BOOKS & MORE: Pershing instead of Petting

After the rearmament of West Germany, the question arose regarding the access of the young Bundeswehr to nuclear weapons. After political controversies, the Bundeswehr was then included in the target planning and use of nuclear weapons as part of NATO's nuclear sharing policy.

As a delivery system for nuclear warheads, the American Army stationed the newly developed missile system "Pershing" in Germany starting in 1963, named after a US general from World War I. In addition to the 3 US army battalions, the German Air Force also established two missile squadrons equipped with the Pershing system between 1963 and 1965. However, the nuclear warheads of the two German missile squadrons remained under American control.

The Missile Squadron 1 (FKG 1) with the assigned 74th United States Army Field Artillery Detachment (74th USAFAD) and the Missile Squadron 2 (FKG 2) with the assigned 85th United States Army Field Artillery Detachment (85th USAFAD) were initially equipped with the Pershing 1 system (on tracked vehicles) and from 1971 onwards with the Pershing 1A system (on wheeled vehicles).

Starting in 1983, the US units were equipped with the Pershing 2 system as part of the NATO nuclear modernization; however, there was no conversion of the two German missile squadrons. In the final phase of the Cold War, the German Pershing systems were dismantled and the two missile squadrons were disbanded between 1988 and 1991 following the ratification of the INF Treaty (Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty). The lasting memory of the peace movement is the slogan: "Petting statt Pershing" (Petting instead of Pershing).

Although the operational procedures of the missile squadrons were subject to strict secrecy, the personnel was predominantly made up of conscripts who rotated continuously.

The author, Lothar H. Schuster, served in the Missile Squadron 2 in Geilenkirchen during his military service and subsequently, with the support of the tradition communities of both German missile squadrons, continuously collected, evaluated, and archived contemporary documents.

For the first time, contemporary reports from a German perspective, declassified secret documents (including those from the opposing side), and previously unreleased photos and documents from the private archives of American and German Pershing veterans have been brought together and commented on, focusing on the operations procedures of immediate readiness (including nuclear readiness) to be understood.

Thirty years after the dissolution of the two missile squadrons, historical connections are being revealed for the first time, which were previously mostly unknown to military enthusiasts.

"Fast - Reliable - Precise. We also gave peace a chance" by Lothar H. Schuster, 592 pages, Mainz Verlag, Euro 70 - order directly from the publisher here.