Dragoon Base

Connecting the Troopers of Today with the Veterans of Yesterday.

info on an accident at Philippsreut / Bischofsreut (Freyung-Grafenau County) close to the Czech border happening on 4 Feb 1983

Guys, I am looking for information concerning an auto accident near the German/Czech border on 4 Feb 1983 that killed three soldiers from the Regiment.  A local news media wants to do a story on the 30 Anniversry of the accident.  Attached is a picture of a monument that was placed on/near the site of the accident.  US-Soldaten.jpg


Thanks, Ryan

Views: 908

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Guys, a little more info on this tragic event. What happend was these soldiers were border patrol at night, it was cold, and their was a lot of snow, and if memory serves they rigged something to cover the jeep and used the exhaust to warm the jeep, which ended up killing them from aphyxiation.

I remember that.The one thing that I remember most was the piercing scream one of the deceased's wife/girlfriend let out.I was walking across the parade field headed towards HWB.

The above is exactly correct.

It snowed very heavy that night in Philipsreut. They sandwitched their vehicle between a Conditori and a restaurant. They were the radio relay team sent out from Camp Reed to provide radio communications with the foot patrol who were using a PRC-77. There jeep would act as a relay back to Camp Reed. They put their antenna up above the buildings and then took their camouflage nets between the top of the antenna and their vehicle. The snow came down so hard that night that it sealed the air ventilation in their vehicle so when they had their jeep running the Carbon Monoxide had no where to go but inside their jeep. They got comfortable and warm from the heater and went to sleep.

LTC Bird ordered me to leave Camp Reed and meet him at Camp May to discuss several other issues. Why he wanted the meeting at Camp May, he would be the only one to know. I had spent most of my afternoon and evening looking all over for the soldiers. Once they missed their radio check, border operations SOP required that I go and try to find them. We notified Squadron that they had missed their radio check so I was on the road. None of the roads had been cleared so even with 4 chains on my jeep I could only make at best 7 to 8 miles per hour. I tried looking just about everywhere for them, when I received a message from my Operations Sergeant that LTC Bird wanted me to see him at Camp May.

LTC Bird and I were sitting in the War room at Camp May, when the Bayrische Grenz Politzi came to the gate at Camp May and as LTC Bird and I to go to the morg in Philipsreut. He told us what had happened, and where they found them. No one from 3d Squadron found them as I have seen reported here. It was the Bavarian Border Police that found them. After we finished at the morg, LTC Bird and I drove our separate jeeps at 7 mphs from Camp May back to Camp Reed. My driver drove my jeep and I rode with LTC Bird.

That was the longest ride this Lieutenant has ever made before or since. LTC Bird invited me not to say anything about the circumstances regarding what had happened but I had nothing to hide so he pelted me with every question in the book to which I answered. All the other issues that he had come to speak with me about turned rather insignificant to that event. (How much more do you want?) LTC Bird was fair, honest, and went through the logs meticulously to be sure he knew everything about the incident. 

All I want to say is I will forever be grateful to our Camp Reed Operations Sergeant and his log book. All the border briefings. All the slide presentations we went through. The SOPs we had to follow. All came to the surface why we did them. There were three congressional investigations for each of the soldiers that died. I lived through each one of them. 

Lieutenant Colonel Bird knows the whole story.

Lieutenant Robinson (Me) I know the whole story.

Border Sergeant - He knows the whole story.

Lead Counsel for the Congressional investigation - He knows the whole story

Camp Reed Operations Sergeant - He knows the whole story.

Anyone who want to know more specifics needs to call and explain why they need to know more?

This is not what happened, LTC Bird was not the Squadron Commander, LTC Konitzer  was.  I was the the platoon leader, and Camp commander on Camp May.  These soldiers were on patrol and stopped their jeep in a area where snow plows turned around, not near any buildings.  They were not a relay jeep,and certainly had nothing to do with Camp Reed.  No one could communicate with Reed where they were located. The story above is bullshit.

Yep, complete BS

Yes Sir, Where did this bull shit comd from... A complete fabrication. You were there, I was there and then there is this fairy tale.

Hey Lt. Drobney, you may remember me, I was the training NCO and the Cpt. Cruz's Track Commander at the time.  Your story is correct.  The 3 soldiers were Hicks (soon to be married), Baldwin (His wife was at Amburg with their new born baby) and McCoy.  It was a very sad time, I had just spoken to each of them within a few days prior.

Man, You didn't change much.

I remember you Tim. hope all is well with you!

Incorrect.  I was on the patrol that night in charge of the GSR team.  We found them.

If my memory serves me correctly Mike Company was manning Camp Reed at the time. One of those that passed was a fellow we called "Short Round.

I was there at camp may, from what I remember they were on GSR security, Hicks was in basic with me and Jim Davis also in same platoon.LT Drobney it's good to hear from you


Colonels of the Regiment






Machine Gun Troop, 2d Cavalry; Adjutant General.

© 2018   Created by Robb Russell.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service