ARmy Rumour SErvice

**subbsonic** · 09-06-2012, 17:40

Originally Posted by MorseMonkey988

Oh my husband is out fishing, I have no idea when he will be back

Sounds like COMNON @ Reitan to me. Back on shift for Fiskebol or Reindeer burgers.

**Biscuits_AB** · 09-06-2012, 17:57

Originally Posted by Rothy

I am looking at BAOR in the early 1970s, pulling together orbat details with strategy, tactics and defence plans. I'd like to understand the likely battlegrounds should the worst have happened.

If the Warsaw Pact (3rd Shock Army?) had attacked, which were the main avenues into the 1 British Corps sector that they were likely to have taken, or attempted to take?

Assuming their first objective would be to cross the Weser, where did we expect them to have aimed for? Which were the most likely routes to be defended?

What localities were assumed to be the likely main centres for defence?

I have read that the British sector contained many pre-prepared 'improved positions'. Is this correct? What were the nature of these (mines, trenches?)? Where were these positions concentrated around?

I'd be grateful if anyone can point me in the direction of any useful information relating to the planning and tactics for the period late 60s/early 70s (declassified of course).... or anyone willing to make a few notes.

Thank you in advance.

It's a long thread and I haven't read it all so if I'm repeating here, then sorry. All of the bridges over the Weser were wired up to blow by the Bundeswehr. You would see them out periodically checking them up and down the Weser. I know that my Platoon task was to be on the wrong side of the Porta Westfalica Bridge with a REME element and some 'Billies' from one of the local Inf Bns to ensure that all the retreating Brits managed to get over it, then to make a run for it ourselves before 'Fritz the Bridge Fucker' did his thing. The Easties however, knew exactly which bridges were going to be used by us and they would have bombed the fuck out of them in the first round trapping as many as they can on the wrong side. The RE Bridging units at Hameln would have been busy.

The people I felt sorry for were 94 Pz Bn (might have the wrong designation there) who were up near Braunschweig who's job from what I've been led to believe was to get to Berlin? Why? I have no idea. If true, would they have made it? Doubt it.

From what I was led to believe over my time there, we were fighting a retreat down to the Ruhr and then holding ground there.

**X59** · 09-06-2012, 18:27

Pretty sure we would've stiffed them on the Northern Flank in Norway.

Defenders dream terrain.

Numbers and kit superiority means nothing when they're limited to routes prone to avalanche, natural and man made.

**X59** · 09-06-2012, 18:38

Originally Posted by Biscuits_AB

It's a long thread and I haven't read it all so if I'm repeating here, then sorry. All of the bridges over the Weser were wired up to blow by the Bundeswehr. You would see them out periodically checking them up and down the Weser. I know that my Platoon task was to be on the wrong side of the Porta Westfalica Bridge with a REME element and some 'Billies' from one of the local Inf Bns to ensure that all the retreating Brits managed to get over it, then to make a run for it ourselves before 'Fritz the Bridge Fucker' did his thing. The Easties however, knew exactly which bridges were going to be used by us and they would have bombed the fuck out of them in the first round trapping as many as they can on the wrong side. The RE Bridging units at Hameln would have been busy.

The people I felt sorry for were 94 Pz Bn (might have the wrong designation there) who were up near Braunschweig who's job from what I've been led to believe was to get to Berlin? Why? I have no idea. If true, would they have made it? Doubt it.

From what I was led to believe over my time there, we were fighting a retreat down to the Ruhr and then holding ground there.

My time in one of the Hameln Bridging units left me in no doubt how flogged we would be in the defence plan.

Felt very real when the Korean 747 was shot down by MIGs and the cold war warmed up !

**CRmeansCeilingReached** · 09-06-2012, 21:00

Originally Posted by redshift

I just finished reading that on the Kindle (having bought it yesterday morning), not bad at all! Except the ending - which was a bit "abrupt."

how did you get it on Kindle? i can't find it.

**CaptainPlume** · 09-06-2012, 23:08

Originally Posted by cloudbuster

Really? My research suggests that the Strachan-bodied Bedford SB3 was the same length for all Service users. Happy to be corrected, if you can offer a reliable source, H_S..................

Not sure. Look what they give to RAF MT Wallahs:

**bokkatankie** · 09-06-2012, 23:15

Originally Posted by CRmeansCeilingReached

how did you get it on Kindle? i can't find it.

Go to Amazon Kindle shop type in name and hey presto. Downloaded to your Kindle and or andriod tab in a thrice.

**XRE_987** · 10-06-2012, 01:02

Originally Posted by bokkatankie

Go to Amazon Kindle shop type in name and hey presto. Downloaded to your Kindle and or andriod tab in a thrice.

In a three times?

Anyway, I don't know much about all this, I think we were busy building bridges that could have reached Mongolia (we had a few natives in the troop), but if they'd tried to take our Sqn bar they'd have been fucked well out of it!

Unless they were getting the drinks in.

Edit, coz I've a bad memory: Who were we supposed to be fighting again? The swarthy ones in the Rocket Bar?

**syledis** · 10-06-2012, 01:06

You lot were lucky, you didnt have to travel too far to get killed. I had to get from Larkhill to denmark!

**subbsonic** · 10-06-2012, 04:52

With the amount of Recce the Polish, Russian and Ostie lorry drivers had conducted, they would probably secured their vital ground a long time before their conventional forces crossed the IGB, or came through the Mariabor Gap or Finnish Wedge
I met one of those Cold War Polish Lorry drivers in a bar once and they are exceptionally well travelled.

If they came about 10pm on the last Friday of the month, 95% of NORTHAG would either be in the mess or down town. If they left it until Saturday morning, they could have come by train, and had two eggs to boot!

Mitropa: macht das resie Schoener