Hanau, Germany: U.S. Pioneer Kaserne, Sportsfield Housing Area, and More!

Overview: Hanau Pioneer Kaserne Street and Surrounding Area from Google Earth: https://www.google.com/maps/@50.12546...

Welcome to HANAU, GERMANY - land of the Grimm Brothers, linguists and masters of German Folklore!

The 104th Area Support Group (ASG), and the 414th Base Support Battalion (BSB), were located in Hanau. Germany. The peacetime mission of the 104th ASG, and the 414th BSB, was to provide quality of life support to the units within the ASG footprint.

While many US facilities continue to close in Germany, Hanau and its outlying communities (Buedingen, Gelnhausen, and Erlensee) have now closed also. The history of Hanau is both important and interesting. In the early hours of 19 March 1945, Hanau was violently woken by a massive allied air strike. Close to 85 percent of Hanau was destroyed, and it seemed the city, just 11 miles east of Frankfurt am Main, had suffered a mortal blow.

Today, Hanau is a small, bustling city of approximately 100,000 people. This figure includes the populations of the smaller communities of Wolfgang, Grossauheim, Steinheim, Klein Auheim, Hohe Tanne, and Mittlebuchen as a result of a merger in 1974. Some 13,000 workers commute daily to Hanau, causing the main traffic arteries leading out of town to swell each afternoon.

Although Hanau received status as a city from Albrecht I in 1093, it was not until religious refugees poured into the city in 1597 that it began to flourish. Given religious freedom by the ruling Count, these refugees, mostly Dutch and Belgian Wallons, constructed a new city and started new trades, including gold and silver-smiting. The refugees also built the Netherlands Wallon Double Church, which stands today on Franzoezische Allee, as a monument. Hanau's Academy of Art was established in 1772 for the training of young people to work in the city's gold and silver trade. It is the oldest existing school of its kind in Germany. The history of the city touched that of America during the Revolutionary War. A treaty was signed in Hanau in February 1776 - to hire mercenaries. This treaty provided England's King George III with the first contingent of Hessian soldiers for use against the American Colonies. During the early years of the 19th century, Hanau was occupied by Napoleon's troops and its fortifications were destroyed. In 1886, Hanau fell into Prussian hands. At the beginning of the 20th century, Hanau's Main River Port was built. This paved the way for trade of all kinds. Despite the world wars, Hanau continued to thrive. Its gold and silver industries attracted gem and other precious metal factories. Today, the products of Heraeus, Quarzlampen Company, Dunlop Rubber, Degussa and many others, are vital to the city's economic welfare.

On 16 October 1991, the US military community in Hanau was re-designated as the 414th BSB in accordance with the United States Army Europe Community Command Plan. Unlike most army posts in CONUS, the Hanau military community was comprised of seventeen smaller installations or "Kasernes." Each kaserne has an interesting history of its own. Pioneer Kaserne was built under Hilter's regime between 1938 and 1939. It was occupied by the German Railroad Recruiting and Training Battalions of the 3rd German Railroad Regiment. In 1944 and 1945, the kaserne was damaged by an allied aerial bombardment and was later attacked by artillery fire. It was reestablished by municipal construction agencies organized by the US Government. Pioneer Kaserne late housed the majority of the facilities for the support and welfare of military personnel and their family members.

The US military forces obtained Pioneer Kaserne in 1945, and 63 years later, turned the compound back over to the Germans in August/September 2008.

This video footage was captured in July 2014.