Carbine Fortress 82

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US main battle tanks crossing the water during Exercise Carbine Fortress 82
Air support by phantom fighter aircraft during Exercise Carbine Fortress 82
1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Division on board in Luxembourg during REFORGER 82

Carbine Fortress 82 ( en. "Karabiner Fortress" ) was a US-American - German REFORGER -FTX maneuver in southern Germany in autumn 1982. Carbine Fortress 82 was the largest REFORGER measure by NATO to date .

Division of troops

The exercise management was carried out by the VII US Corps with the superior Army Group CENTAG as the host.

The BLUE exercise force was composed as follows:

The following REFORGER associations belonged to BLAU:

ORANGE was structured as follows:

The following REFORGER associations also belonged to ORANGE: Headquarter of III. US Corps , Fort Hood, Texas

The 82nd US Airborne Division from Fort Bragg , North Carolina (overseas air loading via Pope Air Force Base / NC) exercised on both sides with the 3rd US Brigade "Golden Brigade" and the 504th US Infantry Battalion.

assignment

The agglomeration was the area around Würzburg , Bad Mergentheim , Kitzingen , Scheinfeld , Bad Windsheim , Uffenheim , Schrozberg , Wertheim , Gerolzhofen , Volkach , Tauberbischofsheim , Ochsenfurt , the Steigerwald , the Haßberge , along the federal road B22 , Ebrach , Untersteinbach , Abtswind , Oberkessbach and Hardheim .

scope

Carbine Fortress 82 / REFORGER 82 took place from September 13 to October 20, 1982 in the Neustadt an der Aisch , Bamberg , Rothenburg ob der Tauber , Heidenheim , Schweinfurt , Ebern , Crailsheim , Heidelberg , Aschaffenburg and Fulda area . 72,500 soldiers , 16,500 wheeled vehicles and 5,500 tracked vehicles were involved in the exercise . In addition, 92 fighter planes and 550 military helicopters were used. During Carbine Fortress 82, US , German Armed Forces , Canadian , Belgian , Luxembourg and Dutch armed forces exercised .

Carbine Fortress 82 / REFORGER 82 divided into the following phases:

  • Exercise begins on September 13, 1982
  • Exercise ended on September 23, 1982
  • March 9-12, 1982
  • Attack from September 13-15, 1982
  • Counterattack BLUE from September 16-17, 1982
  • BLUE offensive from September 20 to 23, 1982
  • March 24-26, 1982
  • REFORGER troops march back into the home garrisons of the USA until October 20, 82

Used device

To that employed large equipment included, among others: M60 A3 Patton - battle tank , M1 Abrams , M113 armored personnel carriers , M88 A1 - Bergepanzer , M60 AVLB, M728 CEV - Pionierpanzer , M109 A2 - howitzers , OH-58 Kiowa - combat helicopters and CH-47 Chinook -Transport helicopter.

procedure

The focus of Carbine Fortress 82 was the area of Lower and Middle Franconia . The maneuver, which was also practiced at night and on the weekend for the first time, began in the first week west of Würzburg with a bridge over the Main near Mondfeld / Wertheim using a ribbon bridge . Another bridgehead was made on September 22nd and 23rd, 1982 by the 502nd US Engineer Company for the 12th Panzer Division for BLAULAND near Eltmann across the Main. Then the fighting shifted to the Bad Mergentheim area .

From September 16, 1982, the attack was quickly relocated to the Uffenheim area until a counterattack began east of Würzburg in the Steigerwald. Due to the long drought and the tank movements, there were severe impairments due to the development of dust.

Air landings took place on September 13 for ORANGE near Gelchsheim and Oberscheckenbach by 1,200 men of the 82nd US Airborne Division from North Carolina . Later on September 20, BLAULAND made an air landing, also by the 82nd US Airborne Division near Ochsenfurt. Carbine Fortress 82 was supported by the NATO air force exercise " Cold Fire 82 ". Curiously, an airborne jeep ended up in a basin at the Gelchsheim sewage treatment plant.

The highlight of Carbine Fortress 82 was an air landing of 1,200 paratroopers from the 82nd US Airborne Division in the drop zone near Gelchsheim , Röttingen and Aub .

Innovations

The M1 Abrams main battle tank (deployed by the 64th Armored Regiment / 3rd US Infantry Division) and the UH-60 Blackhawk transport helicopter were used for the first time during Carbine Fortress 82. The Bavarian Prime Minister Franz Josef Strauss had the opportunity to ride in an M1 Abrams as a high-ranking maneuver observer when visiting the American troops.

Web links

Commons : REFORGER 1982  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

media

Notes and individual references

  1. ↑ Field Training Exercise, free-running exercise for the full force
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Carbine Fortress 82 - REFORGER 82 on M136
  3. ^ 4th Brigade, 4th Infantry Division. USAREUR
  4. ↑ Carbine Fortress 82 / REFORGER 82 on Military Database