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British Army of the Rhine

British Army of the Rhine(BAOR) was the name given toBritish Armyoccupation forces in theRhineland,West Germany,after theFirstandSecond World Wars,and during theCold War,becoming part ofNATO'sNorthern Army Group(NORTHAG) tasked with defending theNorth German Plainfrom the armies of theWarsaw Pact.The BAOR constituted the bulk of British forces in West Germany, and was a part ofBritish Forces Germany(BFG). British Forces Germany consisted of elements of the three service branches of theBritish Armed Forcesbased in West Germany; BAOR controlled Army units stationed there.

British Army of the Rhine
Active1919–1929
1945–1994
CountryUnited Kingdom
BranchBritish Army
Part ofBritish Army

British Forces Germany

Northern Army Group
Garrison/HQJHQ Rheindahlen,Germany

History

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1919–1929

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Formal group photograph of British and French officers and commissioners outside the house of the Commander-in-Chief Allied Armies of Occupation,Marienberg.
18th Hussarsin Cologne, 6 December 1918.
Field MarshalLord Plumer,General Officer Commanding-in-Chief the British Army of the Rhine, taking the salute from the 29th Division entering Cologne by theHohenzollern Bridge.
Two tanks passing through Cologne for inspection by the VI Corps Commander, GeneralAylmer Haldane,June 1919.

The first British Army of the Rhine was created in March 1919 to implement theoccupation of the Rhineland.It was originally composed of five corps, composed of two divisions each, plus a cavalry division:[1]

II Corps:commanded bySirClaud Jacob

IV Corps:commanded by SirAlexander Godley

VI Corps:commanded by SirAylmer Haldane

IX Corps:commanded by SirWalter Braithwaiteand later byIvor Maxse

X Corps:commanded by SirThomas Morland

Cavalry Division (formed from1st Cavalry Division)

Most of these units were progressively dissolved, so that by February 1920, there were only regular battalions:

In August 1920,Winston Churchill,as Secretary of State for War, toldParliamentthat the BAOR was made up of approximately 13,360 troops, consisting of staff, cavalry,Royal Artillery,Royal Engineers,infantry,machine gun corps,tanks, and the usual ancillary services. The troops were located principally in the vicinity ofCologneat an approximate cost per month of £300,000.[2]The Cologne Postwas a newspaper published for members of the BAOR during this period.[3]

From 1922 the BAOR was organised into two brigades:[1]

1st Rhine Brigade

2nd Rhine Brigade

Commanders-in-chief

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The commanders were:[4]

Cold War (1945–1991)

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Main articles:British occupation zone in GermanyandNORTHAG wartime structure in 1989
Field MarshalViscount Montgomeryrecording a radio broadcast, to mark the change over of theBritish Liberation Armyto the British Army of the Rhine.
AWarrior tracked armoured vehicle,as used by the 13 mechanised infantry battalions of the 1st, 3rd and 4th Armoured Divisions of the British Army of the Rhine, during the period 1988–1994.

The second British Army of the Rhine was formed on 25 August 1945 from theBritish Liberation Army.[5]Its original function was to control the corps districts which were running the military government of the British zone ofAllied-occupied Germany.After the assumption of government by civilians, it became the command formation for the troops inWest Germanyonly, rather than being responsible for administration as well.[6]

As the potential threat ofSovietinvasion across theNorth German PlainintoWest Germanyincreased, BAOR became more responsible for the defence of West Germany than its occupation. It became the primary formation controlling the British contribution toNATO,after the formation of the alliance in 1949. Its primary combat formation wasBritish I Corps.From 1952, the commander-in-chief of the BAOR was also the commander of NATO'sNorthern Army Group(NORTHAG) in the event of a general war with the Soviet Union and itsWarsaw Pactallies. The BAOR's50 Missile Regiment Royal Artillerywas formerly armed withtactical nuclear weapons,including theMGM-52 Lancesurface-to-surface tactical nuclear missile.[7]In 1967, the force was reduced in strength to 53,000 soldiers, compared with 80,000, ten years earlier.[8]

Post 1994

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With the end of theCold War,the 1993Options for Changedefence cuts resulted in BAOR being reduced in size, and in 1994 it becameBritish Forces Germany(BFG).[9]This force, roughly 25,000 strong, was divided betweenHeadquarters Allied Command Europe Rapid Reaction Corps,1st Armoured Division,other combat support and combat service support forces, and administrative elements headed byUnited Kingdom Support Command (Germany).Garrisons which closed at this time includedSoest(home of the6th Armoured Brigade),[10]Soltau(home of the7th Armoured Brigade),[11]andMinden(home of the11th Armoured Brigade).[12]

Following the2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review,the permanent deployment of British Army units in Germany was reduced. The last military base was handed to the GermanBundeswehrin February 2020.[13]

Commanders-in-chief

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The commanders were:[4]

Garrisons

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See also

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Notes

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  1. ^abRinaldi, Richard A. (2006)."The Original British Army of the Rhine"(PDF).orbat.info.Retrieved1 November2015.
  2. ^"Army of Occupation. (Hansard, 10 August 1920)".Parliamentary Debates (Hansard).10 August 1920.Retrieved20 June2023.
  3. ^""Cologne Post" (Mr. Nicholson) ".Parliamentary Debates (Hansard).1 August 1923.Retrieved28 June2012.
  4. ^ab"Army Commands"(PDF).Gulabin.com.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 5 July 2015.
  5. ^"Monty's 'Army Of the Rhine'".The Telegraph.Queensland,Australia. 25 August 1945. p. 1.Retrieved26 October2016– via National Library of Australia.
  6. ^"British Army of the Rhine".BAOR Locations.Retrieved1 November2015.
  7. ^"BAOR (Tactical Nuclear Weapons)".Parliamentary Debates (Hansard).30 January 1963.Retrieved1 November2015.
  8. ^Reynolds, Gerald (6 March 1967)."Defence (Army) Estimates 1967-68".Parliament.uk.Millbank Systems.Retrieved21 May2016.
  9. ^"From occupiers and protectors to guests".BBC News.20 July 2004.Retrieved23 February2020.
  10. ^"Salamanca Barracks".BAOR Locations.Retrieved1 November2015.
  11. ^"Bournemouth Barracks".BAOR Locations.Retrieved1 November2015.
  12. ^"Kingsley Barracks".BAOR Locations.Retrieved1 November2015.
  13. ^"British Army hands back last headquarters in Germany".The Guardian.22 February 2020.Retrieved23 February2020.

References

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  • Blume, Peter (2006),BAOR – Vehicles Of The British Army Of The Rhine – Fahrzeuge der Britischen Rheinarmee – 1945–1979,Tankograd{{citation}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Blume, Peter (2007),BAOR: The Final Years – Vehicles Of The British Army Of The Rhine – Fahrzeuge der Britischen Rheinarmee – 1980–1994,Tankograd{{citation}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Gander, T.J. (1984).British Army of the Rhine.London,England:Ian Allan Publishing.
  • Laber, Thomas (1991).British Army of the Rhine – Armoured Vehicles on exercise.Hong Kong:Concord Publications.
  • Schulze, Carl (1995).British Army Of The Rhine.Diane Pub Co.
  • Watson, Graham; Rinaldi, Richard A. (2005).The British Army in Germany: An Organizational History 1947–2004.Tiger Lily Publications LLC.
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