LouieD

that is from DEFE 70/2073 1 BRC Admin Orders Feb 1990 which is at Kew PRG falls under command Full Command of 1 Armd Div upon reinforcement Also 2 RGJ (the Dover Bn) falls under Full Command of 1 BRC upon release from LoC RCZ role. It was discussed being used, if necessary, being used in the Water Sandwich, along with other scenarios I do also have the complete DEFE 70/2253“No. 1 Task Force” (also at Kew)which is the whole TA Para Bn saga from 1985 to 1990, which to reiterate, starting with GDP86 the three TA Bns were together I also have various FOI request info in regards to PRG which they sent me direct (on disc) in 2012. That is when I also received the 1991 MORBAT thanks to some very knowledgeable ladies at the MOD Plus I have two former Staff Officers who were in BAOR in the mid to late 80’s, who I am in contact with which verify what is mentioned above.

No, The Parachute Regt Group exercised the whole of 1989 under that name 4, 10, & 15 Para, all under command and role to defend Hildesheim All three TA Bns had that role since GDP86 the only thing that was missing was a coordinating HQ. It went through several names or references until it was settled on PRG with the RHQ Para having the TTW role as HQ Further the Dover Bn which was Saxon equipped had LoC duties at first from the Channel Ports to CRA. It would then be chopped to 1 BRC with a possible deployment to the Water Sandwich 1 Wessex from 1982 to 1991 Was assigned to UKMF 5 RGJ was the HQ Security Bn for 1 BRC with each Coy being assigned to Main, Step-Up, Rear

I will, I am doing a rewrite of the opening of my BAOR doc, so it will be based on that. unfortunately for us there were massive amounts of NATO files that were disposed of right after Wall Fall that are now lost. But I have spoken to enough Staff Officers from the time and my documents have enough information that I was able to piece together the main plans. Suffice it to say, in my opinion, if the Cold War had lasted into the 90’s BAOR’s sector would NOT be attractive at all for a Soviet main effort. With the Plan and full roll out of Chally/Warrior/AS90/MLRS, it would have been a formidable, too formidable to crack easily. We would have most likely seen a main effort directed at the Netherlands/Belgian sectors which would have seen British/German/US troops involved because of NORTHAG’s plan to fight across National Corps boundaries as a homogenous AG.

This is exactly BAOR noticed in the mid to late 1970’s and was further developed by Bagnall. The concept that reached its nadir in the late 1980’s as The GOODWOOD PLAN. BAOR looked at the German defences in Op GOODWOOD (which was the subject of many Staff Rides) and came to the conclusion that using the terrain features and plethora of towns/villages in 1 BR Corps sector it could re-enact a GOODWOOD defence to stop the Soviet First Echelon in its tracks. The reason that there were so many non-mech Inf planned to reinforce BAOR was because of the GOODWOOD Defence. ALL the MILAN FPs in the UK and the TA Inf Bns who had MILAN but were in the RCZ were included with a ratio of 4 or 5 MILAN FPs per two Inf Pls. These would be dug into key terrain or set up in towns/villages. To help direct the Soviet Echelons into these kill zones, the mine warfare plan was also extensive and would attempt to channel the Soviets in. There were three types of minefields envisioned; nuisances, nudges, and no-gos. Nuisances were just enough to slow the Soviets down, nudges were extensive enough to divert the Soviets in the direction 1 BR Corps wanted and no-goes were sos thick and deep that they would stop the Soviets cold. Artillery control, suggested by some, was the best in NATO, a FOO could call down anything from a battery to every gun in range Corp wide. The Mech Bdes (all Chieftain and FV432/Warrior equipped) would conduct a mobile defence between the minefields and “islands” of MILAN. The Armd Bdes (7 & 20) would be for local counterattacks or counter strikes. 3 Armd Div, the first to be completely outfitted with Chally/Warrior, was to be kept back with only release by Com NORTHAG/BAOR to conduct a more extensive counterstroke. i have also been told that from the early 1980’s MILAN Training included telling operators that (thanks to BRIXMIS) MILAN was not going to penetrate the frontal arc of most T-64s/80s (I can’t recall the mark, @Stuart Galbraith I believe you know the exact ones) so they would be prepared to do side shots on the Soviet tanks which hopefully would have found them without accompanying Infantry since all BTRs & BMPs were vulnerable.

Military Home Defence

@Stuart Galbraith I was recently informed that the Cabinet Office has put an embargo on the MOD transferring files to Kew. It seems that in their opinion (the Cabinet Office) some things, especially of the MHD nature, were released without their Ok. I have a FOI request regarding KPs which was supposed to be released in 2025 since February, the MOD is still waiting for The Cabinet Office to Review it for release on my FOI request.

From November 1987, it looks like the plan was for Midway to soldier on until 1997 Combat Aircraft Issues and Options November 1987.pdf

Sorry all, work has taken up a good bit of my time.... NATO Archives have come out with some new documents https://archives.nato.int/nato-defence-planning-review-1989-denmark

Any updates on where it went?

Stuart, yes his Berlin book has a section about the SF Det and have you seen this book? Special Forces Berlin: Clandestine Cold War Operations of the US Army's Elite, 1956–1990 https://www.amazon.com/Special-Forces-Berlin-Clandestine-Operations/dp/1612008437/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=310WB3B3O4UB7&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9._IUvz75n5MfPHQ8yue0Sud0P1lSOljUD7Lk4Ox_RBojQLXBrjd6eGoRhV2JJ91fjxSfqLh-wrKXvCRRHoTRQUQES0yONvCJylzREQBnRLrWKGM8b70i_JBTYEqkRTscK6KArJpKWe99Qp5DNzpSN5H7C8BMgPB5i18BztCQVL_Wd_jxUaS5aVlHB7wO0BrbZAA0jz3kp--iCrZebDEgstw.cL5nVyk5Zso2u8E1sV8Ifk12vaiGqLXmCOSvDG7y9S0&dib_tag=se&keywords=special+forces+berlin&qid=1730775070&sprefix=special+forces+berlin%2Caps%2C155&sr=8-1

https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/BRIXMIS-and-the-Secret-Cold-War-Hardback/p/50780 Andrew is also doing a series for Helion on Berlin during the Cold War. He just finished Volume 4 which features the U.S. Berlin Bde…..up next will British Berlin Bde https://www.helion.co.uk/military-history-books/cold-war-berlin-an-island-city-volume-4-us-forces-in-berlin-preparing-for-war-1945-1994.php?sid=99491ddaa94dc209d6df49064adea732 (full transparency….i assisted on some ORBAT and unit info)

Someone posted this on FB from the 11 ACR museum, no date but I’m guessing mid-late 1980’s. I will try to upload a clearer image latter. Notice the two FRG Corps heading eastward.

Kew has about 52 WINTEX files from the 1980’s, it looks like they are all from Foreign & Commonwealth Office

Mungo Melvin pulled the last GDP Plan (1989) out for Ex United Shield 08/09. He wrote a pretty extensive Staff Ride booklet focused on NATO/Warsaw Pact Plans. The Mandarins at the MOD had their feather ruffled because “The future is COIN!” “ Armor is extinct!”. So I was told that the MOD civvies pulled everything Mungo Melvin used and disposed of it. However the booklet, ARRCADE Planner, seemed to have survived in the file cabinets and attics of several Staff Officers who attended. Furthermore it seems that one file, DEFE 70/2073 1 BR Corps Admin Orders 1/90, seemed to have escaped their clutches. I have the file from Kew and for the other, well….I couldn’t possibly comment!

From what the Old & Bold tell me a lot was destroyed after Wall Fall. One reason was “hey we don’t need it anymore” but I have been told by multiple Staff Officers that there were plans to go EAST in certain scenarios (Poland staging a revolution, Second Berlin Blockade, counterstrokes over the IGB, etc.) that certain people at the National level did not want to see the light of day. Until March 2022 the MOD has been good (probably me pestering them!) with dropping files at Kew. However since the Ukraine War nothing has been dropped and my FOI’s are being denied on security grounds. That said there are some files at Kew that have multiple parts, for instance I have a Part A of a reservist study that ends July 1989. When I inquired about Part B I was told it had been destroyed.