| Barracks
for
the Grenztruppen on the western border were usually located in remote
areas in or near the small villages in the border restricted zones. While
American units tended to consolidate their subordinate commands in a
single location, the Grenztruppen dispersed their operational units along
the border. In
many cases the Grenztruppen Kasernes were small and supported a single
company size unit. The facilities usually consisted of a barracks building,
maintenance garage, dog pens, and perhaps an athletic field or obstacle
course. The barracks were functional and in some cases were comparable to older, western-style
facilities. Since many U.S. troops stationed in Germany were housed in
old Wehrmacht barracks from World War II, the Grenztruppen in some cases
may have had more modern facilities than their U.S. counterparts.
Still, there were problems. After “die Wende” when western observers had access to NVA facilities, some West German officials were shocked at the condition of some of the barracks. One report stated that a typical barracks had only eight showers for over a thousand troops and that the toilets were old and in disrepair. Other buildings had been closed or condemned for hygienic reasons, while in some cases observers found military equipment stored in well-heated buildings while the troop barracks struggled to maintain an adequate level of heat. Even in Berlin members of the elite Friedrich Engels Guard Regiment publicly protested their living conditions and carried banners that read “repairs instead of parades.” It's important to note that not all barracks were in bad condition. It is safe to say that within the NVA there was a problem but it's difficult to say how widespread it was or if it was worse than other nations. Even to this day many U.S. facilities have barracks that have been condemned and vacated.Today, many of the former Grenztruppen facilities are still visible along the former border. Some have been converted to low income housing or temporary refugee housing, while others remain deserted. Source: Requiem For An Army |
Grenztruppen barracks photographed by a US border flight. These barracks probably belonged to a unit of the 9th Grenzregiment. - TDP photo |
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Grenztruppen barracks 2001.This complex is located outside the town of Geisa in the former 11th ACR sector near OP Alpha. |
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Remains of an obstacle course at a border barracks near the village of Behrungen in the former 2/11 ACR sector. |
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