McKee Barracks

McKee Barracks, located midway between Nürnberg (Nuremberg) and Stuttgart on Route 14, was named after Major John L. McKee, Jr. of the 901st Field Artillery Battalion. Major McKee was killed in 1945, while engaged in a spotter flight over Trebnitz, Germany.

McKee Barracks is located one mile east of Crailsheim, a junction point for highway and railway traffic crisscrossing central Germany.

During World War II, the area now known as McKee Barracks was an aviation and pilot training school for the German Luftwaffe. A portion of this field was destroyed in the Allied bombing in March, 1945, and during the Four Day Battle in April, 1945 when elements of the 10th Armored Division occupied Crailsheim. Two of the hangars are still standing at the rear of the post air strip.

American troops, after fierce fighting, occupied Crailsheim on 6 April, 1945, withdrew on 10 April and reoccupied the area on 20 April, 1945.

McKee Barracks, plus five four-story dependent buildings, were built in 1951. On December 15, 1952, the Recreation Center was first opened and in 1953, the remaining dependent quarters were completed. The gym was completed in 1954, followed by construction of the Tank Park Hardstand in 1957 and the washracks in 1958.

There are a total of 107 permanent and 19 temporary buildings. This includes space for approximately 2,000 troops and 309 families. Normal support facilities are available.

Source: Crailsheim ACS Welcome Packet, early 1980s

My parents moved to McKee shortly after the construction of the original dependent buildings.  They were civilian employees of the Army - my mom a teacher and my dad the principal of the base school.  I was born there.  As a consequence I've always harbored a fascination for my birthplace and even visited the camp in the early 1970s.

 A number of years ago I blogged about having to locate the original copy of the layout of of the cantonment of McKee Barracks back in the early 1950s.

I found it last weekend.

SCHWAEB. HALL SUB AREA

CANTONMENT CRAILSHEIM

GENERAL LAYOUT

Plan B611, Scale 1:5000.  Here's a scanned copy of it dated 10-10-54.

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Upper left corner is civilian housing area, top (in color) is base housing and headquarters buildings, middle is the motor pool and at the bottom is the airfield.

The camp was closed in January 1994 and turned-over to German civilian authorities and today virtually all traces of it have vanished.

Here's a current Google map view...

Anyway, if you're like me and enjoy taking a walk down memory lane you can learn more about USAREUR Units and Installations in the region of Ansbach Germany by visiting this directory here.  Click on Ansbach and you'll be redirected to the installation maps from the 1970s and 1980s - including McKee Barracks are at the top of the page.  

Click on McKee on the header you will be redirected to some cool photos of the camp over the years.