Two pipelines were laid across the Rhine at Emmerich and were in operation by the end of April. The Kangaroo armoured personnel carriers and the Buffalo tracked amphibious vehicles of the 79th Armoured Division were overhauled between January and March. If you can't find it - tell us, if you know something - tell us. The 21st Army Group allocated additional road transport capacity to the armies by shifting vehicles from the rear areas and immobilising units that were not immediately needed. From 1922 the BAOR was organised into two brigades:[1], The second British Army of the Rhine was formed on 25 August 1945 from the British Liberation Army. [71] The supplies dropped represented a day's supply of food, fuel and petrol for the two divisions. [6], Disbandment of the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) and Royal Air Force Germany (RAFG) in 1994, following the end of the Cold War and the Options for Change defence review in the early 1990s, reduced the strength of the British Armed Forces in Germany by almost 30,000 with just one division (1st Armoured) remaining by the late 1990s,[7] concentrated in North Rhine-Westphalia. London: William Kimber, 1971. They were respectively augmented by 1,891 and 1,446 anti-aircraft guns and anti-tank guns. 19191929. By 9 February sections of the Nijmegen-Kranenburg road were under 46 centimetres (18in) of water. No 13 Army Roadhead was opened at Nijmegen on 2 March, and was stocked by rail. 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. The purpose of this site is to give people, still serving or not, the opportunity to look back at the places in Germany where they may have served over the years and also a view of the regiments and units which shaped them. Army of Occupation commanders.jpg 800 595; 155 KB. The BAOR was formerly armed with tactical nuclear weapons. 206 FMC. Whereas military considerations involved "questions of strategy, bases and force levels," the political response focused on the creation of defensive alliances. Sirs, Ladies and Gentlemen,Welcome to the website dedicated to the British Army of the Rhine, its locations, and those areas whilst not strictly within BAOR, thatwere vital to the operation of the theatre. Ammunition expenditure was prodigious, and a system of rationing had to be introduced. Military Identities: The Regimental System, the British Army and the British People c.18702000. Montgomery's armies were reinforced by the redeployment of three divisions from Italy under Operation Goldflake. [26][27], Finding the additional service and supply units proved difficult, as the Mediterranean theatre had long been short of them. British Army Royal Engineers enaged in the building of The Freeman Bridge, The River Rhine, Dusseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Strachan, Hew, ed. There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). With some assistance from pioneers or civilians, each section could operate a petrol station issuing up to 45,000 litres (10,000impgal) per day. [72][97], As the German forces crumbled before the Allied onslaught, the numbers of German prisoners of war grew to the point where orders were issued on 1 May that no more prisoners should be sent west of the Rhine. [30], A rail halt was established at Gevrey-Chambertin and bivouac areas at Montbard and Chalon-sur-Sane. It did not remove the need from road transport entirely though, and XXX Corps found that the First Canadian Army was unable to provide any additional resources. [6] What followed was a far more rapid advance than anticipated. [28] Advance parties from each formation involved travelled by air from Florence, but most Operation Goldflake units moved by sea. In addition to the storm boats, DUKWs, Buffaloes and Weasels,[62] there were also amphibious DD tanks. I Canadian Corps advanced on Utrecht, supported by No. Dorsten Ammunition Depot munitions storage facility. British Army Of the Rhine Welcome Welcome to BAOR Locations. Likewise, French 2008 and Strachan 2000 have produced histories of the cultural attitudes of the British Army and how the institution relates to wider society. A broad look at the cultural attitudes of the British army and its relationship with wider society. Mar 1. 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. Lorries then took them to the dispersal point at Renaix via Lyon and Dijon, guided by road markers that read "GF". A request for an increase in the theatre reserves from 28 to 51 days was approved by the War Office, but it was not possible to increase the stockpile of ammunition, as this was already being shipped at the maximum rate. The first British bridge across the river was the class 9 FBE bridge, known as "Twist", in the XII Corps area, which was erected by the VIII Corps Troops Engineers in ten hours on 24 March. [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. [100], In the campaign in North West Europe in 1945, Montgomery sought to defeat Germany and ensure a prominent British role in the postwar political organisation of Europe. At the beginning of March 1945, the 21st Army Group had bulk petrol transport capacity of about 2,700 tonnes (2,700 long tons) per day, assuming 80 per cent of the vehicles were running. The British Second Army also had access to the American class 70 timber pile bridge at Venlo and the Canadian First Army class 70 bridge at Grave. Captured German dumps held sufficient quantities of food for them, but they were not always easily accessible or distributable, so some had to be fed from 21st Army Group stocks, on a temporary ration scale of 1,100 calories (4,600J) per man per day. Operation Plunder included an airborne operation, Operation Varsity, in which two airborne divisions were landed with a day's supply of food, fuel and petrol. British Air Forces in Germany came under the command of RAF Germany. Country United Kingdom. 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. [44] Road maintenance was made especially difficult by the winter weather. The class 40 timber pile bridge at Zanten, known as "Dempsey" was built by the 18th GHQ Troops Engineers and was opened on 26 May. The British Army of 19441945 was highly mechanised, which conferred great tactical and strategic manoeuvrability. [7] The British Second Army liberated Brussels on 3 September, and Antwerp was captured virtually intact on 4 September,[8] but it could not be used as a port until the Germans were cleared from the Scheldt approaches, through which ships had to pass to reach the port. 15 Army Roadhead opened in the Almelo area on 18 April and was stocked by road from No. Despite the weather, all movements were completed as planned by 8 February. What military bases are left in Germany? The Mediterranean theatre was only able to provide two field bakeries. [38] Operation Blackcock, a preliminary operation to clear German forces from the Roer Triangle, was carried out by the XII Corps in January 1945. You can order records in advance to be ready for. A new ordnance field park was formed to hold the equipment, which was shipped from the UK. British Army Germany was formed in 2020 to administer the remaining service personnel, UK Civil Servants, and dependents (family members), based in Germany.[2]. Not all general accounts of the postwar army have overlooked the services experiences in developing ground forces for nuclear war, however. This was never satisfactorily implemented, and confusion and duplication was created by the same requests for additional ammunition being made through multiple channels. The deployment of BAOR on the European Central Front was symbolic of British political intent vis--vis European security and was the military means by which Britain sought to deter a conventional or nuclear Warsaw Pact attack. [73] XII and XXX Corps each formed a bank control group along the lines of the beach groups that had supported the Normandy landings in 1944, but with the logistical elements restricted to the medical, provost and REME components. Both formations had areas of responsibility located around the German section of the River Rhine. WO1 Served from 1971 - 1993 Served in British Army of the Rhine. Over 2.5 million rounds of 25-pounder ammunition were made available. [11] Rhine Garrison, which principally comprised HQ British Forces Germany in the Rheindahlen Military Complex and Elmpt Station (formerly RAF Bruggen), also reduced in size; the HQ moved to Bielefeld in July 2013 and other units returned to the UK. The armoured divisions also carried a day's worth of AFV ration packs. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008. 14 Army Roadhead in the Sulingen area from No. 13 Army Roadhead while II Canadian Corps advanced on Oldenburg supported from No. To improve its combat effectiveness BAOR was equipped since the early 1960s with tactical nuclear weapons, and in so doing, became the first formation of the British army trained to fight and prevail on a nuclear battlefield. 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. By 1945 the British Army was highly experienced, professional and proficient. BRITISH ALLIES ARMY RAF. Meanwhile, the class 40 Bailey pontoon bridge at Xanten was erected by the 7th Army Troops Engineers in 31 hours, and opened to traffic at 16:30 on 25 March. The second class 40 Bailey pontoon bridge, known as "Blackfriars", was built by the II Canadian Corps Engineers in 50 hours, starting at 10:00 on 26 March. The bivouac areas were provided with temporary billets, latrines, emergency rations and fuel, and medical teams and vehicle maintenance crews were on hand. 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. [44], Thus far in the campaign in North West Europe, XXX Corps had only served as part of the British Second Army, and it found that maintenance procedures of the First Canadian Army differed from what it had been used to due to the fact that the First Canadian Army's operations had been conducted where there had been adequate communications. There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). 12 Army Roadhead via the American rail bridge at Wesel three days later. To provide them, beech trees were felled in the Fort de Soignes near Brussels. Please appreciate that the site as a whole is, and probably always will be, subject to "Work In Progress", "Page Under Construction", "Page Under Revision", etc. For more information or to contact an Oxford Sales Representative click here. Both stocked 200 rounds per gun of field artillery ammunition for the entire XXX Corps. [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. Please continue & follow him.pic.twitter.com/TU3GKnZFPU", "British Orders of Battle & TO&Es 1980-1989", "From occupiers and protectors to guests", "Osnabrck picks up the pieces after British withdrawal", "All British army bases in Germany to close by 2019 with 20,000 troops returning to UK", "Farewell to the 1st Westfalen Garrison Commander", "A Queen's birthday reception was held in Germany", "British army hands back last headquarters in Germany", "Defence review ends Iraq-sized ventures", In West Germany: Military Networks Spreading Pop, Secret squad sent in to track down IRA killers, BBC News: Army to scale down Germany troops, BBC News: From occupiers and protectors to guests, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=British_Forces_Germany&oldid=1126727293, This page was last edited on 10 December 2022, at 22:46. The Meuse-Escaut Canal was also opened that month, and by the end of March the Zuid-Willemsvaart and the MaasWaal Canal were also open, allowing barge traffic from Antwerp to reach the Waal. Post war First Corps District administered Rhine Province and Westphalia. 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. 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. this page. [79], Vehicles crossing the Rhine did so with full fuel tanks and a reserve of filled jerricans. Includes a chapter on the activation of BAOR and its composition throughout the Cold War against the background of government defense reviews. A problem was encountered when defects were discovered in the tensioners of the 29th Armoured Brigade's new Comet tanks. kat graham and ian somerhalder relationship; wet stone polisher harbor freight; how to transfer nft from coinbase wallet to metamask; colorado state university pueblo volleyball; platinum jubilee medal 2022 eligibility police; jay weatherill penny wong; This brought the amount of road transport capacity under Second Army's control to 31,580 tonnes (31,080 long tons), which was reckoned to be the equivalent of 76 general transport companies. A general study of the historical experiences that have shaped the British army. During the month, 432 trains delivered 230,000 tonnes (230,000 long tons) to 37 railheads in the British Second Army area. 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. 166 FMC also held 200 rounds per gun of field, 175 rounds per gun of medium, 175 rounds per gun of heavy and 50 rounds per gun of super-heavy artillery ammunition. 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. Four days later the German Instrument of Surrender was signed in Berlin, and the war with Germany was over. Fourteen transport platoons,[53] each of which operated thirty vehicles,[54] were taken from the formations to serve the corps's needs. [81] The XXX Corps plan called for the construction of a class 9 FBE bridge, a class 15 Bailey pontoon bridge and two class 40 Bailey pontoon bridges. Additional supplies of fuel were loaded on DUKWs, which ferried fuel across the river until bridges were opened. 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 . This freed the 9th Line of Communications Sub Area to participate in Operation Goldflake. Its original function was to control the corps districts which were running the military government of the British zone of Allied-occupied Germany.After the assumption of government by civilians, it became the command formation for the troops in Germany only, rather than being responsible for . [35] It would be carried out by General Harry Crerar's First Canadian Army, which was built up to a strength of 449,865 personnel through the addition of large numbers of British troops; counting civilians and prisoners of war, the army had a ration strength of 476,193. As a result, vehicles owned by personnel ceased to have distinct registration plates, which had made them easily identifiable. List of battleships of the United States Navy, Headquarters Allied Command Europe Rapid Reaction Corps, http://www.orbat.info/history/volume5/518/Original%20BAOR.pdf, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article187497575, http://baor-locations.org/historybaor.aspx.html, http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1963/jan/30/baor-tactical-nuclear-weapons, http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1967/mar/06/defence-army-estimates-1967-68-vote-a#S5CV0742P0_19670306_HOC_566, http://baor-locations.org/salamancabks.aspx.html, http://baor-locations.org/bournmouthbks.aspx.html, http://baor-locations.org/kingslybks.aspx.html, "British Army of the Rhine Order of Battle July 1989", https://www.orbat85.nl/documents/BAOR-July-1989.pdf, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, Military units and formations established in 1945, Military units and formations disestablished in 1994, Field armies of the United Kingdom in World War I, Field armies of the United Kingdom in World War II, Military units and formations of the British Empire in World War II. In a European context the first step in this process was the 1947 Anglo-French Treaty of Dunkirk. Following the war the BLA was redesignated to become the British Army of the Rhine in August . An allocation of 300 tonnes (300 long tons) per day was made, but owing to competing American demands, the use of aircraft to repatriate liberated American, British and Commonwealth ex-prisoners of war (PWX), and a somewhat cumbersome procedure for requesting air deliveries, the tonnage of air freight never reached this level, averaging just 145 tonnes (143 long tons) per day for the month of April. The four Army garrisons in Germany were under the direct administrative control of UKSC(G). Consequently, the daily pack trains that carried supplies were normally run straight through from the advanced base to the corps railheads, which were normally stocked on a commodity basis, and the roadheads supporting the First Canadian Army carried much less stock than its British Second Army counterparts. [60], The engineer units in the XII Corps assault area were under 11th Army Group, Royal Engineers (AGRE), commanded by Colonel R. B. Store Equipment Fleet (Germany) store of vehicles and other equipment for exercises and operations around Europe. 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. Since the First Canadian Army did not hold large stocks at No. 11 Army Roadhead, it was dependent on the daily arrival of ammunition trains. Start reading The British Army of the Rhine for free online and get access to an unlimited library of academic and non-fiction books on Perlego. [47] Four main road routes were available for troop movements, utilising road bridges over the Maas at Grave, Mook and Ravenstein. 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. It was also feared for a time that the skeleton FMC was in danger of being inundated, although it was sited on high ground. Red Sash Wargames Army of the Rhine - Ombre de Turenne SW | Toys & Hobbies, Games, Board & Traditional Games | eBay! [74], The South Beveland Canal was opened on 19 February to allow inland water transport to reach the Dutch canal system when the western Netherlands were liberated. The Corps was with the BEF in 1940 and thereafter involved in the defene of the UK. Includes a chapter on the creation of the postmodern regimental system between 1945 and 1970 against the backdrop of postwar austerity and the consequent reorganization and amalgamation of many regiments. 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. The problem had been foreseen, and replacements were available on the ordnance depots. The next major operation was Operation Plunderthe assault crossing of the Rhine. [47][48] Some 50 miles (80km) of new roads were built, and over 400 miles (640km) of roads were repaired, which required 64,000 tonnes (63,000 long tons). It was originally composed of five corps, composed of two divisions each, plus a cavalry division:[1], IV Corps: Commanded by Sir Alexander Godley, VI Corps: Commanded by Sir Aylmer Haldane, IX Corps: Commanded by Sir Walter Braithwaite and later by Ivor Maxse, Cavalry Division (formed from 1st Cavalry Division). 1 Artillery Brigade Cold War.png 888 544; 45 KB. This page was last edited on 27 February 2023, at 08:31. Menu Search. The pipeline running from Cherbourg to Rouen was shut down on 9 January, which freed personnel to work on extending other pipelines. Army Bases After an advance which was thoroughly resisted, the British formations, along with the Canadians and Americans advanced into the German counties of Nordrhein-Westfalen, Niedersachsen and Schleswig-Holstein . The former held 200 rounds per gun of medium and 250 rounds per gun of heavy artillery ammunition, while the latter held 200 rounds per gun of medium and 150 rounds per gun of heavy artillery ammunition. It closed in 1991 when the refurbished BMH Iserlohn re-opened. When the flood waters subsided, it was found that the Nijmegen-Cleve road surface had been too badly damaged to use, so the II Canadian Corps and XXX Corps were forced to share the road running south of the Reichswald. 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. This merely delayed work on the bridge, which was opened to traffic at 20:15. [81] The XII Corps plan called for the construction of a class 9 Folding Boat Equipment (FBE) bridge, a class 12 Bailey pontoon bridge and two class 40 Bailey pontoon bridges. as (hopefully) more information is found or supplied. This operation to cross the northern Rhine River launched in the night of 23 Mar 1945. A thematic study on how the British Army imagined the use of tactical nuclear weapons in land combat. 13 Army Roadhead at Nijmegen. Foster. The troops in the assault units were issued with 24-hour ration packs, together with a Tommy cooker and a tin containing tea, condensed milk and sugar, enabling the troops in the front line to brew a hot cup of tea. New search features Acronym Blog Free tools . A third bridge, "Westminster", was commenced by the 6th Army Troops Engineers on 26 March, completed at 18:00 on 29 March, and ceremoniously opened by Dempsey the next morning. 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. [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. Damaged vehicles on the east bank of the Rhine were collected at points near the river and transported back on rafts. By mid-March POL was arriving at a rate of 15,000 tonnes (15,000 long tons) per day, of which 3,000 tonnes (3,000 long tons) was coming over the Dumbo pipeline. British Army of the Rhine (post First World War) B.A.F.S.V. British Army Germany, is the superior institution under which the remaining installations of the British Forces Germany are organised after the completion of the withdrawal of the British Forces from Germany in February 2020. The transfer involved 102,415 troops. [102] The 21st Army Group's logistical system proved capable of keeping the fighting men fed and supplied, whether in the awful weather conditions of Operation Veritable, or the fast-moving advance of the final drive beyond the Rhine.[104]. No. A large force of engineer units was assembled for the operation: 37,000 British and Canadian engineers and pioneers, and 22,000 American engineers. [2] The Cologne Post was a newspaper published for members of the BAOR during this period. This led to a scaling down of the British military presence, and a restructuring of command and support structures. 29th Division Entering Cologne 13 December 1918 Q 7220.jpg 641 800; 48 KB. Until the railway bridges could be brought into operation, maintenance depended entirely on road transport. A. [13], During the German Ardennes Offensive in December 1944, the Supreme Allied Commander, General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower, transferred the US First and Ninth Armies to Montgomery's command. [7] Following a further spending review, one brigade was withdrawn and Osnabrck Garrison closed in 2009. Recourse was therefore made to Weasel tracked vehicles, and every available Weasel was rushed to the front. 10 Army Roadhead. 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. Chandler, David, and Ian Beckett, eds. In addition, XII Corps employed 48 3.7-inch anti-aircraft guns in the ground role, and they fired 16,573 rounds. Covered accommodation was eventually provided for between 300,000 and 400,000 troops. [70] Of the 610 tonnes (600 long tons) of supplies and equipment dropped, 80 per cent was recovered. [17], The British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) radio services were widely available on FM across north-western Germany. The British presence was estimated to have been contributing 1.5 billion euros annually to the German economy in 2004. 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. von | Jun 17, 2022 | tornadoes of 1965 | | Jun 17, 2022 | tornadoes of 1965 | The attacks resulted in the deaths of nine people, including three civilians, and many wounded. The Cold War has gotten hot and the 3rd Shock Army is approaching your dugout but how do you differentiate a BTR from a BMP? 14 Army Roadhead. [50], Because it was not anticipated that the advance would be rapid, it was not considered necessary to hold large stocks of petrol, oil and lubricants (POL) in the FMCs, but to ensure that vehicles moving to the assembly areas arrived with full tanks of fuel, a train loaded with petrol was sent to Nijmegen to allow them to be topped off. 10 Army Roadhead, while the attached II Canadian Corps continued to draw its from the First Canadian Army's No. 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.
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