british army of the rhine order of battle
These rapid advances on the Eastern Front destroyed additional veteran German combat units and severely limited German Fhrer Adolf Hitler's ability to reinforce his Rhine defenses. To increase Simpson's ability to bring his army's strength to bear for exploitation, Montgomery also agreed to turn the bridges at Wesel, just north of the inter-army boundary, over to the 9th Army once the bridgehead had been secured. Elements of the 1st Army's V Corps made first contact. Autore dell'articolo: Articolo pubblicato: 16/06/2022 Categoria dell'articolo: rockin' the west coast prayer group Commenti dell'articolo: working at charles schwab reddit working at charles schwab reddit [40], The first step in realizing Eisenhower's plan was the eradication of the Ruhr Pocket. As the first boats reached the east bank, seven startled Germans surrendered and then paddled themselves unescorted to the west bank to be placed in custody. 35th Base Workshop, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. However, Patton also realized that the Germans were aware of this difficulty and would expect his attack north of Mainz. The Armistice that went into effect on 11 November . [16] Also on 4 May, after a shift in inter-army boundaries that placed Salzburg in the 7th Army sector, that city surrendered to elements of the XV Corps. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. Does anyone have an order of Battle for RAF in 1949? Brigade groups took over from divisions as the smallest operative units. 31 General Hospital, Royal Army Medical Corps, 82nd Field Medical Equipment Depot, Royal Army Medical Corps, Dsseldorf, 382nd Field Medical Company, Royal Army Medical Corps. This Photo Album [21], As these three army groups cleared out the Wehrmacht west of the Rhine, Eisenhower began to rethink his plans for the final drive across the Rhine and into the heart of Germany. Furthermore, the main objective was no longer Berlin, but Leipzig where a juncture with the Soviet Army would split the remaining German forces in two. Antony Beevor, Inside the British Army, 1991, 429. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. This guide will help you find records at The National Archives relating to military operations planned and carried out by the British Army since the end of the Second World War up until. The right-wing of the British Second Army reached the Elbe southeast of Hamburg on 19 April. All three corps of the 1st Army participated in the breakout, which on the first day employed five infantry and two armored divisions. Thousands of prisoners were being taken every day; from 16 to 18 April, when all opposition ended and the remnants of German Army Group B formally surrendered, German troops had been surrendering in droves throughout the region. The U.S. VII Corps, on the left, had the hardest going due to the German concentration north of the bridgehead, yet its armored columns managed to advance 12mi (19km) beyond their line of departure. Both formations had areas of responsibility located around the German section of the River Rhine. Soldiers requisitioned housing and office space as needed from residents. Detachment, 2nd Independent Petrol Platoon, Detachment, 164 Railway Operations Company, Royal Engineers, 246th (Berlin) Provost Company, Royal Military Police, in, 247th (Berlin) Provost Company, Royal Military Police, (manned, 248th German Security Unit, support unit with German personnel, Berlin Infantry Brigade HQ & (29th) Signal Regiment, Royal Signals, 38th (Berlin) Field Squadron, Royal Engineers, 6 Troop, 46 (Talavera) Air Defence Battery, 2nd Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, (12x, 1x Armoured Reconnaissance Troop, six month roulement, 1x Field Battery, Royal Artillery, six month roulement, 1x Field Squadron, Royal Engineers, six month roulement, 78 Ordnance Company, Royal Army Ordnance Corps. Taking up the advance again the next day, it immediately ran into stiff opposition from students of an SS panzer replacement training center located near Paderborn. [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. After the reduction of the Ruhr Pocket, the main thrust east would be made by Bradley's 12th Army Group in the center, rather than by Montgomery's 21st Army Group in the north as originally planned. Although Kesselring brought an outstanding track record as a defensive strategist with him from the Italian campaign, he did not have the resources to make a coherent defense. On the 30th and 31st, the 2nd Armored made an uninterrupted 40mi (64km) drive east to Beckum, cutting two of the Ruhr's three remaining rail lines and severing the autobahn to Berlin. 79107 (Regular Signal Squadrons, 200299). [44], The Elbe River was the official eastward objective, but many American commanders still eyed Berlin. In a matter of days, they would all be killed or captured. 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. The best introduction to the regimental system of the British army. In the north, from the North Sea to a point about 10 miles (16km) north of Cologne, was the 21st Army Group commanded by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery. [9] This force, roughly 25,000 strong, was 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). Army Groups, Armies, Corps and Divisions. The Red Army also pushed deep into Hungary (the Budapest Offensive) and eastern Czechoslovakia and temporarily halted at what is now the modern GermanyPoland border on the OderNeisse line. 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. [28], The location of the river-crossing assault was critical. Its left fought for a week to capture Bremen, which fell on 26 April. 6 (UK) Div will include: 1st Signal Brigade, 11th Signal Brigade, 1st Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Brigade, 77th Brigade and the Specialist Infantry Group, Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps. [26], On 19 March, Eisenhower told Bradley to prepare the 1st Army for a breakout from the Remagen bridgehead any time after 22 March. The predecessor to British Forces Germany, the BAOR was active from 1919-1929, and then 1945-1994. Simpson subsequently turned his troops' attention to mopping up pockets of local resistance. 221st (BAOR) EOD Company, Royal Army Ordnance Corps, Communications Zone Ordnance Depot, Antwerp, Belgium, Forward Stores Depot, Royal Army Ordnance Corps, Dulmen. [23][24], After capturing the Ruhr, Eisenhower planned to have the 21st Army Group continue its drive east across the plains of northern Germany to Berlin. british army of the rhine order of battle. With spectacular thrusts being made beyond the Rhine nearly every day and the enemy's capacity to resist fading at an ever-accelerating rate, the campaign to finish Germany was transitioning into a general pursuit. [38], In the center of the Allied line, Eisenhower inserted the new 15th Army, under U.S. 12th Army Group control to hold the western edge of the Ruhr Pocket along the Rhine while the 9th and 1st Armies squeezed the remaining German defenders there from the north, east, and south. [35], Although the armored division bolstered his offensive capacity within the bridgehead, Simpson was more interested in sending the XIX Corps across the Wesel bridges, as Montgomery had agreed, and using the better roads north of the Lippe to outflank the enemy in front of the 30th Division. [59], In retrospect, very few questionable decisions were made concerning the execution of the campaign.[who?] Once the Ruhr was surrounded, he wanted the 9th Army transferred from the British 21st Army Group to the U.S. 12th Army Group. VIII Corps crossing sites were located along the Rhine Gorge, where the river had carved a deep chasm between two mountain ranges, creating precipitous canyon walls over 300 feet (91m) high on both sides. Its new location was in the towns of Iserlohn and Soest, as the previous occupants (The Canadian Brigade) had moved to southern GermanyBy 1973, 1 (BR) Corps consisted of: 1st Division (Verden)7th Armoured Brigade (Soltau)11th Infantry Brigade (Minden)2nd Division (Lbbecke)4th Guards Infantry Brigade (Mnster)12th Mechanised Brigade (Osnabrck)4th Division (Herford)6th Armoured Brigade (Krbecke)20th Armoured Brigade (Detmold). 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. British Army of the Rhine - YouTube 0:00 / 58:47 British Army of the Rhine Ichioku 334 subscribers Subscribe 6.6K views 1 year ago BBC Documentary from 2012 (small edit to avoid. To accomplish both objectives, Patch's 7th Army on Devers' left was to make a great arc, first driving northeastward alongside Bradley's flank, then turning south with the 3rd Army to take Nuremberg and Munich, ultimately continuing into Austria. The Western Allies rapidly eroded any remaining ability to resist. Under the new concept, Bradley's 12th U.S. Army Group would make the main effort, with Hodges' 1st Army in the center heading east for about 130mi (210km) toward the city of Leipzig and the Elbe River. 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. More reorganisation was implemented in January 1978 with the creation of 3rd and th Armoured Brigades. By the end of March, the Supreme Commander thus leaned toward a decision to place more responsibility on his southern forces. During transition to war, the support units of BAOR would have formed the British Rear Combat Zone headquartered in Dsseldorf, which would have supplied the fighting forces and guarded the lines of communication within West Germany. On 29 March, the 1st Army turned toward Paderborn, about 80mi (130km) north of Giessen, its right flank covered by the 3rd Army, which had broken out of its own bridgeheads and was headed northeast toward Kassel. 158 Provost Company Corps of Royal Military Police. [25], When Allied soldiers arrived in a town, its leaders and remaining residents typically used white flags, bedsheets, and tablecloths to signal surrender. In the end, the campaign proceeded as Eisenhower had planned it. The 1st Army's area, on the other hand, was composed of rough, heavily forested terrain with a poor road network. The 2nd Army's XII Corps and the 9th Army's XVI Corps began the main effort about 02:00 on 24 March, following a massive artillery and air bombardment. Again, these Divisions were not fighting formations, but like the earlier Brigades, provided depots for centralised training of recruits to the units within the Division. German Orders of Battle from March 1, 1945 before the Allies crossed the Rhine. Junior Leaders Regiment Corps of Royal Engineers. Also during this year on 1 April, 11th Armoured Division was reorganised into 4th Infantry Division. The 30th was to cross between Wesel and Rheinberg while the 79th assaulted south of Rheinberg. GitHub export from English Wikipedia.