On June 30, 1910, Soldiers from the 2nd Royal Bavarian Foot Artillery Regiment fired the first round on the Grafenwoehr Training Area. It fell 800 meters short of its target.
Today, the Grafenwoehr Training Area is the U.S. Army's largest and most sophisticated permanent training area in Europe. Its live-fire and maneuver ranges support U.S., NATO and partner nation live-fire qualifications from small arms to tanks, artillery, aerial gunnery and close air support.
Grafenwoehr Training Area is co-located with 7th Army Training Command's six other subordinate directorates and resources, and seamlessly integrates live, virtual and constructive training, providing a "blended" training event which can fully integrate all elements within the training unit.
During its storied history, the training area has seen incredibly interesting times. Its gates have welcomed military greats, such as Patton, Westmoreland, and Powell. Infamous figures, such as, Hitler and Mussolini, and Horthy were there too; but, perhaps the best remembered personality to visit the training area's ranges was Sgt. Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll, who visited the training area for maneuvers and training, between 1958 and 1960.
For nearly 50 years, every unit in U.S. Army Europe came to the training area to train. During the Cold War, forces in Europe were a quarter-million strong, and training these Soldiers was a continuous and compelling process.
When the Berlin Wall came down, Grafenwoehr Training Area stood as the centerpiece of European Theater Security and Cooperation, developing relationships with so many of our friends and partners in the region.
For our NATO partners and allies across Europe, Grafenwoehr is the center of training excellence. The place of shared experiences, during rain, snow, dust or knee-deep mud.
We'll be highlighting U.S. Army Europe's history over the next 8 weeks as we countdown to our 75th birthday. Follow along with #75Strong!
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About us: U.S. Army Europe is uniquely positioned in its 51 country area of responsibility to advance American strategic interests in Europe and Eurasia. The relationships we build during more than 1,000 theater security cooperation events in more than 40 countries each year lead directly to support for multinational contingency operations around the world, strengthen regional partnerships and enhance global security.
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