Osnabrück Garrison
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Osnabrück 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 ...
with facilities located 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 ...
in
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 ...
and
Münster Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state distr ...
in
North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a States of Germany, state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more tha ...
,
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 4th Armoured Brigade and most of its subordinate units. It formed a major part of
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 Second ...
.


History

The oldest part of Osnabrück Station was ''Caprivi Kaserne'' (named after General
Leo von Caprivi Georg Leo Graf von Caprivi de Caprara de Montecuccoli (English: ''Count George Leo of Caprivi, Caprara, and Montecuccoli''; born Georg Leo von Caprivi; 24 February 1831 – 6 February 1899) was a German general and statesman who served as the cha ...
), dating back to 1899; this became Scarborough 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 ...
and is now being used as the University of Applied Sciences. ''Scharnhorst Kaserne'' (named after General
Gerhard von Scharnhorst Gerhard Johann David von Scharnhorst (12 November 1755 – 28 June 1813) was a Hanoverian-born general in Prussian service from 1801. As the first Chief of the Prussian General Staff, he was noted for his military theories, his reforms of the Pru ...
) was built in the 1930s; this went on after the War to be Belfast Barracks and is now being used as the Osnabrück Innovations Centre. Meanwhile, ''Winkelhausen Kaserne'' (named after Colonel Willy Carl Winkelhausen) was also built in the 1930s; this went on after the War to become Roberts Barracks and is now being used as a freight hub. ''Am Limberg Kaserne'' (named after the height Limberg) was built during the War in Osnabrück as an ammunition factory for 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 ...
; this was expanded in the early 1950s to become Imphal Barracks (for cavalry and tank regiments) and Mercer Barracks (for infantry regiments) and is now being redeveloped for housing. The site on ''Landwehrstraße'' which was occupied by the British Army as Quebec Barracks in the 1950s is now also being redeveloped for housing. ''Loddenheide Kaserne'' (Loddenheide being a part of the Gremmendorf district of Münster) was built in the 1930s; this expanded after the War and broken up into Buller Barracks, Swinton Barracks, Waterloo Barracks and York Barracks and its future use is now the subject of a local planning consultation. Meanwhile, ''Hermann Göring Kaserne'' (named after Reich Marshal
Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 â€“ 15 October 1946) was a German politician, military leader and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which ruled Germany from 1933 to 1 ...
) evolved to become Oxford Barracks after the War. The garrison became the largest British military base outside the UK. It was the target of the
Osnabrück mortar attack The Osnabrück mortar attack was an improvised mortar attack carried out by a Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) unit based in mainland Europe on 28 June 1996 against the British Army's Quebec Barracks at Osnabrück Garrison near Osnabrà ...
on 28 June 1996 when Quebec Barracks were hit by three
Mark 15 Mark 15 is the fifteenth chapter of the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. This chapter records the narrative of Jesus' passion, including his trial before Pontius Pilate and then his crucifixion, death and entombment ...
mortar devices. The barracks closed in 2009.


Locations

Locations within the garrison area included:
Osnabrück Station: *Belfast Barracks, named after the City of
Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
, having served as an infantry barracks since 1951, was home to 1st Battalion the
Duke of Lancaster's Regiment The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's, Lancashire and Border) (LANCS) is an infantry regiment of the line within the British Army, part of the King's Division. Headquartered in Preston, it recruits throughout the North West of England. The Du ...
from 2006 until it closed in 2009. *Imphal Barracks, named after the
Battle of Imphal ) , partof = the Operation U-Go during the Burma Campaign in the South-East Asian theatre of World War II , image = Imphalgurkhas.jpg , image_size = 300 , caption = Gurkhas advancing with Grant tanks ...
in 1944, having served as a cavalry and tank regiment barracks since 1952, was home to the
1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards (QDG) is a regiment in the Royal Armoured Corps of the British Army. Nicknamed The Welsh Cavalry, the regiment recruits from Wales and the bordering English counties of Cheshire, Herefordshire, and Shropshire, and ...
from 2003 until it closed in 2007. *Mercer Barracks, probably named after Captain
Cavali̩ Mercer Alexander Cavali̩ Mercer (28 March 1783 Р9 November 1868) was a British artillery officer. Although he rose to the rank of general, his fame is as commander of G Troop Royal Horse Artillery in the thick of the fighting at the Battle of ...
, having served as an infantry barracks since the 1952, was home to 1st Battalion the
Royal Green Jackets The Royal Green Jackets (RGJ) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, one of two "large regiments" within the Light Division (the other being The Light Infantry). History The Royal Green Jackets was formed on 1 January 1966 by the amalgama ...
from 1987 until it closed in 1992. *Quebec Barracks, named after the City of
Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
, having served as an infantry barracks since the 1950s, was home of 12th Mechanised Brigade during the 1980s and was then home to 4th Armoured Brigade from 1993 until it closed in 2009. It was also home to 21 Engineer Regiment from 1996 until it closed in 2009. *Roberts Barracks, named after Field Marshal
Earl Roberts Earl Roberts, of Kandahar in Afghanistan and Pretoria in the Transvaal Colony and of the City of Waterford, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1901 for Field Marshal Frederick Roberts, 1st Baron Roberts. He ha ...
, having served as an artillery and engineer barracks since 1951, was home to
4th Regiment Royal Artillery The 4th Regiment Royal Artillery is a regiment of the Royal Artillery in the British Army. It was formed in 1939 as 4th Regiment Royal Horse Artillery before being redesignated in 1961. It is currently based at Alanbrooke Barracks in Topcliff ...
from 1984 until it closed in 2008. *Scarborough Barracks, named after the town of
Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, su ...
, having served as an ordnance park and as a signals barracks since the early 1960s, was home 12 Ordnance Company of the
Royal Army Ordnance Corps The Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC) was a corps of the British Army. At its renaming as a Royal Corps in 1918 it was both a supply and repair corps. In the supply area it had responsibility for weapons, armoured vehicles and other military equip ...
until it closed in 1987. Münster Station: *Buller Barracks, named after General
Sir Redvers Buller General (United Kingdom), General Sir Redvers Henry Buller, (7 December 1839 – 2 June 1908) was a British Army officer and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to Bri ...
, having served as a
Royal Army Service Corps The Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) was a corps of the British Army responsible for land, coastal and lake transport, air despatch, barracks administration, the Army Fire Service, staffing headquarters' units, supply of food, water, fuel and dom ...
barracks since 1956 and then as an infantry barracks from 1968, was home to 1st Battalion The
Queen's Own Highlanders The Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons), officially abbreviated "QO HLDRS," was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division. It was in existence from 1961 to 1994. History 1961–1970 The regiment was f ...
from 1988 until it closed in 1994. *Oxford Barracks, named after the City of
Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, having served as an infantry barracks since 1945, was home to 1st Battalion the
Yorkshire Regiment The Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th, 19th and 33rd/76th Foot) (abbreviated YORKS) is an infantry regiment of the British Army, created by the amalgamation of three historic regiments in 2006. It lost one battalion as part of the Army 2020 defence ...
from 2008 until it closed in 2009. *Portsmouth Barracks, named after the City of
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...
, was home to 8 Artillery Support Regiment
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 ...
from 1968 until it closed in 1994. *Prestatyn Barracks, named after the North Wales town of
Prestatyn Prestatyn is a seaside town and community in Denbighshire, Wales. Historically a part of Flintshire, it is located on the Irish Sea coast, to the east of Rhyl. Prestatyn has a population of 19,085, History Prehistory There is evidence that the ...
, was home to 7 Field Ambulance, RAMC during the 1950s and 1960s. *Swinton Barracks, named after Major-General
Ernest Swinton Major-General Sir Ernest Dunlop Swinton, (21 October 1868 – 15 January 1951) was a British Army officer who played a part in the development and adoption of the tank during the First World War. He was also a war correspondent and author of sev ...
, having served as a cavalry and tank regiment barracks since 1952, was home to the
Royal Hussars The Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales's Own) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was formed by the amalgamation of the 10th Royal Hussars and the 11th Hussars in 1969 and it amalgamated with the 14th/20th King's Hussars to form the King's ...
from 1990 until it closed in 1992. *Waterloo Barracks, named after the
Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...
, having served as an artillery barracks since 1952 and then as in infantry barracks from 1962, was home to 2nd Regiment Royal Artillery from 1982 until it closed in 1993. *York Barracks, named after the City of
York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
, was home to 20th Armoured Brigade during the 1950s, home to 6th Infantry Brigade during the 1960s, then home to 4th (Guards) Armoured Brigade during the 1970s, and home to 4th Armoured Brigade from 1981 until 1993. It was also home to the
Royal Dragoon Guards The Royal Dragoon Guards (RDG) is a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1992 by the amalgamation of two other regiments: The 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards and the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards. Based in Battlesbury B ...
from 2001 until it closed in 2008.


See also

*
Westfalen Garrison Westfalen Garrison is a major British garrison with facilities located in Paderborn, Sennelager and Gütersloh in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany which now forms the major part of British Forces Germany. It was the home of 20th Armoured Brigad ...
*
Bergen-Hohne Garrison Bergen-Hohne Garrison was a major British garrison in the post-Cold War period, with facilities located close to Bergen, Lower Saxony, Bergen at ''Lager Hohne'', at ''Lager Oerbke'' near Bad Fallingbostel, Fallingbostel and at Celle in Lower Saxo ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Osnabruck Garrison British Army barracks in Germany