“Welcome, gentlemen. It is good to see you have all arrived safely, notwithstanding that I wish we were meeting under very different circumstances. We have met under canvas like this on many occasions in the past, but always as part of a field or command post exercise. On this occasion, the circumstances are much more grave.”
He caught the eye of as many of his officers as he could, subject to the lighting. He wasn’t a big man, but had presence. With his sandy-coloured hair, sometimes slightly tufty as if the barber had missed a small section, and a ruddy complexion, he looked almost paternal. Until a scowl froze you on the spot. He was a soldier’s soldier. A warrior. He would get actively involved in the training of his brigade and, when time allowed, had been known to participate in their fitness training.
“Before I say my piece, I will hand you over to Staff Sergeant Owen. He has been tracking the enemy movement to our front and keeping abreast of the bigger picture from Division and Corps. Staff Owen.”
The Brigadier, and the rest of the officers at the end of the table, stood to one side allowing Owen to come to the front.
“Sir.”
“Come on, squeeze up, squeeze up. Get as close as you can,” instructed the Brigade Major with marginal impatience. “We’ll issue you with a briefing document and your orders before you leave, but in the meantime having a view of the maps will help.”
The officers shuffled forward as best they could. The Staff Sergeant tapped the first map on the easel, using a stick he had stripped from one of the trees outside.
“First I will cover the bigger picture.” At six foot two, he could almost look over the heads of his superior officers lined up with him. “I will work from the south to the north.”
“It is important that you all understand the overall situation that AFCENT finds itself in. Whatever affects the Allied Forces in Central Europe will impact on our Northern Army Group,” added the Brigadier. “If NORTHAG has to respond then 1 BR Corps will potentially have to respond. So, dig in well, but always be ready to move when called upon.”
He nodded to the Staff Sergeant to continue.
“In the south, in Central Army Group’s southern area of responsibility, they are up against the Czechoslovakian army, the CSLA. A division from the CSLA’s eastern district has reached as far as the River Danube, as have elements of the 4th CSLA Army. Central Group of Soviet Forces is also advancing on Austria and Southern Germany.”
He tapped the map. “Here, further north, the 1st CSLA Army has reached as far as the River Regen and the River Naab. Further north still, they have advanced as far as Bayreuth. The Austrian army, along with the 2nd German Corps, part of CENTAG, is under severe pressure. This is the southern boundary of the American VII Corps’ sector.”
He paused to catch his breath, taking in the expectant faces. Normally briefings like this would be met with stifled yawns: being told about Orange Force movements, British units acting in the role of the enemy. This time, their life may well depend on the information that was being imparted to them.
“Further north again, 1 Guards Tank Army has already reached Schweinfurt. Elements of US VII Corps is holding its own and reinforcements are on their way. The Soviet 8th Guards Tank Army has breached the Fulda River and has occupied the town of Fulda itself, along with Bad Hersfield. Soviet Air Assault Battalions have been in support, and the US cavalry regiment, acting as the covering force, has withdrawn in good order. But, they have suffered heavy casualties. The 3rd German Army, the Volksarmee that is, is crossing the River Fulda at this very moment.”
He shifted his stick to the upper section of the map. “I will come back to 1 BR Corps in a moment. The Soviet Northern Group of Forces have also made good headway, reaching as far as the western outskirts of Luneburg. The 8th Germany Army, the DDR, under command of the Northern Group of Soviet Forces, has taken Lubeck and have reached the gates of Hamburg itself.”
There was an intake of breath. The soldiers knew that the Warsaw Pact would advance quickly, but to already be at the fringes of Hamburg was a hard fact to swallow.
“Elements of the northern force are also moving north into Schleswig Holstein. A Bundeswehr panzer division, acting as a covering force, is doing its best to slow them down, but the enemy numbers are overwhelming. Although Warsaw Pact forces haven’t crossed the River Elbe to the north, they have crossed it to the south.”
He swept the pointer in an arc across the upper section of map. “Crossing the Elbe, the Warsaw Pact forces would then have the option of swinging north and cutting behind the second Bundeswehr panzer division covering force, cutting them off and isolating Hamburg. Hamburg’s only link with the rest of West Germany would be by the sea.”
He paused and pulled a notebook from the front pocket of his NBC suit. “To NORTHAG. 1st Netherlands Corps is moving into position around the Bremen area. Another Bundeswehr division is covering that sector until the Dutch are there in strength. 1st German Corps, south of the Dutch and north of 1st British Corps, are in position, with their covering force withdrawing, slowing the enemy down. Our area of operation, from south of Hanover to north of Kassel in the south, I will cover shortly. South of us, and the last Corps of NORTHAG, 1st Belgian Corps, is moving through the dense forests north of Frankfurt. A Bundeswehr panzer division is holding the Soviets back until the Belgians are there in force and able to dig in.”
The Brigadier held up his hand. “The three German Corps are extremely powerful, but the three divisions acting as a covering force can only conduct limited operations until the Dutch and Belgians take up the slack. So we do need them to get their act together quickly. I will cover our positions when Staff Sergeant Owen has finished his piece, which I think is nearly done. But, generally, 1 BR Corps and 1 German Corps are in position, but our northern and southern flanks are vulnerable. Carry on, Staff.”
“Sir. Enemy positions, 1 BR Corps sector. As expected, we are up against 3rd Shock Army.”
“As expected,” the Brigadier said with a chuckle, eliciting a response from the group, most of their faces breaking into a smile.
“It appears, as expected, that we have 2nd Guards Tank Army to the north and 1st Guards Tank Army to the south. At our immediate front, the two 3rd Shock Army units we are up against are the 10th Guards Tank Division and the 7th Guards Tank Division. These are the Army’s 1st echelon divisions and we have been fighting those divisions’ 1st echelon regiments for the last twenty-four hours. They are currently in the process of forcing a crossing over the River Oker.”
That brought a gasp from some of the officers, astounded that the Soviet army had penetrated so deeply already.
“We have had significant Spetsnaz activity in our area of responsibility, consisting of sabotage and supporting assaults in the areas south of Bielefeld, Herford, north of Salzgitter, west of Braunschweig, Bad Pyrmont, Guterslough, Bruggen, Blomsberg, Munster, north of Springe, and Rhoden.”
“And these types of attacks will continue,” imparted the Brigadier. “So, don’t just keep a watch to your front. There could be helicopter or parachute assaults to your rear, and even attacks by Spetsnaz units already in country.”
“And these are only the ones we know about,” added Captain Rees.
“That’s my briefing concluded, sir,” informed Staff Sergeant Owen.
“Thank you, Staff, a good brief. Right, gather around the bird table, gentlemen, and I will take you through our current positions and my intentions.”