units at Kriegsfeld changed from the “white arrow” of AWSCOM to that of the familiar “blue shield” of USAREUR. Also, in November of 1972, the 72nd Ordnance Battalion was reactivated under the 59th Ord. Group and the units at Kriegsfeld were placed under the control of the 72nd. The 72nd Ordnance Battalion had previously been authorized a unit crest, emblazoned as “security and reliability,” and after the command changes, all units at North Point began wearing the crest. Then, in June of 1980, the 59th Ordnance Group was authorized a “crossed cannons” shoulder patch and that insignia was worn by all units in the Group. ( Photographs of the crest and patch are included in the photograph gallery)
In 1974, the 131st MP Detachment was transferred from Kaiserslautern to Kriegsfeld and assigned to the 558th MP Co. In reality, this detachment was the old Munsan-ni section that was allotted in 1951 but never assigned personnel following the company reactivation in Germany. The additional personnel included with the assigned detachment allowed the CO of the 558th to institute a new K-9 unit.
By 1975, the K-9 section at North Point was operational and aided with the increased need for security and the detection of potential terrorist threats. The K-9 troopers assisted with vehicle searches, package checks and the patrol of the perimeter fence as well as the weapons storage area. The 131 MP Detachment retained its distinct unit number until 1977 when it was deactivated and absorbed into the 558th MP Company.
Also, the Kriegsfeld units abandoned the “static” (stationary) defense mode in the 1970’s. The change was instituted throughout the command and required that all units initiate full-field combat support activation exercises. These exercises required that the 619th and 558th move to a designated field site and set-up a nuclear weapons depot capable of supporting artillery and missile battalions. The famous “Reforger” exercises were one of the series of maneuvers that the 558th and the 619th participated in.
The post section of the base was also improved with either the construction of new facilities or the renovation of existing ones. A third barracks along with numerous other support buildings were constructed. A bowling alley and a new educational center were also added during the renovation process. The gymnasium was remodeled and enlarged. Moreover, a daily bus service to Kaiserslautern, Sembach, Ramstein, Miesau and Worms was instituted at about the same time.
The type of nuclear weapons that North Point stored and maintained also changed during this time period. By 1978, the site was processing nuclear artillery rounds only. Gone were the missile hulks, their hardware and warheads. Those weapons were transferred to either other sites or other Ordnance companies in a general re-alignment of weapons facilities that occurred throughout Germany in 1974.
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