Coleman Army Airfield Coleman Barracks / Coleman Army Airfield ( ICAO : ETOR ) is a United States Army military installation located in the Sandhofen district of Mannheim , Germany . It is assigned to U . S . Army , Europe ( USAREUR ) and administered by the U . S . Army Installation Management Command - Europe ( IMCOM - E ) . Coleman Barracks should not be confused with the former " Coleman Kaserne " , located in Gelnhausen . History . The first commercial airport in Mannheim was founded on 16 May 1925 , as " Flughafen Mannheim - Heidelberg - Ludwigshafen " in the northern district of Sandhofen . With its opening Mannheim became part of an important air track , running from north to south and viceversa . In the late 1920s and early 1930s Deutsche Aero Lloyd operated cargo and passenger flights from Hamburg to Zürich stopping in Mannheim . Balair from Switzerland flew between Geneva and Amsterdam via Basel , Mannheim , Frankfurt , and Essen . " Badisch - Pfälzische Luftverkehrs AG " operated the black forest route to Konstanz , via Karlsruhe , Baden Baden and Villingen . In 1926 the airfield was transferred to Mannheim - Neuostheim , now called Mannheim City Airport . The airfield in Sandhofen was closed to the public and rebuilt as the " Fliegerhorst - Kaserne " in 1937 as a Luftwaffe base . At the beginning of World War II , the III / JG 53 ( 3rd Group , Jagdgeschwader 53 ) fighter unit " Pik - As " ( Ace of Spades ) was based here , commanded by one of Germany ' s top combat pilots , Werner Mölders . This unit operated 43 new Bf109 E - 1 ' s fighter aircraft at the start of the war . Also stationed at the airbase on the first day of the war was one staffel ( squadron ) of JG 72 operating 16 of the older Ar68 biplane fighters then being used as a primitive night fighter . In September 1944 a concentration camp was installed on the site which was operated and guarded by the SS , holding 80 POW s from Poland , Luxembourg and Russia . After World War II , the United States Army took over the barracks in the fall of 1945 , giving it the temporary name of " Y - 79 " . Until mid - 1949 the area was used as a collecting point for unserviceable automobile material and for surplus storage . In 1951 , a replacement depot was established at Coleman Barracks and served as the staging area for all troops arriving in Germany . Throughout its operation by the U . S . Army , rumors have circulated of an extensive set of tunnels beneath the airfield . Some of the rumors abound have been of tunnels under the base and a number of underground hangars behind the barracks of the Signal Corps units . The tunnels and other underground facilities were supposedly flooded after the war . There have been reports of an alley that ran behind a cluster of barracks located next to a pronounced slope where numerous bunker entrances were located , all of which were rumored to be locked . Despite any hard evidence , these rumors have persisted over the years and stories of hidden Nazi bunkers and underground tunnels are passed on from one generation of soldiers stationed at Coleman , to the next . Its current name commemorates Lieutenant Colonel Wilson D . Coleman . Location . The airport is located 8 . 5 km ( 5 . 28 mi ) north of the Mannheim city center in the district of Sandhofen , 2 . 5 km ( 1 . 6 mi ) east of the river Rhine and 3 km ( 1 . 86 mi ) south of Lampertheim . It is surrounded by the Autobahn 6 ( A6 ) to the south and a state highway " ( Bundesstraße 44 ( B44 ) ) " to the west ; the Riedbahn train line ( between Frankfurt and Mannheim ) runs 1 . 6 km ( 1 mi ) to the east . Runways . The airport has one paved runway ( 900 m ( 2954 ft ) x 20 m ( 67 ft ) ) . The runway offers Precision Approach Path Indicator and illumination . There have been discussions about extending the runway to 1200 metres , but these plans were withdrawn due to severe protests by nearby residents . The airfield is in use from 06 : 30 – 23 : 59 daily . Radar approach has been available since June 2002 . Coleman is the only U . S . Army airfield in Germany that has its own approach control zone and provides approach control for several airports in the vicinity , both military and civilian , such as Mannheim City Airport ( civilian ) , Speyer airfield ( civilian ) , Worms airfield ( civilian ) , and Heidelberg Army Airfield ( military ) . Buildings . A new state of the art six - story control tower was built in 2004 . Besides air - conditioned offices , briefing - rooms , restrooms and an elevator , the tower accommodates the Coleman radar approach control room . The only US - Army helicopter maintenance facility in Europe is located at Coleman Barracks . The only US - Army military prison in Europe , the United States Army Corrections Facility – Europe , is located at Coleman Barracks . Air Traffic . Being the only maintenance base for Sikorsky UH - 60 Black Hawk and Boeing AH - 64 Apache helicopters in Europe , Coleman Airfield has more take - offs and landings than any other US Army airfield in Germany . The Coleman Aero Club ( CAC ) is the only military non - profit flying organization in Europe . The CAC provides flight training to member forces of NATO , the United States Armed Forces , and civilians . It operates a fleet of several US - registered Cessna aircraft . Tenant Activities . In 2004 , the American Forces Network ( AFN ) - Europe consolidated its headquarters and Radio / TV studios from Frankfurt and Heidelberg to Coleman Barracks . Coleman Barracks also has a small post exchange ( PX ) and bowling alley . Closure . As part of the ongoing realignment of US forces in Europe , the Army is closing all operations in Mannheim to include Coleman Barracks . Current Army plans require closure no later than 31 August 2013 . Following closure the facility will be returned to the German government .