European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 10, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Marching orders from France the big pullout of �?T66/�?T67 by Randy Pruitt staff writer pullout. That one word is causing the  forces in Europe some anguish today. In an Era of catchwords like a glasnost Quot and Quot reunification a there s talk of sending the Yankees packing. For the military peace can be painful. Yet a few St it remember the cold War and France in f966 a time that puts a draw Down of any magnitude perspective French president Charles de Gaulle Shock the Western world that year with his feb. 21 announcement that  and nato forces should be w i drawn from French soil or fall under French command the . Shared nato Headquarters in Paris supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe shape at Rocque Nourt just outside the capt Taj and a de forces Central Europe accent at Fontainebleau with 14 other countries. De gauge set a one ear deadline for removal of . A Quot a Canadian forces from France. For the United states the ultimatum was so anger no geographically France offered nato m Pitary plants a base of Supply safety removed from Germany a let Kely combat zone moving involved 69,576 sen Cemen raters and their Farr Niles a european command Headquarters a St Germain for at american fees Neu Cape and major Supply depots at Verdun and Nancy with enough stores to support the 7th army and 17th air Force in Germany for 30 Days of combat. Also at stake was a costly 550-mile Petroleum pipeline Bulit with . Funds across France. In the months that followed the United states scrambled to vacate 40 army installations 14 air bases and four Navy facilities moving everything to West Germany Belgium and the United kingdom they took 813 Coo tens of Materiel with them. The venture christened Frelock fast relocation of  forces from France has been touted by historians As the largest peacetime relocation Effort of military resources. Politics aside the departure of the americans required a tremendous Effort to end a s1.75 Billon  military operation which Cost the United states about $203 million in god flow to France annually. According to the he  army communicators zone Europe ice Mzee annual historical report m 1966. Europe was mom a dec Ted during 1966 by re actions cow a on to go,s,r�?Tmert3 of France and the  than a any Caner Pend since the end of Wold War ii. Even me Elemn buildup m 1961 proved no such problem As d c me decision of France to remove herself from nato Ard to abrogate herself from the secret agreement that established the lines of communication across her territory France however got the Best of Alt worlds. Although it booted out the United states it remained in the Atlantic Alliance and shared the Protection of the american nuclear umbrella without contributing to the nato defense buildup. France opted to rely on its own nuclear deterrent capability. Pearl Fuchs la col. Re chief of information for the  army communications zone in Orleans at the time likened the pullout to the evacuation of an entire City the size of St. Louis or Minneapolis a not just of people but also of All their property. Fuchs arrived As a major in France to be chief of information in 1962 and left after the pullout in 1967. As in West Germany today. . Installations were scattered throughout France As logistics head Carters. Deans routed supplies into Germany through the seaport of Hamburg and across France. Quot we handed a the speeches mat went into the com i  into Germany a the trucks everything that had to be used by them tary. She sad. Ninety percent of the Suppf Ces and mate net belonged to Usa eur. Military records show 23 percent of the tonnage was moved by a Gustary Highway 12 percent by comr Nercia Highway. 28 percent commercial Rah 4 percent Inland waterway. 1 percent military an 2 percent commercial household goods earners. 11 percent Ocean transport to the United kingdom and 19 percent Ocean bans pent to the United states. To overcome congested French highways and City streets the 37th trans up moved most of its Supples at night an operation that came to be known As a reveille at Sundown the unit consisted of 18 truck companies. 1.200 tractors. 2.400 trailers and 100 other trucks of various types. The by push came after december 1s66 bases ammunition storage Sites and a major depot had to be activated in the United kingdom. Aji three air bases three ammunition storage Sites and the Burton Wood general depot became operational within a 15-Day Pence from the Date of decs on to move. The first  movement out of France was by  Force squadrons Transf emed from Devreux a and eight other French bases to England. Is Many and the United states the relocation of the a units created one of the greatest realignments in the history of the air Force. C-130 and c-124 a Rich of the 322nd a dry transported key staff elements of Headquarters. . European com a from Paris to Stuttgart. In most cases staff files released in pans one afternoon were available for use by Advance personnel in Stuttgart the next afternoon. The French newspaper be Figaro reported that 16 Coo French employees stood to lose jobs when nato departed. Many . Bases the article pointed out. Were in areas where new jobs would be hard to find a dog the 2,200 French employed at Orleans la rep Bique do Centre wrote Quot one cannot envision adj the consequences of a departure of the american Community without mentioning the sentimental aspect of the problem since dec. 13, 1953. The Day of the return of cur allies to our City Many tends have been formed Between the two Peoples and b Oss med into fruitful and disinterested friendships. But International politics would not be International politics if sentiment was allowed to  a a some of them had the kindness to say after you came and saved us this is no Way to treat America a a Fuchs said. A but then they d say in the next breath a but if you have some things you done to want to take with you. Could we get some of this or that they resented it but it was mostly  some French civilians took to the streets to protest the ouster of the americans. They were heckled by University students who agreed with de Gaulle a nationalism stance. The . Government attempted to help discharged French employees find new jobs. Not ail efforts were successful. A there was much More anger toward de Gaulle and the French government about them losing their jobs than us because we did t ask to be thrown out a Fuchs said.  at Capri eur France prepare shells for shipment to Germany after . Forces were ordered to leave France in 1966. The mayor of Fontainebleau commented that the housing situation in that area would be eased a Hen 4,500 service members and their families left but rents for those types of housing were High. In Devreux there were More than 2,000 unoccupied High rent apartments. Heaters cinemas restaurants and hotels also suffered after troops left but the Overall economic Impact on the country was minimal. France quickly adapted to the changes. Fuchs said she encountered no anti americanism m Orleans populated by More americans than any other French City. Page 14 a the stars and stripes sunday