Bitburg AB Pictures.
Another update! We went back to Bitburg a couple of
weeks ago and they are tearing down the old TabVees. Most of the Tabvees
in the 22 AMU are gone. The base chapel has been changed to a Table Top
Dance Club and base housing is slowly being turned over to the Germans.
When we drove through there, it was like a ghost town. It was really sad. I
am going out there next weekend to take some more pics and will try to
upload those as well. -New!
Unfortunately, nobody seems to support Frontpage extensions anymore. So
I am unable to build the new 2009 pics into this page. So I had to use
Dreamweaver and add another page. I included the new link .-New!
Thanks for all the wonderful feedback. I received pictures from quite a
few people who stationed at Bitburg. Dale Crafts who was stationed at
there in 1952. I have included
his experience back then. Thanks Dale!!! (Note: When Dale mentions "Fursty" he is referring to
Furstinfeldbruck where the 36th had been based.)
I am always looking for photos, experiences, etc. So if you have any that
you would like to share, please send them to me.
Our first assignment to Germany was Bitburg AB. We were stationed there from 1987-1993.
The base closed in the fall of 1994. Right now Spangdahlem
AB is still using some of the facilities. The operational side of the base has
been sold off to different private organizations. In one of the hangars there is
a Go Kart track!
Please email me with pics!
John Kulow
1952 Bitburg AB Pictures.
I was part of the first convoy into Bitburg, late winter or early spring of
'52. I remember it was colder than hell and Major Ryder, the Base Co. thought
it was a jolly good idea, since the A. P's were patrolling the base anyway, we
could take fire watch in the officer's tents. The first night of the fire
watch, Pete Peterson and I drew the base patrol. Pete said, to hell with this
Dale, I'll stop this once and for all. He put so many briquets in those
pot-bellied stoves that an hour later, the stoves were cherry red. all the
officers were outside in their underwear rolling up the sides of the tents.
It was so hot in those tents, the devil himself was looking for ice water.
Needless to say, the next day, Major Ryder issued new orders that we no longer
had to care for the fires. I left there just in time for Thanksgiving back in
Fursty in '52. I don't know if our fire watch had anything to do with it or
not but, Pete and I were given patrolling Trier. Pete, always thinking, let
it be known that there was a midnight curfew for all military personnel,
enlisted and officers, American and French, and nobody questioned it so we had
all the frauleins to ourselves. People who were stationed at Bitburg after
it became a base don't realize what a dorf it was. After Munich and Fursty,
Bitburg was a little less exciting than watching grass grow, but considerably
more exciting that watching concrete cure. . Dale Crafts
|
|
|
|
4 Star Hotel
|
|
|
|
Air Police HQ
|
|
|
|
Back yard as seen from the terrace
|
|
|
|
Bitburg AB 1952
|
|
|
|
Control Tower 1952
|
|
|
1967 Bitburg AB
Pictures
The
pics below were graciously emailed by Richard Self who was at Bitburg in 1967.
One interesting note about Andy, the Bulldogs Mascot. Between the years
1987-1993, his name was changed to Apex. Apex was flown from England to
Bitburg in the back of a two seater F-15.
|
|
|
|
Eifel Idiot Discharge paper
|
|
|
|
Andy Patch
|
|
|
|
Article about Andy in the cockpit
|
|
|
|
C130 at Erding AB
|
|
|
|
Deuce on pad at Erding AB
|
|
|
|
|
|
Missles on Deuce.
|
|
|
|
F-102's at Erding AB
|
|
|
|
Flightline at Night
|
|
|
|
Flightline during the daytime.
|
|
|
|
Rear View of Deuce
|
|
|
|
|
|
Richard on a Deuce.
|
|
|
|
Deuce-Nov 64
|
|
|
|
Deuce that broke down in Alborg, Denmark
|
|
|
|
F-102
|
|
.jpg)
|
|
F-102
|
|
|
|
|
|
F-102
|
|
|
|
F-102
|
|
|
|
F-102
|
|
|
|
Bitburg AB
|
|
|
|
Main drag at Bitburg
|
|
|
|
|
|
Looking toward supply.
|
|
|
|
F-102 at the Bulldogs.
|
|
|
|
Barracks
|
|
|
|
525 Barracks
|
|
|
|
Behind Chow Hall
|
|
|
|
|
|
Flightline room
|
|
|
|
J-57 engine
|
|
|
|
LUXEMBORG MILITARY CEMETERY
|
|
|
2002 Bitburg AB Pictures. (High Resolution
~1 MB each)
|
|
|
|
The old 36 TFW memorial in the French Kaserne
|
|
|
|
The French Kaserne
|
|
|
|
The Control tower....the exlamation mark said it all!
|
|
|
|
Outside the old 22nd AMU
|
|
|
|
An old tabvee
|
|
|
|
|
|
Building 202
|
|
|
|
The old Chapel...I mean beer garden!
|
|
|
|
The chow hall
|
|
|
|
The dorms near where Finance used to be.
|
|
|
|
Where the old 525 AMU used to be
|
|
|
|
|
|
Another shot of the 525
|
|
|
|
A tabvee that has been modified
|
|
|
|
Another shot
|
|
|
|
The Wing building
|
|
|
|
PMEL
|
|
|
2004 Pictures
|
|
|
|
One of the dorms being remodled (near where Finance used to be)
|
|
|
|
Bitburg High School sign
|
|
|
|
36 TFW Hospital
|
|
|
|
Bitburg Elementary
|
|
|
|
Another shot of the Elementary school
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bitburg Housing
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Playground behind the elementary school
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The fence behind housing, looking toward the brewery.
|
|
|
|
The old beverage shop...I bought many a beer there.
|
|
|
|
|
|
A new road that cuts through the French kaserne
|
|
|
|
Distant shot of the memorial
|
|
|
|
Child center in the Kaserne
|
|
|
|
looking back at housing from the Kaserne
|
|
|
|
Fitness center in Kaserne
|
|
|
|
|
|
Looking at the new road in the Kaserne
|
|
|
|
The road between housing and the base
|
|
|
|
|
Where the Gate used to be...next to the NCO Club
|
|
|
|
The Library
|
|
|
|
|
|
Side of the old NCO Club
|
|
|
|
The front of the NCO Club
|
|
|
|
Public Affairs Bld
|
|
|
|
Standing in front of the theatre..looking back down towards the tower
|
|
|
|
Movie theatre
|
|
|
|
|
|
Where the gate used to be....looking back towards housing
|
|
|
|
NCO Club
|
|
|
|
New art work on the Blds
|
|
|
|
Audio Photo Club
|
|
|
|
A beer garden in the back of the NCO Club
|
|
|
|
|
|
Another shot of the Audio Photo Club
|
|
|
|
Transportation dorms behind Audio Photo Club
|
|
|
|
O'Club...still open
|
|
|
|
Dorm turned into a Greek Orthodox church
|
|
|
|
Road by dinning hall...looking towards the chapel
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dinning hall...now a topless bar
|
|
|
|
FTD Bld
|
|
|
|
Back looking toward PA
|
|
|
|
Dinning hall
|
|
|
|
An old SKIP...remember???
|
|
|
|
|
|
Post Office
|
|
|
|
old dorm by Finance being redone |
|
|
|
some of the dorms are being used by companies
|
|
|
|
Movie Theatre
|
|
|
|
Transportation
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Deutche Kantina
|
|
|
|
PMEL
|
|
|
|
Side of PMEL
|
|
|
|
Looking down towards the tower
|
|
|
|
Hangar 402...now a go kart track!
|
|
|
|
|
|
New circle by hangar 402
|
|
|
|
Hangar 402
|
|
|
|
PMEL..again, guess where I used to work?
|
|
|
|
Tower being repainted...shucks!
|
|
|
|
Tabvee
|
|
|
|
|
|
22nd AMU
|
|
|
|
Driving down past the 22nd towards ZULU Alert
|
|
|
|
side of the 22nd
|
|
|
|
Another go kart track by the 22nd
|
|
|
|
Looking out to the flightline
|
|
|
|
|
|
Another SKIP
|
|
|
|
Wing Bld
|
|
|
|
Photo Lab
|
|
|
|
Closer shot
|
|
|
|
Wing Bld again
|
|
|
|
|
|
36 FW Bld
|
|
|
|
Some of the art work remains on the bld
|
|
|
|
Chapel....empty now!
|
|
|
|
looking back to the 525 and the guard gate
|
|
|
|
Nice new colors on the dorms
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
525 AMU
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chapel
|
|
|
|
Building that housed supplies for the LOX plant.
|
|
|
|
A closer shot of same building
|
|
|
|
|
Housing office
|
|
|
|
|
|
Patriot part of the base
|
|
|
2005
Two family units from Bitburg Housing used to be open for Billeting.
We used to stay there every time we came to Bitburg. Effective 1 Nov 2005,
they closed the Billeting and moved it to Spangdahlem. This was the last
time we stayed there. It appears that
they are slowly closing the Bitburg annex and building up Spangdahlem. It won't
be too long before everything is closed up. The pics below were from May
when we stayed at Bitburg for the BorderLand Fest.
|
|
|
|
Bitburg Hosuing dinning area
|
|
|
|
Bitburg housing bedroom
|
|
|
|
Bitburg housing hall
|
|
|
|
Bitburg housing hall
|
|
|
|
Bitburg housing kitchen
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bitburg housing kitchen area
|
|
|
|
Bitburg housing living room
|
|
|
|
Bitburg housing living room.
|
|
|
|
Old housing gate
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Out by the old 22 AMU
|
|
|
|
Back of Enlisted Club..boy did we pary there!
|
|
|
|
Back of Enlisted Club
|
|
|
|
another shot of Enlisted Club's patio area
|
|
|
|
Enlisted Club patio area
|
|
|
|
|
|
Enlisted Club with new sign out front
|
|
|
|
Enlisted Club
|
|
|
|
Enlisted Club front
|
|
|
|
O-Club Bar...now a WWI Airplane
|
|
|
|
O-Club bar..now an airplane
|
|
|
|
|
|
O-Club $25,000 chandelier
|
|
|
|
O-Club Dinning room
|
|
|
|
O-Club
|
|
|
|
Education Office
|
|
|
|
Back of the old Education Office
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Tower
|
|
|
|
Bitburg Tower....now a beer stubie!
|
|
|
|
Combat Camera
|
|
|
|
CSG building
|
|
|
|
Old dorm now a Greek Orthodox school
|
|
|
|
|
|
Old dorm
|
|
|
|
Old dorm
|
|
|
|
Hangar next to PMEL
|
|
|
|
Hangar
|
|
|
|
Old Billeting
|
|
|
|
|
|
Go cart track outside of Hangar
|
|
|
Top
.jpg)
