[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. [44] Road maintenance was made especially difficult by the winter weather. The United States and the Middle East, 1945-2001, World War II in the Mediterranean and Middle East. 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. That day trains also began arriving at No. 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 . 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. The British Liberation Army (BLA) was the official name given to the British Army forces which fought on the Western Front of World War II between the Invasion of Normandy and the end of the war. [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 6th Line of Communications Sub Area was earmarked to take over the administration of the port of Rotterdam when it was captured. Contents 1 History [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. [6] In 1967, the force was reduced in strength to 53,000 soldiers. This page is a list of British Armies in WWII. 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. 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. B.A.R. [1] It was established following the Second World War, the largest parts of it becoming known as the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) and RAF Germany (RAFG). [70] Of the 610 tonnes (600 long tons) of supplies and equipment dropped, 80 per cent was recovered. [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. 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. 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. TR. [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. [63] The final troop movements for Operation Plunder involved 662 tanks, over 4,000 tank transporters and 32,000 other vehicles. Printer friendly. By this time a thaw had set in, and the ground was now soft and muddy, restricting off-road vehicle movement. british army of the rhine bases . A special train brought the required stores to the Second Army railhead within 48 hours of a demand being lodged with the advance base. For more information or to contact an Oxford Sales Representative click here. Emmerich was taken on 1 April after a three-day battle to provide an additional bridgehead. British Land Forces in Germany came under the command of the British Army of the Rhine. 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. 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. [44] For security reasons, troop movements had to be conducted at night. [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. 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 . During the Great War (1914-1918) approximately 900,000 men, a quarter of the whole Army. Both formations had areas of responsibility located around the German section of the River Rhine. Nearly 50 engineer companies, together with three road construction companies and 29 pioneer companies, were engaged in road maintenance. For this the British Second Army deployed 1,520 field and medium guns, and the US Ninth Army had 624 field and medium guns. 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. An emergency repair effort was conducted, and many were shipped direct from the workshops to the front lines. REME Technical Services BAOR (British Army of the Rhine) 5 Infantry Workshop, Nijmegan Marchers 5 Infantry Workshop, Nijmegan Marchers Check 'British Army of the Rhine' translations into Italian. By 1945 the British Army was highly experienced, professional and proficient. [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). This came from the reorganisation of the line of communications, and additional general transport companies arriving from Italy through Operation Goldflake. 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 class 40 timber pile bridge at Zanten, known as "Dempsey" was built by the 18th GHQ Troops Engineers and was opened on 26 May. [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. Home; About. A. Operational research had shown that the number of guns saturating an area was more important than the actual weight of shells fired. [38] Operation Blackcock, a preliminary operation to clear German forces from the Roer Triangle, was carried out by the XII Corps in January 1945. This operation to cross the northern Rhine River launched in the night of 23 Mar 1945. [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. [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. [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). Free shipping for many products! They were respectively augmented by 1,891 and 1,446 anti-aircraft guns and anti-tank guns. The other units could not be found, and the 21st Army Group was informed that it would have to make do without them. [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. [26][27], Finding the additional service and supply units proved difficult, as the Mediterranean theatre had long been short of them. Both formations had areas of responsibility located around the German section of the River Rhine. The BAOR was formerly armed with tactical nuclear weapons. 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. A comprehensive history of the British army aimed at undergraduate students and the general reader. The position gained along the Roer was then taken over by the US Ninth Army. The second class 40 Bailey pontoon bridge, known as "Blackfriars", was built by the II Canadian Corps Engineers in 50 hours, starting at 10:00 on 26 March. The aim was to re-establish patrols in these areas and flush out paramilitaries from urban bases. By January 1945, some 90,000 civilians were employed by the 21st Army Group, of whom half were employed in workshops in the advanced base, and 14,000 at the port of Antwerp. 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. This freed the 9th Line of Communications Sub Area to participate in Operation Goldflake. There were doubts as to whether this need could be met, but the situation was eased by the fortuitous arrival of 4,700 tonnes (4,600 long tons) of ammunition that had been pre-loaded on some of the transport that had been allocated by the 21st Army Group. 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. 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. Three trains a day were run over this route under an arrangement with SHAEF and the American Military Railway Service. A double issue of Expeditionary Force Institutes stores was made to all participating units. 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. 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. The British Second Army also had access to the American class 70 timber pile bridge at Venlo and the Canadian First Army class 70 bridge at Grave. 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. For this the British Second Army deployed 1,520 field and medium guns, and the US Ninth Army had 624 field and medium guns. After the assumption of government by civilians, it became the command formation for the troops in Germany only, rather than being responsible for administration as well. 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 . [61] Up to seven trains per day were required to move the ammunition from the advance base to the ammunition railheads at No. Chieftain provides a complete array of British equipment and maneuver units, from Chieftain and Challenger tanks through MCV-80 and Saxon APCs. 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. [7] Following a further spending review, one brigade was withdrawn and Osnabrck Garrison closed in 2009. They were also utilised for duties such as manning level crossings. [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. Use the search function to locate the Order of battle by title or file name. These two photos were taken in late 1956 by Lab Tech Cpl Peter Elgar: On 4 May Montgomery took the surrender of the German forces in front of the 21st Army Group. 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. 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.