The US Army in Ludwigsburg @museum.de

F: The 4th of May 1945 marked the beginning of a new era for Ludwigsburg. It was the day the Americans assumed sole command of the town and set up their headquarters at the Residenzschloss, the old ducal seat. Both the palace and the town had survived the Second World War comparatively unscathed.

M: In the future, some 5,000 US soldiers would be stationed in Ludwigsburg, along with roughly 7,000 family members. For more than four decades, the US forces would shape the town’s image. The double garrison Ludwigsburg-Kornwestheim included Pattonville, one of the largest housing complexes for US military families.

F: This display case features the type of field uniform worn by the US infantry in the Second World War. It was called Field Uniform M and was the standard issue from 1943. The uniform consists of a field cap, a field jacket with four pockets and field trousers. Next to it is an M1 Garand – the US infantry’s standard service rifle in World War Two and the Korean War.

M: Then, in 1990, the great withdrawal began. A large part of the Seventh US Corps was transferred out and fought in the First Gulf War. Most of the soldiers didn’t return to Germany after that war ended. The last US troops finally left Ludwigsburg in 1994.