Fontainebleau Information Booklet

We arrived at Camp Guynemer in November 1960 and departed November 1963. Association with my fellow multinational members of the AFCent Printing Plant and the staff members we supported from AFCent, AirCent, NavCent, and their support organizations, were both interesting and rewarding. There just aren’t many assignments where you would be exposed to so many different cultures at one station. Our French neighbors were friendly and our frequent visits lead to exchanging dinner invitations and watching each other’s home while vacationing. We found that attempting to speak the native language would usually result in an immediate attempt for them to speak our language -- and many could speak ours much better than we could stumbling through theirs. This was true regardless of what country we were visiting at the time. It’s too bad that some found only the rudeness and the bad side of the French people. We spent many late hours investigating Paris and going to motor sports events such as Le Mans 24-Hour Race and Reims Grand Prix and we’ll have to say that we often saw Americans who didn’t show their best side.

Please see our other comments regarding our three-year tour of duty in Fontainebleau at:
http://greatest-pr.com/1141/Xguestcomments.htm

Before leaving our stateside station we received a Fontainebleau Information Booklet and an AirCent Information Brochure which provided answers to our many questions about our upcoming assignment in Fontainebleau. Anyone interested can view them or download them at the following.

Url for the Fontainebleau Information Booklet
https://share.acrobat.com/adc/document.do?docid=12f087a0-c550-4618-8eaa-eaa26021e7e4

Url for the AirCent Information Brochure
https://share.acrobat.com/adc/document.do?docid=ce2dced1-1c2c-4069-83fb-b1971c161e37

Jerry and Joyce Sievers
jjsievers@juno.com

Phil Adler Update

Success in finding Rosie. His first name is Jim and not William. Jack Holland of Portland Oregon a 30450 who was barracked at Station 15, but a member of the Roving Maintenance team emailed me as a result of my post. Jim Rosie Rosequist was an A1c not Sgt. and 30450.

JR's name is Ray Knight and lives in FL again 30450 but I'm not sure about the rank. I am trying to locate him.

Also Station 17 is near Munchweiler and not Munchthaler as you indicated. If I spelled it that way, I was wrong. The progress being made is really great. Jack has helped me with some of my muddied memories.

On a sad note Jack tells me that John Stimmel passed away two or so years ago. When I speak to his wife Ushie, I will see what info I can get to pass on to you such as his rank, etc.

The work that you are doing with the site is just great and I do appreciate how it is working out.

Rick Barbera Questions License Number Coding

I was with the 5th RR and later the 1141st SPACTRON, from February
1955 until November of 1957.

I have a question. I remember two license number
designations .... SF which stood for SHAPE FORCES. My plate number
was 7711 SF. There was a CF designation also. But I don't know
what the CF stood for. Do you remember, or can you find out?

`I would appreciate it a bunch.

Thanks,
Rick Barbera

Lee Smith

Hi. I'm Lee Smith. I was stationed in Camp Guyemer the winter of 65/66 for a few months before they sent me over to site 16 at Bann, Germany. I can recall going up to Pigalle several times to tease the girls. Never had money enough for that as an A2C but it was entertaining.

We also hung out in a bar in Fontainebleau that would pull a tambour door down over the front entrance and bar at 2:30am so the tables in the rear became a private party. Stay as long as you like.

The Ville de Hericy was labled as a communist sympathizer town and we weren't suppose to go over there, so guess what? Of course it looked and acted like any other town.
I have to say, I learned more French in the several months I was there than I did German in the remaining 3 years due to the fact that the French wouldn't speak English to us. They acted much like us Americans, too.

Detachment 2 -- Site Numbering Changed?

Evidently, Detachment 2 station numbering, as well as the size of the link increased, as it was merged with LANDCENT stations sometime after 1962. In addition, from what Helmut Kaemmerer indicates below, individual sites were manned by single nationalities.

Here's Helmut's information:
In the 1141st.blogspot.com I have seen a list with numbers of Microwave-Station in France, Belgium and Germany. This information/question is from February 7, 2009.

First of all I like to write the international Nation-Codes, so probably
we can work more easy?

F=France (Frankreich)
B=Belgium (Belgien)
D=Germany (Deutschland
NL=Netherland (Holland)

In the meantime I read many information in your listing of memories, so I find the information, that Station 11 under AFCENT was in Roclenge-sur-Geer (B), former Station 10 at your list from 1141st.blogspot.com.

At 195?? they began to set up many Station between Fontainebleau and Germany North and Germany South. They had different Lines under LANDCENT and AIRCENT, so the Station-Numbers of your list belonged to AIRCENT-System.

A 1 = Fontainebleau
A 2 = Hauteurs de La Solle
A 3 = Melun
A 4 = Marly le Roi (Rocquencourt)
A 5 = Emeville
A 6 = Margival/Laffaux


All Stations in F.

They had another connection between A 3 over A ? up to A 5 at Emeville, but I don’t know the time.

They had a line from A 6 up to Brussels-Evere with only one Relay, maybe these Relay was in Belgium.

They started t build a line from Margival/Laffaux up to Mönchengladbach/Rheindahlen.

A 6 = Margival/Laffaux (F)
D 2 = St. Erme (sometimes D 2 called)(F)
Liart or La Ferree or Marlemont (F)
Les Hauts Buttes or Vieux-Moulins (F)
Baracque de Fraiture (B)
Roclenge-sur-Geer (B)
Lammersdorf (D)
Mönchengladbach/Rheindahlen (D)

The other way to Germany South:

D 2 = St. Erme (F)
La Bascule (F)
Vislosnes-Haraumont (F), US Army called VERDUN
Angevillers ()
Weiskirchen (D)
Bann (D) was near Kindsbach/Ramstein
Münchweiler (D) was close to Ruppertweiler CENTAG) and Pirmasens

Later with AFCENT they had only one System and this with split:

1 = Fontainebleau
3 = St. Mery-Bombon
4 = La Haute-Maison (later Boussieres)
5 = Dampleux
6 = Lagery
7 = St. Erme
8 = Jossigny
9 = Emeville
10 = Margival/Laffaux
12 = La Bascule
13 = Vislosnes-Haraumont (Verdun)
14 = Angevillers
15 = Weiskirchen (D)
16 = Bann (Kindsbach/Ramstein) D
17 = Münchweiler, close to Ruppertweiler and Pirmasens (D)
18 = Marlemont (F)
19 = Vieux-Moulins/Les Hauts Buttes (F)
20 = Baracque de Fraiture (B)
21 = Lammersdorf (D)
22 = Prüm-Post (D) not for sure
23 = Münchengladbach/Rheindahlen (D)
24 = Wahlhausen (L)
25 = Perl-Eft (D) was cancelled 1962
26 = Trier-Euren (D) was cancelled 1962
11 = Roclenge-sur-Geer (B)

Station 2 was cancelled at 1962/1963 when they put in Station 3 at St. Mery.

In the List I found Station 20 at Brassoir (F). I know from Paul Siggins that Soldier were sent over to that place. I have no idea, where the station was. Bu watch it, Brassoir is very close to Emeville.

Another place was called Plailly (F). These place is very close to the today French Airport Charles de Gaulle. Perhaps these have made a connection from A-4 up to A-5? Perhaps these Soldiers have installed later the Station Chateney on France, between Jossigny and St. Genevieve, close to Beauvais!


Station Liart and La Feree is not very sure for the connection. Paul did not know, who was his Station at the other side, when he was on Station Liart. The Station La Feree is nearly the same.

In the List you have questions to Thionville (F), Molvange (F), Vieu-Moulin (F), Harmont (F), Teufelskopf (D).

Well, Thionville was the next bigger City east of Angevillers. Molvange was a few kilometers north of Angevillers, this was the Off-area for Soldiers, who have been at Angevillers-Station in the time to built up.

Vieu-Moulin (F) ist Vieux-Moulins (F), north of Charleville-Mezieres, just in the pocket up to the Belgium Border. The next City was Fumay. Harmont (F) ist Vilosnes-Haraumont, several miles north of Verdun City.

Teufelskopf (D) was the following Station behind Weiskirchen (D).

Well, I hope that I could give some help.

I have more information, sure.

I know all the Station which I wrote down on top.
Sometimes we get in trouble with the Station Numbers, because they changed sometimes every day!!!

Another questions could be about the LANDCENT-Stations? OK, I can give it to you or other interested people.

In the internet you find my story about the Stations! Andy Emerson from GB did not put in all the graphics, but only the story.

Many information you find in Walter Elkins HP USARMYGERMANY. We have good connection and I am happy that I could give him many information.

You may give my new email Address to the interested people of the former 1141st! They should feel free to ask me via email.
Many greetings ,

Helmut Kaemmerer
hkpkbe@t-online.de (Helmut Kämmerer)

Earl Sullivan:

I was stationed at Camp Guynemer from 1956 until 1961. I am trying to locate my old sergeant from that time frame. I only know that the outfit was. Det.2, 1141 SPACTRON 7th Radio Relay Squadron, at Fountainbleu France. His name is, Staff Sgt Dale Monteith and wife is Joan, they are both American. If you could possibly help me or at least give me your opinion if it would be possible to find them.

My email is esullivan7@neo.rr.com

Thank you

Discover what some of your former Mates said

Go to the following link:

http://greatest-pr.com/1141/Xguestcomments.htm

See photos from areas served by 1141st, Det 2

Go to the following link:

http://greatest-pr.com/1141/XPhotos.htm

Induction Morning

At 0700 hours Tuesday morning, the 18th of November 1958, I reported to the induction center, on the south east side of town, not far from where I’d worked on the new docks for the Harbor Commission. I was happy the day had finally arrived, a bit excited about this next step, yet still a bit apprehensive, lest I fail my eye exam again. In reality, there was little chance that would happen again, since my eyes already had a going over, and otherwise, I was in perfect health.

But this morning, my eyes were propped open with toothpicks, not so much the result of a hangover, but a combination of too much to drink and too little sleep. Somehow, though I had bathed this morning, I still imagined I smelled like cigarette smoke and beer – much like one of Milwaukee’s larger brewery hospitality rooms. I soon realized it wasn’t me I smelled.

I could certainly appreciate the fact that I’d never had a real hangover (except once – but that’s a story in itself – as I climbed the stairs to that hot little room where they had us wait fill out what seemed like at least a ream of single spaced forms, while we waited for out physicals. Boy! Some of the other soon to be inductees had truly gone all out last night! “Draftees,” I thought and I was right. Seems that I wasn’t the only one who’d heard that if you drink enough of the right stuff the night before your physical, you might not pass certain upcoming physicals. To no avail, they suffered all morning, much of the time in that stuffy little room.

Sometime after mid-morning, we were told to enter the examining room and strip to our shorts. That brought everyone to life. Then they led the 2-3 gals who were with us into another room. So much for wishful dreaming...

The examination room was methodically, though diabolically laid out, with open booths placed within a 100x40 foot room, with an aisle down the middle of the two rows of booths and another aisle around the outside. The booths were open to the center aisle, but their identifying numbers were visible only from the outer aisle. When you exited one booth, a sign by its nonexistent door directed you to the next booth, indicated by the booth letter. Ha! The symbol was on the opposite side of the booth, opposite of where you had just exited, and of course, that booth was always at the opposite end of the examination room.

As we queued along the outer aisle, if you didn’t happen to notice that the booths on one side were A, C, E, G, I, etc. and along the opposite outer aisle, were the B, D, F, H booths in the opposite order – if there had been 26 booths, A would have been directly opposite Z – you were really in trouble a little later.

If you had a little bit of ingenuity, you would identify booth D as you left the outer aisle and entered booth B, or G when entering E. Those who didn’t figure it out, were running from outer wall to outer wall locating the next booth, and often ended up at the rear of a line when they might have been at the front. Similarly, those who didn’t decipher the maze, nearly didn’t finish their physicals in time for their first meal on Uncle Sam.

But, they didn’t miss the one o’clock appointment with the Captain who had us all raise our right hands and repeat after him: “I do solemnly swear ...”. He informed us that not saying the words would not mean we weren’t inducted – the assumption was that we would say the words. Funny thing, he seemed a decent sort all morning, but after that short ceremony, he let us see his real character!

Not much interesting happened during the medical examinations, until at the end, when we all gathered in our birthday suits in another large room. Several of the doctors sat at a table in front of us. Here, a doctor who had gathered the info on those of us who had so far completed the maze, herded us against the far wall, our backs to him. Now, we’ve all heard about the fictional hicks who actually spread their facial cheeks when asked to do so; well I can tell you they are not fictional. When we were told to bend over and spread our cheeks, two inductees put their fingers in their mouths and pulled.

Next the doctor formed us in a semicircle around the table and he walked by us checking for birthmarks and whatever else he needed to record. At the second fellow, he said “Tell me you’re flat footed when I get back to my desk and call your name.” He made an occasional joke, too.

And so it went – nothing unusual – until he came to me. He noted the pockmarks left with bouts of chicken pox and measles, the flat feet, and then he said: “You got three nipples; tell me afterward.” There was a slight pause, then everyone laughed. We all thought it was another joke, to keep us at ease.

Later, as he was going through the alphabetical roll call, but still above me in the alphabet, he suddenly looked up and asked “Where’s the kid with the three teats?” Before I could realize that he wasn’t kidding, he spotted me and realized he had yet to call my name. Years later, I read in the Milwaukee Journal’s Green Sheet that it wasn’t that uncommon for men to have three or five teats, or for women to have four. The article went on to explain that the additional equipment never reached normal size. In fact, they usually look like no more than a small mole or oversized freckle.

By then, it was noon and they shuttled those of us who were done with the physicals to a small, nearby Italian restaurant for a horrible wiener schnitzel dinner. I’m sure they wanted our last civilian meal to be at least as bad as our first military sampling.

Can any of you help me fill in the blanks below? I don't remember the names of several of the microwave site. Even Station 2, which they put me in charge of (maintenance-wise) after they kicked my off the links!!(F = FR, G = Ger, B=Belg) Which was Ramstein?

Site Locations:
1 – Fontainebleau
2 –
3 –
4 –
5 – Marginal F
Laffaux (War HQ)
6 –
7 –
8 –
9 – Jossigny F
10 – Barraque de Fraiture, B
11 – Roclenge sur Geer B
Maastricht, NL
12 – Lammersdorf, G
13 – Mönchengladbach G
2 ATAF HQ
20 – Brassoir F

Did the following have any significance?

Thionville
Molvange F
Vieu-Moulin, F
Harmont, F
Teufelskopf, G