Territorial Army

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The territorial army was a section of the land forces of the Bundeswehr that was responsible for territorial defense.

In contrast to the field army , the territorial army should continue to be led nationally in the event of a defense . It was in contrast to the field army largely of non-active units that only in the case of defense by convening of reservists were growing up . A part of the territorial army was the homeland security force .

tasks

Reservists of the Homeland Security Force ( JgBtl 942 , HSchRgt 94, WBK IV ) practice with American GIs in 1988

The task of the territorial army was described as territorial defense. The territorial army supported the field army , the other German armed forces and the other NATO units operating in West Germany in “maintaining freedom of operation”. Liaison missions were set up with the Allied associations in West Germany .

The territorial army performed leadership and support tasks in the rear . The Signal Corps operated in cooperation with the Federal Post a stationary telecommunications backbone network for military and civilian implementing agencies to network with each other. Logistics associations supported the basic supply of the Bundeswehr and the repair of military equipment . The pioneers of the field army were able to repair marshland and enable water crossings by means of pioneer bridges or ferries. Wallmeister were able to inhibit the mobility of opposing troops by triggering prepared barriers . With its field hunters , the territorial army secured military order and kept marching routes free.

In terms of time and location, the territorial army was able to secure and protect important infrastructure in the rear area thanks to its predominantly infantry -based homeland security troops, in particular the homeland security commands and later the homeland security brigades (see also Heimatschutzbataillon ) . These included, for example, ports , the NATO pipeline , marching roads, bridges, traffic hubs , special ammunition stores , command posts and telecommunications facilities. In the rear area one had to reckon with airborne , infiltrated or breached Warsaw Pact troops or covertly operating irregular combat groups . Overall, however, the mobility, the quality of the defense material and the combat strength lagged significantly behind the units of the field army , which integrated into the NATO command structure was supposed to concentrate its forces primarily on the fight against enemy troops.

The territorial army supported civil defense measures . In addition to coordinating with the other German armed forces and NATO armed forces, the territorial army was particularly dependent on cooperation with the territorial defense administration of the Bundeswehr and other civil authorities . For this purpose, military areas , defense district commands and defense district commands (most recently reclassified into state commands , district liaison commands and district liaison commands ) were set up in accordance with the civil administrative structure . In cooperation with civil authorities , an effective disaster control system , NBC protection and an efficient reserve hospital organization should be set up in the event of a defense , and in an emergency also in peace .

The territorial army was of particular importance for the training, reserve and replacement of the Bundeswehr. The territorial army trained reservists and prepared mobilization in the event of a defense. In addition, the territorial army operated numerous depots with stored defense material and mobilization bases and had planned numerous inactive units . In the event of a defense, the territorial army should quickly grow up to many times its peace structure . The territorial army operated training areas for the exercising troops . The support commandos supported the American army in mobilizing in the event of a defense.

history

prehistory

The division into field and territorial armies was not a completely new concept for the German armed forces. In the former armed forces of the German Reich , the reserve army and the Landwehr were designed similarly and the division into military districts was also comparable to the military areas of the Bundeswehr.

Territorial Defense Command (until 1969)

Structure of the Territorial Reserve 1957–1969

The Office for Territorial Defense - renamed the Territorial Defense Command in October 1957 - was set up as the top management level of the Territorial Army . The territorial army was originally conceived as a separate area, possibly later as a partial armed forces , alongside the army , air force and navy . By the mid-1960s, military area and subordinate defense district commands were set up. In 1961, the establishment of a territorial reserve began, which from 1965 was called the homeland security force. In the infantry associations of Homeland Security Force (see. Homeland Security Command , Territorial Brigade , Homeland Security Battalion ) were mainly reservists . The Territorial Defense Command was decommissioned in 1969.

Territorial Commands (from 1969)

Organization of the Territorial Army 1969–1992
Organization of the territorial army in West Germany in the subsequent Army Structure V

With the dissolution of the Territorial Defense Command in 1969, the three territorial commands Schleswig-Holstein , North and South were reorganized. They continued to be the Military District Command , Military Regional Command and other military units as Homeland Security Command (reclassified from 1981 homeland security brigades ) assumed. The territorial army was no longer a separate sub-area of ​​the Bundeswehr, but instead, alongside the field army integrated into the NATO command structure, the sub-area of ​​the army that should continue to be managed nationally in the event of a defense .

After the end of the Cold War , the territorial army was greatly reduced, the ability to grow was limited by reservists and some staffs of the field and territorial armies were merged. The separation of field and territorial armies was thereby increasingly dissolved. In fact, the territorial army was no longer recognizable as a largely independent sub-area of ​​the army in everyday service. The territorial troops in the New Lands (divided into two East German military areas) were led by the newly established Corps / Territorial Command East . By 1995 the territorial commands were decommissioned. The military area commands were now directly subordinate to the Army Command . Some Defense District Commands (VBK) and all Defense District Commands were disbanded.

Dissolution of the territorial army

As part of the reclassification to the “completely renewed Bundeswehr” in 2001, the territorial army was finally dissolved and the remaining national structures and tasks were integrated into the newly created organizational area of ​​the Armed Forces Base. Responsibility for the "National Territorial Tasks" changed on October 1, 2001 from the Army Command to the newly established Armed Forces Support Command . The new “National Territorial Commander” became the commander of the Armed Forces Support Command. Similar tasks have been taken over by the Bundeswehr Territorial Tasks Command since 2013 .

See also

literature

  • Sleeping army . In: Der Spiegel . No. 35 , 1970 ( online ).
  • Rolf Clement, Paul Elmar Jöris : 50 years of the Bundeswehr . Mittler & Sohn, Hamburg, Berlin, Nonn 2005, ISBN 3-8132-0839-7 .
  • Erich Vorwerck: The homeland security force. Organization, development and training . In: Defense . No. 15 , 1966, pp. 202-207 .
  • Major Heinz Post: Fight against X-forces (X = guerrillas, saboteurs, terrorists and gangs) . In: Troop Practice. Magazine for tactics, technology and training . No. 10 , 1967, p. 731-734 .
  • Colonel i. G. Gerhard Schirmer: The Territorial Reserve as a way to the homeland security force - new content and new name . In: Troop Practice. Magazine for tactics, technology and training . No. 2 , 1966, p. 151-154 .
  • Lieutenant Colonel i. G. Heinz Schneider: The homeland security force. Further strengthening of the national defense of the Federal Republic . In: Troop Practice. Magazine for tactics, technology and training . No. 3 , 1966, pp. 231-234 .
  • OW Dragoons: The Bundeswehr 1989 . Territorial Command SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN. Territorial Command NORTH. Territorial Command SOUTH. Appendix: Territorial structure. 4th edition. 2.2 - Army, February 2012 ( religte.com [PDF; accessed July 10, 2018]).

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