| JULY 1961. |
| POSSIBLE POSTINGS: No. 3. by G.K.P. |
| B.A.O.R. |
| At the end of the last war, British Forces remained established in Germany, together with those of France, America and Russia, as part of an Army of Occupation. The idea then was to prevent Germany from again becoming a military power which could be exploited to destroy the peace of Europe. With the alienation of Russia and the development of Western Germany as one of our allies, our purpose there has changed fundamentally. |
| Since 1955, when Germany once more became an independent nation, the British Army of the Rhine has played an important part in the defence of Western Europe as a member of N.A.T.O. Forces. Our soldiers are no longer members of an Army of Occupation, but they have, nevertheless enjoyed many privileges not available to other armies. Today, B.A.O.R. remains a key force in N.A.T.O. |
| THE ARMY IN GERMANY. |
| The British Army is responsible for a large part of the North German plain, which stretches from the Dutch frontier to the "Iron Curtain" dividing the Federal German Republic from the Russian occupied zone (the so-called "German Democratic Republic".) This area contains many training grounds with names famous throughout the Army, such as Sennelager and Hohne. They are suitable for live firing of all our weapons and for the tactical training of teeth Arms. In addition, agricultural areas are often used for large exercises. |
| The training year is divided up into periods of individual training in Spring, unit exercises in Summer, and full scale formation exercises in the Autumn. These last from a few days to several weeks, and many of the new weapons, vehicles and tactical ideas are given their first field trials during such manoeuvres. When not in the field, soldiers are housed in barracks, some of them excellent and all of them good, which are usually, near large towns. |
| In winter there is often an opportunity for soldiers to visit other N.A.T.O. Army Units from the Canadian, American, German, Belgian and French forces to be found in Germany. Visits are also made to other arms and services of our own Army to learn something of how they work. |
| SPARE TIME ACTIVITIES. |
| Quite apart from its general reputation for good food, Germany offers the chance to visit many places of historic and picturesque interest, or even just to have a good time. Army leave facilities include ski-ing in the Harz mountains, sailing at Mohne See of "Dambuster" fame, or at Kiel on the Baltic, trips to Bavaria or Austria and swimming just about anywhere. The Rhine, Teutoburger Forrest, Dusseldorf or Hamburg, all cater for the tastes of a soldier on leave. Cars and petrol are cheap and many soldiers either own or have a share in a car, which they use for touring neighbouring countries. Now that the air trooping service from Dusseldorf is operating, many people can fly back to the U.K. on leave in under two hours, and an extra leave allowance is made for travelling time. |
| In general, soldiers in Germany can lead an interesting and varied life, both in work and play, and the warm summers and cold winters allow a full range of sporting activities. |
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