Storck Barracks

Storck Barracks/Illesheim Kaserne is a United States Army facility adjacent to Illesheim, Germany, located about 15 miles northwest of Ansbach (Bavaria), about 240 miles south-southwest of Berlin.Storck Barracks is part of the United States Army Garrison (USAG) Franconia. It is named after Colonel Louis J. Storck, who served as Executive Officer for the 4th Armored Division, Commander of Combat Command A and the 37th Armor Regiment, and S-3 and Commander of the 704th Tank Destroyer Battalion in World War II. Colonel Storck was awarded the Silver Star posthumously for his gallantry in action near Raids, France from July 17 to 25, 1944.It is the home of the 2nd Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment, and the 3rd Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment, both equipped with the Boeing AH-64 Apache; D Co 412th Aviation Support Battalion (all units part of the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade) and the 3rd of the 58th Airfield Operations Battalion (AOB). It has a commissary (to be closed in March 2016), gas station, and shoppette. It also has an elementary school and family housing.HistoryFliegerhorst Illesheim was built by the German Luftwaffe beginning in 1934, with construction completing in 1936. This construction was in conjunction with the Hohenfels Maneuver Training Area (MTA) and in violation of post World War I agreements.In 1936, the airfield went into operation as a supply, maintenance and repair facility for the Luftwaffe. The Castle Berlichingen in Illesheim was used for the Headquarters. The same year the Bahnhof and the Post Office were built. Only one combat unit was assigned during the 1930s, Zerstörergeschwader 52 (ZG 52), during mid-1939 equipped with early-model Messerschmitt Bf 109Ds.