I was sent (TDY) to Lubeck sometime in the winter of 1954 / 1955, to do some maintainance on a BC 610 transmitter and some other equipment. I was there for about a week. As I recall Lubeck was a RDF and listening post. The site was located south of town at a W.W. II Luftwaft base.

 Need more information for this time period, anyone have photos to submit? If so contact me.
 

From: BOBSOPH@aol.com
Reply-To: BOBSOPH@aol.com
To: gdslagle@hotmail.com
Date: Sun, 11 Apr 1999 22:11:43 EDT

DEAR DEAN,

I REALLY ENJOYED THE PICTURES OF BAHRDORF '55.  I WAS WITH THE GROUP THAT WENT THERE TO SET UP THE SITE IN MARCH.  THERE WERE ABOUT FIFTEEN OR TWENTY OF US UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF CAPTAIN CRABTREE.  NOTHING WAS THERE WHEN WE ARRIVED.  WE SET UP A COUPLE OF TENTS (IN THE SNOW).  PETE HETHERINGTON AN I WERE ONLY THERE A COUPLE OF DAYS WHEN CWO KURIYATNIK SENT UP ORDERS TRANSFERRING US TO LUEBECK..CAPT. CRABTREE DIDN'T WANT US TO LEAVE.  HE INSISTED HE DIDN'T HAVE ANY WAY OF TRANSPORTING US.  WE TOLD HIM THE ONLY TRANSPORTATION WE NEEDED WAS A JEEP RIDE TO HELMSTEADT , WE WOULD BUY OUR OWN TRAIN TICKETS.

WE HAD TO CHANGE TRAINS A COUPLE OF TIMES ON THE WAY TO LUEBECK  THE GERMAN PEOPLE ON THE TRAINS HELPED US GET OUR GEAR ON AND OFF THE TRAINS (FOOTLOCKER AND BACK PACKS AS I RECALL).

I CAN PROVIDE SOME INFO RE LUEBECK FOR THE PERIOD MARCH '55 TO SEPT. '56.

THE FOLLOWING IS A LETTER I WROTE WHICH WAS PUBLISHED IN THE ERIE, PA DAILY PAPER AND IN THE LOUISVILLE COURIER -JOURNAL.  BOTH PAPERS SOLICITED LETTERS OF MEMORABLE CHRISTMAS TIMES

                                    I REMEMBER CHRISTMAS

I HAVE MANY FOND MEMORIES OF THE PAST SIXTY-SEVEN CHRISTMAS'S. MY FIRST TWENTY-TWO WERE SPENT IN WESLEYVILLE PA. (SUBURB OF ERIE). HOWEVER THE ONE MOST VIVID IN MY MEMORY IS A CHRISTMAS I SPENT IN LUEBECK, GERMANY IN 1955. THE COLD WAR WAS ON.  I WAS IN THE ARMY STATIONED IN LUEBECK LOCATED IN NORTHERN GERMANY ON THE THEN BORDER BETWEEN EAST AND WEST GERMANY.  THERE WERE APPROXIMATELY FORTY GUYS IN OUR DETACHMENT.  WE WERE ENGAGED IN AN INTELLIGENCE OPERATION.  WE "HAD IT MADE".  WE LIVED LIKE CIVILIANS IN TWO BEUTIFUL OLD HOMES AND ATE OUR MEALS AT A RESTAURANT (GASTHAUS) RUN BY A LADY WE CALLED "MUTTY"( GERMAN FOR MOM I BELIEVE).

THERE WAS A DISPLACED PERSONS CAMP LOCATED NEXT TO THE RESTAURANT.  THE CAMP WAS A TEMPORARY REFUGE FOR FAMILIES WHO MANAGED TO ESCAPE EAST GERMANY BY CROSSING THE NEARBY BORDER.

WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE NICE TO BUY CLOTHES FOR THE KIDS AT THE CAMP AS CHRISTMAS GIFTS AND MENTIONED THIS IDEA TO MUTTY.  SHE SUGGESTED THAT INSTEAD OF BUYING CLOTHES, WE HAVE A CHRISTMAS PARTY AT OUR HOUSE AND GIVE THEM TOYS.  SHE SAID THEY HAD PLENTY OF CLOTHES DONATED BY DIFFERENT CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS.

WE TOOK MUTTY'S ADVICE AND HELD THE PARTY.  I HAD THE HONOR OF BEING "DER WEINACHTSMAN" (SANTA CLAUS).  AS EACH CHILD CAME UP TO GET HIS OR HER GIFT THEY WOULD SING A LITTLE SONG OR RECITE A POEM AND THEN RETURN TO THEIR SEAT AND OPEN THE PRESENT.

NOTICING A LITTLE GIRL, WHO DIDN'T OPEN HER GIFT, I ASKED MUTTY TO SEE IF THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG.  SHE TALKED TO HER AND THEN TOLD ME THAT THE LITTLE GIRL TOLD HER THAT HER MOTHER WAS SICK BACK AT THE CAMP AND COULDN'T  COME WITH HER.  SHE TOLD MUTTY THAT THE WRAPPED PRESENT WAS THE MOST  BEAUTIFUL THING SHE HAD EVER SEEN AND SHE WANTED HER MOTHER TO SEE IT BEFORE  SHE OPENED IT BECAUSE SHE KNEW HER MOTHER HAD NEVER SEEN ANYTHING SO BEAUTIFUL.

THE PARTY ENDED WITH EVERYONE STANDING AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE SINGING
"SCHTILLE NACHT" (SILENT NIGHT - MUTTY TAUGHT US THE WORDS IN GERMAN).  THERE WASN'T A DRY EYE AMONGST A BUNCH OF MACHO GI'S SOME THREE THOUSAND MILES FROM HOME WHO WERE EXPERIENCING THE TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS.

BOB FLEMING

YOU UNDOUBTEDLY ATE AT MUTTY'S WHEN YOU CAME TO LUEBECK.  SHE WAS A VERY NICE
LADY.WHO TREATED US LIKE HER OWN KIDS, WHOM SHE SPOILLED.

IN READING YOUR WEB SITE I NOTICED THAT YOU ENTERED THE ARMY IN PITTSBURGH.  THAT IS WHERE I WAS SWORN IN ( AT THE OLD ARMORY).  I WENT FROM THERE TO CAMP MEAD MD. (FOR A WEEK OR SO) THEN TO FT. KNOX ( DIDN'T LIVE IN KY AT THE TIME), THEN TO FORT DEVENS FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS, THEN TO MONTEREY FOR A YEAR, THEN TO GUETLOIG KASERNE IN FRANKFURT (NOT SURE OF SPELLING) FOR A FEW DAYS, THEN TO GIESSEN FOR THREE OR FOUR WEEKS,THEN TO BAHRDORF FOR A FEW DAYS. AND THEN TO LUEBECK WHERE I STAYED FROM MARCH OF '55 TO SEPT. '56.

I WENT OVER ON A TROOP SHIP (TEN DAYS) BUT WAS LUCKY AND CAME BACK ON A PLANE.   I LOOK BACK ON MY ARMY EXPERIENCE WITH FOND MEMORIES AND HAVE ALWAYS REALIZED HOW LUCKY I WAS IN GETTING THE ASSIGNMENTS TO LUEBECK AND MONTEREY.  I SHARED THESE EXPERIENCES WITH A GREAT BUNCH OF GUYS FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE FROM ALL OVER THE U.S.

I WILL ALWAYS REMEBER HOW GUYS FROM THE DEEP SOUTH, AFTER A SHORT TIME OF BEING TOGETHER WITH BLACKS, SEEMED TO PUT ASIDE THE PREJUDICES THEY BROUGHT WITH THEM AS A RESULT OF THEIR UPBRINGING AND HOW GRADUATES OF IVY LEAGUE  COLLEGES BECAME BUDDIES WITH YOUNGER GUYS JUST OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL.  THE ARMY EXPERIENCE WAS A GREAT COMMON DENOMINATOR.  SOMETIMES I THINK THE COUNTRY MIGHT BE A BETTER PLACE IF EVERYONE COULD GO THROUGH IT.

THANKS FOR PUTTING FORTH THE EFFORT TO CREATE THIS WEB SITE.

SINCERELY,

BOB FLEMING
 

PS:PLEASE EXCUSE MY TYPING IN CAPS. I LEARNED TO TYPE TRANSCRIBING RUSSIAN
TANK TRAFFIC.  WE ONLY USED CAPS.