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. 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. Their construction would require 3,000 wooden piles 30 centimetres (12in) in diameter and 18 to 23 metres (60 to 75ft) in length. [41] Pepperpot tactics involved supplementing the artillery fire with that of anti-tank guns, anti-aircraft guns, mortars and machine guns. Include Description. British logistics in the Western Allied invasion of Germany was the support of Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery's Anglo-Canadian 21st Army Group and the RAF Second Tactical Air Force operations in the Second World War from 8 January 1945 until the end of the war in Europe on 8 May 1945. Includes a chapter on the activation of BAOR and its composition throughout the Cold War against the background of government defense reviews. [9] This required major operations, and the port was not opened for shipping until 26 November. 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? The next major operation was Operation Plunderthe assault crossing of the Rhine. The second class 40 Bailey pontoon bridge, "Sparrow", was built by the 4th GHQ Troops Engineers on 27 March. While it was under construction, the engineers came under attack by the Luftwaffe, and 8 men were killed and 22 wounded. [19], During the height of "the Troubles" in Northern Ireland, the IRA targeted personnel in Germany between 1988 and 1990. The tracks of Sherman tanks were equipped with "duck bill" connectors to facilitate advancing across snow and soft ground. 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. [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. Despite the weather, all movements were completed as planned by 8 February. 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. Both formations had areas of responsibility located around the German section of the River Rhine. 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. [51] Extremely cold conditions persisted into February, and the divisions were issued with Arctic clothing and equipment that had been stockpiled for operations in Norway. [41] Some 600 field and 300 medium guns would support the operation. 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. $35.86. A double issue of Expeditionary Force Institutes stores was made to all participating units. [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. [8], Administrative support for British service personnel in Germany and across continental Europe was delegated to United Kingdom Support Command (Germany), (UKSC(G)). 14 Army Roadhead. [11] The first phase of this was the transfer of remaining stores to the advanced base. + $18.23 shipping. [16] The US XVIII Airborne Corps was assigned to the 21st Army Group for the crossing of the Rhine,[17] and again on 25 April for operations between the Elbe and the Baltic Sea. [87], Stocking of No. BMH Munster was one of several BAOR (British Army On The Rhine) army hospitals in Germany. [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. The 3rd Canadian Division made use of Buffalo tracked amphibious vehicles. Individual chapters consider British thinking about tactical nuclear weapons, the evolution of NATO strategy, theories of tactical nuclear warfare, nuclear instruction at the Staff College, operational research and war-gaming, and the development of the armys nuclear warfighting doctrine. Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War, and the other after the Second World War. [55], When the II Canadian Corps assumed control of the left sector on 15 February, No. Commanders in Chief. 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. BMH Iserlohn was one of several BAOR (British Army Of The Rhine) army hospitals in Germany. Country United Kingdom. Use the search function to locate the Order of battle by title or file name. 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. This had been scheduled to occur on 20 March 1945, but in early February it was brought forward to 20 February. 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. By 9 February sections of the Nijmegen-Kranenburg road were under 46 centimetres (18in) of water. 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. British Armed Forces Special Vouchers B.A.O.R. Operation Veritable required 35,000 vehicle movements, mainly to move XXX Corps units 80 miles (130km) in nineteen days. Four trains a day passed through Gevrey-Chambertin, which handled 72,550 personnel and 4,035 trucks. 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. 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. It drew fuel from Dungeness on the coast of Kent and transported it across the Strait of Dover to a terminal near Boulogne. BAOR is defined as British Army Of the Rhine frequently. [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. 167 FMC was handed over to it, and became No. Both formations had areas of responsibility located around the German section of the River Rhine. Five days before the operation began, the Navy asked for 40 more, which were provided. Originally scheduled to start at the beginning of January 1945, when the ground would have been frozen, Operation Veritable, the 21st Army Group's advance to the Rhine, was delayed for five weeks by the German Ardennes Offensive. The attacks resulted in the deaths of nine people, including three civilians, and many wounded. LT COL Served from 1974 - 2011 Served in British Army of the Rhine. The transfer involved 102,415 troops. [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. 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. [7], The 1993 Options for Change defence cuts resulted in BAOR being replaced by forces roughly 25,000 strong, divided between Headquarters Allied Command Europe Rapid Reaction Corps, 1st Armoured Division, other combat support and combat service support forces, and administrative elements headed by United Kingdom Support Command (Germany). 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. To secure the required transportation resources, eleven general transport companies, seven artillery transport platoons, a tank transporter company, a bulk petrol transport company, a petrol depot, a bridge company and an ambulance car company were transferred from Italy. 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. [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. Expand or collapse the "in this article" section, Expand or collapse the "related articles" section, Expand or collapse the "forthcoming articles" section, Africa, Gunpowder and Colonial Campaigns in, All-Volunteer Army, Post-Vietnam Through 2016, Armed Forces of the Ottoman Empire, 16831918, Australia from the Colonial Era to the Present. There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). [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. 13 Army Roadhead while II Canadian Corps advanced on Oldenburg supported from No. Barnett, Correlli. 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. This was after British forces personnel were scaled down over several years, with 19,100 in April 2010, and 2,850 in April 2019. All this week on Forces TV we are focusing on 'Rebasing' from Germany, as the countdown to drawdown steps up a gear. 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. The United States and the Middle East, 1945-2001, World War II in the Mediterranean and Middle East. 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. [27], On 10 February, the 5th Canadian Armoured Division loaded its 450 tanks and 320 Bren gun carriers on flat wagons in Rimini and Riccione, from whence they moved by rail to Leghorn. 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 Corps was with the BEF in 1940 and thereafter involved in the defene of the UK. [17], The British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) radio services were widely available on FM across north-western Germany. Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War and the other after the Second World War. 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). The best introduction to the regimental system of the British army. A traffic jam broke the bridge during the night, but it was reopened thirteen hours later. [98] By May the ration strength of the 21st Army Group had risen to 1.711 million. Railway units were moved forward, and only one railway group headquarters and two railway operating companies were left in France, Belgium and the Netherlands south of the Waal. [43] Over 2.5 million rounds of 25-pounder ammunition was made available for Operation Veritable. 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. 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. Technical Services BAOR (British Army of the Rhine), Shooting Team, 1969. percheron breeders near me; manchester public schools teacher contract; arizona cardinals schedule 2022 2023. chevy 350 compression ratio chart; matthew gunner ohanion Almost all BLA units were assigned to the 21st Army Group, which also included forces from other countries. British Air Forces in Germany came under the command of RAF Germany. [28], It was estimated that seven line of communications sub area headquarters would be required to support the advance into Germany. SALUTE South London Warlords. [10] Antwerp had sufficient capacity to support both the British and American forces, but its use was hampered by German V-weapon attacks. Not only was the 21st Army Group fighting alongside the much larger American armies, it had to deal with a severe shortage of manpower. Moody, Simon J. Imagining Nuclear War in the British Army, 19451989. Similar Royal Air Force Germany, Royal Electrical and Mech, British Army, Royal Military Police, Army Air Corps. 166 Field Maintenance Centre (FMC) at Veghel and the two Canadian FMCs at Wijchen and Oss. [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]. British Army Germany was formed in 2020 to administer the remaining service personnel, UK Civil Servants, and dependents (family members), based in Germany. The 6th Line of Communications Sub Area was earmarked to take over the administration of the port of Rotterdam when it was captured. von | Jun 17, 2022 | tornadoes of 1965 | | Jun 17, 2022 | tornadoes of 1965 | [91] At Artlenburg, 7th Army Troops engineers constructing a 282-metre (925ft) class 40 Bailey pontoon bridge also came under air attack, and two of its mobile cranes were damaged by artillery fire, but the bridge was opened on schedule at 12:00 on 30 April. B.A.R. It was also feared for a time that the skeleton FMC was in danger of being inundated, although it was sited on high ground. Another petrol depot arrived from Italy in April. The armoured divisions also carried a day's worth of AFV ration packs. Preparations were made to move it to a new site, but this was not required. In turn this demanded a high degree of organisation and professionalism required to utilise the available machines and firepower to best effect. The 11th Line of Communications Area took over the administration of the ports and the entire advanced base area, freeing the 12th Line of Communications Area headquarters to move forward. What military bases are left in Germany? Four days later the German Instrument of Surrender was signed in Berlin, and the war with Germany was over. Both stocked 200 rounds per gun of field artillery ammunition for the entire XXX Corps. Lorries then took them to the dispersal point at Renaix via Lyon and Dijon, guided by road markers that read "GF". [87] The 21st Army Group allocated an additional 2,190 tonnes (2,160 long tons) of road transport capacity to the Second Army between 27 March and 3 April. Additional supplies of fuel were loaded on DUKWs, which ferried fuel across the river until bridges were opened. Nearly 50 engineer companies, together with three road construction companies and 29 pioneer companies, were engaged in road maintenance. The second British Army on the Rhine was formed on 25 August 1945 from 21st Army Group. Over the next 24 hours, 7,415 vehicles crossed the bridge. 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. [4], The remaining presence in Germany is known as British Army Germany. . The Royal Navy formed Force U, consisting of three squadrons, each with a flotilla of twelve Landing Craft Medium (LCM), and a flotilla of twelve Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel (LCVP), which were transported by road across Holland and Belgium to participate. [73] In XXX Corps, all DUKWs were retained under corps control. 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]. 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. Adjutant Generals Base AGDU Army Guard Dog Unit AGR Army General Reserve A.G.R.A. This page was last edited on 27 February 2023, at 08:31. Road transport accounted for another 29,865 personnel and 23,360 trucks. To coordinate troop movements between the First Canadian Army and the British Second Army, a joint office known as "Grouping Control" was established. 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. [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. [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. USA & International; 100 [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). This freed the 9th Line of Communications Sub Area to participate in Operation Goldflake. [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. 13 Army Roadhead at Nijmegen. The link was not copied. Evolution of the organisation of the 21st Army Group line of communications, British logistics in the Western Allied invasion of Germany, Development of the line of communications, British logistics in the Western Allied Invasion of Germany, Fog Investigation and Dispersal Operation, British logistics in the Normandy campaign, British logistics in the Siegfried Line campaign, Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Supply and Maintenance on the European Continent, Official History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War, XVIII Corps (Airborne), Operation the Elbe to the Baltic, 27 April 1945 to 3 May 1945, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=British_logistics_in_the_Western_Allied_invasion_of_Germany&oldid=1141771057, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 18:30. [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. 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 . 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. The BAOR was formerly armed with tactical nuclear weapons. [60] Every available amphibious craft was collected. A special train brought the required stores to the Second Army railhead within 48 hours of a demand being lodged with the advance base. [71] The supplies dropped represented a day's supply of food, fuel and petrol for the two divisions. It is a history of British European security commitments, of NATO military strategy, and of the changing character of land warfare after 1945. Thank you. No. british army of the rhine bases. This merely delayed work on the bridge, which was opened to traffic at 20:15.