Comments for A walk through a Cold War (and cold) landscape...

A walk through a Cold War (and cold) landscape...

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 07:49:08 -0600

I've written before about the problem we've had with poachers showing up and hunting the Castle demesne without permission. So, I expanded my signage on the property, hoping to catch their attention. Okay, maybe not. Mostly because I think it's funny. This past Sunday I went strolling and took some pictures of the signage. So, come along and visit the farm of an old Cold Warrior. As you 'round the bend you see your first sign that you've entered a new, well, actually old, place. No entering the 1K zone without authorization and an escort of border-qualified personnel! Speaking of border-qualified personnel, here comes part border collie Gunner, commander of the Exterior Guard of Castle Argghhh!.

Comment from fdcol63 on 2009-01-08

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 10:35:29 -0600

" ... you need an Ausfart sign .."

Reminds me of the Einfahrt signs. I used to wonder why it was always just ONE, but thanked goodness I never saw Hundertfahrt signs. LOL

Comment from ry on 2009-01-07

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:21:14 -0600

Is it weird that I feel homesick?

Hmmm. Dunno. Do you feel like painting?

And now you gotta move the fuel depot? What a pain. Might I suggest the relatively level area by the clothesline? Should be easier to get it nice and graded there, and fairly accessable to the Motor Pool de Argghhh! in that spot while being away from the Firing Range.

Comment from Roy Patterson on 2009-01-07

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 13:04:31 -0600

Wow! those signs take me back! I served with B Troop 1st Sqdn. !4th Armored Cavalry back in the mid to late 60's. We did border duty up on OP Alpha. I had occasion to get out there from time to time to insure commo and would usually stick around and visit with the guys up in the tower.
I remember back in late 66 or sometime in 67 when the East Germans replaced the existing fences with stamped steel fencing all the way down the border. The army was right there guarding the workers as they replaced the fence.

proud to have served
Roy Patterson
14th Armored Cav
66-69

Comment from Cricket on 2009-01-07

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 09:56:24 -0600

Oooh and add something charred to the 'electric fence.' What about an 'Eibahnstrasse' sign...going back the way the poachers came? Maybe a coupla dead Soviet tanks...

Heh.

Comment from Pogue on 2009-01-07

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 08:22:48 -0600

John, you need to add a smallish crater and a charred tennis shoe to the vicinity of the mine field sign. Just for effect...

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-01-07

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 07:57:44 -0600

I guess we'll have to get Mary Ann working on looting the Autobahn...

Comment from Mrs G on 2009-01-07

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 07:41:39 -0600

Hey, you need an Ausfart sign and a priority road sign, ooh and the blue arrow signs that points to the road then it will be just like home. (sigh) I do miss it.

Comment from Sgt. B. on 2009-01-06

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 23:38:22 -0600

Hey Brad, does everybody who went through McCoy have pictures of that vehicle park? (Like me?)

John, you have that amazing collectio of artifacts, but they're all inside! Need to start working on some outsde stuff! An SP arty piece or something...

Comment from Brad on 2009-01-06

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 21:31:28 -0600

You need the sign in my URL. Saw it at Ft. McCoy and thought it was cool.

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-01-06

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 21:02:59 -0600

Allen - I like the way you guys think.

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-01-06

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 21:00:20 -0600

Ride Fast - not yet, but someday, a poacher, if I'm lucky...

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-01-06

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:53:11 -0600

Josh - mostly just the signs.

For now.

Comment from Josh on 2009-01-06

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:42:13 -0600

I'm rather partial to the "Danger -- 10,000 Ohms" signs. With scary red lightning bolts. Gets 'em every time.

Yeah but what good is that gonna do if you've got electricians tresspassing?

John - Do you actually have the Castle property sectioned off into Soviet and American sectors with some kinda theme or something, or is it just the signs?

Comment from Cricket on 2009-01-06

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:27:54 -0600

Brilliant.

Comment from Ride Fast on 2009-01-06

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:50:41 -0600

You ever find a stranger just standing on your property, shaking with fear, afraid to move? Heh.

Comment from allen on 2009-01-06

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:47:04 -0600

a friend has some land near Laconia,NH that he had some locals dumping their construction trash on.

we posted it as the "1st granite state militia corps sniper training area"

we scattered some .50BMG brass (that we couldn't reload anymore) around, and hung a few shot-out targets up underneath the sign.

in black sharpie, on the targets "we love radiators"

hasn't had a problem since!

Comment from FbL on 2009-01-06

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:01:25 -0600

Love the signs, John. For some reason, this post gave me a vision of what the neighbor kids are going to be saying about you when you're 75 and an even grumpier old man... *bratty grin*

Comment from RetRsvMike on 2009-01-06

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:28:45 -0600

Jeff/John, i understand that similar shenanigans are alleged to have occurred in the vicinity of Bad Kissingen as well... not to mention in the vicinity of Wildflecken, and curiously also in the vicinity of Meiningen (which, if i recall, happened to be in Thuringia)

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-01-06

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:24:51 -0600

AFSis - the Shire and the Percheron aren't ours, they're being pastured at our place. The woman who owns them is in a divorce proceeding and because the couple couldn't settle it, the judge directed they sell the house and acreage they own and split the proceeds. We're giving
the horses a place to live until it all gets settled out.

I love big horses, too. They truly are gentle giants, but man, can they demolish a round bale in no time flat. They consume mass quantities of comestibles!

Comment from David M on 2009-01-06

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:48:19 -0600

Is it weird that I feel homesick?

I feel the same way...

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-01-06

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:46:09 -0600

SSG Jeff - *koff* whatever do you mean?

I liked Augsburg. Lived in Fryar Circle while Dad was commanding the artillery battalion (before they got moved to Neu Ulm) at Sheridan Kaserne.

The wrecked bunker at the O'Club entrance was far more complete than most people realized... though I'm sure I don't know why.

Comment from AFSister on 2009-01-06

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:44:15 -0600

That's OUTSTANDING... I especially like the mine field sign. BUWAHAHAHAHAHAHA....

Oh, and btw, I absolutely LOVE Percheron horses! Holy cow. I didn't know you had any!

Comment from bad cat robot on 2009-01-06

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:28:08 -0600

I'm rather partial to the "Danger -- 10,000 Ohms" signs. With scary red lightning bolts. Gets 'em every time.

Comment from olga on 2009-01-06

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:59:12 -0600

Yes, it does: 'sklad goryuche-smazochnykh materialov' - collection of materials that can burn and oil ( as in 'oil this barrel')

Comment from Fishmugger on 2009-01-06

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:46:44 -0600

John,

It sounds like the good ol' gun toting boys from Kansas don't revere the signage the way the signs were originally intended. Must be an attitude thing.

What happened to the "Actung - Mine Field" one. That may get their attention.

While it is a beautiful landscape, the signage does kind of lend themselves to indicating Federal Property, which means under staffed unarmed Park Rangers. You may want to consider "Doberman Training Area", "Center For Disease Control Detox Area", "Bird Flu Quarantine Area", "Actung Mine Field". I signed all my signs "Copo il tuti Capi", just to let them know we meant business. Although I don't think that would work the same in Kansas.

Comment from SSG Jeff (USAR) on 2009-01-06

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:33:00 -0600

Heh. And my 1SG was annoyed when he found the "Do not photograph (and other things) " sign in English and German that a friend of mine and I took off our arms room as we decommed Flak Kaserne in Augsburg, GE... not like he had to look hard though - it was hanging prominently in my room in the Barracks.
After that he kept an eye on me to make sure no other signs disappeared....

Comment from RightGirl on 2009-01-06

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:04:05 -0600

Is it weird that I feel homesick?

RG

Comment from Neffi on 2009-01-06

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 11:53:05 -0600

I recall a very jet-lagged SP4 taking the border qual test in Schweinfurt circa 1978... without any prep whatsoever, or having any idea what the questions meant. But he found himself patrolling the Grenze toot sweet, baby!
48 hours from touch-down at Rhein-Main to the back of a (doorless) M151A1 in the snowy hills outside Coburg... 3/7 Cav was a bit short on personnel in those days.

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-01-06

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:00:06 -0600

Hey, Olga - does the sign say something along the lines of "fuel depot?"

Comment from Cannoneer No. 4 on 2009-01-06

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 09:59:37 -0600

The Czech border was a scenic place to escape the continuing soap opera of the housing area on weekends. Ran up on those signs and stopped right there, reversed to a wide place to turn around or cranked on the steering wheel until I got the hood pointed west. I was not Border qualled.

Ever seen this site: Grenzer.com?

Comment from olga on 2009-01-06

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 09:43:34 -0600

Love your place, love the signs :o)