Charlie Battery - Kleingartach
The Launching Area - 1959 - 1969
)
Launching Area Buildings Detail
It's my recollection that these guard towers were rarely used. I did few guard duty tours in this tower, however, almost all of my time was spent walking guard using the section service road. And part of that road ran around the back of the missile hanger that is behind this guard tower. So, one would think that I would have seen someone in the tower, let alone talk to them from time to time.
Jim Fitzpatrick says the only guard duty he did was in the tower, so I don't know how to resolve that one.
Again, the tracks that run out of, and through the missile hanger out to the launchers are visible at the rear hanger door.
){kind=link}
)
Rear View Of Alpha Section
Here we see the section inner service road with a rear view of the missile hanger. Visible as well, are the tracks extending out of the rear hanger door, allowing missile trailers to up and download missiles.
This photo was taken outside the main perimeter fence, near the first Guard Tower, seen as one enters the main gate.
)
A Little Further Down Inner Section Service Roads Passing Alpha Section
An excellent view of a of missile trailers with two missiles on them are illustrated on the next two photos following this one.
And in the far distance to the right, past the empty missile trailer and behind a berm, is Charlie Section's missile hanger. Their generator shed is barely visible just above the trailer and to the left of the base of the guard tower. A great view of the back of their revetment can be seen on the last image of the following link, so “Click Here” to view that image.
)
Missile Trailer On Alpha Section Inner Service Road
This is the kind of trailer that would pull up to the tracks in the rear of the missile hanger to deal with missiles. They are also the trailers we would tow to exchange missiles at Baumholder.
Also visible is the rear of Alpha Section's revetment, and to the far left, part of the generator shed.
And to the far right, a Nike Ajax in its launcher with its cover. There were missiles on the launchers 24/7/365.
)
Guided Missile Trailers Pulled By 5 Ton Cargo Trucks
This is at a time when we were making the transition from the Nike Ajax to the Nike Hercules guided missile. The Nike Ajax were loaded on to these missile trailers then we when there were enough we would drive convoy Northwest to Baumholder to return for deactivation.
Usually there were between 5 and 10 trucks pulling missile trailers carrying two missiles each. Convoys were fun and a great escape from the day to day grind of the launching area. It was also good to get out on the road and see the different parts of Germany.
We had to get international drivers licenses in order to drive on the Autobahn, or German Highway system.
)
Alpha Section -1960
This is a perfect illustration of a Nike Launching Pad. Most launching sections that I have seen have 3 launchers each. The missiles roll across each launcher on rails that have sets of rollers both front and back, and move along tracks that go into the hanger where the Nike Hercules were stored. The tracks also extend out past the rear hanger door so missile trailers can pull up to on or off load other missiles. Images that illustrate that process can be seen on Page 3. So please “Click Here” for those images.
In front of each missile on the concrete launching pad are 3 piles that are the folded missile covers to protect them from the weather and dirt in windy conditions. The covers are a heavy plastic sown into a shape the fit the missiles perfectly.
Also the revetment can be easily seen. Basically, it was a small protected room with hallways to the front, and out the back. A rear passage was necessary because the diesel electrical generator shed was behind the revetment, and during alerts every section fired up theirs up. Every area was electrically independent during alerts.
However my first Nike base, at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington State, had 4 launchers. This Nike base was a sophisticated and complex launching area that had a huge underground concrete missile storage area that brought missiles up and down on a huge elevator that had a launcher on it, which was the 4th launcher. So we could move missiles around on, as well as fire from that elevator.
It was a serious industrial device that had to travel quite a ways up to the surface. And when in the underground storage area, watching it elevate was fairly awesome sight, especially when the elevator reached its resting point on the surface. It had these massive locking devices slammed into the locking points on the elevator making crashingly loud din, painfully amplified by the cavernous space we were in.
A diagram of an underground storage area can be seen a PDF that explains the premise of a Nike Base and its various configurations. It helps one to have a more clear overview of a Nike Site. Please “Click Here” to view/download the article.
)
Alpha Section’s Fork
This road is part of the inner security service road to Alpha Section. If you turned around you would be looking at the section shown in the previous image. The fork to the left goes around to the back of the missile hanger, around passed the generator shed, and comes back to the place where I am standing. This is the road we walked our guard duty tours.
Looking across in the distance Bravo Section's revetment is to the left, and behind the trees to the right is Charlie Section. And if one continues down the road you come to the inner security gate on the right, or you can go left to Charlie Section.
One side note... While talking to Sgt. John Standerfer, former assistant Section Chief of Charlie Section 1968 era, he mentioned that while there something happen to Bravo Section rendering it unusable, but he never knew why.
Then a few weeks later while talking with Ron Daum of Alpha Section/LCT, see his “Guest Book” entry, and also of the 1968 era with Standerfer, told me the story of what happened to Bravo Section. It seems that while cutting the grass around the Section, using a German Lawn mower with the front rotating blade, someone put the mower down into the ditch where the cable were and seriously shredding thus severing them completely. I think probably at that point in time, when the Nike luster was waning, the brass concluded that Bravo Section wasn't worth fixing. Charlie Nike Battery later moved to Hardheim, about 70 Km. north, in 1969
Here is a detail of what I am talking about. The cables are using the ditch, suspended by wooden stringers, thus keeping them out of the running drain water. It's not like they couldn't be seen or avoided.“Click Here” to view the image.
){kind=link}
)
Launching Area Buildings Overview
After swinging around Alpha Section the road goes down the hill to Launching Area physical support buildings.
This is a great perspective of the Launching Area's physical Buildings. It was taken from Alpha Section's high berm that separates the launchers and missile hanger from the main buildings in the event of an explosion.
A reverse view of the berm can be seen in the next image. It is taken from the rear corner of the Ready Room, which is the low building on the far right in this image.
The key is the far right curve of that large black fuel tank next to the Ready Room, because it helps define the smaller berm around the tank in relation to the larger berm of Alpha Section. So look for that.
That tank was a diesel fuel storage tank. Everything was powered by diesel generators, and each missile section had their own diesel generator and could be independently powered, and we went through a huge amount of diesel fuel over the course of a year.
The structures in the far distance just over the tops of the 5 ton Cargo Trucks are the Warhead Buildings, with the large A Frame hoist used for moving warheads about. The A Frame hoist was also perfect for removing auto engines so they could be repaired.
For a building overview please “Click Here”, and these structures can be viewed in better detail in the following photos on this page.
){kind=link}
)
Warhead Building Overview
This the very high tech Warhead Building “complex”... Ah, but not to complex.
Notice the first class canvas tent and plywood motif. It could withstand the slightest breeze.
And in the event of an explosion, well... you know...!
)
Launching Area Buildings Overview From The Warhead Complex
From the spot where I took the Warhead Building photo, I turned around and got another overview of the Launching Area's primary buildings.
• Copyright © 2010 - 2024 • charlie3rd71st.com • All rights reserved •
