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[Migginsbros]

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User Name / Town / Country

Migginsbros / Berlin / Germany (present)

Sili / Darmstadt / Germany (present)

Guyfang / 96224 Burgkunstadt / Germany (present)

KRedd /Hochstadt a. M./ Germany (present)

Tobi / Duesseldorf / Germany (present)

AAVP7 / Dortmund / Germany (present)

engem002 / Nierstein / Germany ((present)

AirLenFroAH64 / Berlin / Germany (present)

Coffeelover29 / Germany (present)

Holgi / 35440 Linden / Germany (present)

german m1008 / Frankfurt / Germany

Mirko / Hannover / Germany

MB2232 / Flensburg / Germany

hasardeur / Bergkamen / Germany

59apache / Bavaria / Germany

Stewardoverland / Germany

m1009SouthHessen / Darmstadt / Germany

KrispyKris / Kuerten / Germany

Charcoal01 / Merenberg / Germany

VanMan / Trier / Germany

Sezzo / Bavaria / Germany

Svenson / Deggingen / Germany

TM1008 / Kassel / Germany

Alienfromearth / Bad Berleburg / Germany

PeterP / Aschaffenburg / Germany

bananajoe / Heidelberg / Germany

Assel / Schwarzwald-Baar / Germany

luckyjack666 / Bad Koenig / Germany

CUCVM1009 / Muenster / Germany

Ollin2 / Herdecke / Germany

dmetalmiki / London/ England (present)

Robin33ba07 / Clegarrow A83D456 / Ireland (present)

Tinygpw / Burnham / UK (present)

bennym45 / Tillingham / UK (present)

ChrisUK / Cheshire / UK (present)

Hummermark / London / UK

Robo McDuff / Kojakovice / Czech Republic (present)

TehTDK / Fredericia / Denmark (present)

Swfb / Netherlands (present)

suziq / Charleroi / Belgique

Stefan vanhee / Oostkamp / Belgien

Berend / Netherlands

Volvobrynk / Svendborg / Denmark

Rutjes / Amersfoort / Netherlands

Tobbe tank / Sveden

Marmor / Sveden

bbking / Norway

HUNvee / Hungary

Plasa / Italy

Alfio / Marcon / Italia

juanri23 / Spain



18 marked (present)
51 total

 

[Holgi]

Hello!

So read and logged.
My postcode is 35440 Linden.
This is about 6km next to Giessen.

Greetings from Germany,

Holgi

 

[Guyfang]

96224 Burgkunstadt

 

[Robo McDuff]

More details:

Kojakovice is where our museum is.

Post code 379 01
GPS: N 48°55.77030', E 14°44.30897'

 

[Another Ahab]

Kojakovice is where our museum is.

Thanks, Robo McDuff. Looking up the link to the web page for the museum, I learned something I never knew: the POMCUS (military materiel storage sites in Europe).

I was a Cold War USN Seabee, and the mission of our unit here Stateside was modified for the Cold War situation. Instead of conventional harbor and facility construction, our mission was revised to Rapid Runway Repair. We knew we were headed to Europe if Stuff-Hit-The-Fan, but no one ever thought to share with us just how the whole plan was going to un-fold (Situation Normal). I can hear the self-confident conversations of Command now:

- "Your common everyday Seabee doesn't need to know the details, we'll tell them the program when it all goes Nuclear. That's a good plan. Sure, that will work!"

From the brief little summary of your museum website, now I know more about the whole intended picture. Thanks!

 

[Guyfang]

Thanks, Robo McDuff. Looking up the link to the web page for the museum, I learned something I never knew: the POMCUS (military materiel storage sites in Europe).

I was a Cold War USN Seabee, and the mission of our unit here Stateside was modified for the Cold War situation. Instead of conventional harbor and facility construction, our mission was revised to Rapid Runway Repair. We knew we were headed to Europe if Stuff-Hit-The-Fan, but no one ever thought to share with us just how the whole plan was going to un-fold (Situation Normal). I can hear the self-confident conversations of Command now:

- "Your common everyday Seabee doesn't need to know the details, we'll tell them the program when it all goes Nuclear. That's a good plan. Sure, that will work!"

From the brief little summary of your museum website, now I know more about the whole intended picture. Thanks!

Ahab,

I wish I could take you on a "small" tour of the POMCUS just in the K-Town, (Kaiserlautern) area. Say in a 50-60 klick area. You would be stunned. I worked on a middle sized one in Meisau, in the K-Town area. You could get lost there easy. AND, of course, the Ammo storage area in Weilersbach. The largest ammo dump in Europe. It also held a world class Ammo repair and upgrade factory. We were not part of all this stuff, we were ADA Support. But had a corner of the post, for our operations. One could and did wander around in the POMCUS sites.

The Ammo dump was another thing else. No entrance without taking EVERYTHING out your pockets. ANY device that could make a spark was taken away. NO electrical tools allowed there. Hand tools or air tools. Sometimes the boys in the back forty had to "dispose" of things too unstable to move far. So they had a place to blow them up. We would be working away on gen sets, and then would come a rumble. The walls would shake a bit. Everyone stopped doing what they were doing, and waited for another rumble. Why? Because if a chain reaction was starting, people thought we just might have time to boogie. Ha, ha. The place was so big, that we had 3 hunters to keep the wild pig population down to a dull roar.

When the Army downsized, in the 90's and in 2004-2010, most POMCUS was closed. Now we are storing M1A1's on the Mahnnheim air field. Stupid, stupid, stupid. There was a program on a year or two ago, that showed how some POMCUS was being "Re utilized". Small bunkers were being turned into Large houses, or condos.

 

[Another Ahab]

The place was so big, that we had 3 hunters to keep the wild pig population down to a dull roar.

If that "Swine Squad" is looking for any side-work, they might want to contact the Great State of Texas over here in the Good Old U.S. of A.

Evidently, they have a little issue down that way....

 

[Robo McDuff]

Ahab,

I wish I could take you on a "small" tour of the POMCUS just in the K-Town, (Kaiserlautern) area. Say in a 50-60 klick area. You would be stunned. I worked on a middle sized one in Meisau, in the K-Town area. You could get lost there easy. AND, of course, the Ammo storage area in Weilersbach. The largest ammo dump in Europe. It also held a world class Ammo repair and upgrade factory. We were not part of all this stuff, we were ADA Support. But had a corner of the post, for our operations. One could and did wander around in the POMCUS sites.

The Ammo dump was another thing else. No entrance without taking EVERYTHING out your pockets. ANY device that could make a spark was taken away. NO electrical tools allowed there. Hand tools or air tools. Sometimes the boys in the back forty had to "dispose" of things too unstable to move far. So they had a place to blow them up. We would be working away on gen sets, and then would come a rumble. The walls would shake a bit. Everyone stopped doing what they were doing, and waited for another rumble. Why? Because if a chain reaction was starting, people thought we just might have time to boogie. Ha, ha. The place was so big, that we had 3 hunters to keep the wild pig population down to a dull roar.

When the Army downsized, in the 90's and in 2004-2010, most POMCUS was closed. Now we are storing M1A1's on the Mahnnheim air field. Stupid, stupid, stupid. There was a program on a year or two ago, that showed how some POMCUS was being "Re utilized". Small bunkers were being turned into Large houses, or condos.

Some pics from inside and outside pomcus (or POMS) in the Netherlands and Germany.






My probably naive idea of the POMS routine below. Every half year, a group would come, start all engines, run them warm, then replace ALL oils and filters and whatever. Then they would switch off the light, and the vehicles would be waiting for the Russians to come, or for the next maintenance in 6 months, whatever came firsts.

The Russians never came, so for decades, every six months .....



Later, I think starting with Reforger in 1986, they changed the idea slightly. In stead of have all vehicles lined up according type, they started to store them in "Pre-positioned Organizational Materiel Storage".

No longer per equipment or vehicle type, but equipment needed for a specific unit. If war broke out, soldiers in the USA would literally drop everything, jump on the plane and hop to the Netherlands and Germany. There, all the vehicles for that unit would be waiting in one place, stored as a unit. No time loss for sorting, each soldier knew where his jeep, truck or tank was including everything he needed. Few hours after arriving in Europe, they would be ready to roll eastward as a completely equipped unit.

The war never started, so I got a cheap nice truck

 

[Swfb]

Thank you for that verry interesting info.
As a Dutch guy, born in het 80's I had never heard of it before.

I just googled about Eygelshoven and saw that the Americans handed over the side back to the Netherlands in 2006. However, in 2016 it has been given to the Americans again to be used again as a POMS location.
Dutch info in the following link. On our government page.
There used to be 5 POMS location spread to the Netherlands.

According to the site it is being used again because Europe is getting unstable.

https://www.defensie.nl/actueel/nie...e-draagt-eygelshoven-weer-over-aan-amerikanen

 

[dmetalmiki]

Ahab,

I wish I could take you on a "small" tour of the POMCUS just in the K-Town, (Kaiserlautern) area. Say in a 50-60 klick area. You would be stunned. I worked on a middle sized one in Meisau, in the K-Town area. You could get lost there easy. AND, of course, the Ammo storage area in Weilersbach. The largest ammo dump in Europe. It also held a world class Ammo repair and upgrade factory. We were not part of all this stuff, we were ADA Support. But had a corner of the post, for our operations. One could and did wander around in the POMCUS sites.

The Ammo dump was another thing else. No entrance without taking EVERYTHING out your pockets. ANY device that could make a spark was taken away. NO electrical tools allowed there. Hand tools or air tools. Sometimes the boys in the back forty had to "dispose" of things too unstable to move far. So they had a place to blow them up. We would be working away on gen sets, and then would come a rumble. The walls would shake a bit. Everyone stopped doing what they were doing, and waited for another rumble. Why? Because if a chain reaction was starting, people thought we just might have time to boogie. Ha, ha. The place was so big, that we had 3 hunters to keep the wild pig population down to a dull roar.

When the Army downsized, in the 90's and in 2004-2010, most POMCUS was closed. Now we are storing M1A1's on the Mahnnheim air field. Stupid, stupid, stupid. There was a program on a year or two ago, that showed how some POMCUS was being "Re utilized". Small bunkers were being turned into Large houses, or condos.

Great!. Better that, Than......

 

[Robo McDuff]

My truck was stationed in Ter Apel.

The US military is also on the move in the Netherlands

 

[Robo McDuff]

Now active again in Limburg: video of the reactivated POMS depot

https://youtu.be/Jg56KDpeZjk

and another nice one

https://youtu.be/eyY6nEsuYiA

 

[Another Ahab]

Now active again in Limburg: video of the reactivated POMS depot

Interesting stuff here, Robo McDuff, thanks!

in the second vid you can see what looks like a Kingdom of Yugoslavia flag overlaid with a canton of the American Civil War stars-and-bars.

That's a curiosity. What is that about, do you know?

 

[sigo]

...When the Army downsized, in the 90's and in 2004-2010, most POMCUS was closed. Now we are storing M1A1's on the Mahnnheim air field. Stupid, stupid, stupid. There was a program on a year or two ago, that showed how some POMCUS was being "Re utilized". Small bunkers were being turned into Large houses, or condos.

Here's a video from the late great garage sale during the draw-down in the 90's. I know the Major they interviewed in the video. Long since retired from the Army but still serving as an instructor. He had some great stories of POMCUS disposal/retrograde and of being the officer in charge of the site in Seckenheim. Sounds like it was an interesting time to be stationed in Europe.

I was there in 2003-2006 and even then there were piles and piles of equipment stashed all over. Evidence of a massive US presence during the Cold War was still prevalent. I often wonder what kind of treasures were found when the posts I was at were given back to the Germans in 2015.

 

[Robo McDuff]

Just to clear up some potential confusion: POMCUS and POMS are basically the same thing:


.

 

[Guyfang]

Here's a video from the late great garage sale during the draw-down in the 90's. I know the Major they interviewed in the video. Long since retired from the Army but still serving as an instructor. He had some great stories of POMCUS disposal/retrograde and of being the officer in charge of the site in Seckenheim. Sounds like it was an interesting time to be stationed in Europe.

I was there in 2003-2006 and even then there were piles and piles of equipment stashed all over. Evidence of a massive US presence during the Cold War was still prevalent. I often wonder what kind of treasures were found when the posts I was at were given back to the Germans in 2015.

In 2004, I went to fix some generator equipment and its trailers in K-Town, (Kaiserlauten). I needed some parts, and the folks there at the POMCUS site told an old guy to take me out to the back 40, and look around. We drove down one dirt and mud road after another, looking at equipment that had be "forgotten" by the whole world. Old Gasser trucks, M48 tanks and bridge layers and expndo vans that were ready to collapse. The best was an old 2.5 ton truck, had to have been 35-40 years old. Someone had removed the transmission. A fairly large tree was growing up thouuge the floor, and out the top of the cab. Sadly, I had no camera.

We found 5 each, Ky-57 encryption equipment, (so called controlled items, that normally bring Hel* Fire and ****ation on you if they are lost) in an unlocked storage locker, in a MLRS Motor Poole storeroom, that had been closed at least 2 years, in 2010.

In the Bamberg MUNA, (Munitions Depot) there were bunkers galore. About two years after the post was handed over, (2014) to the Germans, someone started to try and decide how much environmental damage had been done to the area. They found all kinds of ammo, that was for some reason unaccounted for, and in several condemned bunkers, brand new spare parts. Multi boxes, upon Multi boxes. Tens of thousands worth of "excess" parts, hidden by units, for "a rainy day".

Here is one last story. In Bamberg, just as the show was about over, I went to the Post recycling office. It was located in an old building that had been a "storage building" for 82nd Engineer Bn, from time began, until they re flagged in the in the early 2006. Then it was a Thrift shop. Then it was the post recycling office. I wanted to "find" a few things, to get some Gen sets and trucks repaired, and lots of "extra" things had begun to appear there in the Recycling bins. The German fellow running the place was complaining about how the roof leaked. So he was going to take a look. He popped up the suspended ceiling, and there was another ceiling above. The building had an attic, that it seemed, no one had ever been in. While I was out rooting around in the bins, the German fellow found the access hole to the attic, and went up. When I came back in with several items, this guy and his buddies were handing out horse shoes. The attic was full of horse shoes, and shoeing equipment. A few days later, I went back over, and was looking for more treasures, and the guy told me that the "Post Historian" had looked into the records, and found out the building had belonged to a Cavalry unit of the Wehrmacht, and was the old Blacksmith shop. But by that time everything had disappeared.

I could go on all night.

 

[Another Ahab]

Crazy

 

[Robo McDuff]

........ When I came back in with several items, this guy and his buddies were handing out horse shoes. The attic was full of horse shoes, and shoeing equipment.....
.......

Would be very interesting for us to see that equipment. We are operating a blacksmith workshop that originally was of a farrier who also made the steel rims for around the wooden wagon wheels. We sometimes do demonstrations of shoeing.






Also, in our WW1 project, we came across mobile shoeing stuff also.




The mobile forge in the "Legion Train Exhibition", an exhibition in a replica of the trains used by the Czech Legion fighting in Russia during WW1. In contrast to the regular Czech soldiers fighting in the Austro-Hungarian army, the Czech Legion was fighting independently on the Allied side.

 

[Another Ahab]

Also, in our WW1 project, we came across mobile shoeing stuff also.


View attachment 779670View attachment 779673

Great stuff!

Those lathes are beautiful, especially liking the treadle/ foot-powered lathe (in the second pic).