US Installations details - 19 - Parks Range Doughboy City

In the 1950s, U.S. Berlin Command created a special training area called PARKS RANGE. It was located at the end of Osdorfer Strasse in Lichterfelde. Two sides of it were next to the DDR (Communist East German) borderline. On the western side, about 30 yards away from the so-called DDR "Death Strip", began one of the biggest U.S. training sites in West Berlin. On the opposite side of the fence was the village of Teltow. Parks Range was shaped like a large triangle; about 1,5 km long and about 1 km wide. The smallest part, just about 300 yards long, has been on the street side. But here were the two main gates, the first one for wheeled, the second gate for tracked vehicles. Far in the rear of the Range also has been the back gate. The muddy area had previously belonged to the German Reichsbahn. In the rear were still parts of some old railway tracks. Now there were lots of young birch trees, which gave U.S. assault troops good cover.

For many years, the U.S. Army practiced urban warfare at Parks Range. Typically, the goal was to capture a little village on the opposite end of the compound. Over time, this mock village took on three different versions: At first, it was called "Moba City". Except of a few buildings made of bricks , it was a simple wooden construction. The colored front looked very realistic but its back was wide open, like a Hollywood movie set. On the ground fox holes & fighting emplacements had been dug. There, one could find cartridge cases from M1 Garand rifles and Browning .30 cal machine guns. Here the Berlin Brigade constantly practised Combat in Cities. During work days Berliners would often see U.S. infantrymen marching from McNair Barracks to Parks Range, often escorted by tanks and long military convoys.

Urban warfare was a stressful and important specialty of America's Berlin troops. The reason was right behind the DDR fence. The Cold War was a very dangerous time for all West Berliners and the protecting powers, our Allied friends. The U.S. Army constantly prepared to fight in an urban environment. Occasionally, U.S. troops from other assignments visited and tested this modern training site.

At the end of the 1970s, a big change took place at Parks Range. Several real concrete houses (1 to 4 floors) replaced the simple old wooden scenery. The new village was called "Doughboy City". It was surrounded with trees and bushes. The large front sides were wide open and you still could see the DDR border line. Tankers from the famous Co. F, 40^th Armor found good training conditions. There was no need to maintain the landscape as in the Grunewald where realistic training was almost impossible because of concerns over maneuver damage.

In the mid-1980s, the Army created a 2^nd village. A realistic U-Bahn station, with an original U-Bahn wagon on railway tracks, was built between two combat cities. Now the Army could practice with different units on the same compound. Everything looked very real. There was a church, a city hall and all kind of concrete houses with a different number of floors. At the end the Army also had replaced the sandy trails and walkways inside and outside of Doughboy with real concrete streets. The streets even had names. There were bus stops and many abandoned vehicles which all gave a very realistic touch.

ARTEPS or FTX big battles with blanks took place. Night skies were illuminated by flares hanging on parachuts; the colored smoke shells could be smelled for miles around. If the wind was from the east, I still could hear the noise of simulated battles at my home, 5 miles away. In addition to Combat in Cities, Parks Range boasted an obstacle course, a big indoor rifle/pistol range and a mortar range. The natural and wild area gave excellent conditions for driver practice or testings.

In December 1993 the Army concluded training at Parks Range. A year later, U.S. Troops withdrew from Berlin and Berlin Brigade was deactivated. German companies blasted everything away. What had been Doughboy looked like an huge empty parking lot. Nature quickly took it all back. Just two years later it became difficult to find the former U.S. Army "battle ground". All was covered by high soft green grass and lots of young bushes. After it rains, sometimes one still can find silent witnesses: expended cartridge cases from the weapons of Soldiers who trained at Parks Range.