European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 18, 1978, Darmstadt, Hesse Monday september 18, 1978 the stars and stripes Page 9\ members of 699th Mech Maint platoon and a bund Estehr Soldier Check out equipment. Soldier mechanics tinker away on a m-561 Gamma Goat. Is photos by Gus Schuettler partnership efforts get Quick by Clint Swift staff writer Babenhausen Germany is the parties have always worked. We re trying to push partnership More into the Mission that s the attitude of it. Col. Robert Lipinski a battalion commander who has germans working Side by Side with his men and women As medics Cooks mechanics troop leaders and operations offi cers. Lipinski s 85th Maint in is supplying Blue forces with food fuel repair parts showers and laundries on the eve of cer Tain shield the big . Exercise in annual nato fall Hanau based Arm of 3rd support come found its efforts paid off fast As Gistand men of the bund Estehr s 320th in stands Tzung Bataillon from Koblenz swapped ideas on How to do their jobs watching the 85th set up Field showers sgt. . Stefan Grinewald of the 320th noted that the German army could use its decontamination Points As Field showers by running water instead of chemicals through the germans who spend less time than their yank counterparts in the Field also thought cleaning mess kits quickly in Gar Bage pails full of boiling water often might be Superior to relying on local civilians for German sergeant worked As the 85th s Only medic at this tent City behind Babenhausen Cavern so the unit did not have to rely on the base dispensary for of the 23 germans teamed with mechanics from the 85th to help keep Olive Green vehicles off have the same armoured personnel Carrier and much nato equipment is bought from the americans so the men Are Able to work together pretty Well said the 320th s 1st it. Winfried Holbach who worked in battalion language difference caused few problems. Many germans study English at school and when All else fails american repair and parts manuals Are liberally illustrated the lieutenant an Effort to break Down the language Barrier As quickly As possible the 85th s germans guests were paired with Ameri can buddies and will bunk near them throughout their three week extra 23 men Means the 85th can do More jobs at one time and May have Spe Cial advantages in trouble shooting said maj. Dennis whisker battalion reformer a problem that stumps one Mechanic has an obvious solution to some body trained to look at things differently he members of the 320th, helping americans unload gasoline from Railroad tank cars serve As interpreters while they become familiar with . Equipment and safety 85th and their partners get together for marches Road rallies Rait races map Reading exercises and overnight bivouac. Lipinski said that last february about 20 officers from the 320th went to Hana for an Exchange of ideas on management tools. In May officers of the 85th went to Koblenz As the 320th returned the gesture. My units Maneu vers role rounding up the Convoy strays by John White Eberstadt Germany sometimes the Guys in the White hats think their Job really is something out of an old Western of the jobs of the 284th military police co is rounding up strays from those Highway convoys rolling across 600 Miles of Germany from ports in Holland and Bel Gium to take part in nato s largest fall be Able to fight effectively said sgt. . James Jones you have to be where you re supposed to be when you re supposed to be. That s part of our at a Convoy rest Stop at a German army Cavern off the autobahn Here Jones said part of the problem was the size of the Job. The Herd in the a Roundup is part of 13,000 . Troops and Many hundreds of Olive Green jeeps and trucks shipped to Europe Tor exercise cer Tain shield which begins officially the deployment phase last week we took convoys from Fritzlar one of Theresa overnight areas North to Hannover said spec. 4 Harold Applegate. The route covered 260 Miles round trip and that meant 12 to 15 hour shifts when we got them to Hannover we turned the Convoy Over to the 95th my in and headed Back to pick up other . Tanner Knox of the Frankfurt based company part of the 709th my in was headed Back from one escort Mission last week when 17 jeeps and trucks suddenly found themselves Cut off from a 37-Vehi Cle Convoy headed for Homburg. An hour later Knox had the stragglers on the Road to Fritzlar where they rejoined the column. We be had a lot of experience with soviet military Liaison Mission vehicles said Knox. During one movement Knox and his unit found a soviet vehicle follow ing an american Convoy. They drove right up to a line of our vehicles on the autobahn and tried to stay with the unit said Knox. We were a Leto Cut them off and get an identification of the Driver and the the Driver was in russian uniform. When the exercise gets under Way some maps from the 709th my in will join German counterparts at Polisei stations. Others will form a Security Force for the joint visitor s Bureau with some elements standing by As an emergency action Force. During redeployment of troops from the ., the Roundup goes in reverse. My from the 709th will guide reformer participants on the first leg of the journey Home. John White is a writer and photographer with the 709th a pin in Frankfurt Russ to observe nato exercise Brussels a the soviet Union has agreed to Send a military observer Tonato Maneu vers in the Southeastern part of West Germany nato officials con firmed. But the soviet bloc apparently has no taken up All the invitations offered to study nato s autumn series of exercises. The officials said the soviet Union will Send an observer to the Blue Danube a Nevers scheduled this week near Nurnberg. The exercises will be under German sponsorship and involve some 46,000 Ger Man american and Canadian forces. Officials said the soviets were invited to two other exercises but apparently do not intend to accept. Since the 1975 Helsinki agreements were signed nato and Warsaw pact armies have invited each other s observers to a Nevers on several occasions
