[PDF] The British Army of the Rhine by Peter Speiser | Perlego 15 Army Roadhead. Read reviews from the world's largest community for readers. British Army Royal Engineers enaged in the building of The Freeman Bridge, The River Rhine, Dusseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. 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. This freed the 9th Line of Communications Sub Area to participate in Operation Goldflake. [79] Seven American combat engineer battalions assisted with road and bridge maintenance in the British Second Army area. During the two-hour rail halt, the troops were served a hot meal and provided with sandwiches for the next one. London: William Kimber, 1971. Over 2.5 million rounds of 25-pounder ammunition were made available. [30], A rail halt was established at Gevrey-Chambertin and bivouac areas at Montbard and Chalon-sur-Sane. A request from the 21st army Group for additional resources to support the redeployed formations was rejected by the War Office; any additional support units required had to either be drawn from the Mediterranean or supplied by the 21st Army Group. [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. British Army of the Rhine | Twilight 2000 Wiki | Fandom 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. Thank you. 19191929. [99], On 4 May 1945, Montgomery accepted the German surrender at Lneburg Heath, which covered German forces in the Netherlands, Dunkirk, North West Germany and Denmark. [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. 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. badge, formation, British, I Corps & 1st Corps. - Imperial War Museums Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008. The next major operation was Operation Plunderthe assault crossing of the Rhine on 23 March. Commanders in Chief. 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). Large numbers of displaced persons were also encountered, and they were accommodated in special camps. These provided health care and bathing and delousing with DDT to prevent the spread of disease. British Forces Germany (BFG) was the generic name for the three services of the British Armed Forces, made up of service personnel, UK Civil Servants, and dependents (family members), based in Germany. As a result, vehicles owned by personnel ceased to have distinct registration plates, which had made them easily identifiable. 13 Army Roadhead while II Canadian Corps advanced on Oldenburg supported from No. 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. It took part in the Overlord invasion of Europe in 1944 and through to the end of war in Germany. reminiscing, whether colonel or corporal. 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. The second class 40 Bailey pontoon bridge, "Sparrow", was built by the 4th GHQ Troops Engineers on 27 March. Does the British Army of the Rhine still exist? [5], As the potential threat of Soviet invasion across the North German Plain into West Germany increased, BAOR became more responsible for the defence of West Germany than its occupation. Users without a subscription are not able to see the full content on British Forces Germany - Wikipedia Troops met thin resistance as the operation wasn't intended as a surprise . 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. A double issue of Expeditionary Force Institutes stores was made to all participating units. 14 Army Roadhead in the Sulingen area from No. A. Photo courtesy of RAMC Lab Tech Cpl Peter Elgar 1958. British Army Germany - Wikipedia A problem was encountered when defects were discovered in the tensioners of the 29th Armoured Brigade's new Comet tanks. Following the war the BLA was redesignated to become the British Army of the Rhine in August . The aim was to re-establish patrols in these areas and flush out paramilitaries from urban bases. [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. 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. 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. 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 . That day trains also began arriving at No. Ron. Tony Lord. 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. as (hopefully) more information is found or supplied. SGT Served from 1967 - 1985 Served in British Army of the Rhine. [28][29], At the start of January 1945, British bulk storage facilities were more than sufficient to hold the thirty days' reserve of petrol, oil and lubricants (POL) that Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) stipulated should be held, but the American position was not so good. 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. It was therefore conducted over muddy and sometimes flooded ground, and roads were sometimes impassable even to four-wheel-drive vehicles. 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. [94] New lines continued to be laid, the last one being laid to Bocholt on 24 May. BAOR is defined as British Army Of the Rhine frequently. The class 12 Bailey bridge, known as "Sussex", took the XII Corps Troops Engineers and the Royal Navy 43 hours to erect. 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. 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. 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. [65], The buildup of stocks for Operation Plunder commenced on 8 March. RAF Germany was disbanded as a separate command in 1993 as part of the reduction of British Armed Forces presence in Europe at the cessation of the Cold War. British logistics in the Western Allied invasion of Germany 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. 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 . British Army of the Rhine: The BAOR, 1945-1993 (Cold War 1945-1991) They were respectively augmented by 1,891 and 1,446 anti-aircraft guns and anti-tank guns. 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. A large force of engineer units was assembled for the operation: 37,000 British and Canadian engineers and pioneers, and 22,000 American engineers. 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 1949. Garrison/HQ JHQ Rheindahlen, Germany. The Dumbo pipeline was extended from Boulogne to Antwerp in March. [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. 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? British Army of the Rhine | Daly History Blog Positioned on the North German Plain, it is the command element of NATO's Northern Army Group (NORTHAG). [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 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. [59][60] Ammunition for the 25-pounders was based on 1,500 rounds per gun. The War Office found that it could provide another two field bakeries from the United Kingdom, along with three field butcheries that were already scheduled to be sent. 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. 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 . Store Equipment Fleet (Germany) store of vehicles and other equipment for exercises and operations around Europe. At the rail stop there were messes and a kitchen that ran 24 hours a day. History of the British Army of the Rhine 06.09.14 - YouTube [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. 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. [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). In view of pressure from the Canadian government to have its forces reunited, the Combined Chiefs decided to send the two divisions of the I Canadian Corps to rejoin the First Canadian Army, followed by up to three British divisions. Instead, 18th GHQ Troops Engineers erected it the following day at a downstream site near the town of Honnopel. The bivouac areas were provided with temporary billets, latrines, emergency rations and fuel, and medical teams and vehicle maintenance crews were on hand. 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. British Army of the Rhine - Wikipedia UK to maintain military presence in Germany - GOV.UK Both stocked 200 rounds per gun of field artillery ammunition for the entire XXX Corps. In February, a French fuel installation was opened at Douai, and this was used to supply the Royal Air Force (RAF) airfields in the vicinity. The second British Army on the Rhine was formed on 25 August 1945 from 21st Army Group. BRITISH ALLIES ARMY RAF. On 16 April XXX Corps sent its road transport back to the Rhine roadhead to collect the ammunition it needed to capture Bremen. British Army units from 1945 on - Royal Artillery Margaret Brown. [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. The XXX Corps FMC series started at 151 while the II Canadian Corps one started at 201, and the stark difference in maintenance practices between the two corps was illustrated by the fact that XXX Corps had opened three times as many FMCs in the campaign up to this point. 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. Although only 3,600 tonnes (3,500 long tons) of petrol was lost, POL storage tanks capable of holding 10,000 tonnes (10,000 long tons) were rendered unusable. Wikizero - British Army of the Rhine On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. zThis page represents the structure of the British Army in 1989, the last year of the Cold War. To provide them, beech trees were felled in the Fort de Soignes near Brussels. [88][92][96], Meanwhile, the First Canadian Army established two lines of communications. A comprehensive history of the British army aimed at undergraduate students and the general reader. british army of the rhine bases - Tedfund.org Army Group Royal Artillery . 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 . Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War, and the other after the Second World War. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003. As of 1 April 1989, the following amounts of troops were deployed around the world: 71,000 in Great Britain, 56,000 (of which the Berlin brigade makes up 3,000), 10,200 in Northern Ireland (including 3,200 on roulement), 5,000 in Hong Kong, 4,000 in the Lines of Communications counties (Netherlands . Similar Royal Air Force Germany, Royal Electrical and Mech, British Army, Royal Military Police, Army Air Corps. [55][56][57], With Antwerp in operation, some supplies were now coming directly from the United States. 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. 12 and 14 Army Roadheads were being run down. British Army of the Rhine - OverDrive 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. 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. Pipelines were now constructed from Calais to Ghent, and thence to the storage facilities around Antwerp. This badge was adopted in 1940. [44] Road maintenance was made especially difficult by the winter weather. The Kangaroo armoured personnel carriers and the Buffalo tracked amphibious vehicles of the 79th Armoured Division were overhauled between January and March. [79], Vehicles crossing the Rhine did so with full fuel tanks and a reserve of filled jerricans. [44] The 25-pounders were each provided with an additional 1,471 rounds in addition to the 206 rounds per gun each regiment normally carried. 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. [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. The Making of the British Army: From the English Civil War to the War on Terror. 13 Army Roadhead. An emergency repair effort was conducted, and many were shipped direct from the workshops to the front lines. [101] The vast resources brought to bear was in stark contrast with scarcities of the early war years. 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. [9] This required major operations, and the port was not opened for shipping until 26 November. Armata Britannica del Reno la traduzione di "British Army of the Rhine" in italiano. The following 12 files are in this category, out of 12 total. 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. 2019 Ted Fund Donors A special train brought the required stores to the Second Army railhead within 48 hours of a demand being lodged with the advance base. IF YOU WOULD PREFER TO STAY ANONYMOUS OR KEEP ALL CONTENTS PRIVATE PLEASE STATE THIS CLEARLY ON SUBMISSION: All rights reserved. [2] Although it contained personnel nations, the logistical support was British. 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. [66][76], At Gennep, the 6th Army Troops Engineers built a 312-metre (1,023ft) class 30 Bailey bridge using the piers and abutments of a demolished railway bridge. The history of BAOR, then, is not simply a history of an army formation. In 1961, he received a commission into the Royal Corps of Signals, and served in the British Army of the Rhine . Whereas military considerations involved "questions of strategy, bases and force levels," the political response focused on the creation of defensive alliances. GMT Games - BAOR: MBT Expansion [32][33], A major user of fuel was the Fog Investigation and Dispersal Operation (FIDO) system at pinoy, which consumed 410,000 litres (90,000impgal) per night. [6] What followed was a far more rapid advance than anticipated. [87], Stocking of No. They had had better relations with the British than with the French, and they would have brought a measure of stability and prosperity in the difficult economic conditions of 1920s Germany. 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. [78] These bridges carried maintenance traffic by day and operational traffic by night. Not only are the well-equipped forward elements presented, but the light security elements that form BAOR's vital reinforcements are included as well. staff to a British Advanced Ordnance Depot. British Army of the Rhine (post First World War) B.A.F.S.V. [75][66] The road network was also developed, and by 23 March eleven routes were open across the Maas, of which six were in the First Canadian Army area, including the sole class 70 route (ie one capable of carrying loads of up to 70 tonnes (69 long tons)) and five in the British Second Army area. [17], The British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) radio services were widely available on FM across north-western Germany. 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. British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) | REME Museum 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. Garrisons which closed at this time included Soest (home of the 6th Armoured Brigade),[8] Soltau (home of the 7th Armoured Brigade)[9] and Minden (home of the 11th Armoured Brigade).[10]. British Army Of The Rhine - The Armourers Bench [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. [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. To maximise their turnaround time, they were only used to cover the flooded stretch, with loads transferred to them and unloaded from them into other vehicles at each end. Fifteen minutes after the glider landings, there was a resupply mission flown by 240 Consolidated B-24 Liberator bombers from the US Eighth Air Force. After some debate, the Combined Chiefs of Staff endorsed his strategy at the Malta Conference in January and February 1945. Blaxland 1971 and Mallinson 2009, for example, have produced histories of the army which are not entirely dominated by narratives of counterinsurgency campaigns. WO2 Served from 1974 - 1994 Served in British Army of the Rhine. [91], On 3 May an VIII Corps FMC at Lneburg was taken over by the Second Army and used as an advance roadhead in conjunction with No. 1945British Army Royal Engineers enaged in the building of The Freeman Bridge, The River Rhine, Dusseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. [60] In the three days preceding the assault, the three hundred and thirty six 25-pounders assigned to the XII Corps fired 225,061 rounds, the sixteen 4.5-inch guns fired 7,002 rounds, the one hundred and sixty 5.5-inch guns fired 69,607 rounds, the fifty two 155 mm howitzers fired 4,335 rounds, the sixteen 7.2-inch howitzer fired 3,964 rounds, and the two 8-inch howitzers 176 rounds. This merely delayed work on the bridge, which was opened to traffic at 20:15. [95][92] To take pressure off the roads, the 21st Army Group placed an air composite platoon capable of receiving and handling up to 510 tonnes (500 long tons) per day under the Second Army's control. Members of British Army of the Rhine | Forces Reunited