Related:

History and Memories
Accidents
Duty Roster
75th/600th ASA Company
Lecce Detachment
All ASA Italy Reunions and Comments

Photo Albums:

75th ASA Company Aviano Photos
2nd Group of 75th ASA Company Photos
Det A Aviano Photos
Operations Site
Operations Site Page 2
Motel Romea
Motel 2
Motel 3
Weddings
Beaches
Ravenna Area
M M
Tourists
Spatenbrau
The Apartment
Willy Graziani

Beach Party 64 - The Movie


Ravenna Area Today:

Maurice Kollstedt, one of the many detachment members to marry a local Ravenna gal, and, a frequent visitor to Ravenna, has provided a series of recent Ravenna area photos focusing on places many of us probably remember but may not easily recognize today.

Beaches Today
Casa della Aie
Various Areas

Cap available on CafePress in white and Khaki. Also a "Trucker" style cap. Caps with different wording also available. Click here or cap. 600th ASA Company Detachement A Ravenna Italy Ball Cap

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Aviano & Ravenna Italy DF Site, Detachment A, 75th & 600th ASA Company

First established on Aviano AFB, Aviano Italy around 1957 as part of the 75th USASA Company. The site was moved to Ravenna, Italy in March 1961. At some point in late 1961 or early 1962 the 75th was redesignated the 600th USASA Company. When the 600th ASA Company was disolved in 1967 the site reverted to the control of Field Station Bad Aibling in Germany. The site was closed in 1972 in conjunction with the consolidation of the Germany based Field Stations to FS Augsburg in southern Germany.

AN/TRD-4A Direction Finder, Ravenna Italy circa 1961/2AN/TRD-4A Ravenna, Italy. Installed March 1961. Photo circa 1962


Ravenna DF Ops facilities o/a 68-72Operations area and huts around 1970 or so. Brian Laycock photo sent in by Al Stewart.

The Channel Marker. This was heard by someone at the Site every few seconds 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year until change over to TTY some years later (Similar channel markers were monitored by detachment people worldwide in the far ranging....... High Frequency Radio Direction Finding detachments).

The above was often interrupted by something like this: CT CT CT:


---->Morse courtesy of Mike Mulich

You can download the CTCTCTBT portion of the flash file above as a Smartphone Ringtone. The Michael G. Mulich Memorial Flash Ringtone for Android phones - iPhones

Note: Not sure how to install custom ringtones? Google "how to install custom ringtone on my (your phone type) phone" will help.

Note from the Chief Bottle Washer- This was my first assignment after initial training at Fort Devens. A great place and detachment to be in so as you might expect there is quite a bit about this detachment on the web site.

Detachment "A" which had been stationed on Aviano, Italy Air Force Base was relocated to Ravenna, Italy on the Adriatic coast on March 6, 1961. It was a small detachment but has sustained strong memories in many of it's assigned people.

There was the Army, ASA, duty, rotating shifts, mids, generators, lugging fuel, mud, sunshine, rain, sunshine, girls, women, pasta, wine, touring, beaches, pizza, beer, accidents, women, duty, and parties

YES there were also a couple of parties. There were also quite a few marriages between our guys and the local ladies.

This is a little bit of their (our) story. I was assigned to the Det for four years--summer of 1960 to the summer of 1964--and can shed some light on a little bit of it. But for the web site to grow and do justice to the history of "Detachment A" I will need the help of those that were there before me, after me and while I was there.

Input is invited from former members of the detachment and their family members in the way of photos, anecdotes, longer stories, facts, names, whatever you care to offer. Also desired is as complete a roster of people as possible.

Send your comments and material to me via the Contact page link at the top and bottom of the page. Your input may be edited.

I will assume, unless informed otherwise, that any photos sent are owned by you and you are providing permission for me to publish them on the Ravenna D/F Site web pages.

Thanks, and where's the wine?
Tom Harris

Add your comments or memories:

Comment Title: Early Aviano
Author Name: Orval Hart Date posted: 09 Oct 2011 13:35 -0700
Comment: Was stationed to Aviano right as Company was expanding to company size in early 1958. Served thru early 1960. Was great duty. We chipped in for house boys to clean barracks and serve KP in the AF mess hall. During summer, all the tricks would chip in together and rent an apartment at the beach so the off trick was mostly never on site. Later transferred to Vicenza, but because I cross-trained in an 'alternate' MOS, got to go back to Aviano to finish my tour! Still in touch with at least on other ditty-bopper from that time period. We had one marriage during that time and he ended up working in the motor pool for rest of tour. Another friend came back after his tour and married an Italian national. I visited him once after marriage in Southern Cal. but can't remember his name any more (I guess age does that to you). :-)

I only stayed in the 3 years but really enjoyed it. When I got out, I was ready to go to college and be serious. I have some pictures from the barracks area I can send along when I get home (am currently visiting a daughter and just decided to look up 75th usasa and found this!).

(Note: Orval's pictures which he sent in are in a small album available from the main page of the 75th/600th.)
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Comment Title: More Photos from Willy Graziani
Author Name: TomH Date posted: 22 Mar 2011 13:24 -0700
Comment: An Allison wedding photo added to the Weddings album and two more photos added to Graziani #2 album (Brannan and son and Rogers, Daffner, Dino). Thanks Willy.
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Comment Title: Hotel Roma...via Roma
Author Name: Alan Romanowicz Date posted: 20 Mar 2011 18:34 -0700
Comment: 600 asa from 1965 to 1967......San Vito , Ravenna , Vicenza hi all
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Comment Title: Picture from Willy
Author Name: Maurice Date posted: 23 Feb 2011 16:49 -0800
Comment: One of the pictures from Willy (# 16) was our good friend Ralph who passed away shortly after he came back from Ravenna. His name is Ralph Edens and he was from Cleveland Ohio. Ralph was loved by both the Italians and the Americans. He never left the apartments with out a case of Amstel beer. An Italian once dared Ralph to drink a beer with a goldfish in the glass and then eat the fish, He did. Ralph came back and worked for a time with Jo Daffner. I believe he has only one sister. Ralph was not an operator he work on the equipment and kept things running.

He also mentioned Pete Peters who also kept things going at the site untill 1968. He was from Cincinnati Ohio and I met him again in Cincinnati around Christmas in 1970 and that was the last time I ever saw him.