Work began at Cambrai Fritsch Kaserne in 1936. On October 12, 1938 the
kaserne opened as two separate kasernes. The north side of the kaserne was called Freiherr von Fritsch Kaserne and was the
home of the 1st Battalion of the 33rd Artillery Regiment, then a part of the 33rd Infantry Division. Just a few days later
the 3rd Battalion moved into the south side of the kaserne, called Cambrai Kaserne.
Freiherr von Fritsch Kaserne was named for Generaloberst Werner Freiherr von Fritsch.
At the time he was the Commander-in-Chief of the German Wehrmacht. Through political manipulation by Hermann Goering, who
coveted the C-in-C position himself, von Fritsch, as well as Generaloberst Werner Blomberg, was discredited and relieved of
his post. This led to Adolf Hitler taking on the C-in-C title himself, a move Goering did not expect.
Cambrai Kaserne was named after the famous World War One battle at Cambrai, France.
This battle saw the first use of armored warfare. More importantly for the kaserne, the 33rd Artillery Regiment assumed the
traditions of the 61st Artillery Regiment. This was a Darmstadt artillery unit in World War One that won battle honors during
the battle at Cambrai. Its artillery is credited with helping to break and stop the Allied armored attack during the battle
for Cambrai.
