The W-SS had two
Junkerschule - Bad Tölz and Braunschweig.
Junker was an old Prussian term -
'young lord' - as the title was applied to the ruling class of landed and titled gentry which ruled the Prussian state. The term was adopted by the SS as a psychological reference to its Officer Candidates as the elite new 'young lords' inheriting National Socialist Germany.
Their collar insignia had a
T or a
B behind the SS runes to indicate which school they were assigned.
Once WW2 began, the Officer Candidates were primarily combat veterans from the ranks, usually in the rank of corporal (
Rottenfuhrer) or junior sergeant (
Scharfuhrer or
Oberscharfuhrer).
The kaserne was named in honor of COL Harry A. "Paddy" Flint - an old cavalry Officer and the 39th Combat Team Commander...and a favorite of 3rd Army Commander, GEN Patton. The kaserne at Bad Tölz was designated as the Headquarters for Third US Army in May 1945. On 23 May 1945, Third US Army Headquarters (Fwd) moved from Regensburg, where it had been located on VE-Day, to the kaserne. The new headquarters area consisted of approximately 40 acres that formerly had been occupied by a German "Junkerschule."
Third Army headquarters was located at Bad Tölz until April 1946, when it moved to Heidelberg.
During Third Army's stay in Bad Tölz it was assigned the general mission of occupying the German state of Bavaria.
Flint Kaserne was the site of Headquarters, 1st (Inf) Division, from September 1946 until January 1951.
The kaserne was occupied by Headquarters, Special Troops, and 3rd Bn, 169th Inf Regt, of the 43rd Division, from October 1951 until the summer of 1952 when the regiment moved to Nurnberg.
The 10th SFG moved to Bad Tölz/Lenggries on 10 Nov 1953.
My three years at Bad Tölz were some of the best of my SF career.
Richard
