RAOC Gazette - page 187
Image details
| Corps | RAOC |
|---|---|
| Material type | Journals |
| Book page | |
| Chapter head | |
| Chapter key | |
| Chapter number | |
| Full title | RAOC Gazette |
| Page number | |
| Publication date | 1977 |
| Real page | |
| Colour | No |
| Grey | No |
| Early date | 1977 |
| Late date | 1977 |
| Transcription |
SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW, SOMETHING BORROWED . . . . [Photographs and text by Public Relations \ {BR) Corps) THERE is a great deal in print today which refers to the * com- plexity and efficiency 1 of a modern Army, and there is indeed a thrill in seeing modern Army units speeding through the countryside on manoeuvres. Mention war to the layman and he will tell you stories of a thousand battles. He is unlikely to mention that one reason for the Germans, like Napoleon, being forced to retreat from Russia, was that they were unable to continue to supply their great Armies. Today politicians are k prone to talk of the balance of tail to teeth ' perhaps believing that the more that is displayed in the shop window the more one might frighten any likely opponent. Yet any student of defence knows that the teeth arms are useless unless they are adequately supplied; the task of the logistic support troops one important unit of which is Corps Troops Central, This Unit is the backbone of logistic support for the 1st British Corps—or that one third of the British Army, con- sisting of three, soon to be four Armoured Divisions, an In- fantry Field Force and supporting units. With its Headquarters in Bielefeld, the Unit, like many others in Rhine Army, occupies accommodation which can hardly be described as 'custom built." A 1915 German Civilian Railway Engine repair yard serves as the base for the Vehicle Company, A now long since disused clothing factory, a monument to the days when Bielefeld really deserved the title 4 of Die Leinenstadt * or Linen Town of Germany, houses the Headquarters and the Stores Company. A little further down the road one of the most modern bakeries in Europe produces 9,000 loaves of bread daily for eighty per cent of the British Army of the Rhine. A most unusual feature to be seen at the Barrack Stores Section in Bielefeld is the Dortmund-Ems Canal Barge one of three long since ' borrowed' from its owners to become static water tanks to help counter the British Air-Raids on what then served as a Tank Assembly Plant for Hitler's Panzer Divisions. Two were immediately destroyed by further RAF raids, but the remaining one, deeply buried in a bank of earth now serves the triple role of lily pond, goldfish bowl and fire fighting equipment. Something old something new something borrowed The only thing that was blue, apart from that section of the flag and Unit sign was the air as three sweating soldiers aided by a crane, manoeuvred a 105mm gun barrel into position through an open window, a quick enough operation but at the present time the only means of getting very Marge and heavy items in and out of their store. In order to carry out its task the Unit is broken down into a Vehicle Company, Stores Company, Supply Depot, two Something new Barrack Stores and of course the Ordnance Field Park. In addition, the Commanding Officer has the responsibility for one of the four ' nodes' in the BAOR freight service, a Central Distribution Point, which tranships five hundred tons of assorted stores each month. The Vehicle Company, in its ancient railway repair shop flanked by derelict buildings, has all its major operations housed in the vast twelve and a half acre heated shed, that serves well the role of workshop, store, maintenance and washdown area. Within this vast area the vehicles are ready to move. Teams constantly move round checking oils, testing lights, brakes etc, and changing batteries. To ensure that the vehicle is fit, it is then taken out of store, given a first parade and a six to nine mile road test, then refuelled, washed and re- stored. A Workshop is attached to repair any defects. The men live in a Garrison some fifteen miles away which, apart from a ten thousand metre athlete who runs to work every morning, presents something of a transport problem. Something old Something borrowed — 143 — |
| Book number | R0246 |