About

United States Army Garrison Ansbach integrates and delivers superior infrastructure and services for our community and readiness for our Forces to support U.S. Army Europe-Africa.

USAG Ansbach – a garrison that capitalizes on the COHESIVENESS of our community to steward our resources and multiply our IMPACT for 2030, and beyond.

The City (Stadt) of Ansbach, a Margravial residential city in Middle Franconia, is located approximately 25 miles southwest from the city of Nürnberg and sits in the northern part of Bavaria in a region known as Franconia, or Franken. Ansbach borders the Franconian Heights Nature Park which has extensive forests and open space and is also a point of interest on the historic German Castle Road, which begins in Mannheim in the German west and goes as far east as Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic.

Ansbach is the seat of the district government of Middle Franconia, the former residency of the Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach and features more than 1270 years of dynamic history. The earliest known resident was a Franconian settler named Onold, who established a household around the year 740 AD near the Rezat River, which runs through what is now Ansbach. At that time the area was known as Onoldsbach. Not long after, a Franconian nobleman, Gumbertus, established a Benedictine monastery dedicated to the Virgin Mary within the community. While the monastery is today a Lutheran church in the old town (Altstadt) of Ansbach, it still bears the name of its Catholic founder, who went on to be proclaimed a Saint of the Catholic Church. In the 11th century, the monastery was upgraded to a chapter house, and in a document dated 1221, the community of Ansbach was first mentioned by name.

In 1331, the Hohenzollern, then Burggraves of Nürnberg, acquired Ansbach and chose the town as their residence. For more than 500 years, the town and the surrounding districts were ruled by Hohenzollern Margraves. During that time, Ansbach developed as an international center of crafts and art and came to be known in many parts of the world due to its finely crafted porcelain.

Stadt Ansbach has also hosted military garrisons for hundreds of years. The first military installation, known as Hindenburg Kaserne, was built in 1722. It housed German Soldiers until the end of World War II when it was occupied by the U.S. Army. It was returned to the German government in the early 1990s and is now home to a university and the Brücken-Center shopping mall.

In 1776, when the Bavarian state was facing bankruptcy, the Margrave of Ansbach decided to lend his soldiers to the British King who was in need of soldiers to fight in the Revolutionary War against the United States. On March 3, 1777, two infantry regiments with artillery and a total of 2,500 troops left Ansbach to road march to the Main River where they boarded a canal boat to start their journey to the United States; after eight weeks of travel they arrived in the United States where they were immediately thrown into battle. Word came back from the United States that the Ansbach soldiers were respected for their meritorious service and tough fighting; as a sign of appreciation the Margrave sent several barrels of sauerkraut to these soldiers.

After four years of fighting and the eventual surrender of the British, about 1,000 of the troops returned to Ansbach in 1783. Only about 400 had perished from the original 2,500; most of those did not die from being wounded in action but from disease. Numerous troops deserted due to the miserable food and poor treatment by the British. The remaining number decided to settle in the United States after they were released from their prisoner of war camps.

Not long after, in 1791, the last Margrave of Ansbach abdicated and went to England. The district was then adopted by the Prussian Empire. In 1806, French troops occupied Ansbach and Napoleon gave the area to the Bavarian Kingdom. Under French administration, Bavaria was divided into seven districts and Ansbach was nominated as the capital of the Middle Franconian District.

As of today, Ansbach has maintained its character as an administration town, a garrison and a cultural center. During World War II, Ansbach was upgraded to a garrison by the Nationalist Socialist (Nazi) regime, and between 1936 and 1938, four more installations were built in or around Ansbach. After World War II all of the installations were taken over by the U.S. Army. Many units were located here and from 1971-1992, Ansbach was the home of the 1st Armored Division with headquarters at Hindenburg Kaserne.

Today, the city has a population of more than 50,000 residents. Thanks to its abundance of historic sites and treasures, Ansbach ranks highly among Franconian towns. Impressive historic buildings, like the Court Chancellery, the Churches of St. John and St. Gumbertus, the Residenz with its 27 staterooms, the magnificent Orangerie (Orangery or Palatial greenhouse/conservatory) and its adjacent courtyard garden are witnesses to the glamorous past of a residential city of medieval nobility.

Modern educational institutions like the Ansbach University for Applied Science are attended by students from all over the world. Mid-sized businesses in the fields of polymer processing, food products and electrical engineering are also located here. There are various administrative facilities of international companies within Ansbach. The Brücken-Center shopping mall and the many stores and restaurants within the old city (Altstadt) give distinction and individuality to the former border garrison town.

- BARTON BARRACKS: Barton Barracks is the home to the 7th Engineer Brigade and the 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment. Additionally, vehicle registration, vehicle processing center (POV shipping), and the vehicle inspection station are located here.

- BISMARCK KASERNE: Bismarck Kaserne has been the command center of USAG Ansbach since 2022. Located here is the USAG Ansbach Garrison Headquarters, U.S. Customs, Equal Employment Opportunity, Army Family Housing, bachelor officer/bachelor enlisted quarters, a movie theater, a car care center, and the Von Steuben Community Center. Bismarck Kaserne is co-located with Katterbach Kaserne, from which German Federal Highway 14, commonly known as B14, separates it. 

- BLEIDORN KASERNE: Bleidorn Kaserne is made up of Army Family Housing, the garrison's library, and the garrison's live community theater, the Terrace Playhouse.  

- FRANKEN KASERNE/OBERDACHSTETTEN: Franken Kaserne is located about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the city of Ansbach in the direction of Storck Barracks, is situated near the towns of Munasiedlung and Marktbergel, and is used as a training site. It also houses the IMCOM-Europe Costume warehouse, which holds more than 100,000 costume pieces for the Army in Europe Theater program. Franken Kaserne is co-located with the Oberdachstetten Training Area, which hosts an obstacle course, a shooting range, and additional training spaces for U.S. and NATO forces.

- KATTERBACH KASERNE: Katterbach Kaserne is home to the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, the garrison's biggest unit. This kaserne also hosts the  Community Central Processing Facility for in- and out-processing, a child development center and school age center, the garrison's elementary and middle/high schools, a fitness center, a chapel, a U.S. post office, two banking facilities, a AAFES shoppette, Army Family Housing, and much more. 

- SHIPTON KASERNE: Shipton Kaserne is home to the 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment as well as the USAG Ansbach Network Enterprise Center (NEC). Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation operates a recreation facility close to the entrance of Shipton Kaserne called Soldiers Lake which offers outdoor grills and facilities for picnics and is a favorite fishing spot for the USAG Ansbach community. Additionally, this area features the only Army beehives in Europe!

- STORCK BARRACKS (ILLESHEIM): Storck Barracks is located approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Ansbach and is adjacent to Illesheim. Storck Barracks also has an airfield to accommodate rotational aviation forces and one of only two flight simulation building complexes in Europe. At Storck Barracks, there is a fitness center, banking facility, Postal Service Center (the combined community mail room and U.S. Post Office), a gas station with AAFES shoppette, and the Storck Recreation Center.

- URLAS KASERNE: At what used to be a training area, Urlas Kaserne is home to the AAFES Post Exchange with food court, the Ansbach Commissary, Military Clothing Sales, a barber shop and hair salon, dry cleaners, flower shop, the Ansbach Army Lodge Brainard Hall, a gas station with AAFES shopette, an auto skills center with car wash and dog wash, and Army Family Housing. Urlas also hosts the U.S. Army Health Clinic Ansbach as well as the dental clinic and the IMCOM-Europe Fire Training Center.

NÜRNBERG AIRPORT TO KATTERBACH KASERNE

• Take the A3 in Erlenstegener Forst from Marienbergstrasse, through to Bierweg, then to Äussere Bayreuther Strasse. Merge on to the A3 via the ramp Regensburg/Amberg/A6/A9/Berlin/München.
• Proceed on the A3, then take the A6 (west) for approximately 70 kms.
• Exit the A6 at 54-Neuendettelsau driving north for 10 kms
• Exit Ansbacher Strasse and take the B-14, direction Heilsbronn 10 kms.
• Katterbach Kaserne will appear on your left, off the B-14 direction Ansbach.

Time: Approximately 55 minutes.

MUNICH AIRPORT TO KATTERBACH KASERNE

• Leaving the airport drive west to Friesing until Zentralallee and follow the signs to the Autobahn 9 (A9)
• Take the A9 Direction Nürnberg (174 kms.) to the A6 west
• Follow the A6 west for approximately 70 km
• Exit the A6 at 54-Neuendettelsau driving north for 10 km
• Exit Ansbacher Strasse and take the B-14, direction Heilsbronn 10 km.
• Katterbach Kaserne will appear on your left, off the B-14 direction Ansbach

Time: Approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes.

FRANKFURT AIRPORT TO KATTERBACH KASERNE

• Leaving Frankfurt Airport, take Autobahn 3 (A3) direction München/Würzburg/Offenbach/Frankfurt Süd.
• Proceed on the A3 for approximately 100 km.
• Exit the A3 at Exit 106 Uffenheim-Langensteinach proceed on the A7 South for 35  km to the B-13, direction Ansbach.
• In Ansbach follow the B-13 until you reach "Residenzstrasse / B14"
• Turn left on to Residenzstrasse/B-14, direction Nürnberg.
• Proceed on the B-14 for approximately 7 km to Katterbach.
• Katterbach Kaserne will appear on your right.
• Proceed PAST the Kaserne, then follow the signs to the main gate on your right.

Approximate driving time: 3 hours and 20 minutes.

KATTERBACH / BISMARCK KASERNE
• 49.311666 / 10.655397
• 91623 Sachsen bei Ansbach (Off B-14), Germany

SHIPTON BARRACKS / URLAS KASERNE
• 49.313945 / 10.610117
• B-14, 91522 Ansbach, Germany

BLEIDORN KASERNE
• 49.289298 / 10.577549
• Schlesierstrasse 30, 91522, Ansbach, Germany

BARTON BARRACKS
• 49.286121 / 10.566880
• Meinhardswindener Strasse 29, 91522 Ansbach, Germany

FRANKEN KASERNE / OBERDACHSTETTEN TRAINING AREA
• 49.424547/ 10.385852
• B13, 91613 Marktbergel, Germany

STORK BARRACKS (ILLESHEIM)
• 49.474690 / 10.395777
• NEA39, 91471 Illesheim, Germany

U.S. Army Garrison (USAG) Ansbach is located in the German state of Bavaria, in the region of Franken (also known as Franconia). The Franconian landscape is best described as rolling terrain dotted with lakes and streams, interspersed with low mountain ranges. Franconia is further divided into three regions: Upper Franconian, Middle Franconia, and Lower Franconia. USAG Ansbach is located in Middle Franconia and covers an area of about 40 square kilometers and consists of the city of Ansbach and the town of Illesheim. Within these two areas are eight different installations: Barton Barracks, Bismarck Kaserne, Bleidorn Kaserne, Franken Kaserne, Katterbach Kaserne, Shipton Kaserne, Storck Barracks (located in Illesheim) and Urlas Kaserne.

USAG Ansbach was originally designated as the 87th Support Battalion on October 16, 1991. It was re-designated as the 235th Base Support Battalion (BSB) on November 27, 1991 and assigned to VII Corps. Upon activation, the battalion was placed under the 99th Area Support Group (ASG) - Nürnberg with the primary mission of managing base operations. The battalion originally consisted of a headquarters and headquarters detachment located in Ansbach and three area support teams in Schwäbisch Hall, Crailsheim, and Illesheim.

With the drawdown of U.S. forces in the fall of 1991, the battalion went through several significant changes and, in 1993, the 99th ASG inactivated and the 235th BSB became part of the 98th ASG in Würzburg. The drawdown also initiated the closure of Dolan Barracks in Schwäbisch Hall on September 30, 1993 and McKee Barracks in Crailsheim on January 15, 1994. In 1993, the 98th ASG in Würzburg inactivated and became U.S. Army Garrison Franconia, assigning the 235th BSB to U.S. Army Garrison Franconia, whose headquarters was located in Würzburg.

In 2006, the Installation Management Agency (IMA), Community and Family Support Center, and the Army Environmental Center were consolidated to create the Installation Management Command, or IMCOM. On October 13, 2006, USAG Franconia was deactivated in a ceremony at Leighton Barracks in Würzburg, and USAGs Ansbach, Bamberg and Schweinfurt were all realigned as separate reporting garrisons under the command and control of IMCOM-Europe. In 2014, the military communities in Bamberg and Schweinfurt were subsequently closed.

POPULATION: The garrison takes pride in its support to more than 12,000 Soldiers, civilians, family members, and retirees living throughout the garrison footprint.

SIZE: USAG Ansbach consists of six sites and nine kasernes dispersed between the City of Ansbach and the village of Illesheim. Bismarck, Katterbach, Urlas, and Shipton Kasernes are located to the northeast of Ansbach while Barton Barracks and Bleidorn Kaserne are in southwest Ansbach. Twenty-four miles northwest of Ansbach, Storck Barracks is adjacent to Illesheim, and the Oberdachstetten Training Area and Franken Kaserne are located near Marktbergl.

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