12 Welcome to the U.S. Army Garrison Grafenwoehr. April Regiment “Nordland”, three foreign SS Scandinavian units arrive in Grafenwoehr to form the core of a new SS volunteer Panzer-grenadier division. Volunteers are chiefly from Northern Europe but more than 1,200 Romanians are added to their strength. 1943 February The Battle of Stalingrad, which began in July 1942, ends with the surrender of the German 6th Army. It is a major turning point in the war. At the same time, Minister of Armaments Albert Speer visits the GTA to observe testing of Germany‘s heaviest and most powerful tank built to date. May General Heinz Guderian, as Chief Inspector for Panzer Corps, visits Grafenwoehr to evaluate 250 Panther tanks before their deployment to the eastern fronts. June The 12,000-man Italian San Marco Division begins training at the GTA. 1944 May Mussolini visits the GTA to and observe its training. June The Longest Day: The largest invasion in history commences on the Normandy beaches of France. American, British and Canadian forces establish a beachhead after breaching Hitler’s “Fortress Europe”. After fierce fighting they drive east to take Paris. Reichsführer-SS Himmler, overseer of the extermination camps and commander of the Gestapo visits SS units in Grafenwoehr. His speech, delivered in the local theater promotes loyalty to the regime. 1945 January The Battle of the Bulge: Hitler sends a quarter of a million troops into the Allied western front, in deadly winter weather. More than 76,000 U.S. Soldiers are casualties of the onslaught, but win the battle, counterattack and drive on. April Two allied bombing raids take place on the town and post. U.S. 3rd Army Soldiers fighting their way through Bavaria arrive to accept the surrender of the GTA 10 days later. April/May Hitler commits suicide. The Red Army takes Berlin. Germany surrenders. 1946 January Americans start training at Grafenwoehr. Tankers attend courses at the 7th Army Tank Training Center near Vilseck, Germany, while artillery and infantry units train at both the GTA and at Wildflecken training areas. In the aftermath of the war, and in the ruins of the main camp, a Prisoner of War collection point is established, while some 8,000 members of the German SS are sent to prison in Bernreuth. 1947 June U.S. General George Marshall as Secretary of State announces a comprehensive program of American assistance to help rebuild Europe. Germany defeated is divided by the Allies into four zones. The American zone consists of Bavaria and Hessen, Southern Germany, and the northern portions of the present day state of Baden-Wuerttemberg. The U.S. Constabulary establishes a training area for the newly activated 370th and 371st Infantry Battalions. The area between Grafenwoehr and Vilseck will be used. In 1948, the U.S. Tank Training Center HQ is established at Rose Barracks, until war damage at Grafenwoehr is repaired. History of the Grafenwoehr Training Area
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