[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. 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. [63] The final troop movements for Operation Plunder involved 662 tanks, over 4,000 tank transporters and 32,000 other vehicles. Positioned on the North German Plain, it is the command element of NATO's Northern Army Group (NORTHAG). 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. A Mail on Sunday . Corps Water Polo Championships, BAOR (British Army of the Rhine)Team Winners, Aldershot. Between 6 and 8 April, the 21st Army Group released another 4,630 tonnes (4,560 long tons) of road transport, along with two DUKW companies that were converted to using 3-ton trucks. [65], The buildup of stocks for Operation Plunder commenced on 8 March. [77] A 370-metre (1,220ft) class 40 Bailey pontoon bridge was built at Venlo by the 15th GHQ Troops Engineers. [3], The 21st Army Group's campaign in North West Europe had commenced with Operation Overlord, the Allied landings in Normandy on D-Day, 6 June 1944. It was estimated that each could carry 7,000 vehicles per day under frozen conditions and 4,000 per day during a thaw. [41] Pepperpot tactics involved supplementing the artillery fire with that of anti-tank guns, anti-aircraft guns, mortars and machine guns. Adjutant Generals Base AGDU Army Guard Dog Unit AGR Army General Reserve A.G.R.A. [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. . 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. Chieftain: British Army of the Rhine - BoardGameGeek [12] Petrol was brought in tankers and over the Operation Pluto pipeline. UK to maintain military presence in Germany - GOV.UK Sixteen of the bombers were lost to anti-aircraft fire. 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. [6] What followed was a far more rapid advance than anticipated. Your current browser may not support copying via this button. [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. History of the british army of the rhine 06 09 14. [28], It was estimated that seven line of communications sub area headquarters would be required to support the advance into Germany. British Army of the Rhine - OverDrive british army of the rhine bases. $35.86. [52], Special tracks were provided for the Bren gun carriers to prevent skidding on icy roads, but these had to be withdrawn when it was discovered that they caused excessive wear and tear on their suspensions. As was written earlier we are constantly searching for information, and adding or updating pages. The corps sometimes had to send their transport back to the army roadheads to assist when major operations were required. [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. Store Equipment Fleet (Germany) store of vehicles and other equipment for exercises and operations around Europe. 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 next major operation was Operation Plunderthe assault crossing of the Rhine on 23 March. A traffic jam broke the bridge during the night, but it was reopened thirteen hours later. 167 FMC, established by the XXX Corps which held only petrol, compo ration packs and ammunition. The 690-metre (2,250ft) class 40 and 70 steel-piled jetty bridges were built at Arnhem by the First Canadian Army engineers, and opened on 31 May, and the 440-metre (1,450ft) class 40 and class 70 timber pile bridges at Zutphen were completed on 26 May. 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 . 1st/4th and 9th battalions of the Seaforths were with the Rhine Army in 1919. 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? Not only are the well-equipped forward elements presented, but the light security elements that form BAOR's vital reinforcements are included as well. The Making of the British Army: From the English Civil War to the War on Terror. 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. [81] The XII Corps plan called for the construction of a class 9 Folding Boat Equipment (FBE) bridge, a class 12 Bailey pontoon bridge and two class 40 Bailey pontoon bridges. Both stocked 200 rounds per gun of field artillery ammunition for the entire XXX Corps. Media in category "British Army of the Rhine". Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War, and the other after the Second World War. The base workshops built a prototype trailer that provided more clearance, and the Navy ordered 25 of them. XXX Corps opened a new No. The BAOR was formerly armed with tactical nuclear weapons. The troops were located principally in the vicinity of Cologne at an approximate cost per month of 300,000. Select from premium British Army Of The Rhine of the highest quality. The Mediterranean theatre was only able to provide two field bakeries. VIII Corps also used its own transport to haul ammunition for the crossing of the Elbe on 28 April. TR. The pipeline running from Cherbourg to Rouen was shut down on 9 January, which freed personnel to work on extending other pipelines. German railway personnel were used to man two trains a day from Celle to Bienenbuttel. Technical Services BAOR (British Army of the Rhine), Shooting Team, 1969. 166 Field Maintenance Centre (FMC) at Veghel and the two Canadian FMCs at Wijchen and Oss. 26 In a European context the first step in this process was the 1947 Anglo-French Treaty of . Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008. The two corps stocked their FMCs by road, but the completion of repairs to the 1,222-metre (4,008ft) bridge over the Maas at Gennep by the 7th Army Troops Engineers on 20 March relieved the pressure on the one at Grave, and it became possible to move the railhead to within the No. 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. Two pipelines were laid across the Rhine at Emmerich and were in operation by the end of April. [12] Civilian labour was utilised at the bases in a variety of tasks to enable military personnel to be released for service in forward areas. 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. [28], Originally scheduled to start on 12 January 1945, when the ground would have been hard and frozen and off-road vehicle movement possible, Operation Veritable was delayed for five weeks by the Ardennes Offensive. 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. 13 Army Roadhead while II Canadian Corps advanced on Oldenburg supported from No. 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 . In the post World War Two years Argonne Barracks became . [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. Strachan, Hew, ed. [89][88] The high use of road transport meant that the Second Army was burning 7,600 tonnes (7,500 long tons) of petrol a day, but the supply of fuel caused no problems. Operation Veritable required 35,000 vehicle movements, mainly to move XXX Corps units 80 miles (130km) in nineteen days. 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. 616 Squadron RAF began operating Gloster Meteor jet fighters from Brussels, and they required kerosene. There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine ( BAOR ). [74], The South Beveland Canal was opened on 19 February to allow inland water transport to reach the Dutch canal system when the western Netherlands were liberated. Recourse was therefore made to Weasel tracked vehicles, and every available Weasel was rushed to the front. 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. [70] Of the 610 tonnes (600 long tons) of supplies and equipment dropped, 80 per cent was recovered. Blaxland 1971 and Mallinson 2009, for example, have produced histories of the army which are not entirely dominated by narratives of counterinsurgency campaigns. A special effort was made to ensure that all units had their full allowance of winter and protective clothing. It was therefore conducted over muddy and sometimes flooded ground, and roads were sometimes impassable even to four-wheel-drive vehicles. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! Please subscribe or login. USA & International; 100 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. 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 . On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. This included 15,000,000 rations, which were gradually eaten by the troops in the RMA. During the two-hour rail halt, the troops were served a hot meal and provided with sandwiches for the next one. [30], A rail halt was established at Gevrey-Chambertin and bivouac areas at Montbard and Chalon-sur-Sane. Over the next 24 hours, 7,415 vehicles crossed the bridge. Traduzione di "British Army of the Rhine" in italiano . Country United Kingdom. Following the war the BLA was redesignated to become the British Army of the Rhine in August . [53], Once the battle commenced on 8 February, the main administrative task was replenishing the stocks of ammunition. A double issue of Expeditionary Force Institutes stores was made to all participating units. [4] German resistance was stubborn, and the British and Canadian advance much slower than planned until July,[5] when the American Operation Cobra broke through the German defences. [36] Operation Veritable would be spearheaded by the five British divisions of Lieutenant General Sir Brian Horrocks's XXX Corps, and would form part of a giant pincer movement with Operation Grenade, which would be conducted by Lieutenant General William H. Simpson's US Ninth Army. British Military Hospital BMH Iserlohn - QARANC 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. [43] The ammunition dumping program was completed by 4 February, by which time 14,400 tonnes (14,200 long tons) of ammunition had been dumped at the gun positions, and 23,100 tonnes (22,700 long tons) at the XXX Corps and II Canadian Corps FMCs. Foster. Three trains a day were run over this route under an arrangement with SHAEF and the American Military Railway Service. During the Great War (1914-1918) approximately 900,000 men, a quarter of the whole Army. [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. Alpine Training Centre (ATC) Hubertus-Haus this installation provides facilities and activities, including rock climbing, kayaking, paragliding, sailing, mountain biking, and winter sports, under the auspices of the Adventurous Training Foundation Delivery (AFTD), and is maintained by military and civil personnel. Mallinson, Allan. The British Army, Manpower, and Society into the Twenty-First Century. 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. British Army Of The Rhine - The Armourers Bench 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). This had been scheduled to occur on 20 March 1945, but in early February it was brought forward to 20 February. [79] Seven American combat engineer battalions assisted with road and bridge maintenance in the British Second Army area. british army of the rhine bases. [44] Road maintenance was made especially difficult by the winter weather. 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. 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. 14 Army Roadhead. Operational research had shown that the number of guns saturating an area was more important than the actual weight of shells fired. Crossing the Rhine | World War II Database - WW2DB [30] All movements were completed by the second week of April. [41] Some 600 field and 300 medium guns would support the operation. 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 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. [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. Thank you. 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. The British Army of the Rhine - researchgate.net Following the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review, the permanent deployment in Germany ended in 2020. 10 Army Roadhead. The object sank after being cut loose during an attempt to recover it, and the swimmer was captured. 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). Peter Walker. [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. A smoke screen concealed preparations on the west bank of the Rhine. [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. Five days before the operation began, the Navy asked for 40 more, which were provided. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003. 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. [51] Rations were moved forward however, and 2,318,222 rations were stockpiled for Operation Veritable. Expands. Menu Search. While it was under construction, the engineers came under attack by the Luftwaffe, and 8 men were killed and 22 wounded. Army Bases [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. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1950s British Army Rhine Royal Artillery Soldiers sergeant officer etc 3.25*2.25 at the best online prices at eBay! Due to changing operational requirements, it was ultimately decided to build only three semi-permanent class 40 bridges, at Xanten, Rees and Arnhem, and two class 70 bridges, at Rees and Arnhem. When the First World War ended British troops crossed the Rhine into Germany and entered a cou A broad look at the cultural attitudes of the British army and its relationship with wider society. bases and force levels," the political response focused on the creation of defensive alliances. 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. [51] There was also demand for covered accommodation in the 3,300 bivouacs, and 21st Army Group headquarters released 343 huts and 1,600 100-pound (45kg) tents from its stocks, which were delivered to the railheads around Mill and 's-Hertogenbosch. Post war First Corps District administered Rhine Province and Westphalia. To improve its combat effectiveness BAOR was equipped since the early 1960s with tactical nuclear weapons, and in so doing, became the first formation of the British army trained to fight and prevail on a nuclear battlefield. 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 . [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. [8], Administrative support for British service personnel in Germany and across continental Europe was delegated to United Kingdom Support Command (Germany), (UKSC(G)). Use the search function to locate the Order of battle by title or file name. [87][88] A 300-metre (980ft) Class 9 FBE bridge was built over the Elbe at Lauenburg by the VIII Corps engineers on 29 April. Ammunition expenditure was prodigious, and a system of rationing had to be introduced. Copy this link, or click below to email it to a friend. British Army of the Rhine (post Second World War) . Four trains a day passed through Gevrey-Chambertin, which handled 72,550 personnel and 4,035 trucks. With some assistance from pioneers or civilians, each section could operate a petrol station issuing up to 45,000 litres (10,000impgal) per day. This was a problem as its special equipment was not stocked. ST. Army Gymnastic Staff AH Army Health . 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. A problem was encountered when defects were discovered in the tensioners of the 29th Armoured Brigade's new Comet tanks. 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. Since prompt clearance of the trains was essential to allow turnaround of the locomotives and rolling stock, vehicles had to be used to clear less urgently required supplies such as POL, coal and engineer stores. Chinese surveillance cameras are being used at British Army bases despite Ministers banning them from Government buildings over fears they pose a major security risk. The second British Army on the Rhine was formed on 25 August 1945 from 21st Army Group. British and Commonwealth PWX were flown directly to the UK, while American PWX were flown to collecting camps around Le Havre. Useful Abbreviations - British Army No 13 Army Roadhead was opened at Nijmegen on 2 March, and was stocked by rail. 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. BAOR stands for British Army Of the Rhine. 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 . British Army of the Rhine Wikipedia Republished // WIKI 2 Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War and the other after the Second World War. [44] For security reasons, troop movements had to be conducted at night. During February 300,000 long tons (300,000t) of supplies were delivered to the XXX Corps railheads.