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Outline of the British Army at the end of the Cold War

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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The following is a hierarchical outline for the structure of the British Army in 1989.[1][2] The most authoritative source for this type of information available is Ministry of Defence (Army Department), Master Order of Battle, (ASD 6500-25 Ministry of Defence, 1991)[3][4][5] and United Kingdom Land Forces, HQ UKLF, UKLF ORBAT Review Action Plan, HQ UKLF, 1990.

At the top of the Army organisation is the Army Board of the Defence Council. The executive committee of the Army Board was responsible for the 'detailed management of the Army.' 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.[6] The Army Department consisted of four components: the General Staff, the Adjutant General's department, which dealt with recruiting, and also had the Provost Marshal (Army), a brigadier, reporting to him, though the RMP headquarters was at Roussillon Barracks, Chichester;[7] the Military Secretary's department, and the Quartermaster General's department.

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United Kingdom Land Forces

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Commander-in-Chief, UK Land Forces, General Sir Charles Huxtable

HQ: Wilton

HQ United Kingdom Land Forces commanded nine military districts until the spring of 1991.[8] These districts controlled the regular army brigades in the UK (inc 1st and 5th Brigades) and the predominantly TA regional brigades. In 1984–85, the nine districts were Eastern (19th and 54th Brigades), London, North-East (2nd Infantry Division, 15, 24, and 49 Brigades), North-West District (42 Brigade), Scotland (51 and 52 Brigades), South-Eastern District (2 and 5 Brigades), South-West District (UK Contingent, ACE Mobile Force, 1, and 43 Brigades) Headquarters Wales (160 Brigade), and Western District (143 Brigade).[9]

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.[10] Many of the units stationed in the United Kingdom were to move immediately to Germany to reinforce British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) in case of war between NATO and the Warsaw Pact. For administrative purposes these units were under command of brigade HQ based in the UK during peacetime. Such reinforcement units are indicated in the list below in italics followed by the higher command they were to reinforce in Germany in brackets.

Scotland

North-East District

2nd Infantry Division

Eastern District

Eastern District, Colchester, covering the counties of Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Leicestershire, Norfolk, Rutland, Northamptonshire, and Lincolnshire HQ Eastern District & 239 Signal Squadron, Royal Signals, Colchester

London District

London District, Horse Guards, covering Greater London

South-East District

South-West District

Wales District

Western District

North-West District

Army Air Corps

British Army Training Unit Suffield

British Army Schools

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Headquarters Northern Ireland

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The General Officer commanding Headquarters Northern Ireland reported directly, operationally, to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. 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.[79] The brigade had been disbanded in September 1981 with its units and area initially having been taken over by 8th Infantry Brigade.[80] On 2 November 1988 107th (Ulster) Brigade (V) was raised and took command of all Territorial Army units in Northern Ireland, thus freeing 8th Infantry Brigade and 39th Infantry Brigade to focus on counterinsurgency operations. This structure was in force until the 1992 amalgamation of Royal Irish Rangers and Ulster Defence Regiment, after which 3rd Infantry Brigade returned to control its traditional area of County Armagh and County Down.

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British Army of the Rhine

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See also: NORTHAG wartime structure in 1989

The British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) was the United Kingdom's main contribution to NATO. Headquartered at JHQ Rheindahlen in West Germany and commanded by a General it consisted in peacetime of British I Corps and support troops. In the event of war with the Warsaw Pact the Commander-in-Chief of BAOR would have assumed command of NATO's Northern Army Group (NORTHAG), which was tasked with defending Northern Germany up to the river Elbe. BAOR was armed with tactical nuclear weapons and supported by Royal Air Force Germany.

During transition to war, the support units of BAOR would have formed the British Rear Combat Zone headquartered in Düsseldorf, which would have supplied the fighting forces and guarded the lines of communication within West Germany. Further West in Belgium was the British Communications Zone, which was headquartered in Emblem, outside Antwerp and tasked with receiving reinforcements and supplies from Great Britain and to co-ordinate their onward movement to 1 (BR) Corps.

On 27 November 1989 Peter Inge became the commander of NATO's Northern Army Group and Commander-in-Chief, British Army of the Rhine in Germany with the local rank of general;[114] he succeeded General Brian Kenny.

  • British Army of the Rhine, JHQ Rheindahlen, Federal Republic of Germany
    • No. 12 Flight AAC, RAF Wildenrath, (Gazelle AH.1)
    • Commander Engineers BAOR, JHQ Rheindahlen
      • 40th Army Engineer Support Group, Royal Engineers, Willich
      • 10th Field Squadron (Airfields), 38th Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers, RAF Gütersloh, (Forward deployed, 24x FV432, 12x Spartan, 9x engineer vehicles)
      • 14th Independent Topographic Squadron, Royal Engineers, Ratingen
      • 52nd Field Squadron (Construction), 22nd Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers, RAF Bruggen, (Forward deployed)
      • 516th Specialist Team (Bulk Petrol), Royal Engineers, RAF Gütersloh
    • Commander Postal & Courier Service BAOR, Royal Engineers, JHQ Rheindahlen
      • 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, Düsseldorf (in support of Communication Zone [CommZ])
      • 4th (NATO) Postal & Courier Regiment, Royal Engineers, Brunssum, Belgium (in support of SHAPE)
      • Berlin Postal and Courier Troop, Royal Engineers Berlin (in support of British Sector Berlin)
    • Commander Communications BAOR, JHQ Rheindahlen
    • Commander Transport & Movements BAOR, Düsseldorf
      • 68th Transport Squadron, Royal Corps of Transport, JHQ Rheindahlen
      • HQ 2nd Transport Group, Royal Corps of Transport, Düsseldorf
      • HQ Communications Zone, Royal Corps of Transport , Antwerp, Belgium
        • 602nd Transport Unit, Royal Corps of Transport, Antwerp, Belgium
    • Commander Medical BAOR, Düsseldorf
      • Commander Medical Rear Communication Zone, Düsseldorf
        • 31 General Hospital, Royal Army Medical Corps, Iserlohn
        • 82nd Field Medical Equipment Depot, Royal Army Medical Corps, Düsseldorf
        • 382nd Field Medical Company, Royal Army Medical Corps
      • Commander Medical Communication Zone, Antwerp, Belgium
    • Commander Supply BAOR, Düsseldorf
      • 3rd Base Ammo Depot, Royal Army Ordnance Corps, Bracht
      • 221st (BAOR) EOD Company, Royal Army Ordnance Corps, Herford
      • Communications Zone Ordnance Depot, Antwerp, Belgium
      • 15th Ordnance Group, Royal Army Ordnance Corps, Dulmen
        • Forward Stores Depot, Royal Army Ordnance Corps, Dulmen
        • Forward Vehicle Depot, Royal Army Ordnance Corps, Recklinghausen
        • 4th Petrol Depot, Royal Army Ordnance Corps, Warendorf
        • 154th Forward Ammo Depot, Royal Army Ordnance Corps, Wulfen
    • Commander Maintenance BAOR, Mönchengladbach
      • Rear Combat Zone:
        • 23rd Base Workshop, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Wetter
        • 37th (Rhine) Workshop, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Mönchengladbach
        • 62nd Rear Combat Zone Workshop, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Mönchengladbach
        • 64th Rear Combat Zone Workshop, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Willich
      • Communications Zone:
        • 60th Communications Zone Workshop, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Antwerp, Belgium
      • Theatre Units in 1 (BR) Corps Area:
        • 57th Station Workshop, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Paderborn
        • 58th Station Workshop, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Minden
        • 61st Station Workshop, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Dortmund
        • 63rd Station Workshop, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Hannover
    • Provost Marshal BAOR, JHQ Rheindahlen
      • Special Investigations Branch (Germany), JHQ Rheindahlen
      • 101st Provost Company, Royal Military Police, Düsseldorf
      • 102nd Provost Company, Royal Military Police, JHQ Rheindahlen
    • HQ Intelligence & Security Group (Germany), JHQ Rheindahlen
      • 2nd Intelligence Company, Intelligence Corps, JHQ Rheindahlen
      • 4th Security Company, Intelligence Corps, Düsseldorf
      • 5th Security Company, Intelligence Corps, Hannover
      • 6th Intelligence Company (Photo Intell), Intelligence Corps, JHQ Rheindahlen
      • 7th Intelligence Company, Intelligence Corps, Bielefeld
      • Recce Intelligence Centre (Gütersloh), Intelligence Corps, RAF Gütersloh
      • Recce Intelligence Centre (Laarbruch), Intelligence Corps, RAF Laarbruch

I British Corps

The area 1 BR Corps had to defend lay between Hanover to the North and Kassel to the South and extended from the Inner German Border to the Upper Weser Valley. In case of a war the Corps first line of defense would have been a screening force of 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards, 16th/5th Queen's Royal Lancers and 664 Squadron AAC, which would have become an ad-hoc brigade formation under command of BAOR's Brigadier Royal Armoured Corps. Behind the screening force 1st Armoured and 4th Armoured Division would form up. 3rd Armoured Division was to the rear of the two forward deployed division as reserve. 2nd Infantry Division was to defend the Corps Rear Area and prepare a last line of defense along the Western bank of the Weser river.

I British Corps units 1989:
I Corps HQ Armoured Division Armoured Brigade Artillery Brigade
Royal Air Force Germany bases:
Tornado GR.1 Harrier GR.5 Phantom FGR.2

1st Armoured Division

1st Armoured Division was the corps' Northern forward deployed division.

3rd Armoured Division

3rd Armoured Division was the corps' reserve formation.

4th Armoured Division

4th Armoured Division was the corps' Southern forward deployed division. As the division's area of operation was hilly and woody 19th Infantry Brigade based in Colchester was added to it.

British Sector Berlin

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Overseas Forces

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The Defence Operations Executive, led by the Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Commitments) and including the Assistant Chiefs of the Naval, General, and Air Staffs, supervised the Joint Operations Centre which in turn passed orders to the forces in Cyprus, Belize, the Falklands, and Hong Kong. These commands consisted of units of all three services and were commanded by one or 2-star rank flag officers. CBF Cyprus was a rotational post between the Army and RAF, at two-star level; CBF Belize was an Army brigadier; CBF Falklands was a rotational post between all three services at two-star level; and CBF Hong Kong was an Army major general.(Copied from the Structure of the British Armed Forces in 1989).

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Miscellaneous support corps

Women's Royal Army Corps

Small Arms School Corps

Royal Army Chaplains' Department

Royal Army Veterinary Corps

Royal Army Educational Corps

Royal Army Physical Training Corps

Royal Army Medical Corps

Royal Army Dental Corps

Military Provost Staff Corps

Royal Army Ordnance Corps

Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps

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Inventories of equipment

Army Air Corps Inventory 1989

The inventory of the Army Air Corps in 1989 consisted of the following aircraft:

Notes

  1. [N 1]
    During peacetime these regiments were under command of their brigade. On mobilisation the regiments would join their divisional artillery. Then, on the move to West Germany would join the 1st Artillery Brigade.
  2. [N 2]
    At Clive Barracks in Ternhill under 143rd (West Midlands) Brigade until April 1989 as Northern Ireland reaction battalion.
  3. [N 3]
    Detachments to 1st Armoured, 2nd Infantry, 3rd Armoured, 4th Armoured Divisions, 1st Artillery Brigade, and 1st Infantry Brigade.
  4. [N 4]
    During peacetime these regiments were under command of their brigade. On mobilisation the regiments would join their divisional artillery. Then, on the move to West Germany would join the 1st Artillery Brigade.
  5. [N 5]
    On roulement deployment from February 1989 to February 1991.
  6. [N 6]
    Based on the shore of Lough Neagh operating the high-speed Rigid raider patrol boats used to intercept suspect craft. (Beevor, p. 378.)
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References

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