General Info.

Bound For Britain.

The rebasing and drawdown of British Forces Germany (BFG) continues  in 2016 as four units - 5th Battalion ,The Rifles,
1 and 6 Regts,RLC and The  99 Postal Courier and Movement Sqd-transfer to the UK, involving the relocation of around 470 families and
more than 850 Soldiers.

BFG will close Princess Royal Barracks Gutersloh. Alanbrooke Barrracks Paderborn. Tower Barracks Dulmen and Kiel Adventurous Training Centre for release to the German authorities.
Following these moves around 3,000 personnel will remain in the country and together with UK-based civilians and dependents, a community of some 8,700 staff
will be staying on at Bielefeld,Paderborn and Gtersloh until the completion of the drawdown in 2019.

Meanwhile. the work has started on brand new single living accommodation at Duke of Gloucester Barracks in South Cerney which is destined for troops returning from Germany.
The £8 Million project will provide 90 new bedrooms for junior ranks and senior non-commissioned officers.
The 99 Postal Courier and Movement Control Sqd is due to move there this year ans 69 PM and MC Sqd currently based at Bielefeld will join them in 2019.
Development work such as the construction such as the new gym,offices and storage space is still to be completed.
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Gents.This above is   from this months (April) Soldier magazine page 12. Thought  I would pass it along.
I did telephone their head office and asked permission to post this up.
Yes ............However Please mention the Soldier Mag.....Job done.

As a matter of interest how many I wonder do have the Soldier Mag. You can of course  go on line to read the whole mag  .
I am lucky I Pick mine up each month from The Oxford University Officers Training Unit here in Oxford.Falklands House where I have been involved since 1985. In fact they give me several copies to pass onto my Veteran friends which I have
been doing for many years.
A magazine I look forward to very much.

Regards to you all.

John.

With the pull back of UK troops, RAF (Crab Air) etc from Germany in these post Cold War years, and the general demise of BAOR, Rheindahlen and all that - do those of us who were lucky enought to have served as regular servicemen/women during the 1950s, 1960, 1970s and beyond up to present times (2016), ever regret the chances that we all had to serve in Germany, NATO and other places where our current servicepersonel will never have had the opportunity for. (Myself - Ex Scallyback, BAOR during the 1960s)

The problem with our much reduced Armed services, on the ground of financial austerity, so we are told, those service personell will never experience what we experienced in troubled tiems and peace. The joys of boozing in Germany, trips out, the joys of "SnellZug" etc Our current lads and lasses seem to be being used st peackeeprs, or clearing up the messes across the Middle East etc that our political masters get us into occassionally.

But then - was it always thus? i certainly would not ahve travelled to some of those places I did get to. during the Veterans breakfast around the UK now, we can reminisce with those other vetrans who are still around and able to get out for the meet ups. I occasionally go to the Veterans Breakfast at Southend, Essex, the 'Toby Carvery' on the A127 into Sarfend...!!!

More 'blah' from Young Uncle V....

BAOR reading amterial in barracks when off duty. Does anyone remember the War Comics that did the rounds and were affectionately called 'training manuals?'

I remember reading a number of books by a Danish author called Sven hassel, who claims to ahve served in a Danish Division at a tankie in the German Army during World War Two. I remember a number of these books did the rounds in the barracks and were very popular reading in the late 1960s in 28 Signal Regiment (BR) that I served in.

Sven Hassel died some years ago in 2012 aged 95 according to 'wikipedia'. I found his books quite fascinating. In the 1980s, a film was made called the 'wheels of Terror' based on his experience on the Eastern front during the Nazi 'Operation Barbarosa' invasion of the Soviets.

Do any Old Timers and Cold war Warriors of the 1960s and 1970s remember these books, and what did you make of them?

I do remember the 'training mauals', the Commando series were especially popular I seem to recall. J T Edson books were also popular, as were well-thumbed copies of Parade and Blighty.

I also remember the Commando magazines, fitted neatly into the map pocket. The guys would delete the printed word and insert their own words, which obviously, I can't reproduce here!! Sven Hassel was also popular reading, how much was fiction and how much fact seems debatable?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sven_Hassel

"Information Magazines" aka Pink Backs were also popular in those innocent days.

My time in BAOR was the early 50's and Hank Janson was the author of choice - in fact I think it was the only choice.

Sven Hassel. Remember him? Sure do. The book would be passed on when finished. They had some tough scenarios in them. There was penguin book, " I Jahn Kramer" I got in the NAFFI in Iserlohn, a Dutch author, nothing to do with the military but a darn good read. Still have it.

I too have fond memories of the BAOR "training manuals" which in my case were brought out every unit deployment exercise as aide to staying awake whilst on overnight radio watch in the OPS wagon.

The contents of an ammo box (as listed in the earlier postings) were pooled and carefully put away at ENDEX for the next deployment, usually less than a month away.

It has been alleged/reported that post the 2017 General Elections, MoD are looking at reducing the Brish Army by around another 16 thousand front line and support troops. The UK Army strength could be down to around 82 thousand in the next few years, with more reliance on Terratorials and Reserve Forces. This has been tried before and it did not work. Looks like the may Tory government will make the same mistakes over again -- why?

unclevanya

The down sizing of the Regular Army has already happened and some Commentators have said you can now fit its entire strength into Wembley Stadium with room to spare. You can find details under the title Army 2020 on the internet.

To counter this the Reserves are suppose to increase to a strength of thirty thousand by 2020 but it is widely accepted that the former TA had a maximum effective strength of about twenty thousand in peacetime, but MOD Accountants/Treasury Officials will doubtless be very happy with the underspend.