WELCOME TO THE U.S. ARMY GARRISON ANSBACH, HOME OF THE 12th COMBAT AVIATION BRIGADE
BACKGROUND: 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 Oct. 16, 1991. It was re-designated as the 235th Base Support Battalion Nov. 27, 1991 and assigned to VII Corps. Upon activation the battalion was placed under the 99th Area Support Group - 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, which occured Sept. 30, 1993, and McKee Barracks in Crailsheim Jan. 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 Oct. 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 closed.
POPULATION: The garrison takes pride in its support to more than 6,000 Soldiers, family members and civilians, including retirees living in the Ansbach area.
SIZE: USAG Ansbach consists of six sites and nine kasernes dispersed between the town of Ansbach and the village of Illesheim. Bismarck, Katterbach and Shipton Kasernes and the Urlas Community are located to the northeast of Ansbach; 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.
INSTALLATION ACCESS: All non-DoD ID card holders who request access to a U.S. military installation are required to either be escorted by a DoD ID card holder at all times, be on an approved access roster or be issued an installation pass. The INSTALLATION ACCESS CONTROL SYSTEMS office registers DoD ID card holders into IACS, issues installation passes to contractors/vendors and visitors, and processes installation access rosters for special events or persons needing short term access but are ineligible for an installation pass.
ABOUT THE USAG ANSBACH INSTALLATIONS:
- BARTON BARRACKS: Barton Barracks is the command center of USAG Ansbach. Here are the USAG Ansbach Garrison Headquarters, vehicle registration, U.S. Customs, Civilian Personnel Advisory Center, Equal Employment Opportunity, Central Issue Facility, arts and crafts center, vehicle processing center (POV shipping), and the vehicle inspection station.
- BISMARCK KASERNE: At Bismarck Kaserne there are the Von Steuben Community Center, Army Family Housing, bachelor officer/bachelor enlisted quarters, single Soldier housing unit, a movie theater, a car care center (auto parts store), and a gas station. Bismarck Kaserne is colocated 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: 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.
- KATTERBACH KASERNE: Katterbach Kaserne is where the Headquarters of the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade is located. Katterbach Kaserne is also the site of the Ansbach Community Central Processing Facility for in- and out-processing, a child development center and school age center, the garrison's elementary school, the garrison's middle/high school, a fitness center, a chapel, a U.S. post office, two banking facilities, a shoppette, medical and dental clinics, Army Family Housing, and much more.
- SHIPTON KASERNE: Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation operates a recreation facility close to the entrance of Shipton Kaserne called Soldiers Lake. Soldiers Lake offers outdoor grills and facilities for picnics and is a favorite fishing spot for the USAG Ansbach community.
- 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 is home to Theater Aviation Support Maintenance Overseas (TASM-O), 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 shoppette, and the newly renovated Storck Recreation Center.
- URLAS KASERNE: At what used to be a training area, Urlas Community has been repurposed and is now home to a new Post Exchange with food court, a new commissary, Military Clothing Sales, barber shop, dry cleaners, flower shop, Ansbach Army Lodge Brainard Hall, a gas station, an auto skills center with car wash and dog wash, and brand new townhouses.