ST. Army Gymnastic Staff AH Army Health . Blaxland, Gregory. [79], Vehicles crossing the Rhine did so with full fuel tanks and a reserve of filled jerricans. 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. In addition to the road transport, the 21st Army Group also had barges capable of carrying 10,000 tonnes (10,000 long tons) of bulk POL. By mid-May the 21st Army Group's reserves had been reduced by a quarter. No 13 Army Roadhead was opened at Nijmegen on 2 March, and was stocked by rail. [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. British and Commonwealth PWX were flown directly to the UK, while American PWX were flown to collecting camps around Le Havre. It has been an honour to command this fantastic organisation doing its very best to support our people here in Germany. Contents 1 History 1.1 1919-1929 In the forward area, land mines and the few tracks through the Reichswald Forest kept transport on the roads, and the traffic combined with thaws and heavy rains contributed to the rapid deterioration of the roads. 14 Army Roadhead. The class 12 Bailey bridge, known as "Sussex", took the XII Corps Troops Engineers and the Royal Navy 43 hours to erect. 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. As a result, vehicles owned by personnel ceased to have distinct registration plates, which had made them easily identifiable. The aim was to re-establish patrols in these areas and flush out paramilitaries from urban bases. Store Equipment Fleet (Germany) store of vehicles and other equipment for exercises and operations around Europe. Emmerich was taken on 1 April after a three-day battle to provide an additional bridgehead. [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. Adjutant Generals Base AGDU Army Guard Dog Unit AGR Army General Reserve A.G.R.A. Supplies and POL were stocked at Eindhoven; POL at Schijndel; ammunition at Veghel, Uden, Oss and Wijchen; road material at Mill; coal at Best; and bridging at 's-Hertogenbosch. It was therefore decided that the floating bridges should be replaced by semi-permanent ones as soon as operational circumstances permitted. Both stocked 200 rounds per gun of field artillery ammunition for the entire XXX Corps. 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. [19], During the height of "the Troubles" in Northern Ireland, the IRA targeted personnel in Germany between 1988 and 1990. [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. Mallinson, Allan. 13 Army Roadhead at Nijmegen. All this week on Forces TV we are focusing on 'Rebasing' from Germany, as the countdown to drawdown steps up a gear. Following the war the BLA was redesignated to become the British Army of the Rhine in August . The best introduction to the regimental system of the British army. [30], The two airborne divisions participating in Operation Varsity, the airborne operation supporting Operation Plunder, were initially supplied by the First Allied Airborne Army. Stores still required by the 21st Army Group were moved forward to the new advanced base, and the rest returned to the War Office for disposal. [45] No. An emergency repair effort was conducted, and many were shipped direct from the workshops to the front lines. [4], The remaining presence in Germany is known as British Army Germany. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008. [5], First established following the Second World War, the forces grew during the Cold War, and consisted, by the early 1980s, of I (BR) Corps made up of four divisions; 1st Armoured Division, 2nd Armoured Division, 3rd Armoured Division and the 4th Armoured Division. Dorsten Ammunition Depot munitions storage facility. To coordinate troop movements between the First Canadian Army and the British Second Army, a joint office known as "Grouping Control" was established. It would also free transport to support a rapid advance. 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. Mainstream histories of the British army have focused overwhelmingly on the myriad counterinsurgency operations in which it became involved after 1945 at the expense of the vital role played by the British Army of the Rhine in the nations deterrent posture. Operation Veritable required 35,000 vehicle movements, mainly to move XXX Corps units 80 miles (130km) in nineteen days. 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. Not only are the well-equipped forward elements presented, but the light security elements that form BAOR's vital reinforcements are included as well. [41] Some 600 field and 300 medium guns would support the operation. Recourse was therefore made to Weasel tracked vehicles, and every available Weasel was rushed to the front. [47], The opening of a railway bridge over the Maas at Ravenstein on 4 February enabled the FMCs to be served by rail. An Inter-Allied force of British, French and . 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. 19191929. Special arrangements were made to supply the Royal Air Force's Fog Investigation and Dispersal Operation, which consumed 410,000 litres (90,000impgal) a night, and Gloster Meteor jet fighters, which consumed 14,000 litres (3,000impgal) of kerosene each day. VIII Corps also used its own transport to haul ammunition for the crossing of the Elbe on 28 April. 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. British Air Forces in Germany came under the command of RAF Germany. [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. What military bases are left in Germany? 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. Medium and heavy ammunition for units north of the Maas was stockpiled at Wijchen and that for those south of the Maas at Oss. Both formations had areas of responsibility located around the German section of the River Rhine. [62] XII Corps allocated sixty DUKWs each to the 6th Airborne Division, US 17th Airborne Division and the 15th Infantry Division; thirty were in corps reserve, nine were designated for casualty evacuation and six for the Royal Engineers. Download Citation | The British Army of the Rhine | The British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) began life in 1945 as a postwar administrative headquarters deployed in support of the civilian authority . [6] In 1967, the force was reduced in strength to 53,000 soldiers. British Army of the Rhine - YouTube 0:00 / 58:47 British Army of the Rhine Ichioku 334 subscribers Subscribe 6.6K views 1 year ago BBC Documentary from 2012 (small edit to avoid. 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. [59][60] Ammunition for the 25-pounders was based on 1,500 rounds per gun. British army inner german border.jpg 1,941 1,368 . London: Penguin, 1970. The United States and the Middle East, 1945-2001, World War II in the Mediterranean and Middle East. Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War, and the other after the Second World War. The BAOR was formerly armed with tactical nuclear weapons. An initial stockpile of 91,000 litres (20,000impgal) was supplied to the unit, followed by daily deliveries of 14,000 litres (3,000impgal) per day. [78] These bridges carried maintenance traffic by day and operational traffic by night. [78] The 21st Army Group headquarters also allocated three additional general transport companies to the British Second Army. Thank you. 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] 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. 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. 1 Artillery Brigade Cold War.png 888 544; 45 KB. 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. $35.86. Another three-platoon company arrived from Italy with the Operation Goldflake units. 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. as (hopefully) more information is found or supplied. Happily, we were posted to the British Army of the Rhine, in my case, to 282 (Welsh) Field Company, RE, in the 63rd (Welsh) Division. 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. 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 came from the reorganisation of the line of communications, and additional general transport companies arriving from Italy through Operation Goldflake. Additional supplies of fuel were loaded on DUKWs, which ferried fuel across the river until bridges were opened. This merely delayed work on the bridge, which was opened to traffic at 20:15. The problem had been foreseen, and replacements were available on the ordnance depots. From 1952 the commander-in-chief of the BAOR was also the commander of NATO's Northern Army Group (NORTHAG) in the event of a general war with the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact. [42] The weight of shell employed would still be formidable; the fire plan still called for 6 tonnes (6 long tons) of shells to be delivered on designated targets, and some would receive up to 11 tonnes (11 long tons). On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. To compensate for this, to minimise casualties, and to maximise the combat effectiveness of what manpower they had, the British forces relied on machines, materiel and firepower. 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). [66] The British rail line of communications now ran from Antwerp to Nijmegen via Roosendaal and Tilburg,[67] where the railway bridge that had opened on 22 December was duplicated by 3 January 1945. No. German railway personnel were used to man two trains a day from Celle to Bienenbuttel. It was decanted at Bocholt and transported by rail to No. [89][90], Despite this, stocks at the Nos. [44] Road maintenance was made especially difficult by the winter weather. [71] The supplies dropped represented a day's supply of food, fuel and petrol for the two divisions. [45], Stocks of ammunition were built up at No. [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. The Canadian historian, Charles Stacey noted that:.mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}, Thus, throughout the campaign in North-West Europe, there was virtually no separate Canadian supply organization other than what existed within First Canadian Army itself. Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after World War I, and the other after World War II. [88][93], Dumbo surpassed its target of 1million imperial gallons (4.5million litres) (about 3,620 tonnes (3,560 long tons)) per day on 15 March 1945, and by 3 April the Dumbo lines were delivering 4,500 long tons (4,600t) a day. [94] New lines continued to be laid, the last one being laid to Bocholt on 24 May. 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. 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. We are pleased to announce that Eureka Miniatures UK will once again be attending the hugely popular SALUTE at ExCeL, London on Saturday 22nd April 2023. 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. Includes two chapters on National Service and professional recruitment after 1945, both of which were issues that influenced force generation in BAOR throughout its existence. Three bridges were constructed there, but by the time they opened II Canadian Corps already had its three Canadian divisions across the Rhine. [63] Their initial drop of the 6th Airborne Division was conducted by 683 aircraft and 444 General Aircraft Hamilcar and Airspeed Horsa gliders, while that of the US 17th Airborne Division used 913 aircraft and 906 Hadrian gliders. Three trains a day were run over this route under an arrangement with SHAEF and the American Military Railway Service. [85] A semi-permanent class 40 bridge and a semi-permanent class 70 bridge were also built over the Ijssel at Zutphen. 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. [28], On 15 February, the region south of the Seine under British administration by 5th Line of Communications Sub Area and the 101st Beach Sub Area were reduced to the ports of Caen and Ouistreham and the depots around them, while that administered by the 9th Line of Communications Sub Area was handed over to the US Communications Zone, as was the region between the Somme and the Seine administered by the 6th Line of Communications Sub Area, except for the city of Amiens. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. SGT Served from 1967 - 1985 Served in British Army of the Rhine. Similar Royal Air Force Germany, Royal Electrical and Mech, British Army, Royal Military Police, Army Air Corps. [12] Petrol was brought in tankers and over the Operation Pluto pipeline. 168 FMC area at Goch. [28], It was estimated that seven line of communications sub area headquarters would be required to support the advance into Germany. The second British Army of the Rhine was formed on 25 August 1945 from the British Liberation Army. You could not be signed in, please check and try again. A large force of engineer units was assembled for the operation: 37,000 British and Canadian engineers and pioneers, and 22,000 American engineers. [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. [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. For this the British Second Army deployed 1,520 field and medium guns, and the US Ninth Army had 624 field and medium guns. During the two-hour rail halt, the troops were served a hot meal and provided with sandwiches for the next one. [88][92][96], Meanwhile, the First Canadian Army established two lines of communications. Ted's Bio; Fact Sheet; Hoja Informativa Del Ted Fund; Ted Fund Board 2021-22; 2021 Ted Fund Donors; Ted Fund Donors Over the Years. Stocking of No. In 1947 all Batteries except those of the Royal Horse Artillery were placed on a single roll. The position gained along the Roer was then taken over by the US Ninth Army. [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. 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 . Due to the proximity of Rees, the VIII Corps Troops Engineers could not work on the "London" class 40 Bailey pontoon bridge until the afternoon of 25 March, and it was opened at 23:00 on 26 March. 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. It was estimated that each could carry 7,000 vehicles per day under frozen conditions and 4,000 per day during a thaw. These two photos were taken in late 1956 by Lab Tech Cpl Peter Elgar: Overseas military bases of the United Kingdom enable the British Armed Forces to conduct expeditionary warfare and maintain a forward presence.Bases tend to be located in or near areas of strategic or diplomatic importance, often used for the build-up or resupply of military forces, as was seen during the 1982 Falklands War and the use of RAF Ascension Island as a staging post. [49] In the lead up to Operation Veritable, 446 special trains were run to the First Canadian Army railheads, delivering 349,356 tonnes (343,838 long tons) of supplies, of which around 227,000 tonnes (223,000 long tons) was for Operation Veritable. 10 Army Roadhead. Some of the ammunition that had earlier been dumped was to be made inaccessible by flood waters. To provide them, beech trees were felled in the Fort de Soignes near Brussels. The affectionate story of British servicemen and their families who had to make Germany a home from home in the decades after the Second World War. [11] To get the railway system in operation again required the reconstruction of bridges and the importation of additional locomotives. This gave them sufficient petrol to advance for 200 and 180 miles (320 and 290km) respectively, although no such rapid advance was contemplated, the supplies being to sustain the divisions in operations when the road network became congested with operational traffic. These provided health care and bathing and delousing with DDT to prevent the spread of disease. The 6th Line of Communications Sub Area was earmarked to take over the administration of the port of Rotterdam when it was captured. 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. [30], A rail halt was established at Gevrey-Chambertin and bivouac areas at Montbard and Chalon-sur-Sane. Contents 1 History British Army of the Rhine There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine ( BAOR ). Copy this link, or click below to email it to a friend. The following day a German swimmer was seen affixing a suspicious cylindrical object to the bridge. French, David. . [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). 166 Field Maintenance Centre (FMC) at Veghel and the two Canadian FMCs at Wijchen and Oss. British Land Forces in Germany came under the command of the British Army of the Rhine. [47] As it was thought that vehicle movement in the battle area would be restricted by the weather, terrain and battle damage, units were issued with "compo" ration packs for up to two-thirds of a formation's strength, and the divisions and independent brigades were also supplied with two-, three- and five-man "AFV" ration packs in case the distribution of compo packs proved to be too difficult. [3] However, around 185 British Army personnel and 60 Ministry of Defence civilians will stay in Germany beyond 2020. Country United Kingdom. Post war First Corps District administered Rhine Province and Westphalia. After the assumption of government by civilians, it became the command formation for the troops in Germany only . By 1945 the British Army was highly experienced, professional and proficient. 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. 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. Media in category "British Army of the Rhine". A thematic study on how the British Army imagined the use of tactical nuclear weapons in land combat. The offensive was supported by 600 field and 300 medium guns. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020. [37] Operation Veritable was scheduled to commence on 8 February, but the date for Operation Grenade could not be set, as it depended on the capture of dams on the Roer further south by the US First Army. 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. bases and force levels," the political response focused on the creation of defensive alliances. To simplify storage and handling, only ammunition for field, medium and heavy artillery was held at the Canadian FMCs, ammunition for all other weapons was stocked at No. With the activation of a NATO unified command structure in 1951, BAOR became an integral part, along with Belgian, Canadian, and Dutch army units, of the Northern Army Group (NORTHAG). Foster. [26][27], Finding the additional service and supply units proved difficult, as the Mediterranean theatre had long been short of them. Since the end of the Second World War, major reorganisation has resulted in the Coast Artillery being disbanded, the Anti Tank role being discontinued and the Anti . Many had seen hard use in the Ardennes, where they had demonstrated their utility, and large numbers were in the REME workshops. The British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) was formed at the conclusion of World War II from various units of the British 21st Army Group. British Army Germany was formed in 2020 to administer the remaining service personnel, UK Civil Servants, and dependents (family members), based in Germany. Its primary combat formation was British I Corps. The army roadheads were mainly supplied by rail. The second British Army on the Rhine was formed on 25 August 1945 from 21st Army Group. Only the class 70 bridges would take a loaded tank transporter. Technical Services BAOR (British Army of the Rhine), Shooting Team, 1969. 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. Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}520734N 84059E / 52.12611N 8.68306E / 52.12611; 8.68306. [18], The British Army Germany rugby union team regularly played games against emerging rugby nations like Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Germany and Luxembourg. Large numbers of displaced persons were also encountered, and they were accommodated in special camps. Margaret Brown. A train caught alight, and the fire spread to three nearby storage tanks. Military Identities: The Regimental System, the British Army and the British People c.18702000. British Army Of the Rhine Welcome Welcome to BAOR Locations. 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. A traffic jam broke the bridge during the night, but it was reopened thirteen hours later. 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. 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. Army Group Royal Artillery . After some debate, the Combined Chiefs of Staff endorsed his strategy at the Malta Conference in January and February 1945. A special train brought the required stores to the Second Army railhead within 48 hours of a demand being lodged with the advance base. Menu Search. [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. But back in the 1950s, a posting in Germ. The British 6th Airborne Division was withdrawn to the UK and re-equipped there, but its seaborne tail had to be re-equipped by the 21st Army Group. Over the next six days it was used by 29,139 vehicles. [2] Although it contained personnel nations, the logistical support was British. [53], Once the battle commenced on 8 February, the main administrative task was replenishing the stocks of ammunition. 11 Army Roadhead, it was dependent on the daily arrival of ammunition trains. London: Bantam, 2009. BAOR stands for British Army Of the Rhine. The base workshops built a prototype trailer that provided more clearance, and the Navy ordered 25 of them.