Wildflecken Training Area
 

During WW2 Wildflecken was, of course, a Wehrmacht training area. I found a site on the web that had the following saying that German soldiers used to have for Wildflecken.

"Lieber den Arsch voller Zecken als ein Tag in Wildflecken!"

"Better an ass full of ticks than a day in Wildflecken"

Got to love troops, no matter where they are from...

It is now, or was until recently (never know these days), the Rhoen-Kaserne of the Bundeswehr.

Wildflecken Training Area
 

We use to say"There is no 'FLECKEN like WILDFLECKEN. The barracks and mess hall's were great.

BMT

Wildflecken brings back many memories both bad and good as does Baumholder, Grafenwoehr, and Hoehenfels.

In der guten alten zeit...
 

We used to call it "The Wild Chicken" when 6/6 inf was 1/54 inf mail foot heroes. That's back when we would march from Bamberg to Grafenwoehr!

Wildflecken
 

Ok all you guys who served in Deutschland, what does Wildflecken (Veeldflecken) translate to in English?

If I am correct, spotted deer. Wild = deer, Flecken = spotted

Am I correct?

Where there any good Gasthauses or Bierstubes in the area?

I dont know. Deer was always Reh or Hirsch. Or, at least thats what the sign said above the doorway to the Golderner Hirsch Gasthaus.

Wild
 

The term "Wild" could be considered the equivalent of the English word "game" as it pertains to hunting. There are many different kinds of "Wild", obviously. The distinctions are made by adding whatever word signifies the type of game you're talking about. "Rotwild" would be a type of red deer, for example.

As far as the name "Wildflecken" goes, you are right in that "Flecken" translates to spots. Spotted would be "gefleckt", or "befleckt", however.

The name doesn't translate very smoothly, nor does it make much sense in German. It's simply two words put together. If you were to translate it literally it would mean something along the lines of "Game spots"

Like many words in any language, "Wild" can mean many things. Many German place names are old and words have changed over the years (there used to be a book sold in the bookstores over there that went through how place names meant something and how the word building blocks evolved over the years).

Wild also means just plain old "wild", like it does in English. It can also mean "rough"-possibly giving the name "Rough spots or areas".

Flecke(n) can mean spot(s), bruise(s), patch(es), stain(s) or small piece(s) of land.

Isar is actually a Celtic name and Donau (Danuvius) is taken from Latin. So using modern translations doesn't always quite get the source.

Okay, from the Wildflecken website.

http://www.wildflecken.de/

The name came from some settlements in the woods. "1588- Der Streit um die wilden Ansiedlungen wird beendet. Ein Ort in der Reihe er "Wilden Ansiedlungen" behielt seinen Namen Wildflecken. Wildflecken hatte zu diesem Zeitpunkt 294 Einwohner.

My team would ride our mountain bikes up to the monastery on top of the hill. Then after dinner and a few dark beers, we would ride back down to the kasern. There were times that got to be very tricky......

That was some good brew...................................

I still have a one liter mug from there...

Our Company in Berlin had a Keg that we would refill with Kreuzbergbier each trip we made back to the West......

Of course that was after a liberal sampling period on the last night of the exercise :D

Has the beer gotten moldly yet? ;)

I remember Wildflecken that was IMHO the minor league version of Graf. And Garmisch -- it did have a little ski hill and it was half the distance from Aschafenburg. Just right if you didn't have time to spend the night in Garmisch.
Anyone remember Hohenfels?
Now that free manuever area was "fun fun fun 'til her Daddy took the car keys away!" Especially if you were a young Mech PL in a Tank Company Team. The joy of being a seeing-eye grunt for a bunch of tread-heads (in M-60A-1s)! We'd dismount and clear the route at night then link up with our Tracks when the Company rolled in just after dawn. Chow showed up in the Merimites (Green Eggs and Sausage). Then tearing around, up and down the bowling alleys.
I remember looking for and being chased by OPFOR tanks, charging into a narrow valley desperate for a hasty ambush site. Finding a hide and spinning the Dragon turret around, dismounting all the LAWs and waiting. . . waiting . . .waiting. Watching the tank roll by . . . waiting for the flank shot. Seeing the shock on the TC's face as he spotted us, the turret spinning. . . "FIRE FIRE FIRE."
The ensuing argument.
"Your DEAD"
"Am not"
"Are TOO"
"I'm a TANK, Grunt"
"Mon down 'Captain Crunch' and we'll see about that!"
Then comes a lone M151 . . . Out climbed a short guy with a purple smoke.
Pin gets pulled, and smoke gets tossed
under the tank!


Dueler Six (ADC-M, 3 ID) made the call . . .

Al, is there a brew that you don't like buddy ? :cool: When are you in Toelz the next time ? This time Dinner is on me. :D

Wildflecken... Darn. I was there the last time during a REFORGER exercise in the early 90's (91 me thinks). That place truly is a "wild spot"... :D

Anyone remember Hohenfels?

Yes,I do ......However I've never went to Wildfleken....But,if you've ever gone to Hohenfels in the dead of winter and the temperature was well below zero,you'll never forget that place....:( Hitler used that place to train his troops for fighting on the Russian front I was told...... :rolleyes: I'm from Chicago where the wind off the lake was called the Hawk and could cut you in two when it dropped well below zero,but Hohenfels made it fell like a warm summer breeze............Yes,I remember Hohenfels..................;)

Big Teddy :munchin

I HATED the place...big ice box. We humped mickey mouse boots but were NEVER allowed to wear them.

Flaming asshole
 

Ahh, memories start to appear. When I was in the nickel 'o nasty (1/509th) we got kicked out of the NCO club at I think it was Graff, coulda been hohenfelds, who knows.

We were consuming some "adult beverages" and folks where doing the "flaming asshole" competition.

This is a good one....please allow me to explain, you roll up some newspaper (or any other paper), pull your drawers down, stick the rolled up paper between your cheeks, light the paper on fire, then the one that has the shortest amount of paper left (before extinguishing the fire) is the winner....cool huh??

Of course this was done standing atop of the tables, and about two-three folks would do it at the same time.

Funny thing is, the Bn CDR and CSM were in on it too. I think the CSM was Bobby Teague, and the Bn CDR was Murphy (can't remember his first name.)

Needless to say, we were not invited back, don't know why.

You guys sure had some crazy ways to amuse yourselves Glebo. Did you leave the NCO Club that night with a bald and blistered bottom or with a few hairs still in place?

The fifth is invoked here:cool:

Mickey mouse boots..........:rolleyes: Do they still have them in the army? ;)

Big Teddy :munchin

We never used Wildflecken or Grafenwohr or training areas like that - we used the Alps, Schwarzwald, and other areas throughout our AOR. Closest I ever got to Wildflecken was use of the 11th Armored Carnival Regiment's 3rd Recon Squadron's base at Bad Hersfeld for an FOB when we were 'training' to the sunrise side of there in late 1976 while the IGB fencing was being torn down between OPs India and Romeo and refabricated. We collected a couple of loose SM-70s and even received a cool 'border certificate' for our wanderings. Sounds like we didn't miss anything by not using Wildflecken. ;)

FWIW - I would not have wanted to have been anywhere in the Fulda Gap area if the 3rd Guards Horde Army had ever come across the IGB IAW their war plans. :eek:

Richard's $.02 :munchin

I think the 11th ACR in Fulda was merely an early warning device or trip wire of sorts. I really wonder if they would have even slowed down the Soviet 3rd Guards Army very much.

British 4th Armor BDE (Desert Rats), 11th ACR (Black Horse), and 2nd ACR (Dragoons) were all 'trip wires' for a general Soviet attack along the IGB - thankfully, it never happened. The first real line of defense was actually the Rhine - a Wacht am Rhein scenario - which is why all our depot activities were located far West of the Rhine.

Richard's $.02 :munchin

"Fight and die before the Main" I remember standing on the east bank of the Main with my Company Commander. We had just left our third Battle Position.

"Sez he: This is where the Engineers will have the bridge set up."
Sez me: So why isn't it set up now?":confused:
Sez he : "You don't think they'll actually set it up here, do you?"
Sez me: "Sure, sir. Why wouldn't they?"
Sez he: "You don't actually think YOU'RE going to be here?":(

My TC was more optimistic. In the map canister he had the navigational charts from Calaise to Dover. :p

Smart guy, your TC. Our NEO plans for my wife and son in Bad Tolz were for them to go stay with friends in Austria - figured the traffic going West would be a nightmare and swimming the Rhein any time of the year was not to our liking - of course they would've been on their own because I would've already left for that longed for camping trip even further to the East. ;)

Как вы говорите, падение вашего оружия и руки вверх или я вас стрелять по-русски? :)

Richard's $.02 :munchin

When I was in 1/10 we used Graf/Vilseck and Wildflecken for weapons training for the things we couldn't do at the local training area or in the various woods. Wildflecken wasn't any better or worse than any other place. Actually, less anal people than we encountered at Graf/Vilseck. Kind of like training at the ranges at Bragg, Drum, Carson, etc. and better than trying to get something done at Devens.

We shared the BW ranges with the Mountain and Airborne units - which always led to some friendly competition. ;)

Richard's $.02 :munchin

Glebo. . . are your memories of "Shy Helen" (. . . from Graf") starting to return?;)

no...that don't ring any bells.

but...do tell:cool:

I plead the 5th:p

Of what...My-oh? :rolleyes:

Richard's $.02 :munchin

I can list a few beers that I don't like... Brewed in USA and end with the word "light". I like many of the micro brews I have tasted over here but not too many of the big watery tasting beer companies.

I am up in Hamburg. Just got married and even have a German green card and work permit... Know anyone looking for a dumb American for work?

Yes CSM Teague, the BN Co first name to me was LTC. The 09 was kicked out of the club in Wildflecken in 79 IIRC after a fight the post legs started. After a night of retribution against the legs and a day or so restriction the 09 was allowed back to the club. After a couple more nights the club was destroyed and the 09 banned from Widflecken. I'm not sure it's the same year you're remembering.

The next year the 09 went to Hohenfels. Which was fine, the Brits were there with beer rations and invited us to drink free. Decent troops the Brits.

I remember the Bn going to a Monastery near Wildflecken after a pre-ARTEP, maybe the one mentioned in this thread. Does anyone have the name for the Monastery. All I remember is great beer ceramic mugs and huge Saint Bernards.

Where in the famous "flaming asshole" competition??

I didn't compete, but it was friggin hilarious to watch.

Yeah, I hear ya on that one. Went to Coors in Golden, CO. the last time I was CONUS, the only good thing was the free tasting... hehe. I like Shiner Bock from Texas, and a few other micro brews. I went to a brew pub in Denver with Firebeef and his old Team Sergeant after a Rockies game when I was there. They brewed Weissbier in the German way. Yummy....:D They called it "Wixa Weizen". I had to laugh... I guess you know what "Wixer" means in German.:p

Married ?? Congrats brother ! 'bout time that lady put a ring on your finger. How is the young lady doing ? Tell her I said "hi"...:cool:

Hmm, work. What are your "qualifications" ? (I mean not the ones from Uncle Sam). Are you planning on staying in HH ? Heck, I could use a QP as a sidekick here, the Germans are driving me crazy...:eek:

Kloster Kreuzberg, also called "the holy mountain of the Franconians". Very nice place, awesome food and excellent beer.

Thanks!

[QUOTE: Kloster Kreuzberg, also called "the holy mountain of the Franconians". Very nice place, awesome food and excellent beer.[/QUOTE]

They were rated as one of the top breweries in the mid 90's. Great view of the surrounding area from the bier garden.

We preferred going to Wildflecken rather than Graf or Hohenfels for the heavy weapons training. The Range Control guys were sooooooo much more friendly, especially when you gave them classes and let them shoot the weapons.

Anytime ! :D

Stras, the place is still awesome. ;)