15 G.I.'S KILLED, 28 HURT BY SHELL
Howitzer, Fired in Training, Hits Bavaria Tent Area

Bonn, Germany, September 2, 1960, (NY Times) - Fifteen United States soldiers were killed and twenty-eight were injured this morning when an eight-inch artillery shell exploded at the Grafenwoehr training ground in Bavaria.

The headquarters of the United States Army in Europe announced in Heidelberg that a howitzer shell, fired during a training exercise of the Third Armored Division, had veered from the planned target area. It exploded in the tent camp of a reconnaissance squadron, the announcement said.

Maj. Gen. Frederic J. Brown, commander of the division, stationed in Frankfurt, ordered an immediate investigation. The seriously wounded victims were flown to Army hospitals by helicopter.

The training ground, about ninety miles square, is near the Czech border north of Nuremberg. It is used for maneuvers and firing practice by West German and American soldiers.