Elvis Presley as a US Soldier Stationed in West Germany: 1958-1960

When Elvis Presley walked off an army troop ship in Bremerhaven, West Germany on October 1, 1958, he was only 23 years old. It was his first (and only!) trip beyond the USA and Canada, courtesy of his local draft board in Memphis, Tennessee. His 17-month stay in Germany would be a pivotal period in his life and career.

Elvis Presley was the most famous member of the Scout Platoon of the 3rd Armored Division’s 1st Medium Tank Battalion, 32nd Armor, stationed at Ray Barracks in Friedberg. PHOTO: Vittoriano Rastelli

“Colonel” Tom Parker, Presley’s manager, had gone to great lengths to ensure that Elvis Presley would be seen as just another “average G.I.” – but he was hardly average. Presley was already a huge international star by the time he arrived in Germany. There were throngs of screaming Elvis fans when he left the US and when he arrived in Bremerhaven. The Colonel had promised his star attraction that he would become an even bigger star after his tour of duty in West Germany. All Elvis had to do was “…stay a good boy, and do nothing to embarrass your country.”[1]

Elvis-Presley-Platz (Square) in Bad Nauheim was first dedicated in 1995. Elvis lived in this German town for almost a year and a half. For a short time he lived in the Hotel Grunewald, seen here. PHOTO © Hyde Flippo
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By all accounts, Elvis was a good soldier, if not always a good boy. He performed his duties well (as a jeep driver in a tank battalion) and seems to have earned the respect of his fellow soldiers and his commanding officers while stationed in West Germany.

Private Elvis Presley aboard the troop transport USS General George M. Randall (AP-115) in 1958. He and 1,169 other American soldiers were on their way to Bremerhaven, Germany. Photo: Fitchhollister (Wikimedia Commons)

But Elvis was anything but your average G.I. in Germany. For one thing, the average G.I., with a monthly salary of less than $100 per month, could not afford to live off-base in Europe, much less bring family members over from the USA to keep him company. Elvis spent only a few nights in his army bunk in Building 3707 at Ray Barracks in Friedberg. After his father, grandmother, and some hometown buddies arrived in Germany, Elvis lived with them in hotels and later in a house in nearby Bad Nauheim. He hired a car and driver to chauffeur him back and forth between his home and the base each day – at least until he got his own Mercedes and a sporty BMW 507.

Bad Nauheim’s new Elvis crosswalk signals honor “The King” who once lived in the town. PHOTO: Schneekloth, kreis-anzeiger.de

A German book about Elvis in Germany: Der King in Deutschland 1958-1960 (B+U Verlag, 2007). It is also available in English as The King in Germany 1958-1960 (B+U Verlag, 2008).

Nor does the average army private hold a news conference a day after his arrival on base. But that is what Private Presley did on October 2, 1958. At 10:00 a.m. in the Enlisted Men’s Canteen, in front of dozens of reporters and photographers, Elvis answered the usual trite, vapid questions while maintaining his legendary charm and affability. (Did he still hope to meet Brigitte Bardot?[2]) As one journalist noted, “The conference was a shade smaller than President Eisenhower might expect.”[3]

Private Presley by Andreas Schröer, featuring many photographs of Elvis’ time in Germany, was first published in hardcover in 1993. This HarperCollins paperback edition appeared in 2003.
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Even after the media people had left, life for Elvis was far from anything the typical US soldier in Germany experienced. Almost every workday he would come home for lunch and skip the army food at the base. Although he always showed up for, and carried out his military duties, he had a life in Germany that most G.I.s could only dream of. Besides his own place, girls galore, and several cars, Elvis was in a position very different from that of any “normal” soldier. He was even allowed to have his hair cut slightly longer than army regs dictated. (See below.)

His army assignments were often influenced by his fame. The one time Elvis was put on guard duty at Ray Barracks, he was so mobbed by fans, the “guard” had to be rescued! That was the end of Elvis doing guard duty!

First assigned as a jeep driver for the company commander Capt. Russell, Elvis was soon reassigned to a scout platoon – after the captain could no longer stand all the commotion involved with his new driver.

It was also no accident that Elvis was on hand for a special ceremony in April 1958 to relocate a stone memorial for German World War I veterans in Steinfurth. The photos of the event feature Elvis prominently – pretending to have an actual role in moving one of the large stone sections inscribed “Helden [heroes] – 1914-1918,” while the real workmen look on with puzzlement. (See photo below.) The memorial was moved again after 1958, but it’s still in Steinfurth, which is now part of Bad Nauheim.

Elvis Presley does some public relations work for the US Army in Steinfurth, West Germany in April 1958. See above for more. PHOTO: US Army

Elvis’ Entourage in West Germany
As he had done at Fort Hood in Texas, Elvis brought his home with him to Europe. As Lamar Fike put it, “Elvis always kept his own world with him; he kept his own bubble.”[5] Unfortunately, his mother had died before he left for West Germany, but his 68-year-old paternal grandmother, Minnie Mae (Elvis called her “Dodger”) filled in for her in Bad Nauheim. Of course, Elvis’ 42-year-old father Vernon was also there, just as he had been in Texas.

Rounding out the retinue in Bad Nauheim were a few of Elvis’ friends from Memphis and a couple of army buddies from the transport ship and Fort Hood. Living with Elvis were his two “bodyguard” buddies Red West and 300-pound Lamar Fike. (Elvis paid them nothing, providing only room and board, plus a small weekly allowance.) The hot-headed West would later leave and be replaced by Cliff Gleaves, a rock-a-billy musician friend of Elvis from Memphis. In January 1959, Elvis’ personal secretary, 19-year-old Elisabeth Stefaniak, would have her office at the Hotel Grunewald and later in the house. Elvis had met her during field training in Grafenwöhr. She got along well with grandma and helped her with the cooking each day. Elisabeth earned a salary of $35 per week, plus room and board.[6]

Elvis served in the US Army at the Ray Barracks near Friedberg, Germany, only about three miles from Bad Nauheim. In 1998, the city of Friedberg created the Elvis-Presley-Platz in the center of town. PHOTO: Hyde Flippo
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Several other army friends were frequent visitors to the Presley homestead in West Germany. Elvis had met Rex Mansfield when he was inducted. Rex (“Rexadus” to Elvis) was a fellow southerner from Dresden, Tennessee, and probably Elvis’ closest army buddy. Charlie Hodge was a fellow soldier and musician whom Elvis had befriended during his trip from Fort Hood to Bremerhaven. Elvis and Charlie had been put in charge of producing a talent show during the Atlantic crossing. In Germany, Charlie would come over from his base in Butzbach to visit on weekends and sleep on the couch. He, Rex and Elvis would sometimes have jam sessions together.

Continued below…

The Daily Routine in Bad Nauheim
Each workday Elvis would rise at 5:30 in the morning. Minnie Mae would prepare his standard breakfast of slightly burned bacon, hard fried eggs, peaches, and homemade Southern baked biscuits with butter and jam. He washed it down with coffee before driving to the base at 6:30 – at first in his black Mercedes, later in two different BMW two-seaters. Most days, if he was not away on maneuvers, he would come home for lunch. Sometimes he would sign autographs in front of the house before coming in for lunch. In the evening he would return from the base in time for dinner with the household. At 7:30 p.m. he would go out and sign autographs for fans until 8:00 p.m. (There was a sign indicating the times in front of the house.)

Elvis Presley in his white leased BMW 507 in front of his rented house at Goethestraße 14 in Bad Nauheim. In August 1959 he switched to a red model.

The House on Goethestraße
After living in two different hotels in Bad Nauheim – and getting kicked out of both – Elvis finally found a house to rent. Frau Pieper, his landlady, demanded and got 3,200 marks a month (about $800), which was higher than the going rate, but she knew that Mr. Presley could afford it. She turned out to be a shrewd business woman (or a cutthroat one, according to some).

The house at Goethestraße 14 was a three-story white stucco four-bedroom home in less than perfect condition, but at last Elvis had a real house to live in – where he could relax and not worry about bothering hotel guests. Frau Pieper remained in the house, living in the attic-level bedroom, and helping grandma with the housekeeping.

Elvis Presley lived in this house on Goethestraße (Goethe Street) in Bad Nauheim. On the outside it has changed little since Elvis rented it in 1959-1960, but the hedge now overpowers the front fence. PHOTO © Hyde Flippo

On the next page we learn about Elvis’ first haircut in Germany (by a German barber), Elvis as an expat, his early drug use, G.I. Blues, how he met Priscilla, and other things.

Next | Elvis Presley in Germany – Part 2

FOOTNOTES:
1. Tom Parker, in The Colonel. Alanna Nash, Chicago Review Press, 2003; p. 177
2. Sergeant Presley: Our Untold Story of Elvis’ Missing Years. Rex and Elisabeth Mansfield, ECW Press, 2002; p. 65
3. Quoted in Private Presley: The Missing Years – Elvis in Germany. Andreas Schröer, HarperCollins, 1993/2002; p. 26
4. Sergeant Presley: Our Untold Story of Elvis’ Missing Years, p. 109
5. Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley. Peter Guralnick, Back Bay Books, 1999; p. 10
6. Sergeant Presley: Our Untold Story of Elvis’ Missing Years, p. 109

NOTE: Elvis, Elvis Presley, Graceland and King of Rock ‘n’ Roll are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

Related Pages

AT THE GERMAN WAY

• Elvis Presley in Germany – Part 2 – More about G.I. Elvis in West Germany
• Photos: Elvis Presley in Germany – Our special Elvis photo gallery
• GW Expat Blog: Bad Nauheim and Elvis – A visit to Bad Nauheim, where Elvis lived from 1958 to 1960
• Germany’s Route 66: A Road Trip on Bundestraße 3 – The B3 highway runs directly through Bad Nauheim and Friedberg. Yes, Germany’s autobahns are great, but try a slower, more scenic alternative: the B3 highway that runs from Buxtehude in the north to Weil am Rhein (near Basel, Switzerland) in the south. You’ll discover aspects of Germany that aren’t seen from the autobahn. You can even follow the path that Thomas Jefferson took in 1788!
• Johnny Cash in Germany and His Songs in German – Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash knew each other and they both also served in the US military in West Germany, but under very different circumstances.
• Mini Bios A-Z – Brief biographies of people from the German-speaking world
• Featured Biographies – More detailed bios of notable people from the German-speaking world
• Notable Women from Austria, Germany, Switzerland
• Famous Graves in Germany – Where are they buried?

Elvis Books and DVDs

• Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley by Peter Guralnick. Back Bay Books, 1999. Kindle, Paper. This second volume of Guralnick’s excellent Elvis bio covers Presley’s army years and the later part of career. See Volume 1 below.
• Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley by Peter Guralnick. Back Bay Books, 1999. Paper, Kindle. This first volume of Guralnick’s excellent Elvis bio covers Presley’s early years – before he went to Germany. See Volume 2 above.
• The Colonel: The Extraordinary Story of Colonel Tom Parker and Elvis Presley by Alanna Nash. Chicago Review Press, 2004. Kindle, Paper, Hardcover. This well-written bio offers a detailed look at the mysterious life of Elvis’ longtime manager. Did he really kill someone in his homeland of the Netherlands?
• Elvis and Me by Priscilla Beaulieu Presley. Berkley, 1986. Paperback, Hardcover. Elvis’ wife recalls her years with Elvis, starting in West Germany.
• Private Presley: The Missing Years – Elvis In Germany by Andreas Schröer. HarperCollins, 2002. Paper.
• DVD: G.I. Blues (1960) widescreen. The first movie Elvis made after his military service is set in West Germany. Probably the best in a series of formulaic Elvis films. DVD or Prime Video
• DVD: King Creole / G.I. Blues (Double Feature). Elvis made King Creole just before he joined the army. Two DVD set.

ON THE WEB

• Elvis Aaron Presley – in the US Army 1958-1960 – from elvispresleyphotos.com
• Bad Nauheim – The official site of the town of Bad Nauheim (in German and English), with its Elvis info and the annual European Elvis Festival. The 17th Elvis Festival began on August 17, 2018.
• Elvis Presley Verein – German fan site with events and Germans who knew Elvis during his time in Germany

Next | Elvis Presley in Germany – Part 2

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