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Supplies and POL were stocked at Eindhoven; POL at Schijndel; ammunition at Veghel, Uden, Oss and Wijchen; road material at Mill; coal at Best; and bridging at 's-Hertogenbosch. Positioned on the North German Plain, it is the command element of NATO's Northern Army Group (NORTHAG). Medium and heavy ammunition for units north of the Maas was stockpiled at Wijchen and that for those south of the Maas at Oss. [77] A 370-metre (1,220ft) class 40 Bailey pontoon bridge was built at Venlo by the 15th GHQ Troops Engineers. En 1961, il est affect au Royal Corps of Signals, et fair partie de la British Army of the Rhine. Originally scheduled to start at the beginning of January 1945, when the ground would have been frozen, Operation Veritable, the 21st Army Group's advance to the Rhine, was delayed for five weeks by the German Ardennes Offensive. [9] This required major operations, and the port was not opened for shipping until 26 November. Although the book is concerned primarily with the British armys experiences prosecuting counterinsurgency campaigns after 1945, it proves a helpful reference guide to the composition of the British army and its overseas deployments between 1945 and 1970. Army Bases London: Penguin, 1970. The tracks of Sherman tanks were equipped with "duck bill" connectors to facilitate advancing across snow and soft ground. British Armed Forces Special Vouchers B.A.O.R. An allocation of 300 tonnes (300 long tons) per day was made, but owing to competing American demands, the use of aircraft to repatriate liberated American, British and Commonwealth ex-prisoners of war (PWX), and a somewhat cumbersome procedure for requesting air deliveries, the tonnage of air freight never reached this level, averaging just 145 tonnes (143 long tons) per day for the month of April. Technical Services BAOR (British Army of the Rhine), Shooting Team, 1969. This gave them sufficient petrol to advance for 200 and 180 miles (320 and 290km) respectively, although no such rapid advance was contemplated, the supplies being to sustain the divisions in operations when the road network became congested with operational traffic. [10], HQ British Forces Germany was formed in January 2012, replacing the UKSC(G) and the Germany Support Group (GSG). London: Bantam, 2009. WW2 MAPS OF BRUSSELS/BRUXELLES 1944 D/DAY ORIGINAL RARE. A general study of the historical experiences that have shaped the British army. The deployment of BAOR on the European Central Front was symbolic of British political intent vis--vis European security and was the military means by which Britain sought to deter a conventional or nuclear Warsaw Pact attack. With some assistance from pioneers or civilians, each section could operate a petrol station issuing up to 45,000 litres (10,000impgal) per day. Cold War British Army Threat Recognition Guide It's the 1980s and the British Army Of the Rhine is still stationed in West Germany facing down the USSR's forces. The 21st Army Group asked for four base supply depots (BSDs), six field bakeries, three field butcheries, a cold storage depot and two detail issue depots (DIDs). Evolution of the organisation of the 21st Army Group line of communications, British logistics in the Western Allied invasion of Germany, Development of the line of communications, British logistics in the Western Allied Invasion of Germany, Fog Investigation and Dispersal Operation, British logistics in the Normandy campaign, British logistics in the Siegfried Line campaign, Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Supply and Maintenance on the European Continent, Official History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War, XVIII Corps (Airborne), Operation the Elbe to the Baltic, 27 April 1945 to 3 May 1945, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=British_logistics_in_the_Western_Allied_invasion_of_Germany&oldid=1141771057, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 18:30. To maximise their turnaround time, they were only used to cover the flooded stretch, with loads transferred to them and unloaded from them into other vehicles at each end. On 4 May Montgomery took the surrender of the German forces in front of the 21st Army Group. Garrison/HQ JHQ Rheindahlen, Germany. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020. [41] Some 600 field and 300 medium guns would support the operation. This included 15,000,000 rations, which were gradually eaten by the troops in the RMA. Peter Walker. The second British Army of the Rhine was formed on 25 August 1945 from the British Liberation Army. Dorsten Ammunition Depot munitions storage facility. [5], 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. The British Army of the Rhine was born in 1945 out of the British Liberation Army at the close of the war as the military government of the British zone of occupied Germany. Between 1945 and 1957, West Germany made a dizzying pivot from Nazi bastion to Britain's Cold War ally against the Soviet Union. [70] Of the 610 tonnes (600 long tons) of supplies and equipment dropped, 80 per cent was recovered. The corps sometimes had to send their transport back to the army roadheads to assist when major operations were required. Successive London governments, though often faced with bitter public and military opposition, tasked the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) to serve as a protecting force while strengthening West German integration into the Western defense structure. as (hopefully) more information is found or supplied. Not only are the well-equipped forward elements presented, but the light security elements that form BAOR's vital reinforcements are included as well. In addition to the storm boats, DUKWs, Buffaloes and Weasels,[62] there were also amphibious DD tanks. [79] Seven American combat engineer battalions assisted with road and bridge maintenance in the British Second Army area. 13 Army Roadhead while II Canadian Corps advanced on Oldenburg supported from No. Includes a chapter on the creation of the postmodern regimental system between 1945 and 1970 against the backdrop of postwar austerity and the consequent reorganization and amalgamation of many regiments. German railway personnel were used to man two trains a day from Celle to Bienenbuttel. By 9 February sections of the Nijmegen-Kranenburg road were under 46 centimetres (18in) of water. The British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) began life in 1945 as a postwar administrative headquarters deployed in support of the civilian authority of the British zone of occupation, northern Germany. Twenty-five special vehicles were built in Army workshops to carry them. British Army Germany was formed in 2020 to administer the remaining service personnel, UK Civil Servants, and dependents (family members), based in Germany. In 1947 all Batteries except those of the Royal Horse Artillery were placed on a single roll. British Land Forces in Germany came under the command of the British Army of the Rhine. XXX Corps opened a new No. [39][40], The artillery fire plan for Operation Veritable called for the widespread use of "pepperpot tactics". Expand or collapse the "in this article" section, Expand or collapse the "related articles" section, Expand or collapse the "forthcoming articles" section, Africa, Gunpowder and Colonial Campaigns in, All-Volunteer Army, Post-Vietnam Through 2016, Armed Forces of the Ottoman Empire, 16831918, Australia from the Colonial Era to the Present. [63] Units participating in Operation Plunder were re-equipped before the start of the operation. French, David. Over the next 24 hours, 7,415 vehicles crossed the bridge. [89][90], Despite this, stocks at the Nos. Not only are the well-equipped forward elements presented, but the light security elements that form BAOR's vital reinforcements are included as well. There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). Large numbers of displaced persons were also encountered, and they were accommodated in special camps. Road transport accounted for another 29,865 personnel and 23,360 trucks. A request for an increase in the theatre reserves from 28 to 51 days was approved by the War Office, but it was not possible to increase the stockpile of ammunition, as this was already being shipped at the maximum rate. In due course it was relieved by a vehicle park from Italy. [8], Administrative support for British service personnel in Germany and across continental Europe was delegated to United Kingdom Support Command (Germany), (UKSC(G)). [35] It would be carried out by General Harry Crerar's First Canadian Army, which was built up to a strength of 449,865 personnel through the addition of large numbers of British troops; counting civilians and prisoners of war, the army had a ration strength of 476,193. [16] However, some training will still be undertaken in Germany with regard to NATO capability. Look through examples of British Army of the Rhine translation in sentences, listen to pronunciation and learn grammar. 168 FMC area at Goch. As a result, vehicles owned by personnel ceased to have distinct registration plates, which had made them easily identifiable. [55], Rising flood waters soon created difficulties. 167 FMC was handed over to it, and became No. The following 12 files are in this category, out of 12 total. History of the british army of the rhine 06 09 14. New search features Acronym Blog Free tools . [28][29] Many of the tanks needed overhaul or modification and this task was beyond the resources of the 21st Army Group's REME units, so excess tanks were shipped to the UK. 10 Army Roadhead, while the attached II Canadian Corps continued to draw its from the First Canadian Army's No. Mainstream histories of the British army have focused overwhelmingly on the myriad counterinsurgency operations in which it became involved after 1945 at the expense of the vital role played by the British Army of the Rhine in the nations deterrent posture. 166 FMC was developed from one formerly established there by the VIII Corps, although it had to be expanded as XXX Corps had over 200,000 troops under its command for Operation Veritable. . Temperatures were as low as 15C (5F) on 26 January, resulting in firm, frozen ground, but a subsequent thaw caused widespread flooding, and by 5 February a section of the Turnhout-Eindhoven road had become impassable even to four-wheel-drive vehicles. This saved 150 vehicles, from which a seventh company was formed. A special train brought the required stores to the Second Army railhead within 48 hours of a demand being lodged with the advance base. 10 Army Roadhead. [102] Lend Lease aid from the United States and a high degree of industrial mobilisation provided the equipment and materiel. [6], Disbandment of the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) and Royal Air Force Germany (RAFG) in 1994, following the end of the Cold War and the Options for Change defence review in the early 1990s, reduced the strength of the British Armed Forces in Germany by almost 30,000 with just one division (1st Armoured) remaining by the late 1990s,[7] concentrated in North Rhine-Westphalia. The best introduction to the regimental system of the British army. ST. Army Gymnastic Staff AH Army Health . [47][48] Some 50 miles (80km) of new roads were built, and over 400 miles (640km) of roads were repaired, which required 64,000 tonnes (63,000 long tons). [47], The opening of a railway bridge over the Maas at Ravenstein on 4 February enabled the FMCs to be served by rail. kat graham and ian somerhalder relationship; wet stone polisher harbor freight; how to transfer nft from coinbase wallet to metamask; colorado state university pueblo volleyball; platinum jubilee medal 2022 eligibility police; jay weatherill penny wong; [81] The XII Corps plan called for the construction of a class 9 Folding Boat Equipment (FBE) bridge, a class 12 Bailey pontoon bridge and two class 40 Bailey pontoon bridges. Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War and the other after the Second World War. [27], On 10 February, the 5th Canadian Armoured Division loaded its 450 tanks and 320 Bren gun carriers on flat wagons in Rimini and Riccione, from whence they moved by rail to Leghorn. Their feeding was the responsibility of the German civilian population, but the British Army had to release a large number of NAAFI packs to displaced persons. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. percheron breeders near me; manchester public schools teacher contract; arizona cardinals schedule 2022 2023. chevy 350 compression ratio chart; matthew gunner ohanion [51] Rations were moved forward however, and 2,318,222 rations were stockpiled for Operation Veritable. Chinese surveillance cameras are being used at British Army bases despite Ministers banning them from Government buildings over fears they pose a major security risk. Contains informative chapters on the precarious position of BAOR during the austerity years of 19461953 and of the contribution made by BAOR to conventional deterrence throughout the Cold War. A sweeping review of four hundred years of British army history. [47] As it was thought that vehicle movement in the battle area would be restricted by the weather, terrain and battle damage, units were issued with "compo" ration packs for up to two-thirds of a formation's strength, and the divisions and independent brigades were also supplied with two-, three- and five-man "AFV" ration packs in case the distribution of compo packs proved to be too difficult. [45], Stocks of ammunition were built up at No. Operation Plunder included an airborne operation, Operation Varsity, in which two airborne divisions were landed with a day's supply of food, fuel and petrol. [11], A new base was developed around Brussels, and an advanced base area around Antwerp, but supplies were still being drawn from the Rear Maintenance Area (RMA) in Normandy. [61] Up to seven trains per day were required to move the ammunition from the advance base to the ammunition railheads at No. [44] For security reasons, troop movements had to be conducted at night. Red Sash Wargames Army of the Rhine - Ombre de Turenne SW | Toys & Hobbies, Games, Board & Traditional Games | eBay! Lorries then took them to the dispersal point at Renaix via Lyon and Dijon, guided by road markers that read "GF". The 11th Line of Communications Area took over the administration of the ports and the entire advanced base area, freeing the 12th Line of Communications Area headquarters to move forward. To simplify storage and handling, only ammunition for field, medium and heavy artillery was held at the Canadian FMCs, ammunition for all other weapons was stocked at No. Use the search function to locate the Order of battle by title or file name. British Army Royal Engineers enaged in the building of The Freeman Bridge, The River Rhine, Dusseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Work commenced at 09:30, and the bridge was opened for traffic at midnight. This was after British forces personnel were scaled down over several years, with 19,100 in April 2010, and 2,850 in April 2019. Troops met thin resistance as the operation wasn't intended as a surprise . [38] Operation Blackcock, a preliminary operation to clear German forces from the Roer Triangle, was carried out by the XII Corps in January 1945. Both formations had areas of responsibility located around the German section of the River Rhine. [94] New lines continued to be laid, the last one being laid to Bocholt on 24 May. Branch British Army. Select from premium British Army Of The Rhine of the highest quality. A train caught alight, and the fire spread to three nearby storage tanks. Both formations had areas of responsibility located around the German section of the River Rhine. The best introduction to the regimental system of the British army. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1950s British Army Rhine Royal Artillery Soldiers sergeant officer etc 3.25*2.25 at the best online prices at eBay! A double issue of Expeditionary Force Institutes stores was made to all participating units. A traffic jam broke the bridge during the night, but it was reopened thirteen hours later. 29th Division Entering Cologne 13 December 1918 Q 7220.jpg 641 800; 48 KB. Their construction would require 3,000 wooden piles 30 centimetres (12in) in diameter and 18 to 23 metres (60 to 75ft) in length. The expansion of the rail network allowed the 21st Army Group to give the Second Army another 11,460 tonnes (11,280 long tons) of road transport capacity. 166 Field Maintenance Centre (FMC) at Veghel and the two Canadian FMCs at Wijchen and Oss. The transfer involved 102,415 troops. It was the largest concentration of British armed forces permanently stationed outside the United Kingdom. The class 12 Bailey bridge, known as "Sussex", took the XII Corps Troops Engineers and the Royal Navy 43 hours to erect. It was arranged that 40 tanks, 650 wheeled vehicles, 50 Bren gun carriers, and 3,700 personnel would disembark each day in Marseilles, where accommodation was provided for 10,000 troops in tents and 200 vehicles. Printer friendly. While it was under construction, the engineers came under attack by the Luftwaffe, and 8 men were killed and 22 wounded. Stocking of No. Canadian units indented for warlike stores direct to their division's Ordnance Field Park, which carried stocks of spare parts for mechanical transport, small arms, armament, signal stores, and engineering equipment, as well as complete wireless sets and small arms. Another three-platoon company arrived from Italy with the Operation Goldflake units. We are pleased to announce that Eureka Miniatures UK will once again be attending the hugely popular SALUTE at ExCeL, London on Saturday 22nd April 2023. + $18.23 shipping. [87][88] A 300-metre (980ft) Class 9 FBE bridge was built over the Elbe at Lauenburg by the VIII Corps engineers on 29 April. A third bridge, "Westminster", was commenced by the 6th Army Troops Engineers on 26 March, completed at 18:00 on 29 March, and ceremoniously opened by Dempsey the next morning. The offensive was supported by 600 field and 300 medium guns. [12] Civilian labour was utilised at the bases in a variety of tasks to enable military personnel to be released for service in forward areas. The British Second Army also had access to the American class 70 timber pile bridge at Venlo and the Canadian First Army class 70 bridge at Grave. [52], Special tracks were provided for the Bren gun carriers to prevent skidding on icy roads, but these had to be withdrawn when it was discovered that they caused excessive wear and tear on their suspensions. During the month, 432 trains delivered 230,000 tonnes (230,000 long tons) to 37 railheads in the British Second Army area. Moody, Simon J. Imagining Nuclear War in the British Army, 19451989. 30 hurt in blast at army base. A special effort was made to ensure that all units had their full allowance of winter and protective clothing. [3] However, around 185 British Army personnel and 60 Ministry of Defence civilians will stay in Germany beyond 2020. [7] The British Second Army liberated Brussels on 3 September, and Antwerp was captured virtually intact on 4 September,[8] but it could not be used as a port until the Germans were cleared from the Scheldt approaches, through which ships had to pass to reach the port. Strachan, Hew, ed. This airborne operation was the largest of its kind during the entire war, utilizing 1,625 transports, 1,348 gliders, and 889 escort fighters to deliver over 22,000 airborne infantry into the contested territory. Another petrol depot arrived from Italy in April. Its commander was the British commander of the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). Home; About. This involved prodigious use of ammunition, fuel and equipment, which in turn demanded a first-class military logistics system. A 229-metre (751ft) class 40 Bailey pontoon bridge was erected by the 7th Army Troops Engineers at Well and a 270-metre (880ft) one by the 6th Army Troops Engineers at Lottum was opened for traffic on 10 March. By January 1945, some 90,000 civilians were employed by the 21st Army Group, of whom half were employed in workshops in the advanced base, and 14,000 at the port of Antwerp. Posted 30 March , 2015. carndook. The 21st Army Group asked for four base supply depots (BSDs), six field bakeries, three field butcheries, a cold storage depot and two detail issue depots (DIDs). No. [50], Because it was not anticipated that the advance would be rapid, it was not considered necessary to hold large stocks of petrol, oil and lubricants (POL) in the FMCs, but to ensure that vehicles moving to the assembly areas arrived with full tanks of fuel, a train loaded with petrol was sent to Nijmegen to allow them to be topped off. Oxford Bibliographies Online is available by subscription and perpetual access to institutions. The high use of road transport meant that the British Second Army burned 7,600 tonnes (7,500 long tons) of petrol a day, but pipelines were laid across the Rhine at Emmerich and were in operation by the end of April. [30], A rail halt was established at Gevrey-Chambertin and bivouac areas at Montbard and Chalon-sur-Sane. The Commander-in-Chief of BAOR also served as the commander of NATO's northern Army Group, and as such had Dutch and German units under command in the event of war. While most of its units were British or Canadian, there were also contingents from Belgium, the Netherlands, Czechoslovakia and Poland,[1] and the RAF Second Tactical Air Force operating in support also had Australian, French, New Zealand and Norwegian squadrons. A request from the 21st army Group for additional resources to support the redeployed formations was rejected by the War Office; any additional support units required had to either be drawn from the Mediterranean or supplied by the 21st Army Group. Corps Water Polo Championships, BAOR (British Army of the Rhine)Team Winners, Aldershot. These were manufactured locally in Brussels and fitted in Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) workshops. It drew fuel from Dungeness on the coast of Kent and transported it across the Strait of Dover to a terminal near Boulogne. List of battleships of the United States Navy, Headquarters Allied Command Europe Rapid Reaction Corps, http://www.orbat.info/history/volume5/518/Original%20BAOR.pdf, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article187497575, http://baor-locations.org/historybaor.aspx.html, http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1963/jan/30/baor-tactical-nuclear-weapons, http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1967/mar/06/defence-army-estimates-1967-68-vote-a#S5CV0742P0_19670306_HOC_566, http://baor-locations.org/salamancabks.aspx.html, http://baor-locations.org/bournmouthbks.aspx.html, http://baor-locations.org/kingslybks.aspx.html, "British Army of the Rhine Order of Battle July 1989", https://www.orbat85.nl/documents/BAOR-July-1989.pdf, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, Military units and formations established in 1945, Military units and formations disestablished in 1994, Field armies of the United Kingdom in World War I, Field armies of the United Kingdom in World War II, Military units and formations of the British Empire in World War II. Initially Goldflake convoys sailed to Marseilles by a direct route but after the Battle of the Ligurian Sea on the night of 17/18 March they were routed further south, through the Strait of Bonifacio between Corsica and Sardinia. [42] The weight of shell employed would still be formidable; the fire plan still called for 6 tonnes (6 long tons) of shells to be delivered on designated targets, and some would receive up to 11 tonnes (11 long tons). [51] There was also demand for covered accommodation in the 3,300 bivouacs, and 21st Army Group headquarters released 343 huts and 1,600 100-pound (45kg) tents from its stocks, which were delivered to the railheads around Mill and 's-Hertogenbosch. This freed the 9th Line of Communications Sub Area to participate in Operation Goldflake. [63] The final troop movements for Operation Plunder involved 662 tanks, over 4,000 tank transporters and 32,000 other vehicles. The second class 40 Bailey pontoon bridge, "Sparrow", was built by the 4th GHQ Troops Engineers on 27 March. This page is a list of British Armies in WWII. SALUTE South London Warlords. 166 FMC. Four trains a day passed through Gevrey-Chambertin, which handled 72,550 personnel and 4,035 trucks. Mar 1. The bivouac areas were provided with temporary billets, latrines, emergency rations and fuel, and medical teams and vehicle maintenance crews were on hand. Blaxland 1971 and Mallinson 2009, for example, have produced histories of the army which are not entirely dominated by narratives of counterinsurgency campaigns. There were tactical, operational and political reasons for this: the best sites for a crossing of the Rhine were there;[20] a crossing in the north gave access to the North German Plain, where the terrain was good for mobile warfare, for which his Allied forces were particularly suited;[21] it offered a means of cutting off the Ruhr,[22] a major industrial region of Germany;[23] and it had the political advantage of involving the British and Canadians. British Army Of the Rhine Welcome Welcome to BAOR Locations. 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. The 17th and 19th Line of Communications Sub Area assumed responsibility for the region around Lille, allowing the 15th Line of Communications Sub Area to move to the area between the Maas and the Rhine. The troops were located principally in the vicinity of Cologne at an approximate cost per month of 300,000. Free shipping for many products! The second British Army on the Rhine was formed on 25 August 1945 from 21st Army Group. The 5 miles (8.0km) of the Nijmegen-Cleve road was under 610 millimetres (24in) of water, and DUKWs were employed to move supplies forward along it to a "skeleton" FMC, No. British army inner german border.jpg 1,941 1,368 . BAOR stands for British Army Of the Rhine. [32][34], To free up administrative units to support the advance into Germany, it was decided to shorten the line of communications by closing down the RMA in Normandy, where some 300,000 long tons (300,000t) of supplies were still held. Instead, 18th GHQ Troops Engineers erected it the following day at a downstream site near the town of Honnopel. List of units and formations of the British Army, "Neuer britischer Kommandeur in Paderborn", "Adventurous Training Foundation Delivery (AFTD)", Overseas military bases of the United Kingdom, British Forces British Indian Ocean Territories, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=British_Army_Germany&oldid=1141875126, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Military command, support, and administration, Land Training Fleet (Sennelager) which provides and maintains a pool of. In view of pressure from the Canadian government to have its forces reunited, the Combined Chiefs decided to send the two divisions of the I Canadian Corps to rejoin the First Canadian Army, followed by up to three British divisions. Its original function was to control the corps districts which were running the military government of the British zone of occupied Germany. The Meuse-Escaut Canal was also opened that month, and by the end of March the Zuid-Willemsvaart and the MaasWaal Canal were also open, allowing barge traffic from Antwerp to reach the Waal. As was written earlier we are constantly searching for information, and adding or updating pages. 12 and 14 Army Roadheads were being run down. Expands. [25] This was codenamed Operation Goldflake, and it involved the redeployment of the I Canadian Corps and British 5th Division from Italy to North West Europe. Although our understanding of the service has been considerably deepened by subsequent scholarship, the book provides the broader context for thinking about the army after 1945. After successfully carrying the Eureka torch at the show in November 2021, some of our Eureka and AB family will finally be able to join us for the first time since the pandemic struck in 2020. Margaret Brown. 13 Army Roadhead at Nijmegen. 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. An emergency repair effort was conducted, and many were shipped direct from the workshops to the front lines. [45] No. Mallinson, Allan. 168 FMC near Goch. [11] The first phase of this was the transfer of remaining stores to the advanced base. In 1961, he received a commission into the Royal Corps of Signals, and served in the British Army of the Rhine . Photo courtesy of RAMC Lab Tech Cpl Peter Elgar 1958. Consequently, the daily pack trains that carried supplies were normally run straight through from the advanced base to the corps railheads, which were normally stocked on a commodity basis, and the roadheads supporting the First Canadian Army carried much less stock than its British Second Army counterparts. After the successful Normandy landings, the units of 21st Army Group crossed the river Rhine near the Germany city of Wesel on 23 March 1945. The XXX Corps Troops Engineers commenced work on the "Lambeth" class 15 Bailey pontoon bridge at 15:00 on 24 March, but work was frequently interrupted by German fire, and the bridge was not opened until 08:30 on 26 March. [14], In autumn 2019, British Forces Germany effectively closed,[15] with the last military base handed back to the German Bundeswehr in February 2020.