Political forlorn hope

In 1945 the Allies divided Germany and Berlin into separate control zones with their own garrisons. Berlin was deep inside the Soviet Zone. The troops in the British German Zone became the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR).  Initially the troops were responsible for the control and administration of the British Zones. They were  assisted by the Control Commission Germany (CCG) that included civil servants managing local government, policing, housing and transport. From 1957 to 1959 The Border Regiment served in the  Berlin Independents Brigade. They were based at Wavell Barracks.

By the 80s the political setting had changed. The Western Zones had become West Germany, though with its capital at Bonn, on the Rhine. The Soviet zone was now the German Democratic Republic. The Berlin Brigade’s role now was to to maintain the Yalta Agreement and prevent a Soviet take over of Berlin. For this they trained for urban warfare.

Alongside the KORBR in 1981 were 2nd Battalion Royal Irish Rangers, 2nd Battalion Royal Regiment of Fusiliers and ‘D’ Squadron 4/7 Dragoon Guards, plus supporting arms, including Engineers, Signals, Medics and Military Police.

British zone

The King’s Own Royal Border Regiment (KORBR) were posted to this remnant of WW2 in 1981 and stayed until 1983. They arrived fresh from duty in Northern Ireland. The new environment was welcome. For some, the hedonistic Berlin environment, was almost a holiday. A strange mix of soldiering deep in Warsaw Pact territory and a wealthy Western City.

There was ceremonial and flag flying, but also specific tasks. The Brigade took its turn alongside the other powers to provide the guard for Spandau Prison and its by now one Nazi prisoner, Rudolph Hess. The Brigade managed the train connected the British Zone with the West. And overall there was the work to become expert at urban warfare. Had war come, the Brigade would fight.

David Allardice former Lieutenant Colonel KORBR in Berlin,

“In normal circumstances you need a three to one advantage for a successful attack, but in urban warfare that rises to 27 to 1. We would have been a Hell of a problem for the Russians.”

Exercises

Ruhleben Fighting In Built Up Areas  (FIBUA) training centre  was close to Spandau in Charlottenberg.  It was a small training area; originally with no more than one square mile with a dozen small houses. It grew to include a large number of grey concrete houses in different styles, a church,  bridges, a super market and a petrol station. Today it is still a training area, but is now  used by the German police. KORBR also used the American urban warfare training centre ‘Doughboy City’.

At the time the British informal term for urban warfare was ‘FISH’ – fighting in someone’s house’. Nato now knows it as ‘Urban Operations.’ The Regiment was responsible for the creation of FIBUA Standard Operational Procedures (SOPs). The SOPs stressed the need for all ranks to demonstrate leadership qualities in urban warfare.

Peter Hampson remembered:

“Chindit company were sent to defend Doughboy City against the Americans in January or February of 1982 it was absolutely freezing. Unable to deny the neighbouring buildings or the upper floor of our own position I got 9ur platoon to empty Jerry cans of water on to the concrete floors and then watched a subsequent attack literally fall over. Watching a recce patrol approach we lobbed snowballs to simulate grenades, only to find they didn’t dislike the concept of grenades but didn't like being snowballed and retreated to complain about the nasty Brits to the umpires.”

Gary Turner  remembered an incident with the French.

I witnessed an 84mm gun thrown through front screen of French jeep. It stopped the French who were En Force.

Battalion training also took place  away from Berlin. One year Colonel Tony  Davidson, then Major Davidson, organised a Battalion Escape and Evasion exercise which required, “ preparation and training beforehand in Berlin and a week-long exercise in Vogelsang.” David Israel’s memory of Ruhleben was that it was “hard work”.

There were also SHAPE/NATO exercises managed by ‘Live Oak’,  a joint  staff planning team to handle the eventuality of a Soviet Blockade of West Berlin

And then there were ‘Rocking Horse Exercises’: Battalion quick reaction and preparedness to deploy. This involved mobilisation and deployment to a specific defence area, normally the Grunewald, which involved crossing the Havel by pontoons managed by the Battalion pioneer platoon. The Exercise was triggered by klaxons and Military Police sirens.

Spandau

The Yalta Agreement included the agreement to prosecute Nazis as War Criminals. Those given prison sentences served them in Spandau Prison Berlin.  It had been assumed that there would have been several hundred, but in the end there were just seven.

They were guarded a month at a time by troops from  Britain, France, Soviet Union and the USA. By the time the Regiment took its turn there was only one prisoner left. Rudolf Hess, who had flown to Scotland in 1941, was increasingly withdrawn and would commit suicide in 1984.

Tony Davidson remembered the effort that went into finding great coats to match those of the Russian unit they were taking over from, but eventually the Quarter Master came up with the goods.

“…The guard travelled to Spandau for the handover standing up in the 4 Tonners, so as not to crease trousers,  with jackets and greatcoats on hangars. When we got to Spandau, the CO looked at me and  said " I don't think we will wear greatcoats today!" So "Greatcoats on, Greatcoats off"…”.

Military Trains

David Israel described the daily Berlin passenger train ran that from West Germany into Berlin was  described as a bit like “Murder on the Orient Express.” Strange perhaps,  but with no major incidents with the train when KORBR were in Berlin. However the monthly goods train was different as Peter Hampson recalled,

“The freight train consisted of a West or East German engine, a dozen or so goods trucks and at the rear a guard carriage with a cabin and bed space for the Trains Warrant Officer a Russian speaker, one for the train commander, a bunk space for the four armed guards, a shared communal area and a kitchen.  

On one occasion when Peter was thankfully not OC the train one of the on train guards

“… pulled his rifle off its rack cocked it and somehow let off a live 7.62 round inside the train. In the dead of night, with the train illuminated by spotlights the East Germans hear a shot but from where, fired by who at whom?  With a major incident looming everyone held their breath for while the rest of the guard reacted to what has just taken place. Fortunately, in the shocked silence that followed, nothing else happened.”

The bullet was found eventually at the far end of the train buried in the train’s load and short of the East German engine. A major international incident was avoided. The soldier was less lucky he served time for his  serious negligent discharge.

Ceremonial

Prison guards, trains  and then there were the ceremonial parades.  The the Queen’s Birthday, St George’s Day parade, Allied Forces Day and the military tattoos, they all become a major focus for the Regiment.

For the 1981 Berlin Tattoo the Regiment reenacted the storming of Chusan by the 55th Foot during the First China War in 1841.

The battalion provided the British component of the Guard of Honour for the visit by President Reagan to Berlin in 1982.

Memories

My contacts with former members of the Regiment convinced me that whilst Berlin was serious soldiering, it was a welcome respite from tours of Northern Ireland.

Peter Green, with the help of former members of the KORBR