The
Canadian Army Trophy (
CAT) was a
tankA tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility and tactical offensive and defensive capabilities...
gunnery competition established to foster excellence and competition among the armoured forces of the
NATOThe North Atlantic Treaty Organization ); ), also called "the Atlantic Alliance", is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on April 4, 1949...
countries in
Western EuropeWestern Europe is the collection of countries in the westernmost region of Europe, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a cultural entity—the region lying west of Central Europe...
.
The trophy itself is a miniature
sterling silverSterling silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% by weight of silver and 7.5% by weight of other metals, usually copper. The sterling silver standard has a minimum millesimal fineness of 925....
replica of a Canadian Army
Centurion tankThe Centurion was the primary British main battle tank of the post World War II period, and was a successful tank design, with upgrades, for many decades. The chassis was also adapted for several other roles....
.
First held in 1963, the event was so named for the hosts, the Canadian Army 4th Mechanized Brigade forward deployed in
West GermanyWest Germany is a common English name for the period of the Federal Republic of Germany between its' formation in May 1949 to German reunification in October 1990, when the German Democratic Republic was dissolved and the five states on its territory joined the Federal Republic of Germany,...
. It was decided to hold the competition every two years at Bergen-Hohne (also at Grafenwöhr starting in 1987), Germany, from 1963 to 1991.
The
Canadian Army Trophy (
CAT) was a
tankA tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility and tactical offensive and defensive capabilities...
gunnery competition established to foster excellence and competition among the armoured forces of the
NATOThe North Atlantic Treaty Organization ); ), also called "the Atlantic Alliance", is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on April 4, 1949...
countries in
Western EuropeWestern Europe is the collection of countries in the westernmost region of Europe, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a cultural entity—the region lying west of Central Europe...
.
The trophy itself is a miniature
sterling silverSterling silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% by weight of silver and 7.5% by weight of other metals, usually copper. The sterling silver standard has a minimum millesimal fineness of 925....
replica of a Canadian Army
Centurion tankThe Centurion was the primary British main battle tank of the post World War II period, and was a successful tank design, with upgrades, for many decades. The chassis was also adapted for several other roles....
.
Origins
First held in 1963, the event was so named for the hosts, the Canadian Army 4th Mechanized Brigade forward deployed in
West GermanyWest Germany is a common English name for the period of the Federal Republic of Germany between its' formation in May 1949 to German reunification in October 1990, when the German Democratic Republic was dissolved and the five states on its territory joined the Federal Republic of Germany,...
. It was decided to hold the competition every two years at Bergen-Hohne (also at Grafenwöhr starting in 1987), Germany, from 1963 to 1991. Each member country was invited to field a 'team' to represent their respective Corps, or, in case of Canada, their Army. Nations represented included
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
,
BelgiumThe Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
,
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
, the Netherlands,
West GermanyWest Germany is a common English name for the period of the Federal Republic of Germany between its' formation in May 1949 to German reunification in October 1990, when the German Democratic Republic was dissolved and the five states on its territory joined the Federal Republic of Germany,...
and the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Awards were given for best scoring team. Originally, each nation fielded a company of four platoons of 3 AFV's. This was changed in 1985 to each NATO Army Group fielding teams, either
Northern Army GroupThe 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) or Central Army Group (CENTAG), and best scoring platoons of each Army Group. NORTHAG consisted of the
British Army of the RhineThere have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine . Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after World War I, and the other after World War II....
(BAOR)'s
British I CorpsI Corps was an army corps in existence as an active formation in the British Army for most of the 80 years from its creation in World War I until the end of the Cold War, longer than any other corps...
, American III Corps Forward, German I Corps, 2 brigades of the Netherlands' Army, and 2 brigades of the Belgian Army. CENTAG consisted of the German II and III Corps, the American V and VII Corps, and the Canadian 4th Brigade.
CAT '79
In the 1979 competition held at Range 10 (built in 1978 for the CAT competition), Grafenwöhr. There were 20 platoons competing (4 from each country
BelgiumThe Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
,
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands,
West GermanyWest Germany is a common English name for the period of the Federal Republic of Germany between its' formation in May 1949 to German reunification in October 1990, when the German Democratic Republic was dissolved and the five states on its territory joined the Federal Republic of Germany,...
and the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The 3 MBT tank platoons were presented 24 targets. Scoring was based on target hits, hit times, ammunition bonuses (only if all targets were hit), and hit bonuses (only if all targets were hit), machine gun hits, and penalties with a maximum platoon score of 20,600 points. The main gun targets were at ranges between 1,600-3,000 meters and would collapse after being hit or when the presentation time had expired. No target would be presented twice, so the judges could actually count holes in the targets to verify target hits; "cookie bites" did not count as hits.
1979 was the first year that the USA team finished other than last place (4th place) - M Company, 3rd Squadron 2nd ACR - an especially noteworthy effort by Lieutenant's (later Captain) David Andersson, William Ewing, Howard Krause, and Randy Socha, - the M60A1 MBT being used by the USA entry were the oldest generation of tanks competing, and the last time M60A1 appeared in the competition.
CAT '85
Originally, each nation fielded a company of four platoons of 3 Armored Fighting Vehicles (AFV's, tanks). This was changed in 1985 to each NATO Army Group fielding teams, either
Northern Army GroupThe 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) or Central Army Group (CENTAG), and best scoring platoons of each Army Group.
NORTHAG consisted of the
British Army of the RhineThere have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine . Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after World War I, and the other after World War II....
(BAOR)'s
British I CorpsI Corps was an army corps in existence as an active formation in the British Army for most of the 80 years from its creation in World War I until the end of the Cold War, longer than any other corps...
, American III Corps Forward, German I Corps, 2 brigades of the Netherlands' Army, and 2 brigades of the Belgian Army. CENTAG consisted of the German II and III Corps, the American V and VII Corps, and the Canadian 4th Brigade.
CAT '87
In the 1987 competition held at Grafenwöhr, there were 24 platoons competing (12 from NORTHAG and 12 from CENTAG). NORTHAG fielded teams from
BelgiumThe Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
, UK, the Netherlands,
West GermanyWest Germany is a common English name for the period of the Federal Republic of Germany between its' formation in May 1949 to German reunification in October 1990, when the German Democratic Republic was dissolved and the five states on its territory joined the Federal Republic of Germany,...
and the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. CENTAG fielded teams from
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
,
West GermanyWest Germany is a common English name for the period of the Federal Republic of Germany between its' formation in May 1949 to German reunification in October 1990, when the German Democratic Republic was dissolved and the five states on its territory joined the Federal Republic of Germany,...
and the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The British (3-tank) tank platoons were presented 24 targets, while the other countries' 4-tank platoons were presented with 32 targets during the battle runs. Scoring was based on target hits, hit times, ammunition bonuses (only if all targets were hit), and hit bonuses (only if all targets were hit), machine gun hits, and penalties with a maximum platoon score of 20,600 points. The main gun targets were at ranges between 1,600-3,000 meters and would remain standing after being hit until presentation time had expired. No target would be presented twice, so the judges could actually count holes in the targets to verify target hits; "cookie bites" did not count as hits.
The failures of a nation's entrant to place well at the CAT have had considerable defence industry impact. The showing of the UK's Royal Hussars at the 1987 competition was the subject of a front page story in London's
Sunday TelegraphThe Sunday Telegraph is a British broadsheet newspaper, founded in 1961. It is the sister paper of The Daily Telegraph, but is run separately, with a different editorial staff....
, June 21, 1987, titled "NATO Allies Outgun Britain's New Battle Tanks".
CAT '87 Teams
NORTHAG
, Royal Hussars, PzBtl 324, 43 TkBat, 2-66 Armor, 1st Platoon, D Company, 4 Lanciers, 2-66 Armor, 2nd Platoon, D Company, 43 TkBat, PzBtl 324, Royal Hussars, 2-66 Armor, 3rd Platoon, D Company, 4 Lanciers, Royal Hussars
CENTAG
, 3-64 Armor, A Company, 2nd Plt, 4-8 Cav, D Company, RC Dragoons, PzBtl 124, PzBtl 363, RC Dragoons, 3-64 Armor, A Company, 3rd Plt, 4-8 Cav, D Company, PzBtl 363, PzBtl 124,
Second Place, 3-64 Armor, A Company, 1st Plt,
Third Place, 4-8 Cav, D Company,
First Place
CAT '89
The 1989 competition was the first time that night battle runs were part of the competition. The Canadian 4th Mechanized Brigade left Germany in 1994, resulting in the end of the CAT competitions. In 1997 the competition began again, but only between the United States and Canada as the CANAM Cup.
Competition
From 1963 to 1991
| Year |
Rank |
Unit |
Nation |
| |
1. |
4e LANCIERS |
Belgium |
| |
2. |
PANZERBATAILLON 83 |
Germany |
| 1963 |
3. |
41 TANKBATALJON |
Netherlands |
| |
4. |
FORT GARRY HORSE |
Canada |
| |
5. |
5th ROYAL TANK REGT |
United Kingdom |
| Year |
Rank |
Unit |
Nation |
| |
1. |
4e LANCIER |
Belgium |
| |
2. |
PANZERBATAILLON 83 |
Germany |
| 1964 |
3. |
11th HUSSARS |
United Kingdom |
| |
4. |
43 TANKBATALJON |
Netherlands |
| |
5. |
FORT GARRY HORSE |
Canada |
| Year |
Rank |
Unit |
Nation |
| |
1. |
THE ROYAL SCOTS GREYS |
United Kingdom |
| |
2. |
4e LANCIERS |
Belgium |
| 1965 |
3. |
FORT GARRY HORSE |
Canada |
| |
4. |
11 TANKBATALJON |
Netherlands |
| |
5. |
PANZERBATAILLON 83 |
Germany |
| Year |
Rank |
Unit |
Nation |
| |
1. |
13th/18th ROYAL HUSSARS CMO |
United Kingdom |
| |
2. |
4e LANCIERS |
Belgium |
| 1966 |
3. |
PANZERBATAILLON 324 |
Germany |
| |
4. |
LORD STRATHCONA’s HORSE (RC) |
Canada |
| |
5. |
101 TANKBATALJON |
Netherlands |
| Year |
Rank |
Unit |
Nation |
| |
1. |
LORD STRATHCONA’s HORSE (RC) |
Canada |
| |
2. |
15th/19th THE KING’s ROYAL HUSSARS |
United Kingdom |
| 1967 |
3. |
4e LANCIERS |
Belgium |
| |
4. |
PANZERBATAILLON 83 |
Germany |
| |
5. |
41 TANKBATALJON |
Netherlands |
| Year |
Rank |
Unit |
Nation |
| |
1. |
1er LANCIERS |
Belgium |
| |
2. |
PANZERBATAILLON 33 |
Germany |
| 1968 |
3. |
THE ROYAL SCOTS GREYS |
United Kingdom |
| |
4. |
43 TANKBATALJON |
Netherlands |
| |
5. |
LORD STRATHCONA’s HORSE (RC) |
Canada |
| Year |
Rank |
Unit |
Nation |
| |
1. |
16th/5th QUEEN’s ROYAL LANCERS |
United Kingdom |
| 1970 |
2. |
PANZERBATAILLON 33/34 |
Germany |
| |
3. |
LORD STRATHCONA’s HORSE (RC) |
Canada |
| Year |
Rank |
Unit |
Nation |
| |
1. |
PANZERBATAILLON 83 |
Germany |
| 1973 |
2. |
QUEEN’s ROYAL IRISH HUSSARS |
United Kingdom |
| |
3. |
11 TANKBATALJON |
Netherlands |
| Year |
Rank |
Unit |
Nation |
| |
1. |
PANZERBATAILLON 84 |
Germany |
| 1975 |
2. |
ROYAL HUSSARS (Prince of Wales Own) |
United Kingdom |
| |
3. |
2e LANCIERS |
Belgium |
| Year |
Rank |
Unit |
Nation |
| |
1. |
ROYAL CANADIAN DRAGOONS |
Canada |
| |
2. |
PANZERBATAILLON 64 |
Germany |
| 1977 |
3. |
1er LANCIERS |
Belgium |
| |
4. |
17th/21st LANCERS |
United Kingdom |
| |
5. |
11 TANKBATALJON |
Netherlands |
| |
6. |
2nd BATTALION 81st ARMOR |
U.S.A. |
| Year |
Rank |
Unit |
Nation |
| |
1. |
PANZERBATAILLON 284 |
Germany |
| |
2. |
2e LANCIERS |
Belgium |
| 1979 |
3. |
4th/7th ROYAL DRAGOON GUARDS |
United Kingdom |
| |
4. |
M Co. 3rd Squadron, 2nd ARMORED CAVALRY REGIMENT |
U.S.A. |
| |
5. |
ROYAL CANADIAN DRAGOONS |
Canada |
| Year |
Rank |
Unit |
Nation |
| |
1. |
PANZERBATAILLON 294 |
Germany |
| |
2. |
2e LANCIERS |
Belgium |
| 1981 |
3. |
1st BATTALION 32nd ARMOR |
U.S.A. |
| |
4. |
ROYAL CANADIAN DRAGOONS |
Canada |
| |
5. |
QUEEN’s OWN HUSSARS |
United Kingdom |
| |
6. |
41 TANKBATALJON |
Netherlands |
| Year |
Rank |
Unit |
Nation |
| |
1. |
CENTAG: |
|
| |
|
PANZERBATAILLON 2/293 |
Germany |
| |
|
PANZERBATAILLON 293 |
Germany |
| |
|
1st BATTALION 32nd ARMOR |
U.S.A. |
| |
|
3rd BATTALION 64th ARMOR |
U.S.A. |
| 1983 |
|
ROYAL CANADIAN DRAGOONS |
Canada |
| |
2. |
NORTHAG: |
|
| |
|
4e LANCIERS |
Belgium |
| |
|
ROYAL SCOTS DRAGOON GUARDS |
United Kingdom |
| |
|
PANZERBATAILLON 74 |
Germany |
| |
|
11 TANKBATALJON |
Netherlands |
| |
|
2nd BATTALION 66th ARMOR |
U.S.A. |
| Year |
Rank |
Unit |
Nation |
| |
1. |
NORTHAG: |
|
| |
|
2e LANCIERS |
Belgium |
| |
|
2nd BATTALION 66th ARMOR |
U.S.A. |
| |
|
PANZERBATAILLON 24 |
Germany |
| |
|
43 TANKBATALJON |
Netherlands |
| 1985 |
|
ROYAL SCOTS DRAGOON GUARDS |
United Kingdom |
| |
2. |
CENTAG: |
|
| |
|
3rd BATTALION 64th ARMOR |
U.S.A. |
| |
|
3rd BATTALION 32nd ARMOR |
U.S.A. |
| |
|
PANZERBATAILLON 63 |
Germany |
| |
|
ROYAL CANADIAN DRAGOONS |
Canada |
| |
|
PANZERBATAILLON 244 |
Germany |
| Year |
Rank |
Unit |
Nation |
| |
1. |
CENTAG: |
|
| |
|
4th BATTALION 8th CAVALRY |
U.S.A. |
| |
|
3rd BATTALION 64th ARMOR |
U.S.A. |
| |
|
ROYAL CANADIAN DRAGOONS |
Canada |
| |
|
PANZERBATAILLON 124 |
Germany |
| 1987 |
|
PANZERBATAILLON 363 |
Germany |
| |
2. |
NORTHAG: |
|
| |
|
43 TANKBATALJON |
Netherlands |
| |
|
4e LANCIERS |
Belgium |
| |
|
THE ROYAL HUSSARS |
United Kingdom |
| |
|
2nd BATTALION 66th ARMOR |
U.S.A. |
| |
|
PANZERBATAILLON 324 |
Germany |
| Year |
Rank |
Unit |
Nation |
| |
1. |
NORTHAG: |
|
| |
|
41 TANKBATALJON |
Netherlands |
| |
|
PANZERBATAILLON 203 |
Germany |
| |
|
2e REGIMENT DE GUIDES |
Belgium |
| 1989 |
|
3rd BATTALION 66th ARMOR |
U.S.A. |
| |
2. |
CENTAG: |
|
| |
|
PANZERBATAILLON 123 |
Germany |
| |
|
2nd BATTALION 64th ARMOR |
U.S.A. |
| |
|
8th CANADIAN HUSSARS |
Canada |
| |
|
4th BATTALION 32nd ARMOR |
U.S.A. |
| Year |
Rank |
Unit |
Nation |
| |
1. |
NORTHAG: |
|
| |
|
PANZERBATAILLON 84 |
Germany |
| |
|
43 TANKBATALJON |
Netherlands |
| 1991 |
|
3e REGIMENT DE LANCIERS |
Belgiumn |
| |
2. |
CENTAG: |
|
| |
|
PANZERBATAILLON 153 |
Germany |
| |
|
8th CANADIAN HUSSARS |
Canada |
External links