European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 12, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday september 12, 1977 the stars and stripes Page 9 Bird watching by the numbers  writer Oesterberg the Netherlands is yellow bellied Sapsucker Don t interest them. Sighting the rare Mauritius Kestrel would not provide even a Grin. They probably would t know one if they a it. But make no mistake about it the spot Ting club of Oesterberg is a club of dedicated Bird watchers. Their Birds Don t have feathers they have panels. Their wings Don t Hap Jet engines propel them. They Don t have names they have Tail numbers. These Bird watchers stand with expensive camera equipment and binoculars and spot . Air Force f4 phantoms scream ing off the runway at Oesterberg a. They number in the 20s and they can Tell you when which ones and How Many jets flew on just about any Given Day. Very serious it s a Hobby that americans would term Odd at Best. But the spotters of Soester Berg Are very serious about their Hobby. They gather in Force every Day and watch the f4s and other planes take off and land. They keep daily logs and write Down the Tail numbers. They even write Down the names of the Pilot and Crew chief which Are stamped on the Side of the Craft. And they write to the base information office and ask questions. Some of them get pretty hairy said capt. George Peck the base to. But they Are All legitimate. Most of the time they write in and ask about our color coding method on the tails names of the Crews and All kinds of things. Some of them Are even Model builders and really ask detailed  Peck said some can t be answered because of the classification of information. But generally we try to be  Peck said a couple of letters have been so detailed that the dutch intelligence people have had to Check them out. But they All come out to be just Plain air plane  the spotters say there is no real Competition among them for the Best photos or rarest Tail numbers but they do see How Many different Tail numbers they can spot in a week. I got interested when i started in photography one of the members said. I enjoy photography and air planes Are fantastic to take pictures  he s been spot Ting for 12 years. Others said their interest began because they liked air planes and it was fun. Some army honors former dutch aide arms the Hague the Netherlands Albert Jakob Prins has been presented an out standing civilian service medal for his invaluable contribution to the Mission of the . Forces in Europe an army spokesman said. Prins the former Deputy director of Mil itary construction for the dutch ministry of defense was presented the medal by Brig. Gen. Norman g. Delbridge jr., who Heads the army corps of engineers euro Pean division on behalf of the department of the army. Prins who spent 27 years with the dutch ministry of defense directed a a billion building program in the Netherlands that included air Force protective shelter pro Grams at Oesterberg improving ammunition storage Sites and an army communications system. Delbridge said the presentation was to Honor a Man who has contributed to the Mutual goals of the . And the kingdom of the Netherlands in the cause of free  of us have gone to Germany to spot at places like Ramstein Frankfurt and other places but it in t always too Good. Some places Don t like you to be doing it. Here the people Are real Nice about it. A couple of us have gone to England too. The Brit ish Are real Good  although the Active members of the spotting club Are listed in the 20s, on a Given Day As Many As a Hundred local Resi dents will be out in Force watching the planes take off. They really get some crowds out there Peck said. In fact it s so heavy sometimes an ice Cream truck will Park out  some of the spotters bring their lunch lounge chairs and umbrellas and make a Day of it. Their camera bags Are covered with stickers and patches. Go air Force bumper stickers unit insignias and other patches dress Many of the bags. Peck recalled an incident about two years ago when an f4 crashed during a training Mission. I guess the spotters had logged All the Tail numbers when the planes took off. When the planes returned we got a phone Call. The caller was asking what happened to Tail number such and such. They knew a plane did t return. We had t even released  devout Oesterberg Holland Bird watchers keep close track of planes. Is photo by Jim Cole Rommel booze coming Back on Sale by George Eber staff writer on thursday shelves full of bottles familiar to Many Usa eur class vipa trons reappear after nearly six months absence. With the return of the afrika Korps booze for pre Holiday and Post re forger Sale bar Side and Barbershop debate doubtlessly will be revived. To fan the fires of discussion Here is a rehash of the legend of the lost liquor seasoned with some new revelations. The spirits of Field marshal Erwin Rommel Rise again. Usa eur class i Agency director John b. Stockton said 76,000. Liter bottles of the controversial afrika Korps liquor including 38,000 of scotch 11,000 Gin and 27, 000 rum or Rhum As the Label mysteriously spells it go on Sale this week. The Cognac sold out last year. This is the remainder of the Usa eur class i s original Purchase of 169,000 bottles that were heavily marketed during the fall of 1976 and the Winter of 76-77. When the Well travelled liquor hits the shelves in army booze stores around Europe initial asking prices again will be $5 per bottle for the Gin and rum and $7.80 for scotch. / Stockton said the afrika Korps liquor taken off the shelves after last easter is being made available with fall reformer and the upcoming Holiday season in mind. Stockton said reformer troops May want to take Home a bottle As a memento and class i customers seeking an unusual Christmas gift May find the answer to their search in a liter of this Hooch with a history. The liquor set sales records last year when it was introduced according to Stockton. There is irony to this situation. Thirty years after the . Military forces turned Over the liquor to the Austri ans it has been sold Back through private channels to the americans for resale through the class i. Today officials can Only guess Why the original half million liners weren t simply moved from Linz Austria to the then three year old class i Agency for distribution among the . Occupation forces. Stockton suggested that representatives of the american liquor Industry May have recognized the potential in the overseas military Market and applied pressure to keep the vast Stock of afrika Korps liquor out of Competition. Igor Kjeldsen danish businessman who acquired the liquor and negotiated its Sale last year to the Usa eur class i said he did not know Why the liquor was Given to the austrian customs authorities in the first place and he indicated that austrian authorities would not or could not identify the american who made the decision in 1947 to turn it Over nor Why. Kjeldsen a longtime product representative to the . Forces had purchased the liquor from a group of austrians which had taken ownership of the Stock in 1963. The alcohol going on Sale thursday has journeyed thousands of Miles during nearly four decades its birthrate is unclear before coming to rest on class i shelves. According to the Patchwork tale of its travels it was liberated from the British in 1942 by Rommel s afrika Korps at Obruk. Troops of the desert Fox made some inroads into the Supply before the immense casks were moved by the Ger mans to Nettuno on the italian coast close to Anzio. In 1944, the allies swarmed ashore at Anzio pressing Forward to overrun Nett no. Once again the vast Stock changed hands As part of the give and take of War. As the Story goes the american authorities ordered the italians to bottle the booze and after War s end the surviving liners were transported to Austria for con sumption by the . Forces Austria Ufa. In 1947, the unexplained turnover took place and the Stock has languished in the caves of Linz an undetermined amount pirated out by thieves who gained Access through Little used entries in the hillsides along the Danube River. The Booklet distributed last year through the class i outlets raised Many questions in the minds of the curious. Would Rommel involved in a deadly desert War have bothered sending More than a million liners Worth of booze off to Italy when he had More important things to think about did those bottling the liquor in Italy pos Sibly water Down the booze in some Way to Siphon off part of the potable for sneak consumption or illicit Sale what does . On the Label mean and Why was rum spelled Rhum the French spelling when the French weren t involved in the 1944 assault on Italy the questions at times seem endless. But most the answers Are locked in fading history. Whether or not the afrika Korps liquor is All that the legend suggests and Kjeld sen offered documentation supporting parts of the Story Stockton believes the Novelty item will once More have the Cash registers jingling As collectors and drink ers seek to satisfy their curiosities or titillate taste buds