Rheindahlen - The Kremlin

happy days indeed . ginger

I can remember we were always warned about 'SOXMIS' vehicles floating around outside Rheindhalen or near other baracks. Can't say I ever saw any Roosians spying on us in all the time I was in BAOR.

I do remember that as young Sodjiers we were warned about allowing ourselves to be 'compromised' in honey traps, or boozed up states, or kinky sex with donkeys or goats.... why goats or donkeys beats me!!!!

Trouble was, the more I though about this, the more paranoid I became, until at one point I didn't leave the confines of barracks for several months in case I was 'turned' by KGB into a double agent........ ????

But, hey, I came through all these tribulations that young, greenhorn soldiers go through (I ahd a very sheltered upbringing )..... I never did get to go down for a visit to Kanalstrasse to see the nice ladies sitting in their shop windows.....

I served with 24 Msl Regt, stationed in Ubique Bks on the B1 in Dortmund, in the mid 70s. Ever Tuesday, regular as clockwork, a Russian artic "broke down" opposite the Bks, apparently the driver was a well know Captain in the KGB. Should have come on a Saturday, only the guard were in camp.

No Dee Z, he was trying to spy on me and my mates with a view to killing us.

Didn`t work ,did it

Always one step ahead of the Posse!

I never did get to actually visit the 'White House', the HQ of BAOR in any official capacity. But I visited all the other 'places of interest' that squaddies do whilst at Rheindahlen. I was once selected as part of 28 (BR) Sigs water polo team because I was quite a good swimmer. The problem was I wear glasses and am quite short sighted. So when I was in the swimming pool, playing against another regiment, I couldn't see where the ball was coming from. Needless to say I was deselected as part of the Regimental Water Polo Team.

The best part of Regimental Sports was the pee-ups afterwards in the NAAFI or elsewhere.

One of the other stories I heard, was that the WRAC accommodations had to have a wire fence, and gated entry erected around it due to the numbers of lusty young men who used to either climb in through the windows to 'service' the horny, love lorn and lonely WRAC girls.

The RMP used to raid it sometimes looking for wayward Lads who where in the wrong place.

So, are female accommodations in the 21st Century British Army still separated from the Lads accommodations, or are they all mixed now. I believe that the Officers Mess sleeping accommodations is mixed nowadays.....

I saw a programme on TV about Afghanistan and a female Bombardier lived in the same marquee as the lads,they had individual small tents all round the sides.