Hörsching Air Base

OCCUPATION LIFE IN AUSTRIA

On July 26th, 1945, our P-47's were making their final take-offs from their last war-time airfield at Cesenatico, Italy. GIs wearing sun-tans swarmed into B-25's and C-47's. With mixed feelings they waved farewell to sunny Italy; two hours later, the 79th was in Austria, and the GIs were changing into wools to go with the cool, cloudy weather. The vehicles arrived in convoy a week later, via the Brenner Pass.

With quite a number of combat veterans still in the group, we took up our occupational post on the Hörsching Air Base in the outskirts of Linz, Austria, on the Danube. The idea was to discourage any resistance from die-hard Nazis, particularly in the mountains where foot-troops would have a tough time patrolling.

Hörsching air base had served as convalescent hospital for thousands of starved concentration-camp victims and other displaced persons, since shortly after VE-Day. About five hundred still remained, and they shuffled their weary skeletons to our mess hall in long lines to wait for left-overs. Contrary to convalescent feeding-rules, knowing the extra food would probably do them more harm than good, we could not refuse. Our own appetites diminished those several weeks, haunted as we were by the abject appeal in their deep-sunken eyes, - the horror of the distended bellies, the bony limbs, the scraggly hair, the grey-…. Faces. They were ghostmen. They rarely spoke, even to each other, and when they did, it was with unnatural sounds, the tongue fearful and unaccustomed. They reached out their improvised mess-gear - tin cups, glass jars, old pails, whatever they could find - with palsied hands, stared with fanatical absorption at the food as it was ladled out; then, without once taking their eyes from the food in their possession, would hobble a few feet away, gulping the food as they went. Here was not propaganda; here was the reason we had left home.

Without having a chance to get its feet on the ground, the Group ran into a hornet's nest of international intrigue when Pierre Laval, who was later to be executed for treason to France, landed on the strip in a JU-188 flown from Barcelona, Spain by two Luftwaffe pilots. The base swarmed with "brass" and reporters; for weeks afterward, the men were swamped with clippings out of papers and magazines in the States, showing the 79th "capturing" Monsieur Laval.

A few weeks later, a couple of atom bombs were dropped on Japan, and Russia came into the war. The combat was over, but the big fight was on for most of the GIs - the fight to get back into civilian clothes; - and that took top rank in bull-sessions from there on. Talk of winning the peace was okay for the newspapers, but the chances were 99-to-1 that any two GIs talking, were comparing points.

Once in Austria, we learned to say "fraulein" instead of "signorina", but we continued to use part-Italian, part-French, part-German, on the theory that if it wasn't American, the foreigners should be able to understand it. Shortly after we got there, General Eisenhower gave up the fraternization ban as a bad job. That made it legal, anyway.

Quarters were good, hangars and air field were "out of this World" - and best of all, we had plenty of PW labor to do the heavy work, cleaning up the area, and DDT-ing the buildings. What with steam-heat, hot and cold running water - well, we never had it so good.

Things looked up, too, when we employed frauleins to wait on tables, and chow came in plates instead of mess kits. Movies were shown in an indoor theater each night, and transportation to and from Linz was set up. Two Red cross girls came to the base to operate a doughnut shop and library; hunting and skiing lodges were set up for both officers and enlisted men, the latter drawing the hunting lodge of the late Emporer Franz Joseph, near Ebensee. Riding, football, basketball, and baseball were freely indulged in. But even with furloughs to France, England, and Switzerland, the men still wanted to go home; and by year's end, most of them had gone, their places filled by "low-pointers" from the States.

The winter was mild, and so were the Austrians. Our occupational duties were not arduous, with flying more or less confined to getting in that flying time. Many pilots assumed "ground jobs" as principal duty, and some even crewed ships. The biggest headache for all was keeping abreast of changing T.O.'s and T.E.'s, yet a semblance of stability was maintained under the veteran eye of "indestructible" … "Johnny" Martin, one of the original … and Group C.O. this past year.

In the Fall of '45, Col. Martin met and … Mary McElroy, American Red Cross girl from …, Pa. On 30 March 1946, they were married in the village Church of Traun, Austria, near Hörsching Air Base, obligingly lending our book the sweet … happy ending.

And that's "the Ole Fighting 79th" as this (editor) leaves it, for a date with a tweed suit that's lying in moth-balls, lo these four long years.

(Source: LINFO, 22-29 April 1951; published weekly by USFA Special Services, Linz Area)

(Source: LINFO, 18-25 Feb 1951; published weekly by USFA Special Services, Linz Area)

In January of 1948, Special Services became the organization in charge, and the club became the Terrace Service Club. To make it more convenient all the way around, the same building houses the Snack Bar and the PX, and is across the street from the theater - which centers some of the most important leisure time facilities on the post in one area.

The members of the "Terrace Terrors" consist of ex-Marine First Lt., "Gary" Gardner, club director and recreational directors Judy Wing, Ginny Pitts, and Lu Taylor. To answer the inevitable question as to what they do - well, Gary keeps the administrative functions running smoothly, and the rest spend their time planning programs that range from Quiz contests, ski tours, dances, parties, treasure hunts, to leg contests and spit and polish nights

The club has been closed for the last three weeks for a much needed face lifting - such as painting - remodeling the stage - new floors - and a DRINKING FOUNTAIN. The back yard has a dance floor installed and a four sided barbecue pit. The Terrace was enlarged, and eventually the whole area will be lighted.

So plan to stop by the club - they will be delighted to see you.

(Source: LINFO, 18-25 Feb 1951; published weekly by USFA Special Services, Linz Area)

I was stationed in Camp Rum, Innsbruck, from 1951 to '53. We were a detachment from the 68th MP Company, Camp Darby, Italy. Camp Rum was a French army post since Innsbruck was in the French occupied sector. We had storage facilities in (Solbad) Hall and Innsbruck (Reichenau).

Along with the 68th there was the 25th Truck Co - approx 30 personel; the 7676 Ord - 30 pers; 437th Ord - 23 pers; 38th Quartermaster - 6 pers; 102nd Trans - 10 pers; 7689 Hq Co - 5 pers; 947th Med Co - 5 pers; 246th Ambulance Co - 2 pers; 68th mps 2nd Plt - 35 pers, 63rd Sig - 38 pers.

As you can see, we were a small detachment that was stationed in the small town of Rum, approx 7 miles west of Innsbruck. The small village of Rum was on the road heading towards Salzburg. It was on the left side of the main road, also located approx. half way between Innsbruck & Solbad Hall.
Bill Connell