From this period, we find excellent fotos of the exterior of the Offizier Heim in the album created by the men of the 2nd Training Company, 13th Medical Training Battalion to honor their Commander, Doctor - Major Michel, on his 34 birthday in 1941. The building appears in the background of several photographs.

Use of the building in the immediate post war period is unclear. Manteuffel Kaserne was occupied by a variety of Army and Army Air Force units, the clubs for the troopers were established downtown. None of the people interviewed from that period have a clear memory of the Offizier Heim building and its function. The mystery continues through the three year period when no American forces were at Manteuffel, 1947 - 1950. Perhaps the building was simply shuttered.

The story of the building resumes with the remodeling program at the future designated Daley Barracks as the 2/14 ACR occupies their new home. The former Offizier Heim was renamed as the Frontier NCO Club and configured for a new role. It is unknown to what extent the interior was changed, clearly it lost the billet and formal mess function but the changes were probably not extensive. In this new capacity, it served the NCOs of Daley until the barracks closed. Captioning evidence from the German newspapers indicate that once Daley went to caretaker status, the former club may have been used as a Community Recreation Center for the US family members living at Daley Village.

	On the back of a standard tourist post card, a clue in the history of the MKL. The card carries both the civil postal stamp, upper right, and the German Army postal stamp " Marine Kur Lazarett ", indicating that the building is an official military mailing address, probably in use as a hospital. The text, translated by a native speaker, gives no further lues. Apparently written to family members, he says he will be at this location for a month but is enjoying the stay. He hopes to see them soon and asks that his favorite desert, " Schattenmorellen " a cherry desert, be waiting for him.		NCO club as seen in the 1954 14th ACR Yearbook. The stone wall surrounded the building on two sides creating an enclosed park area. --Stefanowicz

With the final return of the barracks area to German civil control, the former NCO club was spared demolition but completely remodeled as the Bad Kissingen Civil Police Station. The exterior, however, remains very similar to that as remembered by troopers. Anyone with photos of the NCO Club, either interior or exterior, please consider sending us scans or copies.

Daley Barracks BOQ and Officers Club / Marine Kurlazarett

The Daley Barracks Bachelor Officer's Quarters has an interesting background and the story continues to this day. The history of the building begins sometime just prior to WW I. It was built as a Kur Hotel under the control of the Imperial German Navy on one of the last open parcels just off prestigious Kur Haus Strasse. At about this same time, a long planned similar facility was built on the south side of town for the Army. Respectively, the two buildings were known as the Marinekurlazarett and the Militar - Kuranstalt. The architectural scheme of the buildings was similar, featuring open balconies, a partial Mansard roof and ornate front. They easily fit in with the other less formal Kur Hotels of the district. The back of the Marine- kurlazarett building, perhaps as an economy measure, had a decidedly austere look. The navy building served as a Kur vacation spot for officers in the immediate pre war years. The army building was probably a specialty clinic for more serious illnesses. Both buildings quickly moved into the German military hospital system once World War 1 began.

Between the wars, the Marinekur building remained under navy control. The army building seems to have assumed a public clinic role, it also looked after older veterans from a nearby building designated as a military nursing home. In 1935, it was officially redesignated as the Heereskurlazarett and was included in a 1939 survey of all public accommodations in the city of Bad Kissingen; oddly the Marinekurlazarett is not mentioned in this document.

	This photo shows a typical room found in an Offizierheim similar to that located at Mantueffel Kaserne. The upper floors held the officer's quarters, dining and social spaces were on the ground floor.		From 1972, my wife and I have been invited to the NCO club for a farewell party for the Troop G First Sergeant. CSM Daley is seen speaking at left. --Mike O'Connell

During the first year of the Second World War, the Marinekurlazarett continued as a navy vacation resort and then, like many other Kur hotels in Bad Kissingen, again became part of the military hospital and recuperation system. An early war era post card shows the unique German military postal stamp for this building, evidence that it was in official Wehrmacht use. A few blocks away, the Heerskur building was also part of the army reserve hospital system but further references do not appear in available documents.

The immediate post war history of these buildings is unclear. The US Army requisitioned most of the Kur district of the town for its own use. As things stabilized and troop levels drew down in 1946, the central part of Bad Kissingen was returned to German control. Because the Marinekurlazarett property was listed as belonging to the German Navy through the Third Reich government, like Manteuffel Kaserne, it was subject to immediate American requisition with no promise of speedy return. For real property accountability, it was considered part of the former German barracks. We believe the building was used by US forces as a BOQ during the post war period and it certainly had this function once US forces returned to Bad Kissingen in conjunction with the remodeling of Daley in 1951 and the start of the Cold War. The use of the building during the brief period of 1947 - 1948, when the Army was not at Bad Kissingen is unknown.

	The Frontier Club as seen in the 1955 14th ACR yearbook. --Walter Elkins		The former NCO Club, now remodeled and converted into the Bad Kissingen Civil Police Station. --Norbert Ruckel

Why the Heereskurlazarett building was not requisitioned is also unknown, perhaps it was simply considered excess to Army needs. It was returned to the city of Bad Kissingen and began a new life as a private clinic. The building still stands, much modernized, on Bismarkstrasse, a specialty woman’s health facility.

A late 1930s post card image of the Heerskurlazarett located on Bismarkstrasse in Bad Kissingen. The US Army passed on retaining this building after World War II. It is still in operation, much remodeled and in civilian hands.

My first hand experience with the BOQ begins in 1978; the building served the Daley Military Community with on site management and accommodated three groups of service members. The basement level quarters were occupied by senior grade unaccompanied NCOs, the ground, second and third floor had quarters for unmarried / unaccompanied officers and the top floor was configured as a consolidated barracks space of the small female troop population assigned to Daley: PAC, DENTAC and MEDAC. One set of ground floor quarters was retained for VIP guests. From what I saw, there was very little interaction between these three groups. There was a communal TV and small lounge area by the entrance to the building and a grand staircase running to the upper levels. Remodeled during the upgrade program at Daley in 1972 - 73, the facilities were first rate, even if the Cav Lts were seldom home. There was a tenants parking lot adjacent to the building taking up a part of the space once devoted to the formal gardens. The BOQ campus area even had “ mystery “ bunker entrances and odd cone shaped air vents in the lawn, all carefully secured.

	1940 post card showing the Marine Kurlazarett from the front. Note extensive garderns. --Stefanowicz		Image of the BOQ from 2/14 unit yearbook, 1954. --Stefanowicz

The wing running from one side of the building held several spaces, one of which served as the "on again - off again" Officer's Club. A separate building just adjacent to the BOQ, once served as an Officer's Mess. Bob Stauffer, assistant S1 with the 2/14 ACR, gets the story underway:

"In the early 1950s, I was a new Lt in Recon Company "F", then became the Assistant S1 with the additional duty ' Club Officer '. I was not with the unit when it moved from Schweinfurt to Bad Kissingen but I can tell you the Officer's Mess and bar were in operation in the Marine Hotel from the first days of the 14th Cav in BK. I had a Mess NCO in charge of the place and a German staff of waiters, cooks and a bartender. I recall we served breakfast and supper every day, the most popular meal was 'brunch' on Saturday and Sunday. "

"You may not know that the Germans had a formal bartender training program, apprentice to journeyman and finally master grade. To qualify to the highest level, it was necessary for the bartender to invent a new drink. The O Club bartender, 'Fritzy', had invented a cocktail called a 'Rakoczy', named after the local mineral springs in the town. They were quite good; here are the ingredients, I'll leave it up to you to experiment with the proper proportions ... and have fun!"

Rakoczy:

quatro + lemon juice + vodka + champagne .... mix in crushed ice, strain into a glass

Bob Kraimer, an Ordnance lieutenant assigned to the 2nd battalion, 14th ACR as the Battalion Motor Officer:

"I arrived in January 1955 and received quarters in the BOQ. At the time, all the support activities for Daley Barracks were up and running, the library, elementary school, Recreation Services. There were a lot of American women employed in these activities and they lived in the BOQ, on the second and third floors. The officers had all moved to the top floor. At the end of a long day, to hear an unmarried young woman speaking English in the same building as our mess and Officer's Club ... well, it really was pretty good even allowing for the three day alerts and long field duty."

	The BOQ annex holding the Officer's Club and the pavilion as seen from the parking lot. To photographers rear, the hill descends to Kurhaus Strasse and the Saale River. --Sommerkamp		The windows of the Officer's Club. Note that on the second story, an outdoor cafe has been configured. I have no memory of that being used but the evidence is in the image. --Stefanowicz

Colonel (Ret) John Byers adds:

"As Squadron Commander in 1968 and 1969, I developed a warm relationship with Dr. Hans Weiss, the Lord Mayor of Bad Kissingen. For display in the Officer's Club, he loaned us a copy of the large painted mural showing the Battle for Bad Kissingen from the German civil war as well as a 'carronade', a small cannon that had actually been in that battle. These additions really dressed up the place. "

Major (Ret) Mike McGehee:

“I lived in the BOQ for about ten months when I first arrived. It had a wonderful location just on the edge of the town, the building itself had a certain elegance although the elevator never worked and the bathrooms in each set of quarters, in European fashion, were not set up for showers, just those big porcelain tubs and a hand shower arrangement. There was maid service that we paid a fee for that did light cleaning and I think actually made the beds!“

“The Officer’s Club in the side wing of the building was almost never open, only used for formal affairs. Behind the building was a coin operated laundry area that was always in use, particularly when the Army switched over to the “wash and wear“ fatigue set. No one seemed to mind if you washed your car in the parking lot, I think in the housing area, this was not permitted due to water use concerns.“

	The cover of the menu from the O Club mess. --Willaim Carslile		Here is the BOQ as of 1953 - 54. --Bob Stauffer

“The building manger was an older guy with a felt hat and a long overcoat who drove around in a big Mercedes. He was retired military and I think at some point had married a local girl and settled in the area. I wish I had taken more time to get to know him, I’m sure he had some interesting stories to tell.“

“I think it was October 1975 when, upon returning to my quarters one night, I discovered a photo copied note on my bed directing all occupants to find substitute housing because the entire BOQ building was to be remodeled. I recall we were given about two weeks to do this and it caused quite a scramble. I ended up in Garitz and never went back. When I think of it, I do recall that for the first two or three weeks in BK, I think I saw the building in daylight once! Between the long hours at Daley, the border and FTXs, I began to wonder if the sun ever shined on that end of town.“

All the pictures below were taken by Randy Mitchell in Sept 2003.

	The MP Hqs and Dental Clinic in the upper portion of the BOQ compound.  This building appeared to now be a business office of some sort.		Same building looking up from the BOQ parking lot.

While the remodeling was a professional job, in 1976 the club had problems. It was run as a satellite of the Schweinfurt community, meals and the slot machines were gone. The Daley Barracks Officer's Club went to limited operation then almost closed due to lack of patronage by the mid 1977. It reopened in 1979 with a small remodeling effort partially paid for by the local brewery, EKU, in exchange for exclusive distributor rights. The club was only open Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. I recall the menu was limited to pizza and hamburgers. One novel addition was a first generation big screen TV and a video cassette tape player. We watched the movie The Deer Hunter over and over again. New management later installed an outdoor "cafe" and towards the end of the US Army stay in Bad Kissingen, the Eaglehorse built their own bar in an unused basement space of the building.

The club space also served as a meeting area for Eaglehorse officer professional development classes. Captioning evidence from the Saale Zeitung, indicates that this building was included in the Daley Community upgrade in the mid 1980s.
 

	The "wing" portion of what was the Officer club.  There was an upstairs "cupola" room the led out to an upper terrace.

A new page for the Marine Kurlazarett has finally begun. When Norbert Ruckel first investigated the building, it was shuttered and empty. Chunks of the stucco finish have scaled off the exterior walls. The rehabilitation of the building has finally begun in 2005 and it appears on its way to conversion to another first class Bad Kissingen hotel. The other buildings on the BOQ "campus" have been recycled into new uses. The former Officer's Mess now supports a restaurant, the Medical Station is a health club and so on.
 

	Entrance to the O'Club.  This room was in-use for some business purpose.