Now for something completely different. (I hope this thread is acceptable to the moderators.)
For the past two years, I have been working on a television project that is intended to become a documentary and possibly a mini-series.
The setting is the Cold War era in central Germany, specifically the town of Gießen. I was born and raised there, and as a teenager, I started going to the "Woodland Club," a nightclub located on the U.S. military base. Gießen was the largest logistics hub for the U.S. Army in Europe. I made many friends among the GIs from the nearby Ayers Kaserne in Kirchgoens, where the 3rd Armored Division was stationed with up to 20,000 servicemen near the border. At that time, the Russians were only 30 kilometers away. The 3rd Armored Division was considered a "suicide mission" unit, intended to engage invading Soviet forces in the first hours of a conflict.
As the war remained "cold," many of my 19-year-old american friends became restless and got into trouble, sometimes even committing serious crimes under the influence of alcohol, drugs, and boredom.
Some of these murder cases remain unsolved to this day. They were initially attributed to U.S. personnel, but now we must consider that the perpetrators may have been others.
Additionally, only 2 kilometers from my home, NATO had secretly stationed tactical nuclear weapons—just two minutes away from my favorite nightclub.
The series aims to shed light on some of the individuals involved or associated with these unsolved crimes. They were friends or people I met briefly.
Due to the scarcity of photographs and films from that era, the trailer has been created with the help of AI, which I have been working with for two years now.
If any of you were stationed in or around Gießen in the 1980s and perhaps recognize some of the characters depicted, please feel free to contact me.
In the meantime, let's journey back in time and revisit little Marcel, also known as "Maboo." ;-)
Shoutout goes to all members of the deactivated 3rd AD SPEARHEAD — My true heroes. Never back down!
Here are the translations of the newspaper article shown in den clip:
Diddy:
No Clues at the Crime Scene or about the Perpetrator: Phouxy Walldorf (41) Was Strangled with Her Shoelaces—Investigations Focus on U.S. Soldiers
Gießen (ko). In the murder case of Phouxy Walldorf, the investigators from the Capital Crime Division (K11) are also focusing on the U.S. soldiers in the area. Despite intensive efforts, the crime scene and perpetrator have not been identified. The unresolved murder of Phouxy Walldorf adds to a series of similar unsolved murders of sex workers in Gießen. Her body was found on Sunday morning on the Gießener Ring near the Heegstrauchweg, strangled with shoelaces.
Phouxy Walldorf, born in Laos, was last seen alive by witnesses on Monday, October 1st, around 11:30 p.m. at the "Ost" pizzeria. She left the location shortly after 1 a.m. on October 2nd. On Saturday, her body was discovered after remaining there for several days.
It appears that she was murdered elsewhere and her body dumped later at the crime scene, a location that has seen multiple similar unsolved crimes over the last 18 months. U.S. soldiers stationed in the area are under increasing scrutiny as possible suspects.
Phouxy Walldorf was found wearing a red sweater, black lace-up boots, and a distinctive pair of black-and-white striped leggings. This unique clothing has led police to request information from the public. They urge anyone who may have seen her between October 1st and October 6th to come forward. Gießen police (061/3071) are asking for witnesses who may have observed her distinctive clothing during the week leading up to the crime.
Todd:
Robbery-Murder of the Butzbach Taxi Driver: 19-Year-Old U.S. Soldier Sentenced to Death
Gießen/Butzbach (ch/ko). A U.S. military court sentenced a 19-year-old American soldier to death for the planned murder of the Butzbach taxi driver Klaus Engelhardt (29). The prosecutor also requested the death penalty for another soldier involved, but his case has not yet been tried. The robbery-murder took place on June 7th this year, between 3:00 and 3:45 a.m., when the taxi driver was found stabbed on the "Gießener Ring" (highway). The loot was just 150 DM. The perpetrator abandoned the taxi near the "Ring" exit in Linden and removed the license plate.
The car was driven multiple times against a guardrail and was left behind. The murdered driver lay in the ditch. The soldier from the Ayers Kaserne in Kirch-Göns was arrested as he tried to flee from the scene. The case was quickly deemed a robbery-murder.
After the investigation, the death penalty was confirmed for the 19-year-old soldier. Ten jurors voted in favor of the death penalty in the court process. After the appeal process, the verdict was upheld. While Germany had abolished the death penalty, this U.S. court ruling could lead to execution in the United States.
After the soldiers’ arrest, the American military police cooperated with the German police in investigating the case. The suspect provided no further details during his questioning. Despite the local prosecutor’s efforts to keep the case in German courts, the jurisdiction remained with the U.S. military due to international military treaties with NATO. The execution could take place in the United States if the final appeals fail.
For the past two years, I have been working on a television project that is intended to become a documentary and possibly a mini-series.
The setting is the Cold War era in central Germany, specifically the town of Gießen. I was born and raised there, and as a teenager, I started going to the "Woodland Club," a nightclub located on the U.S. military base. Gießen was the largest logistics hub for the U.S. Army in Europe. I made many friends among the GIs from the nearby Ayers Kaserne in Kirchgoens, where the 3rd Armored Division was stationed with up to 20,000 servicemen near the border. At that time, the Russians were only 30 kilometers away. The 3rd Armored Division was considered a "suicide mission" unit, intended to engage invading Soviet forces in the first hours of a conflict.
As the war remained "cold," many of my 19-year-old american friends became restless and got into trouble, sometimes even committing serious crimes under the influence of alcohol, drugs, and boredom.
Some of these murder cases remain unsolved to this day. They were initially attributed to U.S. personnel, but now we must consider that the perpetrators may have been others.
Additionally, only 2 kilometers from my home, NATO had secretly stationed tactical nuclear weapons—just two minutes away from my favorite nightclub.
The series aims to shed light on some of the individuals involved or associated with these unsolved crimes. They were friends or people I met briefly.
Due to the scarcity of photographs and films from that era, the trailer has been created with the help of AI, which I have been working with for two years now.
If any of you were stationed in or around Gießen in the 1980s and perhaps recognize some of the characters depicted, please feel free to contact me.
In the meantime, let's journey back in time and revisit little Marcel, also known as "Maboo." ;-)
Shoutout goes to all members of the deactivated 3rd AD SPEARHEAD — My true heroes. Never back down!
Here are the translations of the newspaper article shown in den clip:
Diddy:
No Clues at the Crime Scene or about the Perpetrator: Phouxy Walldorf (41) Was Strangled with Her Shoelaces—Investigations Focus on U.S. Soldiers
Gießen (ko). In the murder case of Phouxy Walldorf, the investigators from the Capital Crime Division (K11) are also focusing on the U.S. soldiers in the area. Despite intensive efforts, the crime scene and perpetrator have not been identified. The unresolved murder of Phouxy Walldorf adds to a series of similar unsolved murders of sex workers in Gießen. Her body was found on Sunday morning on the Gießener Ring near the Heegstrauchweg, strangled with shoelaces.
Phouxy Walldorf, born in Laos, was last seen alive by witnesses on Monday, October 1st, around 11:30 p.m. at the "Ost" pizzeria. She left the location shortly after 1 a.m. on October 2nd. On Saturday, her body was discovered after remaining there for several days.
It appears that she was murdered elsewhere and her body dumped later at the crime scene, a location that has seen multiple similar unsolved crimes over the last 18 months. U.S. soldiers stationed in the area are under increasing scrutiny as possible suspects.
Phouxy Walldorf was found wearing a red sweater, black lace-up boots, and a distinctive pair of black-and-white striped leggings. This unique clothing has led police to request information from the public. They urge anyone who may have seen her between October 1st and October 6th to come forward. Gießen police (061/3071) are asking for witnesses who may have observed her distinctive clothing during the week leading up to the crime.
Todd:
Robbery-Murder of the Butzbach Taxi Driver: 19-Year-Old U.S. Soldier Sentenced to Death
Gießen/Butzbach (ch/ko). A U.S. military court sentenced a 19-year-old American soldier to death for the planned murder of the Butzbach taxi driver Klaus Engelhardt (29). The prosecutor also requested the death penalty for another soldier involved, but his case has not yet been tried. The robbery-murder took place on June 7th this year, between 3:00 and 3:45 a.m., when the taxi driver was found stabbed on the "Gießener Ring" (highway). The loot was just 150 DM. The perpetrator abandoned the taxi near the "Ring" exit in Linden and removed the license plate.
The car was driven multiple times against a guardrail and was left behind. The murdered driver lay in the ditch. The soldier from the Ayers Kaserne in Kirch-Göns was arrested as he tried to flee from the scene. The case was quickly deemed a robbery-murder.
After the investigation, the death penalty was confirmed for the 19-year-old soldier. Ten jurors voted in favor of the death penalty in the court process. After the appeal process, the verdict was upheld. While Germany had abolished the death penalty, this U.S. court ruling could lead to execution in the United States.
After the soldiers’ arrest, the American military police cooperated with the German police in investigating the case. The suspect provided no further details during his questioning. Despite the local prosecutor’s efforts to keep the case in German courts, the jurisdiction remained with the U.S. military due to international military treaties with NATO. The execution could take place in the United States if the final appeals fail.
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