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This photo, from 1980, shows personnel from How Battery in the briefing area.  At the lectern, center left, Lt Cozzens, at right, Lt Cheatham. --Ted Cheatham


 Seen in photo, an  H Company jeep, 1978,  pressed into service, speeds north towards Fladungen as part of a  US Patrol.  As of  1979, all canvas was removed from border mission jeeps. 
--Stefanowicz

US Patrol , H Company, 1978; from left, SP4 Finney,  PFC Hill, SGT Price,  SGT McCellan.  SGT Price writes a spot report while Finney continues to observe.  The patrol drew live ammunition, five rounds per man, issued by the camp armorer and accounted for by stamped lot number.  Additionally each vehicle carried a metal "fuse case", a steel box, banded shut containing additional ammunition and flares.  Much of what was observed consisted of  " day to day " activities on the border. The intelligence value was  in determining if what was observed fell within the expected norms or ... was a change from the pattern.  Either way, we reported what we saw.    The berets were gone by the start of 1979, uniform for all aspects of the border mission became standard field set to include helmet.  Stefanowicz


"They took my picture ... now where did they put it?!"  Tom Sommerkamp on US Patrol,  snaps the photo just as a GAK does the same in 1980.  The GAKs took thousands of photos of US and West German personnel on the border and Erwin Ritter has been able to recover a few photos taken of him but never could locate the files which must contain thousands of photos of cavalry troopers.  The photos are probably located somewhere in the archives containing the records of the Border Troops and the STASI, the East German secret police. 
--Sommerkamp 

 
We observed the engineer operations, GAKs, patrol and tower activity of the East Germans.  Sometimes we observed the towns.  Seen here, Frankenheim, just past the Signal Fence, a town of some size in the northern run of the Eaglehorse sector. --Stefanowicz


An engineer Tatra 813.  US Patrol  first began to observe this type of vehicle on the border in 1980 and it could not immediately be found in our recognition guides.  We simply referred to it as the "Bravo Foxtrot Tango" ... "big f***ing truck".
--Ritter


H Company dismounted patrol Summer 78; from left,  PFC Finney, unknown, Sp/4 Herbert,  PVT McCall,  SGT price,  SFC Sperry.     --Stefanowicz


Troop G dismounted patrol air pick up at Camp Lee, 1981.    --Stefanowicz


 H Company  tank patrol on the border 1974;  Ron Hudgins takes a photo through the Primary Sight of the Soviet Bee Hive Antenna Array.  
--Hudgins

  
 


The Border Mission in Brief: 1978 - 1981

 
Each company, troop and battery in turn did a thirty day rotation at the border camp performing the surveillance mission.  This was planned on the master training schedule; for level one gunnery and participation in major FTX's and ARTEP's  which required  participation of the three cavalry troops and tank company, HOW battery was slotted to the mission.  Other alternatives in staffing allowed for just scouts at the camp if a tank only training event was occurring.  On rare occasions, the entire mission was handed off for a month to a designated divisional cavalry troop from a V Corps unit.
 
Once at the camp, soldiers were restricted to the area and civilian clothes were not allowed. The only POV's allowed belonged to the Troop Commander and  perhaps one or two platoon leaders / platoon sergeants.  Some First Sergeants went to the camp, others remained with the supply section at Daley.  To accommodate soldiers processing in and out of the unit, the troop kept its barracks open.  A  supply run in the afternoon shuttled between Daley Barracks and the camp carrying soldiers and supplies back and forth.  Usually a trooper could expect one or two  24 hour periods off  from the mission which could be spent back in Bad Kissingen.
 
The unit at the border camp performed both the observation mission and a normal training day to include vehicle maintenance.  Depending on the unit and creativity of the commander, border rotations offered a wonderful opportunity to conduct training away from Daley Barracks.  Border operations were supervised by the Border Camp OIC, usually a "border qualified" lieutenant.  Qualification was basically an ad hoc term; the officer must have had at least one prior border tour and be thoroughly familiar with all aspects of the mission to the satisfaction of the unit commander.
 
For those directly involved with the border mission, this was a 24 hour day.  Those not involved in the mission were free, at the end of the duty day, 1700 or so, to enjoy the advantages of camp life.  In the non winter months, the basketball court and horse shoe pit were popular activities.  The Day Room offered a video tape player, although tapes were in short supply in the early 1980's, a wide selection of board games, magazines and books.  The camp Beer Hall opened at 1900 under the supervision of the platoon sergeants.  German bottled beer and soft drinks were sold at a low price; there were snacks and hot dogs.  People in the current day border mission could not drink beer, soldiers scheduled for the next day border mission were cut off at 2000 hrs.  The major activities at the Beer Hall were card games and then the movie.  16 mm movies, fresh from the AAFES system, were shown nightly.   The movies were handed from unit to unit along the border trace every third day or so ... we received our movies from the 3-7 Cav and handed them off to the 1/11th ACR in the north.  The hall was closed by 2200 hrs, I never saw the platoon sergeants lose control of the situation.  For those not interested in the Beer Hall,  some of the NCO's conducted marathon card and dice tournaments in the barracks.  

The duty day at the border camp started early; the briefing for all personnel involved with the current day mission began at 0530.  The briefing was given by the camp OIC and covered in detail: the current day US wheel patrol plan and areas of interest, areas of interest for the fixed OP team, an overview of ongoing Border Troop activities from recent days,  a review of standard patrol and reporting procedures, a review of the rules covering Use of Deadly Force and Reportable Border Incidents, a review of SMLM sighting procedures and a review of West German border patrol activities.  In my experience, it took about 45 minutes to go through the complete briefing and answer any questions.  All personnel then signed a sheet indicating that they had heard and understood the complete briefing. 

The Eaglehorse squadron patrolled 1/3 of its border trace each day with the Wheeled US Patrol.  A pair of jeeps, two NCO's and four enlisted men followed the roads and trails  through a series of Patrol Vantage Points, pre-designated check points along the trace offering good views of the barrier system.  The patrol would pause at each PVP, and send spot reports of any observed activity via FM unsecured radio to the Border Operations Center at Camp Wollbach / Lee.  The patrol would remain for 15 - 25 minutes at each point and then continue on.  In the event of unusual activity, they might be directed to remain and continue to observe the situation.  Usually the patrols were run during daylight hours. 
 
The border jeep fleet was a constant source of problems.  Three vehicles devoted to the mission were in dire need of constant maintenance as of 78 -79.  If a border jeep was not mission ready, the border unit substituted one of its own to meet the requirement.   Often times, all three border jeeps were not ready for operation despite being matters of command concern.   The fleet was finally  condemned as non repairable due to massive uni-body rust and cracking and  in 1979, five new jeeps were issued.  A border PLL was authorized and established  and a border wheel vehicle mechanic position added to HHT and staffed at the camp.  These changes dramatically improved the readiness and safety of the wheel patrol program.
 
Dismounted Patrols  /  Air Insertions  /  Track and Tank Patrols in the Eaglehorse  Border Mission  thru 1981
 
In addition to the US Wheel Patrol, a number of other patrol options existed for Eaglehorse troopers.  Normally, at least once each border tour, the unit at Camp Wollbach / Lee would conduct a dismounted patrol along a portion of  border sector.  If the patrol could cover the usual 1/3 rd of the trace, it might be run in lieu of the wheel patrol.  Mostly , however, dismounted operations were done in addition to the standard patrol.  Dismounted operations  followed all  normal patrol procedures, at least  one border qualified E6 and a second nco, four enlisted observers; radio contact was maintained with a PRC - 77.  Spot reports and SITREPS flowed as required.   Radio communications could be a major problem;  the 77 had trouble reaching the border camp and weather / terrain conditions in the border area   added  problems.  The  solution was to have the camp " stand - by "  jeep shadow the patrol but remain four or five kilometers off the trace as a radio relay.  This jeep would also carry the " fuse box " of additional ammunition.  For a new platoon leader on his first border tour, dismounted patrolling was an ideal way to learn the facts and lore of the border mission from  more experienced NCO 's and enlisted men.  Over the course of a four week tour, some Lt's tried to coordinate patrols to  allow  them to  " walk the entire trace ". 
Once each border tour, regiment made a UH 1 available to conduct an air insertion of a dismounted patrol into each squadron sector.  This event was coordinated on the master schedule, pick up occurred at Camp Lee and the patrol was inserted within a kilometer of the border trace.  For a 19D scout or 19E tanker, this was an brief but welcome change from  normal procedures.
 
Tank and track patrols of the border were conducted only in the winter months and were a matter of coordination between the Troop Commander and the SCO / staff.  The patrol ran as the  standard US patrol.  Scout  M113's had no difficulty  performing this mission although in the event of  mechanical problem, the camp had to scramble personnel to continue the required patrol.  Tracked vehicles were prohibited from closing beyond 50 meters of the actual border.  Tank patrols by H Company were conducted in a similar fashion ... the tanks were escorted into the border area then maneuvered on their own from PVP to PVP.  One tank would close to the 50 meter point while the second remained far back in overwatch.  The powerful optics allowed for great observation of the east, however, the Border Troops  didn't appreciate the turrets  slewing back and forth from tower to bunker to work party.  I believe the last tank patrol was conducted in early 1979. 
 
These activities were not  designed to provoke the Border Troops although, if they reacted, it made for good spot reports.  At the 7th Army level, in Berlin, monthly meetings occurred  between representatives of West Germany, the US Army and the East Germans to discuss and resolve border related incidents and complaints.  Concerns over  the " provocative  nature " of tanks on the border probably led to this type of patrol being prohibited as of mid 1979.