British Army of the Rhine
Encyclopedia
There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). Both were originally occupation forces in Germany
, one after the First World War, and the other after the Second World War.
II Corps: Commanded by Sir Claud Jacob
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
X Corps: Commanded by Sir Thomas Morland
Cavalry Division (formed from 1st Cavalry Division)
However most of these units were progressively dissolved, so that by February 1920 there were only regular battalions:
In August 1920 Winston Churchill
told the British parliament
that the BAOR consisted of approximately 13,360, consisting of, Staff, Cavalry, Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers, Infantry, Machine Gun Corps, Tanks, and the usual ancillary services. The troops are located principally in the vicinity of Cologne
at an approximate cost per month is £300,000.
From 1922 the BOAR was organised into two Brigades:
1st Rhine Brigade
2nd Rhine Brigade
was a newspaper published for members of the BAOR during this period.
on the Rhine was formed on 25 August 1945 from 21st Army Group. Its original function was to control the corps districts which were running the military government of the British zone of 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 administration as well.
As the potential threat of Soviet invasion across the North German Plain
into West Germany
increased, BAOR became more responsible for the defence of West Germany than its occupation. It became the primary formation controlling the British contribution to NATO after the formation of the alliance in 1949. Its primary combat formation was British I Corps. From 1952 the commander-in-chief of the BAOR was also the commander of NATO's Northern Army Group
(NORTHAG) in the event of a general war with the Soviet Union
and the Warsaw Pact
. The BAOR was formerly armed with tactical nuclear weapon
s.
The 1993 Options for Change
defence cuts resulted in BAOR being replaced by the 25,000 strong British Forces Germany
(BFG) in 1994.
Commanders have been:
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, one after the First World War, and the other after the Second World War.
1919–1929
The first BAOR was set up in March 1919 It was originally composed of five corps, composed of two divisions each, plus a cavalry division:II Corps: Commanded by Sir Claud Jacob
Claud Jacob
Field-Marshal Sir Claud William Jacob GCB GCSI KCMG was a British Army officer who served in the First World War.-Military career:...
- Light Division (formed from 2nd Division): Commanded by Major-General George Jeffreys
- Southern Division (formed from 29th Division): Commanded by Major-General William HenekerWilliam HenekerGeneral Sir William Charles Giffard Heneker KCB KCMG DSO was a Canadian born and educated soldier who served with the British Army in West Africa, India, and then later on the western front during the First World War...
IV Corps: Commanded by Sir Alexander Godley
Alexander Godley
General Sir Alexander John Godley GCB, KCMG was a First World War general, best known for his role as commander of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force...
- Lowland Division (formed from 9th Division)
- Highland Division (formed from 62nd Division)
VI Corps: Commanded by Sir Aylmer Haldane
- Northern Division (formed from 3rd Division)
- London Division (formed from 41st Division)
IX Corps: Commanded by Sir Walter Braithwaite
Walter Braithwaite
General Sir Walter Pipon Braithwaite, GCB was a British general during World War I. After being dismissed from his position as Chief of Staff for the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, he received some acclaim as a competent divisional commander on the Western Front...
and later by Ivor Maxse
Ivor Maxse
General Sir Ivor Maxse, KCB, CVO, DSO, was a World War I general, best known for his innovative and effective training methods.-Early life:Maxse was educated at Mr...
- Western Division (formed from 1st Division)
- Midland Division (formed from 6th Division)
X Corps: Commanded by Sir Thomas Morland
Thomas Morland
General Sir Thomas Lethbridge Napier Morland KCMG, DSO was a British general during the First World War.-Biography:Born in Montreal, Canada East, Morland was the son of Thomas Morland and Helen Servante...
- Lancashire Division (formed from 32nd Division)
- Eastern Division (formed from 34th Division)
Cavalry Division (formed from 1st Cavalry Division)
However most of these units were progressively dissolved, so that by February 1920 there were only regular battalions:
- 1st Battalion Royal Irish Regiment
- 4th Battalion Worcestershire RegimentWorcestershire RegimentThe Worcestershire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 29th Regiment of Foot and the 36th Regiment of Foot....
- 2nd Battalion Black WatchBlack WatchThe Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The unit's traditional colours were retired in 2011 in a ceremony led by Queen Elizabeth II....
- 1st Battalion Middlesex RegimentMiddlesex RegimentThe Middlesex Regiment was a regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms when the 57th and 77th Regiments of Foot were amalgamated with the county's militia and rifle volunteer units.On 31 December 1966 The Middlesex Regiment was amalgamated with three...
- 3rd Battalion Middlesex Regiment
- 1st Battalion Durham Light InfantryDurham Light InfantryThe Durham Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1968. It was formed by the amalgamation of the 68th Regiment of Foot and the 106th Regiment of Foot along with the militia and rifle volunteers of County Durham...
In August 1920 Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
told the British parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
that the BAOR consisted of approximately 13,360, consisting of, Staff, Cavalry, Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers, Infantry, Machine Gun Corps, Tanks, and the usual ancillary services. The troops are located principally in the vicinity of Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
at an approximate cost per month is £300,000.
From 1922 the BOAR was organised into two Brigades:
1st Rhine Brigade
- 1st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers 1922–1926
- 1st Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment 1922–1926
- 2nd Battalion QO Cameron Highlanders 1922–1926
- 1st Battalion York & Lancaster Regiment 1922–1924
- 2nd Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment 1926–1928
- 2nd Battalion Royal Welch Fusiliers Nov 1926 – Oct 1929
- 2nd Battalion Worcestershire Regiment 1926–1928
2nd Rhine Brigade
- 2nd Battalion Duke of Cornwall’s LI 1922–1924
- 1st Battalion YO Yorkshire LI 1922–1924
- 2nd Battalion KRRC 1922–1925
- 1st Battalion Royal Ulster Rifles 1922–1926
- 1st Battalion Manchester Regiment 1923–1924
- 2nd Battalion King’s Shropshire LI 1924–1927
- 1st Battalion Oxford & Bucks LI 1925–1927
- 2nd Battalion Royal Fusiliers 1926–1929
- 2nd Battalion Leicestershire Regiment 1927–1929
- 2nd Battalion Dorsetshire Regiment 1928–1929
Commanders-in-Chief
Commanders have been:- Field Marshal Lord PlumerHerbert Plumer, 1st Viscount PlumerField Marshal Herbert Charles Onslow Plumer, 1st Viscount Plumer, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, GBE was a British colonial official and soldier born in Torquay who commanded the British Second Army in World War I and later served as High Commissioner of the British Mandate for Palestine.-Military...
1918–1919 - General Sir William Robertson 1919–1920
- General Sir Thomas MorlandThomas MorlandGeneral Sir Thomas Lethbridge Napier Morland KCMG, DSO was a British general during the First World War.-Biography:Born in Montreal, Canada East, Morland was the son of Thomas Morland and Helen Servante...
1920–1922 - General Sir Alexander GodleyAlexander GodleyGeneral Sir Alexander John Godley GCB, KCMG was a First World War general, best known for his role as commander of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force...
1922–1924 - General Sir John Du CaneJohn Philip Du CaneGeneral Sir John Du Cane GCB is a former Master-General of the Ordnance.-Military career:Du Cane was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1884....
1924–1927 - General Sir William ThwaitesWilliam ThwaitesGeneral Sir William Thwaites KCB KCMG is a former Commander of the British Army of the Rhine.-Military career:Thwaites was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1887. He served in the Second Boer War as an Adjutant in 33rd Brigade Royal Field Artillery. He served in World War I in France and...
1927–1929
Other information
The Cologne PostThe Cologne Post
The Cologne Post was a daily paper published for the British Armed Forces from 31 March 1919 to 17 January 1926. It then continued as The Cologne Post and Wiesbaden Times from 28 January 1926 - 3 November 1929. There was also an Upper Silesian edition published from 17 June to 6 August 1921 in...
was a newspaper published for members of the BAOR during this period.
1945–1994
The second British ArmyBritish Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
on the Rhine was formed on 25 August 1945 from 21st Army Group. Its original function was to control the corps districts which were running the military government of the British zone of 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 administration as well.
As the potential threat of Soviet invasion across the North German Plain
North German plain
The North German Plain or Northern Lowland is one of the major geographical regions of Germany. It is the German part of the North European Plain...
into West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
increased, BAOR became more responsible for the defence of West Germany than its occupation. It became the primary formation controlling the British contribution to NATO after the formation of the alliance in 1949. Its primary combat formation was British I Corps. From 1952 the commander-in-chief of the BAOR was also the commander of NATO's Northern Army Group
Northern Army Group
The Northern Army Group was a NATO military formation comprising four Western European Army Corps, during the Cold War as part of NATO's forward defence in the Federal Republic of Germany.- History :...
(NORTHAG) in the event of a general war with the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and the Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
. The BAOR was formerly armed with tactical nuclear weapon
Tactical nuclear weapon
A tactical nuclear weapon refers to a nuclear weapon which is designed to be used on a battlefield in military situations. This is as opposed to strategic nuclear weapons which are designed to menace large populations, to damage the enemy's ability to wage war, or for general deterrence...
s.
The 1993 Options for Change
Options for Change
Options for Change was a restructuring of the British Armed Forces in 1990, aimed at cutting defence spending following the end of the Cold War....
defence cuts resulted in BAOR being replaced by the 25,000 strong British Forces Germany
British Forces Germany
British Forces Germany , is the name for British Armed Forces service personnel and civilians based in Germany. It was first established following the Second World War as the British Army of the Rhine ....
(BFG) in 1994.
Commanders have been:
- Field Marshal Lord MontgomeryBernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of AlameinField Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, KG, GCB, DSO, PC , nicknamed "Monty" and the "Spartan General" was a British Army officer. He saw action in the First World War, when he was seriously wounded, and during the Second World War he commanded the 8th Army from...
1945–1946 - Lieutenant General Sir Richard McCreeryRichard McCreeryGeneral Sir Richard Loudon McCreery GCB, KBE, DSO, MC , was a British career soldier, who was Chief of Staff to Field Marshal Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis, at the time of the Second Battle of El Alamein and later commanded the British Eighth Army in Northern Italy during...
1946–1948 - Lieutenant General Sir Brian HorrocksBrian HorrocksLieutenant-General Sir Brian Gwynne Horrocks, KCB, KBE, DSO, MC was a British Army officer. He is chiefly remembered as the commander of XXX Corps in Operation Market Garden and other operations during the Second World War...
1948 - Lieutenant General Sir Charles KeightleyCharles KeightleyGeneral Sir Charles Frederic Keightley, GCB, GBE, DSO was a senior officer in the British Army during and following World War II.-Military career:...
1948–1951 - General Sir John HardingJohn Harding, 1st Baron Harding of PethertonField Marshal Allan Francis John Harding, 1st Baron Harding of Petherton, GCB, CBE, DSO, MC was a British Army officer and Governor of Cyprus from 1955 to 1957, Cyprus being a British colony at that time....
1951–1952 - General Sir Richard GaleRichard Nelson GaleGeneral Sir Richard Nelson "Windy" Gale GCB, KBE, DSO, MC was a soldier in the British Army who served in both world wars. In World War I he was awarded the Military Cross in 1918 whilst serving as a junior officer in the Machine Gun Corps...
1952–1957 - General Sir Dudley WardAlfred Dudley WardGeneral Sir Alfred Dudley Ward, GCB, KBE, DSO , was a British Army officer during the Second World War and later Governor of Gibraltar. He served as an ordinary soldier for three years before being sent for officer training in 1926...
1957–1960 - General Sir James Cassels 1960–1963
- General Sir William StirlingWilliam Stirling (British Army officer)General Sir William Gurdon Stirling GCB CBE DSO was a British Army General who reached high office during the 1960s.-Military career:...
1963–1966 - General Sir John Hackett 1966–1968
- General Sir Desmond FitzpatrickDesmond FitzpatrickGeneral Sir Geoffrey Richard Desmond Fitzpatrick, GCB, GCVO, DSO, MBE, MC was a senior British Army officer who served as commander of the British Army of the Rhine and Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe...
1968–1970 - General Sir Peter Hunt 1970–1973
- General Sir Harry TuzoHarry TuzoGeneral Sir Harry Craufurd Tuzo, GCB, OBE, MC was a British Army officer who was Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe and GOC of the British Army in Northern Ireland during the early period of the Troubles.-Early life:...
1973–1976 - General Sir Frank KingFrank King (British Army officer)General Sir Frank Douglas King GCB MBE was a British Army officer who was General Officer Commanding of the British Army in Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles...
1976–1978 - General Sir William ScotterWilliam ScotterGeneral Sir William Norman Roy Scotter, KCB, OBE, MC was Commander-in-Chief, British Army of the Rhine, from September 1978 until October 1980.-Early years:...
1978–1980 - General Sir Michael GowMichael Gow (British Army officer)General Sir James Michael Gow GCB is a retired British Army General who reached high office in the 1980s.-Military career:Educated at Winchester College, Gow was commissioned into the Scots Guards during World War II...
1980–1983 - General Sir Nigel BagnallNigel BagnallField Marshal Sir Nigel Thomas Bagnall GCB, CVO, MC was Chief of the General Staff, the professional head of the British Army.-Army career:...
1983–1985 - General Sir Martin FarndaleMartin FarndaleGeneral Sir Martin Baker Farndale KCB was a British Army General who reached high office in the 1980s.-Military career:...
1985–1987 - General Sir Brian KennyBrian Kenny (British Army officer)General Sir Brian Leslie Graham Kenny GCB CBE is a British Army General who was Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe.-Military career:Educated at Canford School, Brian Kenny was commissioned into the 4th Queen's Own Hussars in 1954....
1987–1989 - General Sir Peter IngePeter Inge, Baron IngeField Marshal Peter Anthony Inge, Baron Inge was the Chief of the General Staff, the professional head of the British Army, between 1992 and 1994. He then served as Chief of the Defence Staff before retiring in 1997.-Army career:...
1989–1992 - General Sir Charles GuthrieCharles Guthrie, Baron Guthrie of CraigiebankGeneral Charles Ronald Llewelyn Guthrie, Baron Guthrie of Craigiebank, was Chief of the Defence Staff between 1997 and 2001 and Chief of the General Staff, the professional head of the British Army, between 1994 and 1997.-Army career:...
1992 – May 1994 (command disbanded)
External links
- Royal Engineers Museum Royal Engineers and the British Army of the Rhine
- BAOR Locations British Army of the Rhine Locations
- British Army Locations from 1945 British Army Locations from 1945