European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 15, 1962, Darmstadt, Hesse                                V a a 4 � ? of 1of a -"1"" re i i it i ii i t Impi Jav to ij1 of a v i i j to Jar _  / / " i 4 by Odice Mcdaniel staff writers a photos by Evanoski sitting in a darkened room High tithe Eifel mountains near Prem Ger Many men of the 613th aircraft control and warning so watch radar screens As outside powerful transmitters Send invisible rays to probe the skies for  themselves the can doers the approximately 600 airmen and one was of the 615th Are members of one of the five squadrons operating at 16 locations under the 86th air div which has it Headquarters at Ramstein air base Ger  on the Mountaintop part of a major Battleground in world War ii isl ii rugged. Heavy snows make the Nar Row winding roads impassable in Winter requiring the men to work almost continuously keeping them slowed and sanded in order that Crew changes May be mad Between the working site and Prem germans living in the area of the base have described the weather As four months of Winter and eight months of  by it col Edward p. Lange Bartel the site s facilities and appearance have greatly improved during the past year. The buildings had began to decay for Lack of paint and some of the floors had completely collapsed taking up their hammers paint brushes and a spirit of can do the men have completely renovated  buildings have been torn Down and rebuilt new ones have been  Heaters have been replaced with steam heat in the airmen s Barracks and the operations building. The e Mountain base boots a modest Hob by shop air Force Exchange a laundry photo lab. Bowling Alley combined airmen and no club and other facilities to make living More , including photography Model air plane building and sports on a limited scale occupy much of the airmen s free time. They have a baseball team Bowling team and participate in track and Volley Ball. The education office offers  forces Institute courses spoken German and a University of Mary land course taught by a teacher who drives up from nearby Pitburg air base. About eight Miles South of the base Isth housing area. It has a commissary a Little theater and an officers club As Wellas an eight Grade elementary school. High school students travel to Pitburg for classes ". The base area was part of the Siegfried Len of world War ii and still bears Many of the scars of War. Some of the jagged Concrete saw tooth tank traps that have been f blown up still capture the at Tention of the visitor. Tracking and controlling Friendly air Craft and being on the Alert to give warn ing of an impending enemy attack is Slough 24-hour Job at the base. The Mission is done i shifts to prevent Overter Inythe operators who must constantly watch the Bright flickering Trace on the radar scope which locates planes flying in the  keep the radar sets on the air says capt Henry Law of Erie pa., an chief of radar maintenance. Without us the Mission could not be  his radar technicians Are also on duty around the clock. No matter How bitterly cold winds May be or How deep the Snow if a set goes off the air the maintenance men climb the High Antenna to find and repair the trouble  up the Mission is a group of food service motor Pool Supply administrative and other personnel whose work is just As essential As the men who Man the radar  on the Mil is admittedly lonely and difficult at times and the tour is three years but the men keep the an Tennas silently nodding and scanning the skies every minute of the Day. The stars and stripes radar antennas poke their watchful eyes skyward from. Keeping track of traffic in Squadron operation break time and airmen go outside to watch plane zoom j