Cold War British Army Threat Recognition Guide It's the 1980s and the British Army Of the Rhine is still stationed in West Germany facing down the USSR's forces. 15 Army Roadhead. Learning and Adapting: The British Army from Somme to the Mexico and the United States, 18361848, Wars of, Semi-Military and Paramilitary Organizations, South West Pacific, 19411945, Campaigns in, Southeast Asian Military History, Colonial, Southeast Asian Military History, Precolonial. Country United Kingdom. [11] To get the railway system in operation again required the reconstruction of bridges and the importation of additional locomotives. 19191929. ST. Army Gymnastic Staff AH Army Health . Since prompt clearance of the trains was essential to allow turnaround of the locomotives and rolling stock, vehicles had to be used to clear less urgently required supplies such as POL, coal and engineer stores. [30] All movements were completed by the second week of April. $35.86. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008. The link was not copied. [4] German resistance was stubborn, and the British and Canadian advance much slower than planned until July,[5] when the American Operation Cobra broke through the German defences. [80] Although working in the British Second Army area, they remained under the command of the US Ninth Army. It was also anticipated that as the Allied advance proceeded into Germany, there would be increased demand to feed and accommodate prisoners of war, liberated Allied prisoners and displaced persons. An emergency repair effort was conducted, and many were shipped direct from the workshops to the front lines. Following the war the BLA was redesignated to become the British Army of the Rhine in August . A petrol station company was formed from personnel made surplus by the reorganisation with six platoons, each containing three sections. It was the largest concentration of British armed forces permanently stationed outside the United Kingdom. [36] Operation Veritable would be spearheaded by the five British divisions of Lieutenant General Sir Brian Horrocks's XXX Corps, and would form part of a giant pincer movement with Operation Grenade, which would be conducted by Lieutenant General William H. Simpson's US Ninth Army. The following 12 files are in this category, out of 12 total. German railway personnel were used to man two trains a day from Celle to Bienenbuttel. The bank control groups controlled all movement from the marshalling areas on the near side of the Rhine to the dispersal areas on the far side. Initially, bulk POL was brought across the Rhine in tanker trucks at the rate of 1,000 tonnes (1,000 long tons) per day. The best introduction to the regimental system of the British army. A thematic study on how the British Army imagined the use of tactical nuclear weapons in land combat. [28][29] The first vehicles to arrive came with only fifty drivers, so a detachment from 141 Vehicle Park was sent to Marseilles from the RMA. The War Office therefore created a new headquarters, called the 25th Garrison, to take over the RMA, and four new line of communications sub area headquarters, the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th. [65], The buildup of stocks for Operation Plunder commenced on 8 March. Emmerich was taken on 1 April after a three-day battle to provide an additional bridgehead. The second British Army on the Rhine was formed on 25 August 1945 from 21st Army Group. Deployed on the European Central Front with its NORTHAG sister formations, BAOR was a significant feature of NATOs forward shield of ground forces to deter or, if deterrence failed, to repel a major Warsaw Pact offensive on the Continent. British Army Of the Rhine Welcome Welcome to BAOR Locations. There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). Successive London governments, though often faced with bitter public and military opposition, tasked the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) to serve as a protecting force while strengthening West German integration into the Western defense structure. Its primary combat formation was British I Corps. This was never satisfactorily implemented, and confusion and duplication was created by the same requests for additional ammunition being made through multiple channels. Post war First Corps District administered Rhine Province and Westphalia. Over the next six days it was used by 29,139 vehicles. Three days later, XII Corps did the same to facilitate the capture of Hamburg, but the expenditure of ammunition at Bremen was not as great as anticipated, and this allowed XII Corps's requirements to be met in full. [2] With the end of the Cold War, and the Options for Change defence review in the early 1990s, BFG as a whole was considerably reduced, with the British presence centred on the 1st Armoured Division, and supporting elements. Users without a subscription are not able to see the full content on This involved a large expenditure of ammunition, including some that was in short supply like ML 4.2-inch mortar rounds and the Mark VIIIz ammunition used by the Vickers machine gun. WO2 Served from 1974 - 1994 Served in British Army of the Rhine. Engineers soon had bridges over the Rhine in operation, which were then superseded by more permanent road and rail bridges. XXX Corps opened a new No. The Commander-in-Chief of BAOR also served as the commander of NATO's northern Army Group, and as such had Dutch and German units under command in the event of war. On the other hand, the 21st Army Group held sufficient stocks of POL to accede to a request from SHAEF to allocate 73,000 long tons (74,000t) of petrol for US use. The 21st Army Group asked for four base supply depots (BSDs), six field bakeries, three field butcheries, a cold storage depot and two detail issue depots (DIDs). [87][88] A 300-metre (980ft) Class 9 FBE bridge was built over the Elbe at Lauenburg by the VIII Corps engineers on 29 April. By January 1945, some 90,000 civilians were employed by the 21st Army Group, of whom half were employed in workshops in the advanced base, and 14,000 at the port of Antwerp. [88][92][96], Meanwhile, the First Canadian Army established two lines of communications. It is a history of British European security commitments, of NATO military strategy, and of the changing character of land warfare after 1945. During the two-hour rail halt, the troops were served a hot meal and provided with sandwiches for the next one. The army roadheads were mainly supplied by rail. A broad look at the cultural attitudes of the British army and its relationship with wider society. [1] The General Officer Commanding UKSC(G) also functioned as head of the British Forces Liaison Organisation (Germany), which was responsible for liaising and maintaining relations with German civil authorities. Both formations had areas of responsibility located around the German section of the River Rhine. Their feeding was the responsibility of the German civilian population, but the British Army had to release a large number of NAAFI packs to displaced persons. They only operated until newly constructed bridges were able to take traffic, which occurred about 72 hours into the operation. [9] This required major operations, and the port was not opened for shipping until 26 November. As the Soviet threat increased, so BAOR became less of an occupational army and assumed the role of defender of Western Europe, and as a major contributor to NATO after . XXX Corps reverted to the control of the British Second Army on 8 March, and by 10 March the last German units had retreated across the Rhine. 10 Army Roadhead. [12] Civilian labour was utilised at the bases in a variety of tasks to enable military personnel to be released for service in forward areas. British army inner german border.jpg 1,941 1,368 . General histories of the postwar British army have tended to overlook the services preparations to fight a tactical nuclear war against the Soviet Union in Europe, despite this being its primary mission throughout the Cold War. List of units and formations of the British Army, "Neuer britischer Kommandeur in Paderborn", "Adventurous Training Foundation Delivery (AFTD)", Overseas military bases of the United Kingdom, British Forces British Indian Ocean Territories, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=British_Army_Germany&oldid=1141875126, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Military command, support, and administration, Land Training Fleet (Sennelager) which provides and maintains a pool of. [10], HQ British Forces Germany was formed in January 2012, replacing the UKSC(G) and the Germany Support Group (GSG). During the month, 432 trains delivered 230,000 tonnes (230,000 long tons) to 37 railheads in the British Second Army area. The XXX Corps Troops Engineers commenced work on the "Lambeth" class 15 Bailey pontoon bridge at 15:00 on 24 March, but work was frequently interrupted by German fire, and the bridge was not opened until 08:30 on 26 March. [12] Petrol was brought in tankers and over the Operation Pluto pipeline. There were doubts as to whether this need could be met, but the situation was eased by the fortuitous arrival of 4,700 tonnes (4,600 long tons) of ammunition that had been pre-loaded on some of the transport that had been allocated by the 21st Army Group. [13], With the departure of Major General John Henderson in March 2015, the Commanding Officer of British Forces Germany became a brigadier's post, with Brigadier Ian Bell assuming command. Contains informative chapters on the precarious position of BAOR during the austerity years of 19461953 and of the contribution made by BAOR to conventional deterrence throughout the Cold War. The British Army of the Rhine was born in 1945 out of the British Liberation Army at the close of the war as the military government of the British zone of occupied Germany. During February 300,000 long tons (300,000t) of supplies were delivered to the XXX Corps railheads. reminiscing, whether colonel or corporal. In 1961, he received a commission into the Royal Corps of Signals, and served in the British Army of the Rhine . A new type was flown out direct from the UK factory by priority air freight and fitted to the tanks. Initially Goldflake convoys sailed to Marseilles by a direct route but after the Battle of the Ligurian Sea on the night of 17/18 March they were routed further south, through the Strait of Bonifacio between Corsica and Sardinia. Read reviews from the world's largest community for readers. [92] There was an additional allocation of 5,100 tonnes (5,000 long tons) of road transport for the drive to the Baltic Sea on 26 April, and another 2,700 tonnes (2,700 long tons) was received by the end of the month. The "Waterloo" class 9 FBE could not be built at the intended site at Rees on 24 March because the town had not been captured. By this time a thaw had set in, and the ground was now soft and muddy, restricting off-road vehicle movement. Nottingham. That day trains also began arriving at No. [25] This was codenamed Operation Goldflake, and it involved the redeployment of the I Canadian Corps and British 5th Division from Italy to North West Europe. Instead, 18th GHQ Troops Engineers erected it the following day at a downstream site near the town of Honnopel. [30], A large force of engineer units was assembled for the operation: 37,000 British and Canadian engineers and pioneers, and 22,000 American engineers. In a broader context, Barnett 1970 and Chandler and Beckett 2003 provide an essential overview of the experiences that have shaped the British Army over its long history. 30 hurt in blast at army base. Although our understanding of the service has been considerably deepened by subsequent scholarship, the book provides the broader context for thinking about the army after 1945. The Mediterranean theatre was only able to provide two field bakeries. 13 Army Roadhead while II Canadian Corps advanced on Oldenburg supported from No. [86] At Rees steel-piled class 40 and class 70 jetty bridges 490 metres (1,600ft) long and known as "Tyne" and "Tees" were built by the 50th GHQ Troops Engineers, and were opened on 23 May. The history of BAOR, then, is not simply a history of an army formation. [11], A new base was developed around Brussels, and an advanced base area around Antwerp, but supplies were still being drawn from the Rear Maintenance Area (RMA) in Normandy. The airborne troops landed with two 24-hour ration packs, and the 6th Airborne Division's seaborne tail held two days of compo rations in second line transport. [62], Once the link-up with the ground forces was effected, the 6th Airborne Division drew its supplies from XII Corps, while the US 17th Airborne Division drew its from the US Ninth Army. Every available amphibious craft was collected, and they were joined by a Royal Navy contingent of 36 Landing Craft Medium (LCM) and 36 Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel (LCVP) that were transported by road across Holland and Belgium to participate. In due course it was relieved by a vehicle park from Italy. [52], Special tracks were provided for the Bren gun carriers to prevent skidding on icy roads, but these had to be withdrawn when it was discovered that they caused excessive wear and tear on their suspensions. Four days later orders came that disarmed troops would no longer have prisoner of war status, but would be classified as Surrendered Enemy Personnel, and that their own officers would be responsible for their administration. The corps sometimes had to send their transport back to the army roadheads to assist when major operations were required. For this the British Second Army deployed 1,520 field and medium guns, and the US Ninth Army had 624 field and medium guns. Fourteen transport platoons,[53] each of which operated thirty vehicles,[54] were taken from the formations to serve the corps's needs. Between 1945 and 1957, West Germany made a dizzying pivot from Nazi bastion to Britain's Cold War ally against the Soviet Union. [55][56][57], With Antwerp in operation, some supplies were now coming directly from the United States. Your current browser may not support copying via this button. 13 Army Roadhead. Exercising troops technical accommodation. The aim was to re-establish patrols in these areas and flush out paramilitaries from urban bases. [59][60] Ammunition for the 25-pounders was based on 1,500 rounds per gun. 167 FMC, established by the XXX Corps which held only petrol, compo ration packs and ammunition. [63][64] When mounted on the proposed trailer, the 15-metre (50ft) LCM was 4.6 metres (15ft) high, which left only 7.6 centimetres (3in) of clearance under some of the bridges they had to pass under between Antwerp and the staging area around Nijmegen. [68] By the time the amphibious phase of Operation Plunder commenced at 09:00 on 23 March,[69] 61,000 tonnes (60,000 long tons) of ammunition, 18,000 tonnes (18,000 long tons) of POL, 5,100 tonnes (5,000 long tons) of supplies, 30,000 tonnes (30,000 long tons) of engineer stores and 5,500 tonnes (5,400 long tons) of other stores had been dumped at No. The second British Army on the Rhine was formed on 25 August 1945 from 21st Army Group. Not all general accounts of the postwar army have overlooked the services experiences in developing ground forces for nuclear war, however. Garrison/HQ JHQ Rheindahlen, Germany. Petrol, oil and lubricants (POL) was brought by ships and the Operation Pluto pipeline from the UK at a rate of 15,000 tonnes (15,000 long tons) per day, of which 3,000 tonnes (3,000 long tons) was over the pipelines, and delivered by barge and pipeline to the army roadheads. The British presence was estimated to have been contributing 1.5 billion euros annually to the German economy in 2004. 14 Army Roadhead in the Sulingen area from No. The BAOR Locationsteam-5 October 2009. [60], The engineer units in the XII Corps assault area were under 11th Army Group, Royal Engineers (AGRE), commanded by Colonel R. B. [87], Stocking of No. 2019 Ted Fund Donors On 4 May Montgomery took the surrender of the German forces in front of the 21st Army Group. In addition, XII Corps employed 48 3.7-inch anti-aircraft guns in the ground role, and they fired 16,573 rounds. While it was under construction, the engineers came under attack by the Luftwaffe, and 8 men were killed and 22 wounded. It became the primary formation controlling the British contribution to NATO after the formation of the alliance in 1949. The remaining RAF forces in Germany ceased to be a separate command, and instead became No 2 Group RAF, part of RAF Strike Command. During the first three weeks of April 1945, the 21st Army Group advanced about 320 kilometres (200mi) across northern Germany to reach the Elbe on 19 April and then the Baltic Sea. The West German town of Bruggen, 55 miles (88 km) south of Dusseldorf, celebrated its 700th anniversary on Saturday (2 June) by granting the freedom of the city to a British Army unit which has been stationed in the town for 21 years. 12 Army Roadhead via the American rail bridge at Wesel three days later. They were then loaded into landing ships, tank (LSTs) that took them to Marseilles, and onto flat wagons again for the five-day railway journey to Dixmude. [1] It was established following the Second World War, the largest parts of it becoming known as the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) and RAF Germany (RAFG). [28], The 25th Garrison assumed control of the RMA on 2 April, allowing the 5th Line of Communications Sub Area to take over the western part of North Brabant, and the 101st Beach Sub Area, which became the 21st Line of Communications Sub Area, took over the territory west of the Maas. The transfer involved 102,415 troops. These were manufactured locally in Brussels and fitted in Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) workshops. As a result of this fire it was decided to remove camouflage from the oil storage tanks, because it was not effective against the V-2, and hampered fire fighting efforts. WW2 MAPS OF BRUSSELS/BRUXELLES 1944 D/DAY ORIGINAL RARE. Operation Veritable required 35,000 vehicle movements, mainly to move XXX Corps units 80 miles (130km) in nineteen days. [3], The 21st Army Group's campaign in North West Europe had commenced with Operation Overlord, the Allied landings in Normandy on D-Day, 6 June 1944. Daily expenditure of ammunition soon exceeded a trainload, so the non-arrival of even one train meant that ammunition had to be drawn from the Second Army roadhead at Bourg Leopold. I Canadian Corps advanced on Utrecht, supported by No. The class 12 Bailey bridge, known as "Sussex", took the XII Corps Troops Engineers and the Royal Navy 43 hours to erect. It was therefore agreed that from 1 March onwards, 81,000 tonnes (80,000 long tons) of fuel held in British storage would be transferred to the Americans so that both armies could have thirty days' reserves. The Kangaroo armoured personnel carriers and the Buffalo tracked amphibious vehicles of the 79th Armoured Division were overhauled between January and March. Almost all BLA units were assigned to the 21st Army Group, which also included forces from other countries. The average tonnage on the canal system rose steadily from 27,000 tonnes (27,000 long tons) in January to 35,000 tonnes (34,000 long tons) in February, 48,000 tonnes (47,000 long tons) in March and 56,000 tonnes (55,000 long tons) in April. The British Liberation Army (BLA) was the official name given to the British Army forces which fought on the Western Front of World War II between the Invasion of Normandy and the end of the war. For nearly 70 years, generations would grow up on bases with special schools, shops, housing and even their own radio station, as parts of the Rhineland became little bubbles of Britishness . [53], Once the battle commenced on 8 February, the main administrative task was replenishing the stocks of ammunition. The next major operation was Operation Plunderthe assault crossing of the Rhine. Due to changing operational requirements, it was ultimately decided to build only three semi-permanent class 40 bridges, at Xanten, Rees and Arnhem, and two class 70 bridges, at Rees and Arnhem. [7] Following a further spending review, one brigade was withdrawn and Osnabrck Garrison closed in 2009. [63][72] The seaborne tail of the 6th Airborne Division established a DUKW replenishment area west of the Rhine from whence supplies were moved until it could cross the river. This operation to cross the northern Rhine River launched in the night of 23 Mar 1945. [88] Another 2,000 tonnes (2,000 long tons) was obtained from within the Second Army by grounding artillery and armoured units that were not immediately required for the advance. British and Commonwealth PWX were flown directly to the UK, while American PWX were flown to collecting camps around Le Havre. During the Great War (1914-1918) approximately 900,000 men, a quarter of the whole Army. The position gained along the Roer was then taken over by the US Ninth Army. Most of these units were progressively dissolved, so that by February 1920 there were only regular battalions: In August 1920 Winston Churchill told the British Parliament that the BAOR comprised approximately 13,360 troops, consisting of staff, cavalry, Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers, infantry, machine gun corps, tanks, and the usual ancillary services. It was therefore decided that the floating bridges should be replaced by semi-permanent ones as soon as operational circumstances permitted. Chinese surveillance cameras are being used at British Army bases despite Ministers banning them from Government buildings over fears they pose a major security risk. [18], Eisenhower ordered Montgomery to resume his preparations for Operation Veritable, the objective of which was to defeat the German forces west of the Rhine. They were also utilised for duties such as manning level crossings. 1st/4th and 9th battalions of the Seaforths were with the Rhine Army in 1919. [51] There was also demand for covered accommodation in the 3,300 bivouacs, and 21st Army Group headquarters released 343 huts and 1,600 100-pound (45kg) tents from its stocks, which were delivered to the railheads around Mill and 's-Hertogenbosch. After the assumption of government by civilians, it became the command formation for the troops in Germany only . For nearly 70 years, generations would grow up on bases with special schools, shops, housing and even their own radio station, as parts of the Rhineland became little bubbles of Britishness. The British Army of the Rhine (BAOR), which was responsible for the northern portions of the central front in West Germany, had been judged to be capable of holding out for as little as two days. Pipelines were now constructed from Calais to Ghent, and thence to the storage facilities around Antwerp. Tony Lord. London: Bantam, 2009. In turn this demanded a high degree of organisation and professionalism required to utilise the available machines and firepower to best effect. Similar Royal Air Force Germany, Royal Electrical and Mech, British Army, Royal Military Police, Army Air Corps. This badge was adopted in 1940. [60] Every available amphibious craft was collected. While most of its units were British or Canadian, there were also contingents from Belgium, the Netherlands, Czechoslovakia and Poland,[1] and the RAF Second Tactical Air Force operating in support also had Australian, French, New Zealand and Norwegian squadrons. It was estimated that six one-way class 40 and two one-way class 70 pile bridges would be needed. Thank you. Large numbers of displaced persons were also encountered, and they were accommodated in special camps. Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War, and the other after the Second World War. [28], Originally scheduled to start on 12 January 1945, when the ground would have been hard and frozen and off-road vehicle movement possible, Operation Veritable was delayed for five weeks by the Ardennes Offensive. Motorman began on 31st July 1972 with the rapid deployment of troops from the rest of the UK and the British Army of the Rhine to the ports of Belfast and Derry. [39][40], The artillery fire plan for Operation Veritable called for the widespread use of "pepperpot tactics". Three trains a day were run over this route under an arrangement with SHAEF and the American Military Railway Service. as (hopefully) more information is found or supplied. A smoke screen concealed preparations on the west bank of the Rhine. british army of the rhine bases. 10 Army Roadhead, while the attached II Canadian Corps continued to draw its from the First Canadian Army's No.