| history & nature
The desk once used by “Desert Fox“ Erwin Rommel and then by U.S. General George S. Patton is located in the NCO-Academy at Camp Normandy.
Rommel and Patton at one desk
The school was founded in Munich in 1949 and therefore carries the “Münchner Kindl,” the figure in the coat of arms of the city of Munich, in its crest. In 1958, the NCO Academy moved to Flint Kaserne in Bad Tölz and to Grafenwoehr in 1990. The desk of the legendary U.S. General George S. Patton can be seen in the headquarters’ building of the NCO Academy at Camp Normandy. Desk, chair and carpet came from La Rochefoucauld palace in France. Erwin Rommel, famous general field marshal of the German Wehrmacht, once sat at this desk. He is also known in military history as the “Desert Fox.” The desk, annexed and used by General Patton, was previously located in Patton’s headquarters in Bad Tölz. Later, the desk was used by the commanders of the NCO Academy.
About the book: “Grafenwoehr Training Area, Yesterday - Today” is the title of the bi-lingual book written by Reserve Sergeant Major Gerald Morgenstern. On 288 pages with more than 800 photos, he does not only tell the history of the training area since 1910 but also covers the development of the training area in recent years. The story of Patton’s desk is published in this edition of the Bavarian Times. The book “Grafenwoehr Training Area, Yesterday - Today” is available in bookstores and at various locations on post. For more information, go to www.grafenwoehr. trainingareabook.com, or visit us on Facebook.
| by Gerald Morgenstern Bavarian Times | 30
Photo Credit: Gerald Morgenstern (2)
Grafenwoehr, Germany – The 7th Army NCO Academy is located at Camp Normandy on Grafenwoehr Training Area. The school is one of the oldest facilities of its kind in the U.S. Army and the only one of its size outside the United States.