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Tech site travel.

On account of the increased number of 210 SU personnel on watch, we had to use transport, other than the usual Magirus Deutz trucks, to get to work at the tech site. In this piece I shall describe some of the incidents which took place en route.
Our journey was via normal narrow roads rather than the rutted track of old. There were two favoured routes. Both left Borgentreich by route 241. One of these took the first lane left to Natzungen, on through a stretch of forest to Frohnhausen, and then to Auenhausen and the tech site. The other took the slightly longer route by continuing a little further along the 241 before turning left to Borgholz, then to Natingen, then Auenhausen and the tech site. Both routes were hilly. For day watches, we Officers usually travelled by Volkswagen Kombi, with one of us driving there, and another driving back. But when it came to evening and night watches, it was more usual for the entire watch to travel in a Ford Köln bus. Travel, at times, was not without its interest.

Choice of Routes to Tech Site.
(Courtesy Microsoft Autoroute Maps).

. Coming off watch one dark evening after a night flying stint, I was driving the Kombi and was overtaken by a speeding Mercedes car, its headlights blazing. Some distance ahead, maybe a mile or more further on, on a tree-lined stretch of road I saw lights ahead shining nearly vertically. Slowing to investigate, that self-same car had hit a big roadside apple tree on a corner and was now pointing up it, in a crumpled state, but with lights still on. Stopping, I went to investigate, and on forcing open the door the very dead driver fell out almost on to me. He stank of alcohol. At this, those who were travelling with me decided that it was better to leave things as they were, for there was nothing we could do other than cover the body with some coats from the back of the crumpled Mercedes (we were unable to extinguish its lights) and press on to Borgentreich. There, I got in touch with Obermeister Knoll and told him what we had found. The car was still there next morning but the body had gone. At lunch time when we passed the spot again, the car had gone. We heard nothing more. Later a roadside memorial cross was erected at the spot.
On another occasion, when returning at night with the evening watch in the bus, our driver hit and killed a young deer which ran out in front of him from the forest. Not knowing what to do, because there was no one around to tell at that time of night I, the only Officer present, made the decision to load the animal into the bus and take it back to the Airmens cookhouse as 'loot'. I was summoned to the CO's office next day and had to offer an explanation because, he said, a forester claimed that he had seen the RAF lift the deer from the road and remove it. Someone had told Obermeister Knoll and he had contacted the CO. I was given a smiling admonition for my attempt at enhancing the Airmens menu, and advised to keep out of sight of the Borgentreich policeman for a few days until the matter blew over. In the meantime the carcass was returned to whomsoever came to collect it.
I was involved with Obermeister Knoll again later in the summer. This time I was again driving the Kombi to the afternoon watch and making my way through Auenhausen village when, down a steep side-road, a child on a bicycle came hurtling towards me. I did an emergency stop, nearly throwing the other Officers out of their seats. I was stationary when the child hit. His body dented the front of the vehicle to the extent that the bulge nearly came in as far as my shins. We all jumped out fearing the worst, but the child got up and started crying. What a relief! His old, brakeless, bicycle was completely wrecked. Dazed, he started to wander off. Then one of the
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