In preparation for the Allied invasion of Germany east of the Rhine, a series of offensive operations were designed to seize and capture its east and west banks: Operation Veritable and Operation Grenade in February 1945, and Operation Lumberjack and Operation Undertone in March 1945; these are considered separate from the main invasion operation. 414th Tank Transporter Unit Royal Corps of Transport. Field-Marshal Montgomei*y's British 2nd Army has becorfie the phantom force of the Western Front. Original British Expeditionary Force 1st Division 2nd Division 3rd Division 4th Division 5th Division 6th Division Divisions formed in late 1914 and 1915 7th Division 8th Division 27th Division 28th Division 29th Division 1st and 2nd Dismounted Divisions Guards Division The Divisions of Lord Kitchener's "New Armies" (technically Regular Army) british army of the rhine order of battle. After passing north of the Lippe on 29 March, the 2nd Armored Division broke out late that night from the forward position that the XVIII Airborne Corps had established around Haltern, 12mi (19km) northeast of Dorsten. The officer in charge of the unit capturing the area, typically a company or battalion, accepted responsibility over the town. Hours later, the attack multiplied as the ground troops were aided by an impressive airborne operation that brought planes, paratroopers, and more soldiers. Both formations had areas of responsibility located around the German section of the River Rhine . 262 Signal Squadron Royal Corps of Signals. Soldiers posted copies of General Eisenhower's Proclamation No. They include the Royal Artillery, the Royal Engineers, the RoyalSignals and the Intelligence Corps. On 25 August 1945, it was redesignated as the British Army of the Rhine (B.A.O.R. The Western Allies still had to fight, often bitterly, for victory. Includes 55 American divisions, 18 British divisions, 11 French divisions, 5 Canadian divisions, and 1 Polish division, as well as several independent brigades. However, concerned that the bypassed Germans would flood much of the nation and cause complete famine among a Dutch population already near starvation, Eisenhower approved an agreement with the local German commanders to allow the Allies to air-drop food into the country in return for a local ceasefire on the battlefield. The same day, in response to the 3rd Army's robust showing in the Saar-Palatinate region, and to have another strong force on the Rhine's east bank guarding the 1st Army's flank, Bradley gave Patton the go-ahead for an assault crossing of the Rhine as soon as possible. BAOR was armed with tactical nuclear weapons and supported by Royal Air Force Germany. 62 Cyprus Support Squadron, Royal Engineers. 1997. Completing the Allied line to the Swiss border was the 6th Army Group commanded by Lieutenant General Jacob L. Devers, with the U.S. 7th Army (Alexander Patch) in the north and the French 1st Army (Jean de Lattre de Tassigny) on the Allied right, and southernmost, flank. All three corps of the 1st Army participated in the breakout, which on the first day employed five infantry and two armored divisions. Thus, he decided to feint at Mainz while making his real effort at Nierstein and Oppenheim, 910mi (1416km) south of the city. During the Second World War the army was the main British contribution to the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944 and advance across Europe . Thus all three armies of the 12th U.S. Army Group were in a fairly even northsouth line, enabling them to advance abreast of each other to the Elbe. british army of the rhine order of battle. ["On Heavy Artillery: American Experience in Four Wars"]. During the fighting west of the Rhine up to March 1945, the German Army on the Western Front had been reduced to a strength of only 26 divisions, organized into three army groups (H, B and G). While manpower and force size was limited by budgetary constraints, quality of training and equipment was commonly reported of a high standard. Back in the 1950s, a posting in Germany was being actively encouraged as a vast British Army presence continued to expand. 4th Petrol Depot, Royal Army Ordnance Corps. 52nd Field Squadron (Construction), 22nd Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers, 516th Specialist Team (Bulk Petrol), Royal Engineers, RAF Gtersloh, 1st Postal & Courier Regiment, Royal Engineers, Hannover (in support of 1 (BR) Corps), 11th Postal & Courier Squadron, Royal Engineers, Verden (in support of 1st (BR) Armoured Division), 13th Postal & Courier Squadron, Royal Engineers, Soest (in support of 3rd (BR) Armoured Division), 14th Postal & Courier Squadron, Royal Engineers, Herford (in support of 4th (BR) Armoured Division), 3rd Postal & Courier Depot, Royal Engineers, Dsseldorf (in support of Communication Zone [CommZ]). In that time, the Company has released a number of well-received projects that cut across the diecast spectrum, from big and beefy 1:32 scale tanks to pose-able 1:72 scale WWII-era fighters. After General Omar Bradley warned, however, that capturing a city located in a region that the Soviets had already received at the Yalta Conference might cost 100,000 casualties,[56] by 15 April Eisenhower ordered all armies to halt when they reached the Elbe and Mulde Rivers, thus immobilizing these spearheads while the war continued for three more weeks. Regimental headquarters are administrative and ceremonial in nature. 11th Signal Regiment Royal Corps of Signals. 88 mm Pak 43 with spread mount covered in a securing position behind the river Rhine, Germany spring 1945. IF YOU WOULD PREFER TO STAY ANONYMOUS OR KEEP ALL CONTENTS PRIVATE PLEASE STATE THIS CLEARLY ON SUBMISSION: All rights reserved. During 1988 the disposition of brigades in Northern Ireland changed: On 1 July 1988 3rd Infantry Brigade reformed at Armagh and became responsible for the UK-Ireland border zone from Armagh to South Londonderry. By the end of 28 March, Hodges' 1st Army had crossed the Lahn, having driven at least 50mi (80km) beyond the original line of departure, capturing thousands of German soldiers in the process. Additional losses in the Rhineland further weakened the German Army, leaving shattered remnants of units to defend the east bank of the Rhine. The Northern Army Group (NORTHAG) was a NATO military formation comprising five Army Corps from five NATO member nations. The initial advance into Romania, the First JassyKishinev Offensive in April and May 1944 was a failure; the Second JassyKishinev Offensive in August succeeded. On 4 May, the 3rd Army's V Corps and XII Corps advanced into Czechoslovakia, and units of the VI Corps met elements of Lieutenant General Lucian Truscott's U.S. 5th Army on the Italian frontier, linking the European and Mediterranean Theaters. It included the four military members of the Army Board, including the Chief of the General Staff, General Sir John Chapple in 1989, the Second Permanent Under Secretary, and the Assistant Chief of the General Staff, a major general. By then, the paratroopers had taken all their first day's objectives in addition to 3,500 prisoners. Its been seven years since Waltersons first acquired the Forces of Valor brand from its former owner, Unimax. 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 (Netherlandsand Belgium), 3,200 in Cyprus (including 850 on Also on 28 March, elements of the U.S. 17th Airborne Division operating north of the Lippe River in conjunction with British armored forcesdashed to a point some 30mi (48km) east of Wesel, opening a corridor for the XIX Corps and handily outflanking Dorsten and the enemy to the south. The Southern half of the Federal Republic of Germany was to be defended by the four Army Corps of NATO's Central Army Group (CENTAG). Simpson subsequently turned his troops' attention to mopping up pockets of local resistance. 20 Postal and Courier Squadron, Royal Engineers. The German forces there were simply in less disarray than those to the north. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War and the other after the Second World War. To accomplish this, he had to move quickly. German military historian Rdiger Overmans (, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 21:59. Orders of battle (London : Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1960) 2 vol. For the period 1 March 1945-20 April 1945 they recorded 343,321 killed and wounded in the East (62,861 killed, 280,460 wounded) versus 22,598 killed and wounded in the West (5,778 killed, 16,820 wounded), an East vs. West ratio of about 15:1 in killed and wounded. Involved in battle of El Alamein and the invasion of Sicily. Postal and Courier Depot, Royal Engineers, Central Volunteer HQ Royal Engineers (Postal and Courier Services). 1, which began with "We come as a victorious army, not as oppressors." 2339 (Regular Signal Regiments 1st to 30th), Lord & Watson, pp. With the surrender of the German Army on 9 May 1945, the 21st Army Group became an army of occupation. 1st Training Regiment Corps of Royal Engineers. 27th District Workshop, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. [46], As was the case throughout the campaign, the German ability to fight was sporadic and unpredictable during the drive to the ElbeMulde line. [31], On the night of 23/24 March, after the XII Corps' assault of the Rhine, Bradley had announced his success. In December 1989, Headquarters UK Land Forces at Wilton directed field forces through a three-star's command, Commander UK Field Army, Lieutenant General Sir David Ramsbotham. Here the Germans turned a thick defense belt of antiaircraft guns against the American ground troops with devastating effects. To the north, the 9th Army's XIX and XIII Corps would also drive for the Elbe, toward Magdeburg, about 65mi (105km) north of Leipzig, although the army commander, General Simpson, hoped he would be allowed to go all the way to Berlin. "I have been visiting some of the units and found them, ready for the . At the same time, General Devers' 6th U.S. Army Group would move south through Bavaria and the Black Forest to Austria and the Alps, ending the threat of any Nazi last-ditch stand there. The BAOR at this point still consisted of 80,000 troops. The Allied front along the Rhine stretched 450 miles (720km) from the river's mouth at the North Sea in the Netherlands to the Swiss border in the south. General Eisenhower's Armies were facing resistance that varied from almost non-existent to fanatical[54] as they advanced toward Berlin, which was located 200km (120mi) from their positions in early April 1945. 7th Intelligence Company, Intelligence Corps. CONTENTS OF EMAILS MAY BE DISPLAYED ON THIS SITE (BUT IN AN ENCRYPTED FORMAT TO DETER SPAMMERS) TO BENEFIT HISTORY. Once the Ruhr was surrounded, he wanted the 9th Army transferred from the British 21st Army Group to the U.S. 12th Army Group. divisions are listed in order of their original numbers (e.g., beginning with the former 1st Division and finishing with the former 62nd) . 211 Mobile Civilian Artisan Group, Royal Engineers. 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 British 2nd Army advanced towards Hamburg, crossing the River Elbe on 29 April 1945 and pushing on towards Denmark and the Baltic. Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War, and the other after the Second World War. Early in the afternoon of 1 April elements of the 2nd and 3rd Armored Divisions met at Lippstadt, linking the 9th and 1st Armies and sealing the prized Ruhr industrial complex, along with Model's Army Group B, within American lines. [33], In the southernmost sector of the 21st Army Group's attack, the 9th Army's assault divisions were to cross the Rhine along an 11 miles (18km) section of the front, south of Wesel and the Lippe River. It was administered by the War Office from London, which was subsumed into the Ministry of Defence in 1964. When the task force failed to advance on 31 March, Maj. Gen. J. Lawton Collins, commander of the VII Corps, asked Simpson if his 9th Army, driving eastward north of the Ruhr, could provide assistance. The English Army was founded in 1660, was succeeded in 1707 by the new British Army, incorporating the existing Scottish regiments. Retrieved 9 October 2021. Welcome to BAOR Locations. Heeresarzt 10-Day Casualty Reports per Theater of War, 1945 [BA/MA RH 2/1355, 2/2623, RW 6/557, 6/559]. Eisenhower sent Bradley his final word on the matter: the 9th Army was to stay putthere would be no effort to take Berlin. 2 Postal and Courier Regiment, Royal Engineers. The same court sits in both areas and in the following tables the overall figures shown include Berlin trials. Only when Soviet artillery was falling around his Berlin headquarters bunker did he begin to perceive the final outcome. 9th Ordnance Battalion Royal Army Ordnance Corps, 174 Provost Company, Royal Military Police, Tidworth. [41], By 1 April, when the trap closed around the Germans in the Ruhr, their fate was sealed. Further north the airborne landings during Operation Plunder in support of the 21st Army Group's crossing of the Rhine were probably not worth the risk.[who?] 36th District Workshop, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, HQ London District & 238 Signal Squadron, Royal Signals, Chelsea. By attaching an infantry regiment of the 104th Infantry Division to the armored division and following the drive closely with the rest of the 104th Division, the VII Corps was well prepared to hold any territory gained. On mobilisation the regiments would join their divisional artillery. However, Patton also realized that the Germans were aware of this difficulty and would expect his attack north of Mainz. . British 2nd. At first, this was done informally with occupants evicted immediately and taking with them few personal possessions, but the process became standardized, with three hours' notice and OMGUS personnel providing receipts for buildings' contents. Ultimately under the command of Field Marshal, On 3 May the 85th and 88th [Infantry] Divisions sent task forces north over ice and snow 3 feet deep to seal the Austrian frontier and to gain contact with the American Seventh Army, driving southward from Germany. During the First World War the army was active on the Western Front throughout most of the war and later active in Italy. [61] According to the Chicago Tribune, "over the decades, Germans' attitudes toward the war have evolved from a sense of defeat to something far more complex". While retaining its operational focus, the intention is to rebalance the Armys formations in order to meet the challenges of constant competition and maintain its high-end warfighting capability. Lord & Watson, pp. 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. Later joined the staff of 10th Armoured Division in Western Desert. Of the land still under Nazi control, almost none was actually in Germany. Tanks and tank destroyers had been ferried across all morning, and by evening a Treadway bridge was open to traffic. In July 1944, soon after the Allied invasion of Normandy on D-Day (June 6, 1944), the British 11th Armoured Division broke out of the Normandy beachhead and advanced into France, before turning northward to Belgium. Faced with trying to make rapid advances through dense forest on rutted dirt roads and muddy trails, which could be strongly defended by a few determined soldiers and well-placed roadblocks, the task forces advanced only about 2 miles (3.2km) on the 25th. While this was short notice, it did not catch the XII Corps completely unaware. Having gambled his future ability to defend Germany on the Ardennes offensive and lost, Hitler had no real strength left to stop the powerful Allied armies. Everyone is asking its whereabouts and what its future role will be, says the British United Press correspondent with the British forces. The . During the Cold War NORTHAG was NATO's forward defence in the Northern half of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). This force would block any German counterattack from the Ruhr. Field-Marshal Bernard Montgomery's 21st Army Group was supplied with the task of advancing into Germany in the Niederrhein (Lower-Rhine) area, which eventually resulted in both the operations 'Veritable' and . See: Wallace, Linnel, Lt. Col., Commanding Officer, Office of Military Government, United States, Luftwaffe serviceable aircraft strengths (194045), Fifth Army History, Race to the Alps, Chapter VI: Conclusion, "Son of former German president stabbed to death while giving lecture in Berlin", "Angela Merkel: 'For us in Germany, it led ultimately to liberation from National Socialism', "From loss to liberation: How Germans view celebrations of Allied victory over their Nazi ancestors", "Bomber Command: Campaign Diary: AprilMay 1945", Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany, Rape during the Soviet occupation of Poland, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Western_Allied_invasion_of_Germany&oldid=1142343264, World War II operations and battles of the Western European Theatre, Battles and operations of World War II involving Canada, Military history of Canada during World War II, Battles and operations of World War II involving the United Kingdom, Battles and operations of World War II involving the United States, Battles and operations of World War II involving France, Battles and operations of World War II involving Poland, Battles and operations of World War II involving Belgium, Battles and operations of World War II involving the Netherlands, Battles and operations of World War II involving Hungary, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2022, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from July 2022, All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from February 2021, Wikipedia articles incorporating text from public domain works of the United States Government, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. Headquartered at JHQ Rheindahlen in West Germany and commanded by a General it consisted in peacetime of British I Corps and support troops. The predecessor to British Forces Germany, the BAOR was active from 1919-1929, and then 1945-1994. Junior Leaders Regiment Corps of Royal Engineers. Fire and Fury Games - designers of wargame miniatures rules The British Second Army was a field army active during the First and Second World Wars. This was the first major step towards the army of today, with a brigade group comprising of armour, infantry, an engineer squadron and armoured reconnaissance regiment, opposed to divisions comprising of solely infantry of armour ( the first case of mixed brigades being used effectively was near Soltau, April 1945, by 4th Armoured Brigade, led by Brigadier Carver). Finally, the Germans surrendered, and by midnight units moved out laterally to consolidate the crossing sites and to attack the first villages beyond the river. 57th Station Workshop, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. . German Field Marshal Walter Model, whose Army Group B was charged with the defense of the Ruhr, had deployed his troops heavily along the eastwest Sieg River south of Cologne, thinking that the Americans would attack directly north from the Remagen bridgehead. 3.15 p.m.) LONDON, Mar. After the end of the Second World War the British Army was drastically reduced in manpower to such an extent that the former British Rhine Army consisted of only two British divisions, the 7th Armoured Division and the 2nd Infantry Division. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. [57], By the beginning of 1945, Allied victory in Europe was inevitable. British Army and Royal Navy birth, marriage and death records (1730-1960) Search for a range of different types of British Army and Royal Navy birth, marriage and death records ( charges. With his escape route to the south severed by the 12th Army Group's eastward drive and Berlin surrounded by the Soviets, Hitler committed suicide on 30 April, leaving to his successor, Grand Admiral Karl Dnitz, the task of capitulation. Experienced Defence Supply Chain Manager and Health & Safety Practitioner with over 10 years demonstrated history of effective operations management with a strong working knowledge of the UK Defence Management of Health and Safety (JSP 375), Army Risk Assessments, and the subsequent methodological management of risk controls required for personnel that are arguably most exposed to health and . Isby and Kamp, Armies of NATO's Central Front, 1985, 251-255. The British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) and the Royal Air Force Command constituted Great Britain's armed forces in Germany and were one of the main pillars of the NATO defence doctrine on West German soil. [44], The 4 April pause in the 3rd Army advance allowed the other armies under Bradley's command to reach the Leine River, about 50mi (80km) east of Paderborn. More reorganisation was implemented in January 1978 with the creation of 3rd and th Armoured Brigades. There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). 14th Independent Topographic Squadron, Royal Engineers. Mallinson, Allan. All units within the service are either Regular (full-time) or Territorial Army (part-time), or a combination with sub-units of each type. They include the Infantry, the Royal Armoured Corps and the Army Air Corps. 20th March 2015. [37], Beginning the next day, 26 March, the armored divisions of all three corps turned these initial gains into a complete breakout, shattering all opposition and roaming at will throughout the enemy's rear areas. 34th Base Workshop, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, HQ North-West District & Signal Squadron, Royal Signals, at, Trade Training School (Ground crew & maintenance training), 75th Ordnance Company, Royal Army Ordnance Corps, Detachment 2 Postal and Courier Regiment, Royal Engineers, 14th Regiment, Royal Artillery, Larkhill (Support regiment, 12th Royal School of Military Engineering Regiment, Royal Engineers, Chattenden, 42nd Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers, Hermitage (Geographic Survey), HQ Northern Ireland District & 233 (Northern Ireland) Signal Squadron, Royal Signals, Lisburn, 22 Postal and Courier Squadron, Royal Engineers, Royal Army Ordnance Corps Ordnance Depot, Northern Ireland, Band of the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters (Small Infantry Band), Band of the Royal Hampshire Regiment (Small Infantry Band), Band of the Gloucestershire Regiment (Small Infantry Band), 176 Provost Company, Royal Military Police, at, Band of the Black Watch (Small Infantry Band), 175 Provost Company, Royal Military Police, at Thiepval Barracks, Lisburn. On roulement deployment from February 1989 to February 1991. The Armistice that went into effect on 11 November . Following this primary assault, which XII Corps would undertake, VIII Corps would execute supporting crossings at Boppard and St. Goar, 2530 miles (4048km) northwest of Mainz. [26], On 19 March, Eisenhower told Bradley to prepare the 1st Army for a breakout from the Remagen bridgehead any time after 22 March. Was Colonel in Quartermaster branch and talks of the logistic problems - stockpiling ammunition for the crossing of the Rhine, supplies stuck in sand before Alamein. Patton knew that the most obvious place to jump the river was at Mainz or just downstream, north of the city. [36], The 1st Army's drive from the Remagen bridgehead began with a breakout before dawn on 25 March. . 4th Armoured Division Transport Regiment, Royal Corps of Transport, 4th Ordnance Battalion, Royal Army Ordnance Corps, Herford, 4th Armoured Workshop, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Detmold, 4th Armoured Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps, Minden, 114th Provost Company, Royal Military Police, Detmold, HQ 11th Armoured Brigade & 211th Signal Squadron, Royal Signals, Minden, HQ 20th Armoured Brigade & 200th Signal Squadron, Royal Signals, Detmold, 43 (Lloyd's Company) Air Defence Battery, (36x.