Downs Barracks

In 1937 a Kaserne was built in Fulda for artillery observation units. The major tenant unit during most of the Cold War was the Regimental HQs and 1st Squadron of the 14th Armored Cavalry Regiment from 1951 until it was reflagged as the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in 1972. Under U.S. use, the Kaserne was known as Downs Barracks. In 1993, following the end of the Cold War mission, the Kaserne was returned to German control, and it now houses several government and police offices, and small businesses. (Click here to visit OP Alpha, one of the border sites guarded by 1/11ACR.)

The Kaserne was originally named in honor of Gen. Erich Ludendorff, a World War I hero (and early member of the Nazi Party), and the original plaque still remains at the main gate.   Ludendorff was one of the major participants in the 1923 Munich putsch, in which the early Nazi Party attempted to take over the Bavarian government. Ludendorff marched with Hitler to the Feldherrnhalle, where he was the only marcher to advance against the line of police without retreating.