Bergen-Hohne Garrison was a major British

garrison A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mil ...

in the post-

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

period, with facilities located close to

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

at ''Lager Hohne'', at ''Lager Oerbke'' near

Fallingbostel Bad Fallingbostel (Northern Low Saxon: ''Bad Fambossel'') is the district town (''Kreisstadt'') of the Heidekreis district in the German state of Lower Saxony. Since 1976 the town has had a state-recognised Kneipp spa and has held the title of ...

and at

Celle Celle () is a town and capital of the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town is situated on the banks of the river Aller, a tributary of the Weser, and has a population of about 71,000. Celle is the southern gateway to the Lü ...

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. It was home to

7th Armoured Brigade 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, s ...

and most of its subordinate units. It formed a major part of British Forces Germany.

History

The oldest part of the garrison was ''Heide Kaserne'' (named after the '' Lüneburger Heide'' heath area) at Celle, a huge red-brick edifice which dates back to 1869 and which became Taunton Barracks after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Also at Celle Station, ''Seeckt Kaserne'' (named after General

Hans von Seeckt Johannes "Hans" Friedrich Leopold von Seeckt (22 April 1866 – 27 December 1936) was a German military officer who served as Chief of Staff to August von Mackensen and was a central figure in planning the victories Mackensen achieved for Germany ...

) was built in 1935 and became Trenchard Barracks after the War. Meanwhile, just to the north of Celle, ''Freiherr von Fritsch Kaserne'' (named after General

Werner von Fritsch Thomas Ludwig Werner Freiherr von Fritsch (4 August 1880 – 22 September 1939) was a member of the German High Command. He was Commander-in-Chief of the German Army from February 1934 until February 1938, when he was forced to resign after he ...

) was built as a

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

supply base in the 1930s and became Ironside Barracks after the War. Much of the rest of the garrison was created by the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

, shortly after the War, by refurbishing two training and transit camps (''Lager Hohne'' and ''Lager Oerbke'' near Fallingbostel) which had been established by the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

just before the War. During the

, two separate brigades occupied the bases that later became Bergen-Hohne Garrison:

Wolfenbüttel Wolfenbüttel (; nds, Wulfenbüddel) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, the administrative capital of Wolfenbüttel District. It is best known as the location of the internationally renowned Herzog August Library and for having the largest c ...

and

housed elements of 7th Armoured Brigade, whilst its headquarters, signal squadron (207 Signal Squadron) and ordnance company were based in

Soltau Soltau () is a mid-sized town in the Lüneburg Heath in the district of Heidekreis, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It has around 22,000 inhabitants. The city is centrally located in the Lüneburg Heath and is known nationwide especially for its touri ...

. Hohne was home to the 22nd Armoured Brigade. Both brigades were part of the 1st Armoured Division, which also included 12th Armoured Brigade (headquartered at

Osnabrück Osnabrück (; wep, Ossenbrügge; archaic ''Osnaburg'') is a city in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population ...

) and had its divisional headquarters and signal regiment in Verden on the

River Aller The River Aller is a small river on Exmoor in Somerset, England. It rises as several small streams around Tivington and Huntscott and flows through the Holnicote Estate passing Holnicote and through Allerford, where it passes under a packhor ...

. Some 4,000–5,000 British soldiers occupied the garrison until it closed in 2015. Facilities under the garrison's control included the

Bergen-Hohne Training Area Bergen-Hohne Training Area (German: ''NATO-Truppenübungsplatz Bergen'' or ''Schießplatz Bergen-Hohne'') is a NATO military training area in the southern part of the Lüneburg Heath, in the state of Lower Saxony in northern Germany. It covers a ...

. Together with families and civilians, the garrison population varied between about 10,000 and 12,000.

Locations

Locations within the garrison area included:

Hohne Hohne is a municipality in the state of Lower Saxony in Germany, east of the county town of Celle. It includes the three former parishes of Hohne, Helmerkamp and Spechtshorn. It should not be confused with the British Army camp of Hohne (German: ' ...
Station

* Caen Barracks, named after the town of

Caen Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,40th Regiment Royal Artillery from 1994 to 1998 and then was home to 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery from 1998 until it closed in 2015. * Campbell Barracks, named after General Sir David Campbell, having served as an artillery barracks since 1951, was home to 22nd Armoured Brigade from 1981 to 1993 and was then home to

from 1993 to 2014. It was also home to 32 Engineer Regiment from 1993 until it closed in 2015. * Haig Barracks, named after Field Marshal

Earl Haig Earl Haig is a title in the peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1919 for Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig. During the First World War, he served as commander of the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front in France and Be ...

, having served as an engineer barracks since 1965 and then as an artillery barracks through the 1970s and 1980s, was home to 9th/12th Royal Lancers from 2000 to 2015. It was also home to 2nd Medical Regiment from 2008 until it closed in 2015. * Glyn Hughes Barracks, named after Brigadier Glyn Hughes who was medical officer of 11th Armoured Brigade at the liberation of

Bergen-Belsen concentration camp Bergen-Belsen , or Belsen, was a Nazi concentration camp in what is today Lower Saxony in northern Germany, southwest of the town of Bergen near Celle. Originally established as a prisoner of war camp, in 1943, parts of it became a concent ...

, having served as a medical facility since 1969, was home to 1st Armoured Medical Regiment from 1981 until it closed in 1998. The garrison also had quarters and facilities for the families of British forces stationed here including three

Service Children's Education Service Children's Education (SCE) is an organisation of the United Kingdom government responsible for the education of the children of British Armed Forces families and Ministry of Defence (MoD) personnel serving outside of the United Kingdom. ...

schools – Gloucester Secondary School, Montgomery Primary School and Slim Primary School. The station amenities include two swimming pools, beauty and hair salons, medical and dental centres and several shops selling goods from sports equipment, art and crafts, telephones and furniture. The Roberts Roundhouse building located in the garrison was used as a ballroom, then as a hospital and finally as a social gathering area. It was located next to the

NAAFI The Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes (NAAFI ) is a company created by the British government on 9 December 1920 to run recreational establishments needed by the British Armed Forces, and to sell goods to servicemen and their families. It runs ...

shop.

Fallingbostel Bad Fallingbostel (Northern Low Saxon: ''Bad Fambossel'') is the district town (''Kreisstadt'') of the Heidekreis district in the German state of Lower Saxony. Since 1976 the town has had a state-recognised Kneipp spa and has held the title of ...
Station

* Lumsden Barracks, named after Lieutenant General

Herbert Lumsden Lieutenant-General Herbert William Lumsden, & Bar, MC (8 April 1897 – 6 January 1945) was a senior British Army officer who fought in both the First and Second World Wars. He commanded the 1st Armoured Division in the Western Desert camp ...

, having served as a cavalry and tank regiment barracks since 1954, was home to 3rd Battalion the

Mercian Regiment The Mercian Regiment (Cheshire, Worcesters and Foresters, and Staffords) is an infantry regiment of the British Army, which is recruited from five of the counties that formed the ancient kingdom of Mercia. Known as 'The Heart of England's Infant ...

from 2009 until the battalion was disbanded in July 2014. * St Barbara Barracks, named after

Saint Barbara Saint Barbara ( grc, Ἁγία Βαρβάρα; cop, Ϯⲁⲅⲓⲁ Ⲃⲁⲣⲃⲁⲣⲁ; ; ), known in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Great Martyr Barbara, was an Early Christianity, early Christian Lebanese and Greek saint and martyr. Acc ...

who was the patron saint of artillerymen, having served as an artillery barracks since 1962, was home to 4th Battalion

Royal Regiment of Scotland The Royal Regiment of Scotland is the British Army Order of Precedence, senior and only Scottish regiment, Scottish line infantry regiment of the British Army Infantry. It consists of three regular (formerly five) and two Army Reserve (United ...

from 2006 to 2015. It was also home of 2nd Battalion

Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME ) is a corps of the British Army that maintains the equipment that the Army uses. The corps is described as the "British Army's Professional Engineers". History Prior to REME's for ...

from 1993 until it closed in 2015. * Wessex Barracks, named after the

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...

kingdom of

Wessex la, Regnum Occidentalium Saxonum , conventional_long_name = Kingdom of the West Saxons , common_name = Wessex , image_map = Southern British Isles 9th century.svg , map_caption = S ...

, having served as a cavalry and tank regiment barracks since 1957, was home to the

Royal Scots Dragoon Guards The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys) is a cavalry regiment of the British Army, and the senior Scottish regiment. The regiment, through the Royal Scots Greys, is the oldest surviving Cavalry Regiment of the Line in the British ...

from 1995 until it closed in 2015.

Celle Celle () is a town and capital of the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town is situated on the banks of the river Aller, a tributary of the Weser, and has a population of about 71,000. Celle is the southern gateway to the Lü ...
Station

* Ironside Barracks, named after Field Marshal Lord Ironside, having served as an ordnance field park since the late 1940s, was home to 14 Signal Regiment from 1978 until it closed in 1985. * Taunton Barracks, named after the town of

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...

, having served an infantry barracks since 1946 and then as an artillery barracks until 1951, was home to 14 Signal Regiment from 1985 until it closed in 1993. * Trenchard Barracks, named after Marshal of the Royal Air Force

Viscount Trenchard Viscount Trenchard, of Wolfeton in the County of Dorset, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1936 for Marshal of the Royal Air Force, Hugh Trenchard, 1st Baron Trenchard. He had already been created a Baronet, o ...

, having served as an infantry barracks from 1956, was home to 2nd Battalion

Royal Regiment of Fusiliers The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (often referred to as the Royal Fusiliers or, simply, the Fusiliers) is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division. Currently, the regiment has two battalions: the 1st battalion, part o ...

from 2010 until the Battalion moved the Dhekalia Barracks in Cyprus in 2013.

Garrison command

Officially, the responsibility for Bergen-Hohne Garrison was held by commander 7th Armoured Brigade. In practice, the day-to-day running of the garrison, however, was delegated to the deputy garrison commander in order to enable the brigade commander to concentrate on training his brigade and deploying with it on overseas operations e.g. to

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

and

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. The deputy garrison commander had a staff of, mainly non-deployable, officers and soldiers, UK civil servants and locally employed civilians who managed and supported the garrison, its infrastructure and its families. Deputy garrison commanders included: * c. 2003 – 2006: Colonel Anthony Singer, late

King's Royal Hussars The King's Royal Hussars (KRH) is a Royal Armoured Corps regiment of the British Army formed in 1992. Based at Tidworth it serves as the armoured regiment of the 12th Armoured Brigade Combat Team (ABCT). Under Army 2020 Refine, it is intended to e ...

* 2006–2009: Colonel Paul Smith, late

Royal Logistic Corps The Royal Logistic Corps provides logistic support functions to the British Army. It is the largest Corps in the Army. History The Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) was formed on 5 April 1993, by the union of five British Army corps: * Royal Engine ...

* 2009–2013: Colonel Paul Eaton, late

Royal Signals The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS or R SIGS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communi ...

* 2013–2015: Colonel Andrew Reynolds, late

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

''Commander's Monthly Message''
at bfgnet.de, 5 Feb 2015. Retrieved 29 Nov 2015.

References

Sources

* {{Coord, 52.784, 9.916, display=title, type:landmark_region:DE Installations of the British Army

History

Locations

Hohne Hohne is a municipality in the state of Lower Saxony in Germany, east of the county town of Celle. It includes the three former parishes of Hohne, Helmerkamp and Spechtshorn. It should not be confused with the British Army camp of Hohne (German: ' ... Station

Fallingbostel Bad Fallingbostel (Northern Low Saxon: ''Bad Fambossel'') is the district town (''Kreisstadt'') of the Heidekreis district in the German state of Lower Saxony. Since 1976 the town has had a state-recognised Kneipp spa and has held the title of ... Station