The Europaviertel (European quarter) in
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden () is a city in central western Germany and the capital of the state of Hesse. , it had 290,955 inhabitants, plus approximately 21,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). The Wiesbaden urban area ...
is a former barracks area named ''Gersdorff Kaserne'' at the edge of the city center of the Hessian state capital, approximately 2 kilometers southwest of the
Marktkirche.
Barracks (1868–1945)
Between 1868 and 1945, three different barracks, a military hospital and a laundry occupied the site of today's "European quarter".
Lindsey Air Station (1945–1993)
After
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, the area was occupied by the US Army and renamed ''Camp Lindsey'' (after Captain
Darrell R. Lindsey). U.S. Air Forces Europe (
USAFE), however, retained a small presence at Lindsey Air Station. Lindsey AS was established as a
U.S. Army Air Forces installation on 13 November 1946, became a
U.S. Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...
installation in 1947, and achieved its greatest prominence between December 1953 and 14 March 1973 when it was the host base for USAFE Headquarters. On that date, USAFE Headquarters moved to
Ramstein Air Base.
All of the streets in "Camp Lindsey" were named for the 31 American fatalities from "Operation Vittles," the 1948-49 Berlin Airlift. From 1954 to 1973, Lindsey Air Station was, among other things, home to the
17th Air Force
The Seventeenth Expeditionary Air Force (17 EAF) was a numbered air force of the United States Air Force located at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The command served the United States Air Forces in Europe during (1953–1996) and United States Air ...
and the
65th Air Division
The 65th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with United States Air Forces in Europe, assigned to Seventeenth Air Force, being stationed at Lindsey Air Station, Germany. It was inactivated ...
.
Wiesbaden Army Airfield
Lucius D. Clay Kaserne (german: Flugplatz Wiesbaden-Erbenheim) , commonly known as Clay Kaserne, is an installation of the United States Army in Hesse, Germany. The ''kaserne'' is located within Wiesbaden-Erbenheim. Named for General Lucius D. C ...
and Wiesbaden Army Medical Center
were administered from Lindsey. After the transfer of Wiesbaden Air Base to the Army in 1976, Lindsey provided a home base for other support activities. One of these was the 7100 Consolidated Equipment Maintenance and Support (CEMS) Squadron (1990 - 1993), whose role was to consolidate all war readiness materials (WRM) management in the European theater. This group transferred its base of operation to Sembach Air Base upon the close of Lindsey. Support for various other Air Force units in the Wiesbaden area cntinued until it was closed in 1993. And the barracks of the 497th RTG.
''United States Military Forces & Installations in Europe'' listed units at Lindsey as including the 7100th AB Wing, HQ,
Air Force Technical Applications Center
The Air Force Technical Applications Center (AFTAC), based at Florida's Patrick Space Force Base, is an Air Force surveillance organization assigned to the Sixteenth Air Force. Its mission is to monitor nuclear treaties of all applicable signat ...
Europe, 7001st CSW, 701st ABG, 1st CCS, 1157th TCHOS, 1802nd Support Squadron, 1836th EIG, District 70 AFOSI, Det. 3 FTD, HQ ESAA, 2063rd Comm. Squadron, 1st Combat Communications Group, 7122nd Support Squadron, 7225th Support Squadron, 7260th Support Squadron, 7405th Support Squadron, 7499th Support Squadron, 621st TCF, and 7055th Ops Flight.
[Simon Duke, USMF & IIE, SIPRI, OUP 1989, , p.146, listed under Wiesbaden]
The
7100th Combat Support Wing was active at the base between 1985 and 1993, after which Lindsey Air Station was transferred back to the Army.
Europaviertel (since 1993)
In 1993, Lindsey Air Station was returned to the Federal Republic of Germany and renamed Europaviertel. The buildings at Lindsey now house certain offices of the German Federal Investigation Bureau ''
Bundeskriminalamt'' (red), the
Hessen State Police
The Hessen State Police (German: ''Hessische Polizei'') numbers approximately 15,500 police officers and 2,500 civilian employees.
Organisation
The seven regional police authorities are headquartered in Kassel (Nordhessen), Giessen (Mittelh ...
(blue), a
Folk high school
Folk high schools (also ''Adult Education Center'', Danish: ''Folkehøjskole;'' Dutch: ''Volkshogeschool;'' Finnish: ''kansanopisto'' and ''työväenopisto'' or ''kansalaisopisto;'' German: ''Volkshochschule'' and (a few) ''Heimvolkshochschule;' ...
(yellow), and new construction private housing (orange). The sports field and gym (green) is now the home of the
Wiesbaden Phantoms
The Wiesbaden Phantoms are an American football team from Wiesbaden, Germany.
The team experienced its greatest success in 2010, earning promotion to the German Football League.
History
The club was formed in 1984, originally as a department of ...
.
References
{{USAF Bases in Germany
Geography of Wiesbaden