The Berlin Infantry Brigade was a

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 Gur ...

brigade-sized garrison based in West Berlin during the Cold War. After the end of World War II, under the conditions of the Yalta and

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and, with around 183,000 inhabitants, largest city of the German state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of ...

agreements, the Allied forces occupied West Berlin. This occupation lasted throughout the Cold War. The French Army also had units in Berlin, called the

French Forces in Berlin The French Forces in Berlin (french: Forces Françaises à Berlin) were the units of the French Armed Forces stationed since 1945 until the end of the Cold War-era in West Berlin according to the agreements of the Yalta Conference and Potsdam Con ...

and the US Army's unit in Berlin was the

Berlin Brigade The Berlin Brigade was a US Army brigade-sized garrison based in West Berlin during the Cold War. After the end of World War II, under the conditions of the Yalta and Potsdam agreements, the Allied forces occupied West Berlin. This occupation las ...

History

The Berlin Infantry Brigade was formed in October 1953 out of the force called "Area Troops Berlin" and consisted of some 3,100 men in three infantry battalions, an armoured squadron, and a number of support units. Its shoulder sleeve insignia was a red circle over a black background with the word Berlin in red on a black background running around the top. It was not initially part of the

British Army of the Rhine There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of w ...

despite being based in Germany. However, by the mid-1980s, the brigade is recorded to have become part of the

BAOR There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War and the other after the Second World War. Both formations had areas of responsibility located ...

, being its second major component after I (BR) Corps. In 1946 the military postal address for Berlin based British troops was 'BAOR 2' but when the BFPO indication number was introduced in 1951 to was changed to '

BFPO The British Forces Post Office (BFPO) provides a postal service to HM Forces, separate from that provided by Royal Mail in the United Kingdom. BFPO addresses are used for the delivery of mail in the UK and around the world. BFPO moved from its or ...

45' and remained its address until the British troops were withdrawn from Berlin in 1994. The three infantry battalions and armoured squadron assigned to Berlin were rotated regularly; the single armoured squadron was detached from an armoured regiment assigned to I (BR) Corps. The infantry battalions were rotated every two years. All other units were permanently based in Berlin.

Structure

At the time when the

Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the governme ...

fell (9 November 1989), the operational structure of the British forces in Berlin was as follows: * HQ Berlin **Berlin Infantry Brigade *** Berlin Infantry Brigade HQ & (29th) Signal Regiment, Royal Signals *** 1st Btn,

King's Regiment The King's Regiment, officially abbreviated as KINGS, was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the King's Division. It was formed on 1 September 1958 by the amalgamation of the King's Regiment (Liverpool) which had been raised in 168 ...

, Wavell Barracks, (replaced by 1st Btn, Irish Guards December 1989) *** 1st Btn, The Light Infantry,

Brooke Barracks Brooke may refer to: People * Brooke (given name) * Brooke (surname) * Brooke baronets, families of baronets with the surname Brooke Places * Brooke, Norfolk, England * Brooke, Rutland, England * Brooke, Virginia, US * Brooke's Point, Palawan ...

*** 1st Btn,

Royal Welch Fusiliers The Royal Welch Fusiliers ( cy, Ffiwsilwyr Brenhinol Cymreig) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, and part of the Prince of Wales' Division, that was founded in 1689; shortly after the Glorious Revolution. In 1702, it was designate ...

Montgomery Barracks Montgomery refers to: People For people with the name Montgomery, see Montgomery (name) Places Belgium * Montgomery Square, Brussels * Montgomery metro station, Brussels Pakistan * Montgomery (town), British India, former name of Sahiwal, Punj ...

*** C Squadron,

14th/20th King's Hussars The 14th/20th King's Hussars was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was created by the amalgamation of the 14th King's Hussars and the 20th Hussars in 1922 and, after service in the Second World War, it amalgamated with the Royal Hus ...

Smuts Barracks Smuts is an Afrikaans surname most commonly associated with Jan Smuts (1870–1950), a South African statesman, military leader and prime minister of the Union of South Africa. Other notable people with the surname include: *Barbara Smuts Barbara ...

, (14x

Chieftain A tribal chief or chieftain is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribe The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of western Afroeurasia. Tribal societies are sometimes categorized as ...

) *** 6 Troop, 46 (Talavera) Air Defence Battery, 2 Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, (12x Javelin) *** 38 (Berlin) Field Squadron, Royal Engineers

*** Detachment, 164 Railway Operations Company, Royal Engineers *** Berlin Postal & Courier Troop, Royal Engineers ** 2nd Regiment, Royal Military Police *** 246 (Berlin) Provost Company, Royal Military Police, in Helmstedt, mans Checkpoint Alpha *** 247 (Berlin) Provost Company, Royal Military Police, mans

Checkpoint Bravo Checkpoint Bravo ("Checkpoint B") was the name given by the Western Allies to the main Autobahn border crossing point between West Berlin and the German Democratic Republic. It was known in German as . Drewitz is a community nearby, and Dreili ...

and

Checkpoint Charlie Checkpoint Charlie (or "Checkpoint C") was the best-known Berlin Wall crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War (1947–1991), as named by the Western Allies. East German leader Walter Ulbricht agitated and mane ...

*** 248 German Security Unit, support unit with German personnel ** 3 Squadron, 13 Signal Regiment (Radio), Royal Signals,

Signals Intelligence Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is intelligence-gathering by interception of '' signals'', whether communications between people (communications intelligence—abbreviated to COMINT) or from electronic signals not directly used in communication ...

at RAF Gatow & Olympic Stadium ** 3 Intelligence and Security Company, Intelligence Corps **

7 Flight AAC Number 7 Flight Army Air Corps (7 Flt AAC) was an independent flight of the British Army's Army Air Corps, latterly based at the British garrison at Medicina Lines in Seria, Brunei, on the island of Borneo. History The flight was originally ...

RAF Gatow Royal Air Force Gatow, or more commonly RAF Gatow, was a British Royal Air Force station (military airbase) in the district of Gatow in south-western Berlin, west of the Havel river, in the borough of Spandau. It was the home for the onl ...

, (4x Gazelle AH.1) ** Royal Air Force Gatow Station Flight, (2x Chipmunk T10) ** No. 26 Signals Unit, Royal Air Force, (

Signals intelligence Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is intelligence-gathering by interception of '' signals'', whether communications between people (communications intelligence—abbreviated to COMINT) or from electronic signals not directly used in communication ...

at RAF Gatow and

Teufelsberg Teufelsberg (; German for ''Devil's Mountain'') is a non-natural hill in Berlin, Germany, in the Grunewald locality of former West Berlin. It rises about above the surrounding Teltow plateau and above the sea level, in the north of Berlin' ...

** British Military Hospital Berlin *** 2 Field Sanitation Section *** 50 British Red Cross Convalescent Home *** 194 Field Dental Centre ** 62 Transport & Movements Squadron,

Royal Corps of Transport The Royal Corps of Transport (RCT) was a British Army Corps established to manage all matters in relation to the transport of men and material for the Army and the wider Defence community. It was formed in 1965 and disbanded in 1993; its units and ...

** Movement Control Office (MCO) Gatow ** 14 (Berlin) Field Workshop, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Alexander Barracks ** Berlin Ordnance Company, Royal Army Ordnance Corps ** Ordnance & Ammunition Depot, Royal Army Ordnance Corps ** 93 Section Special Investigation Branch, Royal Military Police ** 31 Quartering and Barracks Office, Royal Army Ordnance Corps ** 504th Commander Royal Army Service Corps (CRASC) (Overseas Deployment Training) ** Detachment, 2 Independent Petrol Platoon, Royal Army Ordnance Corps ** 121 Barracks Stores, Royal Army Ordnance Corps ** 122 Barracks Stores, Royal Army Ordnance Corps ** 131 Detail Issue Depot, Royal Army Ordnance Corps ** 3 Station Maintenance Section, Royal Army Ordnance Corps ** District Depot Railways Berlin - Lines of Communication ** Railway Transport Officer Station Spandau ** Railway Transport Officer Station Grunewald ** Railway Transport Officer Station

Charlottenburg Charlottenburg () is a locality of Berlin within the borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Established as a town in 1705 and named after Sophia Charlotte of Hanover, Queen consort of Prussia, it is best known for Charlottenburg Palace, the ...

** BRIXMIS, British Commanders'-in-Chief Mission to Soviet Forces in Germany administered by Berlin Bde HQ Under the treaties that enabled the German reunification, all non-German military forces were required to leave Berlin. Therefore the brigade was reduced to two battalions in 1992, then further reduced in 1993 to a single battalion. Finally Berlin Infantry Brigade was officially disbanded in September 1994 and its troops moved to the United Kingdom or

British Forces Germany British Forces Germany (''BFG'') was the generic name for the three services of the British Armed Forces, made up of service personnel, UK Civil Servants, and dependents (family members), based in Germany. It was established following the Secon ...

garrisons.

References

External links and references

248 German Security Unit Veterans Association

Berlin Brigade Memories

History of the French, American and British Berlin Brigades

Berlin 1969 – the Allies in Berlin at midpoint of the Cold War

British Army of the Rhine Locations

Berlin-Brigade Installations
*{{cite web , title = West Alliierte in Berlin , url = http://www.waib.de, publisher=The history of the three Western Allied Forces and their civilian employees in Berlin from 1945–1994
BerlinBrigade.com
Dedicated to all that served in West Berlin from 1945 to 1994 British Army deployments Cold War military history of Germany Military units and formations established in 1953 Allied occupation of Germany West Berlin

History

Structure

See also

References

Further reading

External links and references