Aufrüstung
Rearmament

After coming to power in 1933, the National Socialist regime began a massive rearmament of the Reichswehr (from 1935, the Wehrmacht). One central, secret measure was the rebuilding of its air force. Among the important military facilities set up at great expense with an eye to future wars were munitions facilities - abbreviated "Muna".

The main task of a Muna was to complete the manufacturing process of combat ready ammunition from prefabricated parts supplied by the armaments industry. This ammunition was then packaged, stored, and maintained until required.

Munitionsanstalten
Ammunition Facilities

By 1945, some 370 munitions facilities had been established in the German Reich, operated by the three branches of the Wehrmacht: the Army, the Navy and the Air Force. As a rule, munitions facilities were located outside large cities in rural areas. Especially important were their connection to rail transport system.

Approximately 50 ammunition depots and 18 Main Air Force Munitions Facilities were identified as being assigned to the Luftwaffe. These Main Air Force Munitions Facilities focused on the production and storage of anti-aircraft ammunition (Flak = anti-aircraft guns). The ammunition facilities produced both on-board and air dropped (gravity bombs) munitions.

LHM 2/XII Dieburg
LHM (Main Air Force Munitions Facility) 2/XII Dieburg

In January 1939, "Dieburg, Luftgau XII" (Luftgau is similar to an Air Territorial Command) appeared for the first time in sources as the location of a planned LHM. An LHM in the vicinity of Darmstadt had already been planned since 1937. The choice fell on a site north of Dieburg, which was finally located entirely in the Münster forest. In April 1939, more than 300 hectares were seized by the Luftwaffe (German Air Force). In September 1939, the actual extent of the Muna was determined: 333 hectares of forest - roughly equivalent to an area of 450 soccer fields - were henceforth no longer available to the community of Münster. It was forbidden to enter the area.

Almost at the same time, another LHM was established in Wolfhagen near Kassel in Luftgau XII. The Muna in Münster Forest was an important part of the National Socialist Luftwaffe supply network during World War II.

Munitionsfertigung
Ammunition production

LHMs were set up to manufacture and store ready-to-fire ammunition for antiaircraft guns (Flak), which came in various calibers (diameters). In the Münster forest, ammunition was mainly finished in the standard German sizes of 8.8 cm, 3.7 cm and 2 cm. Live ammunition as well as ammunition sections were delivered and assembled. Grenades and cartridges (cartridge cases) were thus turned into ready-to-fire rounds of ammunition.

The Muna's tasks also included the refurbishing of used items, such as cartridge cases and ammunition boxes. Used cartridge cases returned to the Muna as "empties" were reprocessed in the "cartridge cleaning plant" and fed into the ammunition production. During World War II, the Muna also developed into a storage site for captured enemy ammunition.

Gebiete
Areas

Like all LHMs, the Muna in Münster Forest consisted of different areas: In the entrance area were accommodations (residential area) and the central administration. There were also workshops, garages and a sewing house. The core of each Muna was formed by the workhouses, which were connected to each other by corridors. For security reasons, the work area was physically separated from the other areas. The entire area west of the Hohe Warte was available for the numerous ammunition houses and bunkers for the storage of ammunition (storage area). The road from Münster was extended and wooden barracks camps of the Reich Labor Service (RAD) were built to the front of the actual Muna area.

Arbeitshäuser und Werkstätten
Workhouses and workshops

The focus of the Muna was the Munitionsarbeitshausanlage or M.A.H.A. or the munitions workhouse complex. The workhouses consisted of flat brick buildings with concrete ceilings, connected by corridors in a network-like fashion. Preparatory work and the finishing of the munitions took place in the workhouses.

Workshops were located in the front area of the compound. In the carpentry shop, ammunition boxes were manufactured and repaired. The transport boxes were standardized and partly lined with zinc sheet. After use, they were returned to the munitions depot and reused after a thorough inspection.

Transport
Transport

The direct connection of the Muna to rail transport was of particular importance. Components and ammunition were initially transported via the Dieburg freight station. Heavy trucks with trailers shuttled between the Muna and the Dieburg station. Only in the course of 1942 was the light railroad line completed, which connected the Muna site (with its own station) directly with the Eppertshausen station.

In addition to heavy equipment, smaller electric vehicles were available to transport the completed munitions within the Muna. The vehicle fleet was parked in the front area.

Civilian workers from the surrounding area arrived by bicycle or by a bus which collected them along a set route. Prisoners from the Rollwald camp were transported on open trailers, which were not intended for passenger transport.

Dienstverpflichtete
Compulsory Service Personnel

The vast majority of the workforce consisted of civilian workers most of whom were not there voluntarily. As early as 1935, young men had a National Socialist obligation to perform six months of "honorable service to the German people" in the Reich Labor Service (RAD) before their military service. With the start of the war, the RAD was extended to include female youth as well. The duty served to discipline the younger generation as well as to try to instill the National Socialist ideology of the "Volksgemeinschaft" (National Community) into practice.

In the course of the Second World War, the armaments industry increasingly relied on female workers as a part of the RAD in the form of the so-called Kriegshilfsdienst (KHD) (Auxilliary War Service). In general, ammunition facilities employed these women as so called “work maidens”. This was also true for the Muna in Münster Forest. They were housed in the RAD camp outside the gates of the site. Many of these young women came from the Palatinate.

A large number of men and women from Münster and the surrounding region were enlisted for service in the Muna. In a list from 1942, more than 440 people from the surrounding area are named, among them a surprising number of young women. Hundreds more were added by the end of the war. Unlike the "work maidens" accommodated in the wooden barracks, they usually lived at home and came to the Muna by bicycle or bus. The conscripts were mainly employed in the finishing of munitions, in the sewing shop, in the workshops or in the administration.

Strafgefangene
Prisoners

A group of prison inmates arrived daily at the Muna from the Rodgau prison camp. The larger part came from the main Rollwald camp (municipality Nieder-Roden). The (German) prisoners were taken to work in the Münster forest and back again in the evening on open trailers. They were used for heavy labor, such as loading and unloading ammunition and drainage work on the site. A smaller number of inmates were imprisoned in the Dieburg camp, which was also part of the Rodgau camp complex. The Dieburg inmates were mainly employed at the Dieburg train station. According to surviving lists, an average of 110 prisoners were utilized at the Muna.

On December 14, 1941, a serious accident occurred: while transporting the prisoners back, a senior ammunition specialist drove through a turn on the Muna grounds at too high a speed, overturning the trailer and burying the prisoners who had been sitting on it. Fourteen men were killed and twelve others injured. The driver was sentenced to two years and six months in prison for involuntary manslaughter and bodily injury. He was to serve the sentence after the war; instead, he succeeded retired Colonel Alt as head of the Hessian demolition operation.

Kriegsgefangene
Prisoners of war

French prisoners of war were also used in the Muna. An historical list records a work detachment of 60 Frenchmen who served in the Muna from 1941 to 1945. They had come to Münster from a POW camp near Bad Orb, Stalag IX B Wegscheide, and were housed in one of the wooden barracks camps, fenced in with barbed wire and guarded.

The POWs had to perform heavy and dangerous work, such as loading and storing ammunition. As a rule, they were separated from the other groups of workers, even while eating. Prisoners of war were subject to their own rules. For example, they were forbidden to take cover in the air raid shelters during air raids.

Betriebsleitung
Operational management

The Main Air Force Munitions Facility (LHM) was a military facility and as such, senior positions were filled by military personnel. From February 1941 until the dissolution of the Muna a good four years later, the operational management was in the hands of the ordnance officer Colonel Heinrich Alt (Born 1889). He came from Eichelsdorf (Wetterau), had joined the NSDAP (Nazi Party) in August 1932 and left the party in July 1935 when he transferred to the Luftwaffe as a captain. Colonel Alt was responsible for the more than 1,000 employees under his command, both members of the Wehrmacht as well as civilians.

While serving as commander of the Muna facility, Colonel Alt lived in a rented flat in Dieburg. Those officers who were not from the region, lived in the residential area of the Muna - some were accompanied by their families. According to contemporary witness reports, some officers were housed privately in Münster until the housing units in the Muna were completed. For a few months after the war, Colonel (ret.) Alt also acted as head of the munition and clearing operations.

Feuerwerker
Ammunition Specialists (Ordnance Personnel)

Officers with "additional weapons training" performed important functions in the Muna. As specialists for "weapons and ammunition" (WuM), specially trained ordnance personnel were responsible for the direction and control of all work with ammunition. They supervised all workplaces in the field of ammunition production, storage and loading. Their duties included instructing and supervising civilian workers, inspecting finished ammunition and ammunition parts, and monitoring storage. They also had to ensure that the numerous safety regulations and precautions were being observed.

The ordnance personnel were part of the military infrastructure. As specialists for ammunition, some of them held leading positions in the clearance and demolition detachments after the end of the war.

Abschottung und Mythen
Isolation and myths

The Muna was a place of secrecy. Unauthorized persons were forbidden to enter. The guard at the entrance gate checked the identity of the workers who were only allowed to enter their work area. They were not permitted to tell anyone anything about what was happening in the Muna. Cameras were also strictly forbidden on the grounds of the munitions plants, including Münster - which is why hardly any photographs exist.

The Muna was not supposed to be visible from the air. Buildings and facilities were covered with camouflage paint and camouflage nets to remain hidden from aerial reconnaissance. However, Allied aerial photographs from August 1944 and February/March 1945 clearly showed bunkers, workhouses, the kaserne and barracks.

At the same time, the secrecy fostered numerous myths. Particularly persistent was the rumor about extensive underground facilities which are said to have reached as far as Babenhausen. No evidence was found for the existence of such tunnel systems. Production and storage took place in buildings above ground.

Abzug und Sprengung
Withdrawal and demolition

American troops crossed the Rhine near Nierstein on March 22/23, 1945 and advanced into southern Hesse. The Muna was then "evacuated". Some of the military personnel fled while men and women who had been drafted into service remained at home or returned to their home towns. What happened to the prisoners of war during this time is not known. They eventually returned to their French homeland at the end of the war.

In the afternoon of March 25,1945, American units reached Münster and also the Muna. Shortly before their arrival, several ammunition buildings on the Muna site were blown up. The population had been asked to open windows and doors. During the hasty demolition of these storage facilities, ammunition debris was scattered over a large area. Several detonations shook the surrounding villages. The American Army took control of the Muna site - for the next 50 years.

Displaced Persons
Displaced Persons

In the post-war period, a camp for Polish Displaced Persons (DPs) was located on the Muna site. In July 1945, a team from UNRRA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, took over the camp from the U.S. Army. There were about 1,700 Poles in the overcrowded facility, the majority of whom were former forced laborers. However, there were also 200 children under the age of 14. The Polish DPs were housed in 10 blocks, both in the masonary barracks buildings and in the wooden barracks outside of the fence to the left and right of Munastrasse. There was a school, a theater room for an audience of 400 people and a church.

In October 1945, all Polish DPs were ordered to leave the camp. A Baltic DP camp was then established on the site. The majority of the Polish men and women agreed to return to their homeland. A larger group of men received a work permit for France. The wooden barracks in front of the camp fence were in an especially desolate condition. Arriving Latvians refused to be accommodated in them. They were eventually housed in newly requisitioned houses in the former SA (Stürmabteilung – the paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party which was eventually absorbed by the SS) facility in Dieburg, the capacity of the Muna camp was reduced to 700 people and the wooden barracks were no longer used for accommodation. Before its dissolution in July 1946, 575 people from the Baltic states still lived in the DP camp with the majority being transferred to Hanau. Approximately 50 DPs employed by the Americans were housed in four large, requisitioned houses in Münster.

Prisoners of War
Prisoners of War

After the closing of the DP camp in the summer of 1946, German prisoners of war arrived at the so-called "Waldlager" (Forest Camp) - as it was called on maps and in sources from the time. Many of these personnel came from the large POW camp in the Babenhausen barracks which had recently been closed. A list from November 1946 entitled "Released Prisoners of War from the 'Muna' forest camp in Münster who have been contracted as laborers with the American military and are housed in the barracks camp in the 'Muna'" lists 171 mostly young men. The "Prisoners of War," POW, or PW for short, were used on the grounds of the Muna for clearing work, among other things, and for the temporary storage of ammunition. At the beginning of 1948, 81 men were still living in the "Forest Camp".

The released prisoners of war were not from the region. Some of them could not simply return to their homeland if it was in the east or in the Saarland. Thus even after their release from captivity, they continued to work for the U.S. Army. Some of the young men met women from Münster, started families and found a new home in the region.

Wachmannschaften
Guards

Units of the "Labor Service" were housed.In the former RAD wooden barracks camp on the left side of Munastraße, directly in front of the camp entrance. These units were in the service of the US Army and were responsible for the control of the outer area of the Muna. The first unit was a Polish guard unit consisting mainly of former forced laborers who had been deported to Germany during World War II. This was followed by a unit of young German men ("4007 Labor Service Company") - many of whom settled in Münster and the surrounding area and started families. After their departure at the end of the 1950s, a Lithuanian guard company occupied the barracks outside the gates of the Muna, which was relocated to Griesheim in 1964.

Until the final dissolution of the Muna in June 1995, units of the "Labor Service" were responsible for controlling the Muna site and supported the American supply units.

Flüchtlinge
Refugees

The wooden barracks on the right side of the Munastraße were available to the municipality of Münster for housing refugees. As early as May 1946, the municipality had the first repair measures carried out in order to be able to use the run-down buildings. It was not until March 1950 that the administration of the housing barracks was finally placed in the hands of the municipality of Münster. The wooden barracks on the right side of Munastrasse were registered under the address "Forest Camp".

Living space was also scarce in Münster in the post-war period. Some of the refugees stranded in Münster had to make do with the wooden barracks until new housing was built in the town. Some families lived in the "forest camp" for years, without much comfort. Toilets remained outside. Contemporary witnesses reported a good community in the "Waldlager". The children went to school in Münster. In segments of the local population, the "Waldlager" had a bad reputation. In the early 1960s, it was closed and the barracks were torn down.

Entmunitionierung
Ammunition Clearance

In the post-war period, work began on the removal of explosive ordnance and the clearance of ammunition from the Muna site. Starting in October 1945, a clearance detachment began its work on behalf of the American military government. It was initially headed by the former operations manager of the Lufthauptmunitionsanstalt (LHM), and from February 1946 by one of the senior ordnance speacialists. Fifteen to 20 former ordnance specialists and employees of the LHM, who were trained and experienced in handling munitions were responsible for carrying out the explosive ordnance clearance. All were from the surrounding region. They were assisted by another 50 to 60 men from the area who were enlisted for this service through the state employment office and were given a brief safety orientation to the risks involved in the work.

Sprengaktionen
Demolition operations

One of the tasks of the clearance and demolition teams was the removal of all ammunition still on the Muna site. For this purpose, regular controlled demolitions took place, initially near the road between Eppertshausen and Messel (Braun quarry, pit at Dölmersberg). According to American specifications, blasts of up to 120 tons were planned. Later, a blasting area was designated in the southwestern part of the Muna site. Here, the "Sprengaktion Hessen" carried out storage and disposal of explosive ordnance from all over southern Hesse until 1955. Old munitions discovered in the surrounding area were often cleared through controlled detonation on site by the Muna Dieburg clearance detachment. This was documented to have taken place in Langstadt and in Höchst in the Odenwald.

Several accidents, some of them fatal, occurred during the burning and detonation of ammunition and related materials. The Forestry Commission repeatedly drew attention to the danger of forest fires caused by the burning of munitions piles during the dry season.

Wald im Sperrgebiet
Forest in the restricted area

Access to the munitions- contaminated Muna site remained prohibited in the post-war period. This did not, however stop locals from the surrounding villages from entering. Despite the prohibitions, wood was cut and blueberries were picked. Children played with ammunition fragments, as reports of resulting accidents document. Prohibitions had to be repeatedly pronounced and punishment threatened. With the establishment of the American ammunition depot, the fence was reestablished and the area guarded. Guard personnel patrolled the area of the "Hessian blasting operation".

The forest was an important economic factor for the municipality of Münster before its confiscation by the Luftwaffe in 1939. The area technically remained in the possession of the municipality. The mayor of Münster had successfully negotiated that the contracts would not be officially signed until the end of the war. Thus, the forest, now confiscated by the U.S. Army, officially remained in municipal ownership.

In 1963, the municipality of Münster sold the Muna forest to the Federal Property Administration - after heated discussion. The majority of the community assembly finally took the view that the munitions-contaminated forest would not offer any economically attractive opportunities in the future.

„Munaseide“ und mehr
"Munaseide" (Muna-Silk) and more

In the first days after the dissolution of the Lufthauptmunitionsanstalt at the end of March 1945, there was a lot of activity on the Muna site: locals from the surrounding communities looted everything that was not nailed down. People came to the site with handcarts and sometimes with horse-drawn carriages. Only the ammunition houses and bunkers in the camp area were blown up. The living quarters and administrative areas as well as the workshops had remained largely intact.

As lists from later times show, there were large quantities of material, tools and wooden boxes in the Münster forest. Particularly coveted were the bales of so-called "Muna silk," which were destined for the production of cartouche bags in the sewing shop. Despite the threat of draconian punishments by the American military government, by no means all the bales that had been stolen without permission were returned. The durable artificial silk was used to make dresses and shirts for private use in many households in Münster and the surrounding area.

The large quantities of material and tools remained in demand, as documented by numerous requests for their issue. Sales were permitted by the American military government from January 1946, subject to restrictions with the money collected going into a restricted account of the military government.

Ausbau als Munitionslager
Expansion as an ammunition depot

In the post-war period the American armed forces used the Muna site for the storage of ammunition. After the withdrawal of the DPs (Displaced Persons) in July 1946, American units took over the "Ammunition Depot Muenster". Existing storage areas were occupied, and various temporary facilities were erected. Ammunition was stored on wooden pallets, later on concrete pads, partly in corrugated iron huts, so-called "Nissen huts," and other makeshift structures.

By the mid-1950s, the ammunition storage area became a permanent ammunition depot. Numerous bunkers and storage sheds were newly erected. In the northern part of the storage area some new buildings were also built. German engineering and construction companies were involved in the building of these structures and for a period of time were located in the former RAD camp in front of the Muna site. The ammunition depot designated “PSP-4J” (Prestocked Supply Point” – 4J) served the "V Corps" of the American armed forces in Europe as a central supply depot. Münster was part of a depot network along with other locations in Germany. A large number of vehicles were constantly available for the possible transport of conventional ammunition.

For the expansion of the ammunition depot, the U.S. Army planned to seize additional forest area adjacent to the Muna site. However, this never happened. Instead in the 1970s and 1980s, new buildings were added to the old barracks area. Much of the ammunition stored in Muenster was earmarked for artillery units stationed in Babenhausen.

Fulda Gap
Fulda Gap

Based on its geographical location parts of Hesse gained important strategic military significance with the beginning of the political East-West confrontation during the "Cold War". As a central gateway for troops of the Warsaw Pact armored forces heading for Frankfurt am Main, the Fulda Valley of the East Hessian Highlands, was called the "Fulda Gap" in American military parlance. Here, West Germany would have been severed at its narrowest point and it was feared that American supply routes would have been cut. For much of the Cold War, NATO assessed the Warsaw Pact to be much stronger in conventional forces (something later proven to be false). Therefore, the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons was seen as a way to deter but also balance any aggression or use of chemical weapons by the Warsaw Pact forces.

In accordance with NATO's defense planning, the American military presence in the "Fulda Gap" area was increased over several decades. In the event of a military confrontation between NATO and the nations of the Warsaw Pact, the people living in the "Fulda Gap" would have been directly affected by catastrophic destruction. The Muna in the Münster Forest stored some of the ammunition that would have been used in this scenario. The ammunition depot was a strategically important component in the defense planning of the Allies.

To this day, the term "Fulda Gap" is synonymous with the military threat on the eastern Hessian border and the horror scenario of a possible nuclear response to the invasion by Warsaw Pact troops. In the 1980s, the peace movement began to oppose the defense plans of NATO and its obvious impacts on the local population.

Amerikanische Einheiten
American units

American units had been stationed at the Muna site since occupying the former Nazi ammunition depot at the end of World War II. In the beginning, the ammunition companies (American: "Ordnance Companies.") changed several times. There was even a supply unit in the barracks that produced baked goods in Darmstadt for almost the entire American occupation zone.

For decades, the 545th Ordnance Company as part of the of the 15th Ordnance Battalion was responsible for the maintenance and transport of the ammunition stored in the Münster forest. In February 1977, the company was reassigned to the 72nd Ordnance Battalion which was part of the 59th Ordnance Brigade and was solely responsible for the maintenance and storage of the special weapons. The Company had an authorized strength of about 200 personnel. Beginning in 1977, the 6th Military Police Company (also about 200 soldiers) was responsible for guarding the interior of the inner area of NATO Site 111. The guarding of the special weapons depot proved to be a particularly monotonous activity, as contemporary witnesses unanimously reported. The responsibility for the transport and storage of the conventional ammunition was given to the 184th Ordnance Company, 15th Ordnance Battalion, V Corps Support Command.

Both the 545th Ordnance and 6th MP served here until their withdrawal from Europe in 1992. The lower enlisted personnel lived primarily in the barracks on the Muna grounds, two to six people per room. Married officers and NCOs with their families lived in the Housing Area of the Babenhausen and Darmstadt barracks, while single officers usually lived in private accommodations in Münster and the surrounding area.

Troops changed frequently. The servicemen and women signed up for service in Germany for many different reasons. Their stay lasted on average for two years - young men and women, far away from their homes.

Private Kontakte
Private Contact

Americans were also present outside the Muna in Münster as well. In many families there were young women who were involved with American soldiers. Some married, started families went to the USA or stayed in Münster and the and the surrounding area.

Members of the American military also left their mark on Münster. American officers were considered "safe" tenants; they were in great demand as such. Many Americans lived in the high-rise building in Münster. Officers and their families lived in apartments or houses on the grounds of the Babenhausen and Darmstadt barracks.

At Christmas, locals had the opportunity to invite Americans from the Muna to their homes. In many a Münster home, American soldiers sat in the living room around the Christmas tree and celebrated together – despite all the linguistic and cultural hurdles.

Linde, Lotti und Ludwig
Linde, Lotti and Ludwig

Münster's restaurants and pubs played an important role in the history and perception of the Muna at the time of the American presence. In the post-war period, members of the guards frequented the "Linde", with regular contact to the local population. In later years it was "die Lotti", a pub operated by Lotti Englert in the Frankfurter Straße, which attracted large numbers of American guests. Near the Muna. located on the Munastraße where the "Waldlager" once stood and later the county animal shelter, was the restaurant known as "Ludwig’s", where many black soldiers spent their free time. Here disco music was played, while in the "Starlight" rock'n'roll dominated.

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, officers from the 6th MP Company met in the "Altmünster" restaurant on Thursday evenings to eat schnitzel. They deliberately tried to improve the partly bad image of the soldiers, who, in an alcoholic state, occasionally got into fights.

For parts of the local youth, the “Ami-pubs" were forbidden places - for others they were the gateway to another world. Pop cultural aspects such as music played a role there.

Tage der offenen Tür
Open House Day

In the 1980s, the American armed forces invited people to an "open house" on the Muna site. Numerous locals made use of the offer. In the front barracks area, there was military equipment to inspect as well as guided tours of the area, the rear part with the bunkers and NATO Site 111 remained off-limits to visitors.

Some of the open house days were also attended by representatives of the Bundeswehr. Not every tank to be climbed came from American production. The American officials actively tried to maintain a good relationship with the city of Münster. American ice cream and hotdogs were on the program at the "Friendship Celebrations” as were demonstrations by the guard dogs.

As a further measure of the opening, the lighting of the Christmas tree on the Muna grounds was celebrated together. At the "Muenster Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony" celebrated for the last time on December 8, 1994, Christmas carols were sung together.

Lärmbelästigung
Noise pollution

Although it was not an air base, aircraft noise was the order of the day. This was especially due to the transport of munitions by air. The helicopters flew over the surrounding communities at low altitudes as they prepared to land in the Muna Kaserne. Daily flights were not uncommon.

Transport of conventional munitions, people and material was conducted via the Münster train station and the Muna road through the Münster forest. The regular convoys from Babenhausen, which often passed through Münster at night, was a particular source of noise pollution. In addition to heavy trucks, there were also tracked vehicles. In the houses along the through roads, the glasses in the cupboards were often shaking. The noise level decreased significantly with the extension of the B 45 with its own exit for the Muna Kaserne. Military vehicles were able to bypass Münster via the B45 and B26 federal roads.

Arbeitgeber Muna
Muna as Employer

The Muna has always been an employer for people from Münster and the region. With restrictions, this already applied to the released prisoners of war and the men of the of the clearance troops, who did not work here voluntarily. The civilian personnel on the Muna included cooks, locomotive engineers and employees of the PX - the American department store. Local women were also employed in the library and as cleaning personnel.

In addition, there were skilled workers of various professions. The chief of the fire department, for example, was a German in the service of the Americans. Craftsmen such as painters also worked for the Americans in the Muna.

And many a company profited from the construction work on the site. The same held true for taxicab drivers, who could count on regular trips to the ammunition depot.

Gemeinde und Feuerwehr
Local Community and fire department

The municipal administration of Münster was in regular contact with the American commanders of the Muna. Complaints about damage caused by American military vehicles filled entire folders especially in the 1950s. The main complaints concerned paths, roads and bridges that had been damaged and the cost of repairing them. In the 1980s, an exchange had developed between the Muna commander and the mayor of Münster as well as representatives of the municipality. Problems were discussed and solutions acceptable to both sides sought.

The forest, which had been owned by the municipality until 1963, also played a role. Here it was a matter of logging on the part of the Americans, but also about questions of safety. Firebreaks around the Muna fence were intended to prevent fires from spreading to the forest outside the Muna. There were formal “mutual assistance agreements” between the US military and the local fire and police departments – these agreements provided for support on the kaserne in the event of a fire or a civilian disturbance (police support).

Vereine und Feste
Clubs and festivals

Contact between the American soldiers and the locals took place at the level of clubs and at festivals. In the mid-1970s, a dark-skinned soldier stationed in the Muna wrestled for a season with the FSV Münster - and quickly became a crowd favorite. The direct involvement in clubs, however, remained the exception. Joint shooting exercises between Americans and members of the Münster Shooting Club are documented. The U.S. Army also supported local associations with heavy equipment, for example the anglers with earthworks at the Bitzensee, or with tents at events such as the Old Town Festival.

Occasionally, American groups took part in festivals in Münster. At parish festivals the "Muna-Tanks" were an attraction at the rope pull. In 1985, the commander of the 545th Ordnance Company (at the time Major Ed Szeliga) arranged for an American military band from V Corps to play at the festival of the Männergesangverein (Men’s Choral Group).

NATO Site 111
NATO Site 111

As early as the end of the 1950s, nuclear ammunition was reportedly stored in the Muna Münster. They were part of the defense strategy of NATO in reference to a possible attack by Warsaw Pact troops in the “Fulda Gap." On the northern edge of the Muna site a specially secured area was established. In 1962, considerations were intensified to create a new area on the site with its own bunkers for "special weapons". During the following eight years, the German, American and NATO institutions involved discussed questions of disposition, security, responsibility – and the financing of "NATO Site 111."

In 1970, it was reported that the site had been completed. A security area was created in the middle of the Muna site with nine new bunkers as a special weapons storage facility for tactical nuclear weapons. These were specially fenced in and equipped with guard towers. Between the two fences specially trained guard dogs patrolled (these were later moved to areas adjacent to the NATO site). During the 1980s, the security measures were once again massively improved – due to the possible threat posed by the Red Army Faction (RAF). The bunkers themselves were now elaborately secured by various systems. The double fence system was renovated and technically upgraded, the wooden watchtowers replaced by steel ones. Like the bunkers, the subsequently erected buildings, such as the one with the ten-meter-high tower, followed the construction standards of a special weapons depot. Similar facilities could be found in other locations throughout the Federal Republic.

Lufttransport
Air Transport

The transport of nuclear ammunition was done by air. Four helicopters were in use: three Chinook 47 transport helicopters for the ammunition and guard personnel and a smaller UH 1 "Huey" for accompanying control personnel. Reason for the transport of ammunition in peacetime was primarily for maintenance work. The custody and access to all tactical nuclear weapons, as well as short-range missiles equipped with nuclear warheads such as "Lance" or “Niki Hercules” systems were the exclusive responsibility of US units.

Publicly, the storage of nuclear ammunition in the Münster forest up until the deactivation of the Muna site in 1995 was never officially confirmed.

Patriotbunker
Patriot Bunkers

In the mid-1980s, bunkers were once again built on the grounds of the Muna for the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system. On the southwestern border of the Muna, once the area of the "demolition operation", ten new bunkers were built - one of which now houses the information center. The bunkers were used to store the guided missiles in transport and launch containers, which were mounted on mobile semitrailers. A "Patriot" battery included eight launchers (colloquially referred to as "rocket launchers"), a radar vehicle, and a fire control station. The Patriot system was used for the first time in the 1991 Iraq war.

The Muna was used to store the mobile anti- aircraft missile systems. The Babenhausen barracks was home to the American units that would have been responsible for its use. In the mid-1980s, 450 additional soldiers were stationed in Babenhausen. During the transport between Babenhausen and the Muna, there were repeated incidents on the Muna road: Between 1987 and 1992, four accidents are documented, each of which caused widespread closures and a great deal of excitement. Unlike nuclear warheads, antiaircraft missiles were transported by land.

Friedensbewegung
Peace Movement

Protests against the use and expansion of the Muna site as an ammunition depot existed as early as the mid-1950s. In the 1980s resistance was formed in reaction to the so- called NATO double decision in 1979 against the stationing of new weapons systems and the storage of nuclear weapons.

A peace initiative was founded in Münster in 1982. From 1983 to 1988, protest actions such as Easter marches took place to protest the nuclear threat potential of the Muna as well as against the storage of medium-range missiles on the site. Several hundred people took part in the rallies of the peace movement. The Peace Initiative Münster was a loose association of private individuals working together with actors from Münster and from the surrounding region. The cooperation partners included political parties (The Greens, SPD), the German Federation of Trade Unions, and representatives of the Protestant and Catholic churches, from neighboring municipalities as well as from the Odenwald. Only a small part of the population of Münster actively participated in the actions.

There was no official confirmation of the storage of nuclear weapons in the Muünster forest. Publicly available documents, from the perspective of the Peace Initiative made it clear however that such weapons did indeed exist in Muenster. The protests were conducted peacefully and there were never any confrontations with American military personnel.

Abrüstung und Auflösung
Disarmament and Deactivation

During the mid-1980s, new accommodations were built on the Muna site: The L-shaped new building in the western part of the barracks area was used in 1989 to house enlisted personnel, some who had previously commuted daily from Darmstadt to Münster.

At the time, it was not clear to the Americans that the units stationed at Münster and the base itself would soon be closed.

At the end of 1990, ammunition transports began for the Second Gulf War (Iraq War), whereupon large amounts of the ammunition stored in Münster were transferred to the Middle East. According to published statistics, a significant amount of all ammunition shipped from Europe to Saudi Arabia was previously stored in Münster.

Within the framework of nuclear disarmament, all tactical nuclear weapons were repatriated to the United States from Europe in 1991. The special weapons stockpile in Münster was disbanded and the last nuclear weapons left the Muna by Chinook helicopter in November 1991. In June 1992, the 545th Ordnance Company and the 6th Military Police Company were deactivated, and NATO Site 111 was disbanded. Smaller supply and Labor Service units took care of the collection and removal of the remaining conventional ammunition and securing the site.

Wem gehört die Muna?
Who owns the Muna?

The end of the "Cold War" and the policy of détente in Europe also had consequences for the Muna site: Patriot missiles and the first troops were withdrawn from 1991 and in May 1995 the American military left Münster for good. In October 1995, the site returned to the Federal Republic of Germany and was administered by the Federal Property Administration (since 2005 merged into the Federal Agency for Real Estate). The municipality of Münster was not involved.

In May 1995, a linden tree and a granite stone from the Muna site were placed in the Bürgerpark - gifts from the Americans to commemorate the time of the US Army in Münster. In the following years, a "lost place" was created on the site itself - nature reclaimed the remnants of the NATO site and the main air munitions facility.

Gefährliches Terrain
Dangerous terrain

The abandoned and cordoned-off military area in the heart of the Muna has always attracted people - photographers in search of unusual motifs, paintball players, graffiti artists and geocachers. Due to the ammunition contamination of the site and the dilapidation of the buildings, including flooded cellar corridors, this was life-threatening fun!

Demolition of the ageing buildings began in 2017. Only the former Patriot bunkers (like the one housing this exhibition) remained outside the new Breitefelder district. The subsequently leveled area is now home to bison as well as Przewalski's horses.

Ein neuer Stadtteil
A new district

The development of the site proved to be a major problem after the Americans left: Legal issues were unresolved and the contamination on the site also unclear. Different ideas regarding the subsequent use clashed with each other, and there was no development plan. Vandalism was also a problem in the early years. Furthermore, the American buildings could not be used in accordance with German law. Properties were eventually sold individually.

The new district was given the name Breitefeld in 1997 (after the name of an old field) and the municipality of Münster designated it an industrial estate. In 2023, 34 businesses were registered and the population of Breitefeld was just under 400 people.

Eine Jahrhundert-Aufgabe
A century-long task

Since the end of the Second World War, several hundred tons of (Wehrmacht) ammunition have already been cleared from the Muna site: grenades, anti-aircraft and tracer ammunition. However, the majority of the site is still contaminated with ammunition remnants - a complete clean-up of the site would take around a thousand years at the current speed and thoroughness. Ten percent of the area is highly contaminated. In addition, underground ammunition fragments "migrate" towards the surface over the decades. There is a possibility of self-detonation of these ammunition remnants.

The site is surrounded by a security fence and therefore in the future cannot be entered except along the designated paths - a blessing for nature conservation and the renaturation of the area. Only 26 hectares of the site are currently free of munitions, and everywhere else munitions remnants can pose a danger to humans.

The ammunition poses no danger to wildlife. The animals have their own special routes and do not play with discovered pieces of ammunition.

Ungestörte Natur
Undisturbed nature

After the withdrawal of the Americans and the return of the site to the Federal Republic of Germany, nature was able to develop undisturbed within the fenced property. Today, it provides a habitat for many protected or even endangered animal and plant species in and around the forest. Bison and Przewalski's horses have been living here since 2020 and are helping to ensure the survival of their species in Europe. The large grazing animals also perform landscape management tasks.

Military use has favored the habitat and species diversity on the Muna site. Bomb and blast crater funnels and the tracks of heavy military vehicles are now filled with water. With the removal of drainage systems, some areas of forest can become marshy and waterlogged again. This creates valuable wetland sites, some of which develop into bogs. Tree frogs, yellow-bellied toads and grass snakes live here. Permanent and temporary ponds have formed. Depending on the time of year and the amount of precipitation, they are sometimes dry and sometimes wet. When they are filled with water, amphibians settle there to spawn. Insects such as dragonflies and beetles also live in the waters. Birds like to search for worms and insects in the soft bottom of the water bodies.

Due to the former use, areas were kept open and are now overgrown with valuable dry grassland, species-rich rough pastures and heather stands. Even the bunkers that are no longer used have a new function: bats now live inside!

Wisente
Bison

A bull and eight cows moved to the Muna site in 2020. The bison are part of the BImA's nature conservation project in cooperation with DB (Deutsche Bahn - German Rail) Netz AG and the municipality of Münster. They were found in our region until the early Middle Ages. Their task in the Muna is now to ensure a great diversity of species. Around seven kilometers of paddock fencing including acclimatization fences, feeding stations and treatment facilities were built for the project.

Together with the Przewalski's horses, the bison ensure greater biodiversity. The animals like fiber-rich food, so they also like to eat tree bark. As a result, they change the forest: they promote natural forest dynamics and transform it into mosaic-rich landscapes with many species-rich habitats. Their feeding behavior creates a diverse and species-rich vegetation mosaic, which forms a valuable habitat for many otherwise rather rare insect and bird species.

By wallowing in one and the same place, bison create micro-habitats on a few square meters. The rolling compacts the soil and only a few first growth plants grow there. The small, often sandy areas with little vegetation become a habitat for numerous beetles and insects, which are of interest to mice and, in wetter areas, also to frogs and toads. This in turn attracts birds of prey, songbirds and other mammals.

However, it is very difficult to see the shy bison. The lead cows are fitted with a transmitter. The Federal Forestry Office can determine their whereabouts at any time using a transmitter and intervene if an animal is injured or falls ill.

Przewalski-Pferde
Przewalski horses

The Przewalski's horse is an ancient breed of wild horse that was discovered in 1878 by the explorer Nikolai Przewalski and named after him. Originally, the Przewalski's ancestors were native to Europe and Asia, but since 1970 the animals no longer live in the wild. The endangered species has only been preserved through targeted breeding with animals from various zoos.

The horses' original habitat is sandy steppe areas with little vegetation. The open areas of the Muna site provide similar living conditions. The meagre food supply is sufficient for the animals all year round, and they can survive for up to three days without water. Even summer heat and frosty cold in winter cannot harm them.

Individual bison and some horses wear collars with GPS transmitters on the Muna site. This is the only way they can always be reliably located in this huge area. And just like the bison, they also ensure biodiversity in the Muna: by grazing, treading and rolling, they prevent trees and shrubs from growing up. This creates open sandy areas that provide a valuable habitat for many rare animals and plants. They also eat dry and thorny plants that other grazing animals would leave standing. The Przewalski's horses therefore make a major contribution to keeping the area open.

Ausgleichsfläche
Compensation area

Nationwide, Deutsche Bahn AG finances 7,258 nature conservation projects as compensation and replacement measures for its construction measures (as of 2023). It is legally obliged to do so. The Muna site is one of several compensation areas for the planned ICE route between Frankfurt am Main and Mannheim - and a very special one. Around 2.4 million euros have already been made available for the project until the beginning of 2023, with further funding to follow in the future, according to the Group. In Münster, the "Wisentwald - Naturerlebnispfad Muna Münster" (The Bison Forest - Nature Experience Trail Muna) was created.

Across Germany, Deutsche Bahn invests hundreds of millions of euros in nature conservation every year.

Wertvoller Baumbestand
Valuable tree population

Without human intervention, native trees can live for 400 to 600 years. However, many old trees fell victim to forest management use and industrialization in the 19th and 20th centuries. Fast-growing species such as spruces and pines were replanted.

Some of the trees in the Muna are already 160 to 200 years old. In a commercial forest, these trees would have been felled long ago. The special (non-)use of the land allowed the forest to develop differently. One speaks of a "natural forest dynamic" with different age stages of the trees. Even where the forest has been destroyed by fire, natural new forest stands grow without human intervention.

Genetic diversity is important for the survival and continuation of a species. Robust individuals of a tree species that are resistant to drought and heat prevail and pass on their genetic material to future generations. Planted monocultures do not have this advantage. The older and more species-rich a forest is, the more resistant it is to climate change - also due to its deeply branched root system, which ensures the supply of water and nutrients during dry periods.

The juxtaposition of different age stages creates numerous ecological niches for a variety of animals and plants. There are numerous holes and hollows in old tree trunks, which are home to old and dead wood inhabitants, bird species and bats. Tree trunks and roots are inhabited by numerous insects, especially many species of beetles, as well as birds and mammals. It is particularly important therefore to protect the forest in the Muna.

CO₂-Speicher
CO₂ storage

From an ecological point of view, the old tree stands are very important. This is because the old, thick trees have more carbon stored in their mass than the young ones. The biomass continues to increase with age, which makes the trees more valuable in terms of CO₂ storage. Around 5,000 young beech trees would have to be planted to replace the biological performance of a 100-year-old beech tree.

Natural forest development also increases the proportion of deadwood and organic matter - a so-called "carbon sink", an area that stores more carbon dioxide than it releases.

The removal of drainage systems is also important. This creates swamp-like structures in sparse forest areas, which can develop into bogs. They can bind organic matter and thus fix more carbon.

Waldbrände
Forest fires

In the summer of 2022, 34 hectares of forest adjacent to the Muna Münster site fell victim to a fire. Fire departments from a total of four federal states extinguished the individual fires for over a week. Around 4,500 firefighters were on site. For safety reasons, the firefighters were not allowed to enter the Muna site to fight the fires and could only extinguish fires from the approved forest breaks or from the air. The firefighters laid around 36 kilometers of hoses to meet the enormous demand for several million liters of extinguishing water.

In the future, new forest stands will grow on the areas destroyed by the forest fire - without any human intervention. The advantage: natural regeneration can create a climate-stable forest for the future. Only the most suitable tree species and, in turn, the strongest specimens will prevail. The genetic diversity can thus ensure independent adaptation to the climatic conditions.

For further future protection, the Federal Forestry Office has created a safety strip, a so- called forest firebreak. This has been cleared of ammunition and is wide enough for emergency services to drive through. This will prevent the flames from spreading. A "mammoth project" that is also part of the nature experience trail.

Zukunftsprojekt
Future project

The Muna site is part of the "Climate Forest" project launched by DB Netz AG in 2007. Together with the Federal Forestry Office, the Hessische Landgesellschaft (HLG) (Hesse Land Management Office), environmental planners and the local municipalities, forest concepts have been and are being developed to preserve and further develop forest biotope complexes and counteract the advancing forest decline as a result of drought stress and climate change. The project area covered forest areas of over 500 hectares by 2023.

The "climate forest" is also a large experimental area: valuable experience on climate-stable forest conversion is being gathered here, which could be important for research and future forest development.

As part of the international UN Decade for the Restoration of Ecosystems, the Climate Forest was recognized as an "Outstanding Example" by the Federal Ministry for the Environment and the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation.