[32][34], To free up administrative units to support the advance into Germany, it was decided to shorten the line of communications by closing down the RMA in Normandy, where some 300,000 long tons (300,000t) of supplies were still held. bases and force levels," the political response focused on the creation of defensive alliances. Military Identities: The Regimental System, the British Army and the British People c.18702000. [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. [10] Antwerp had sufficient capacity to support both the British and American forces, but its use was hampered by German V-weapon attacks. Only three could be provided by the 21st Army Group: the 5th Line of Communications Sub Area and the 101st Beach Sub Area when released from the RMA, and the 9th Line of Communications Sub Area, when it was no longer required for Operation Goldflake. This was a problem as its special equipment was not stocked. 206 FMC. [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. $35.86. 168 FMC area at Goch. Temperatures were as low as 15C (5F) on 26 January, resulting in firm, frozen ground, but a subsequent thaw caused widespread flooding, and by 5 February a section of the Turnhout-Eindhoven road had become impassable even to four-wheel-drive vehicles. [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. [85], During the first three weeks of April 1945, the Second Army advanced about 320 kilometres (200mi) across northern Germany to reach the Elbe on 19 April. In a European context the first step in this process was the 1947 Anglo-French Treaty of Dunkirk. Contents 1 History No. This had been scheduled to occur on 20 March 1945, but in early February it was brought forward to 20 February. [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. Nearly 50 engineer companies, together with three road construction companies and 29 pioneer companies, were engaged in road maintenance. WO1 Served from 1971 - 1993 Served in British Army of the Rhine. SALUTE South London Warlords. A 229-metre (751ft) class 40 Bailey pontoon bridge was erected by the 7th Army Troops Engineers at Well and a 270-metre (880ft) one by the 6th Army Troops Engineers at Lottum was opened for traffic on 10 March. The 5 miles (8.0km) of the Nijmegen-Cleve road was under 610 millimetres (24in) of water, and DUKWs were employed to move supplies forward along it to a "skeleton" FMC, No. [85] A semi-permanent class 40 bridge and a semi-permanent class 70 bridge were also built over the Ijssel at Zutphen. 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. 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 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. [4] Its original function was to control the corps districts which were running the military government of the British zone of occupied Germany. [2] Composition [ edit] The installations consist of: [3] Normandy Barracks, Paderborn Headquarters, British Army Germany: Germany Enabling Office (GEO); Germany Support Unit. Divisions carried two days' compo rations in their first line (unit) transport and two days' in their second line (divisional) transport. 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. 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. A.G.B. 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. 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 . Military Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. The army roadheads were mainly supplied by rail. Following the war the BLA was redesignated to become the British Army of the Rhine in August . Army of Occupation commanders.jpg 800 595; 155 KB. 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. 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 . 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. Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War, and the other after the Second World War. 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. Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War and the other after the Second World War. [65], The buildup of stocks for Operation Plunder commenced on 8 March. The remaining RAF forces in Germany ceased to be a separate command, and instead became No 2 Group RAF, part of RAF Strike Command. British Armed Forces Special Vouchers B.A.O.R. Battle of Route Coloniale 4, 1950: Frances first devastat British Armed Forces, from the Glorious Revolution to Pres Communications, French Revolution to Present, Hippolyte, Comte de Guibert, Jacques Antoine, Hungary, Warfare in Medieval and Early Modern, India 'Mutiny' and 'Revolution,' 1857-1858, Japanese Army in the World War II Era, The Imperial, Justice, Military, the Anglo-American Tradition. A double issue of Expeditionary Force Institutes stores was made to all participating units. With some assistance from pioneers or civilians, each section could operate a petrol station issuing up to 45,000 litres (10,000impgal) per day. [60], The engineer units in the XII Corps assault area were under 11th Army Group, Royal Engineers (AGRE), commanded by Colonel R. B. British and Commonwealth PWX were flown directly to the UK, while American PWX were flown to collecting camps around Le Havre. The Kangaroo armoured personnel carriers and the Buffalo tracked amphibious vehicles of the 79th Armoured Division were overhauled between January and March. In due course it was relieved by a vehicle park from Italy. [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]. Each man crossing the Rhine was issued with a 24-hour ration, an emergency ration, a tin of preserved meat, a tin of self-heating soup or cocoa, a packet of biscuits and a tommy cooker with six hexamine tablets. The history of BAOR, then, is not simply a history of an army formation. 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. During the Great War (1914-1918) approximately 900,000 men, a quarter of the whole Army. 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 6th Line of Communications Sub Area was earmarked to take over the administration of the port of Rotterdam when it was captured. A special effort was made to ensure that all units had their full allowance of winter and protective clothing. The following 12 files are in this category, out of 12 total. 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). Operation Veritable required 35,000 vehicle movements, mainly to move XXX Corps units 80 miles (130km) in nineteen days. Pipelines were now constructed from Calais to Ghent, and thence to the storage facilities around Antwerp. [58], The next major operation was Operation Plunderthe assault crossing of the Rhine. The other units could not be found, and the 21st Army Group was informed that it would have to make do without them. 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. [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. These provided health care and bathing and delousing with DDT to prevent the spread of disease. In addition to the storm boats, DUKWs, Buffaloes and Weasels,[62] there were also amphibious DD tanks. As was written earlier we are constantly searching for information, and adding or updating pages. 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. Although our understanding of the service has been considerably deepened by subsequent scholarship, the book provides the broader context for thinking about the army after 1945. [13], With the departure of Major General John Henderson in March 2015, the Commanding Officer of British Forces Germany became a brigadier's post, with Brigadier Ian Bell assuming command. [61] Up to seven trains per day were required to move the ammunition from the advance base to the ammunition railheads at No. 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. London: William Kimber, 1971. [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. [87], Stocking of No. It would also free transport to support a rapid advance. 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. This page is a list of British Armies in WWII. [16] However, some training will still be undertaken in Germany with regard to NATO capability. 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. [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. Until the railway bridges could be brought into operation, maintenance depended entirely on road transport. The next major operation was Operation Plunderthe assault crossing of the Rhine on 23 March. 14 Army Roadhead. Additional supplies of fuel were loaded on DUKWs, which ferried fuel across the river until bridges were opened. Peter Walker. There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine ( BAOR ). Photo courtesy of RAMC Lab Tech Cpl Peter Elgar 1958. 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. [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. Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War, and the other after the Second World War. [6] What followed was a far more rapid advance than anticipated. The Dumbo pipeline was extended from Boulogne to Antwerp in March. 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. The possibility that the Germans might flood the forward area was not overlooked, and a company of DUKW amphibious trucks and a platoon of Terrapin amphibious vehicles was on 48-hours notice to assist. 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). It was arranged that 40 tanks, 650 wheeled vehicles, 50 Bren gun carriers, and 3,700 personnel would disembark each day in Marseilles, where accommodation was provided for 10,000 troops in tents and 200 vehicles. The position gained along the Roer was then taken over by the US Ninth Army. An emergency repair effort was conducted, and many were shipped direct from the workshops to the front lines. Its original function was to control the corps districts which were running the military government of the British zone of occupied Germany. London: Penguin, 1970. Over the next 24 hours, 7,415 vehicles crossed the bridge. 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. This merely delayed work on the bridge, which was opened to traffic at 20:15. [31][32], The bulk petrol transport companies that distributed the fuel were reorganised, with each company now having four instead of three platoons, so eight companies were reduced to six. 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. staff to a British Advanced Ordnance Depot. [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. 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. [43] Over 2.5 million rounds of 25-pounder ammunition was made available for Operation Veritable. The high use of road transport meant that the British Second Army burned 7,600 tonnes (7,500 long tons) of petrol a day, but pipelines were laid across the Rhine at Emmerich and were in operation by the end of April. [55], Rising flood waters soon created difficulties. At the rail stop there were messes and a kitchen that ran 24 hours a day. 166 FMC. During February 300,000 long tons (300,000t) of supplies were delivered to the XXX Corps railheads. The second British Army of the Rhine was formed on 25 August 1945 from the British Liberation Army. The 18th Line of Communications Sub Area was formed on 25 April and assigned to the First Canadian Army; the 19th joined the 15th; and the 20th relieved the 4th around Brussels, allowing it to take over the region to the north east of Nijmegen. 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. Includes a chapter on the activation of BAOR and its composition throughout the Cold War against the background of government defense reviews. Army Group Royal Artillery . What military bases are left in Germany? Motorman began on 31st July 1972 with the rapid deployment of troops from the rest of the UK and the British Army of the Rhine to the ports of Belfast and Derry. Ron. [78] These bridges carried maintenance traffic by day and operational traffic by night. This freed the 9th Line of Communications Sub Area to participate in Operation Goldflake. It was decanted at Bocholt and transported by rail to No. 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. 1st/4th and 9th battalions of the Seaforths were with the Rhine Army in 1919. 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. BAOR stands for British Army Of the Rhine. 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. Lorries then took them to the dispersal point at Renaix via Lyon and Dijon, guided by road markers that read "GF". 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. 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 . You can order records in advance to be ready for. Both formations had areas of responsibility located around the German section of the River Rhine. German railway personnel were used to man two trains a day from Celle to Bienenbuttel. WO2 Served from 1974 - 1994 Served in British Army of the Rhine. No. [11], A new base was developed around Brussels, and an advanced base area around Antwerp, but supplies were still being drawn from the Rear Maintenance Area (RMA) in Normandy.
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