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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1978-09-21, Page 12Page 12 Times-Advocafe, September 21, 197$ Bavarian Bayonet gives Canadian Forces They’re known as the “arrogant, contemptible Canadian army at Lahr”, and while that would appear to be an insult, it is actually taken as a compliment by the Canadian Forces in Europe because the label was given to them by the East German press. The description went on to note that the East Germans also consider them as “highly skilled and professional fighting men", which is an attitude shared by many of the allied military 'personnel within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Having watched the Cana­ dian Forces in Bavarian Bayonet, a brigade-size ex­ ercise which took place near Ulm. an onlooker quickly comes to the conclusion that the latter part of the East German opinion is well founded. Brigadier-General Jim Fox of Bedford. N.S . who directed the exercise, beam­ ed proudly when he advised press observers that in the view of Canada’s allies in Germany, the brigade is described as “very Brigadier General Jim Fox uses a hand gesture to describe Bavarian Bayonet to members of the press corps. He heads the Canadian Armed Forces at Lahr. To the right are Major Bob Gaudreau and Major Bill Whitehead, A trooptrain carrying 30 tracked artillery vehicles rolls into Logeneau, along with the men who operate them. In an hour, the equipment was unloaded and off down the street in a noisy procession. Captain Dave Kraufer, a native of Brussels, chats with Rod Brebner, Meaford, when the former introduced himself as a Huron resident. He presently serves in the artillery. professional" and enjoys a high standard of training. Canadian Forces in Europe are equipped and trained for full scale military defensive operations on the central front in Europe within NATO. The forces are under full Canadian control in peacetime, but become available to the appropriate NATO commander in time of war. The two Canadian bases are located at Lahr and Baden-Soellingen near the Black Forest area in the Southern region of the Federal Republic of Ger­ many. The headquarters of the Canadian Forces Europe, with the two major formations. 4 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group and 1 Canadian Air Group, is located at Lahr. Ap­ proximately two-thirds of the command is located at Lahr, with the remainder at Baden-Soellingen, about 60 kilometers to the north. The total strength of the 4 Canadian mechanized brigade group is 3.000. The brigade group carries out an intensive training program at all formation levels throughout the year to maintain combat readiness. The training program in­ cludes participation in ma­ jor exercises of other NATO nations The brigade's fall concen­ tration. of which Bavarian Bayonet is the second last stage, begins in late summer in the U.S. Army Hohenfels training area where individual and unit training is emphasized. Bavarian Bayonet was then staged to “put it all together" in the words of Brigadier-General Fox. It is the only brigade size exer­ cise of the year wherin Canadian troops can com­ bine and practice their military skills. At the completion of Bavarian Bayonet, the Canadian brigade joined five other countries Germany, the Netherlands. Belgium. United States and United Kingdom, for a major SACEUR exercise of the autumn forge series. It is en­ titled Blaue Donau. and is designed to test the ability of the 50.000 strong NATO force in combined operations in simulated war­ time conditions. Way of Life Watching the Canadian Forces move into the Ulm area to stage Bavarian Bayonet gives ample indica­ tion of the reception given the personnel with the dis­ tinctive Canadian flag on their vehicles and combat uniforms. As the tracked vehicles arrive on train from the Hohenfels training centre and the wheeled vehicles make their way along the autobahn, they disperse into their staging areas throughout the countryside and small villages. The simulated war is not conducted in a regular' train­ ing exercise area. The 60 kilometer area has been “requisitioned” in consulta­ tion with civil officials and the “battle" takes place as the tanks and infantry make their way along village streets, through cornfields and the country terrain. Despite the disruptive nature of the exercise, the Germans appear to take the whole thing in their stride and the troops are given friendly receptions as they pull their tanks or other huge equipment into far­ myards. orchards or nearby fields to take their positions for the ensuing battle against the “enemy” force provided by 4 Jaeger Divi­ sion (German Army) based at Amberg. Farmers maneuver their tractors around armored vehicles in their yards, step over communication lines and generally attempt to carry on as usual despite their visitors. The Canadians are greeted with smiles and handshakes to invitations to visit German homes. One soldier reported that he usually was invited into the house for a shower as he awaited the battle call, while many housewives serve up coffee or other treats. One story is told about a Canadian unit located near the bottom of a cliff in one exercise and a German farmer living in the area made periodic visits to supp­ ly them beer from a bucket he lowered over the side of the hill by rope. The Canadian Weekly press corps was given its first insight into the exer­ cise during a briefing at command headquarters by Major Bob Gaudreau. operations officer for the ex­ ercise. His unit had moved into an orchard in a small village, while part of their operation centre was moved into an unused room in the local Gasthof (hotel) at Scharenstetten. He noted that the late harvest in Germany would cramp the style of the exer­ cise to an extent, as the heavy vehicles would attempt to, stick to the secondary roads through the countryside in an effort to reduce the damage to crops which were about three weeks behind schedule due to heavy summer rains. However, where necessary, the troops would make their way across un­ harvested fields and the German farmers would be compensated for the damage, The German government pays 25 percent of the damage claim and the Canadian government picks up the other 75 percent. He advised that the reputation of the Canadian troops is very high in Ger­ many, and other nations value them as participants in exercises because they are considered to be highly professional. Moral is considered generally lower in many of the NATO forces because the personnel are involved through conscription. After leaving the briefing we awaited the arrival of Brigadier-General Fox and soon the sound of his helicopter could be heard overhead and in short order he was marching briskly up the street with two com­ panions. peeling off to ex­ tend a warm greeting to our host, Major Bill Whitehead, and the press corps. A briefing scheduled for his office in the rear of an armored vehicle was moved over to the Gasthof to afford more comfortable surroundings. While he presents a highly “spit and polish” profile in his initial contact, he chatted off-the-cuff in a very sincere manner, even attempting to answer some of the highly political questions tossed in his direc­ tion. He summed up the NATO stance as being one of a deterrent “to convince the other fellow (read Warsaw Photo story by Bill Batten.., a recent visitor to Canadian Forces Europe Base in Lahr, Germany Pact Countries' that it wouldn’t be practical for them to start anything. Fox noted that “quan­ titatively and qualitatively” the standards of the Warsaw Pact armies has gone up in recent years. “I’m satisified with the standard of the brigade and that NATO is being successful in acting as a deterrent,” he commented when asked how the alli's are stacking up to the exten­ sive build-up along the Ger­ man and Czechoslovakian borders. When asked about Canada’s contribution to NATO in terms of personnel and equipment, he candidly replied that “as a military guy I can see things we could be doing”, but he quickly added “I don’t envy the politician his problem”. After further comments on the scenario of Bavarian Bayonet, we headed to Lageneau to await the arrival of a special train carrying the 1st Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Ar­ tillery, with their 30 tracked vehicles which included M- 109 self-propelled 155mm howitzers, M-113 armoured personnel carriers and assorted artillery vehicles. We had been told one could set his watch on the German railroad system, and that turned out to be more than prophetic as the train arrived right on schedule, giving us an in­ sight into how the Germans moved around their own country during World War II. ' The members of the ar­ tillery had the luxury of sleeping accommodation on the train, but in quick order they were off and in about an hour they had their 30 vehicles lined up along the roadside in readiness for the 35 kilometer trip to a bush area that would serve as their launch area. Through some quick arrangements between Ma­ jor Whitehead and Major Hague, the press corps was loaded into individual ar­ moured personnel carriers for the trip and we were given a taste of the bone­ tingling experience as we made our way across the secondary roads. A large crowd of onlookers quickly gathered to watch the incoming train, and children lined the streets in many of the small towns to wave at the ar­ tillery or hold their fingers in the universal peace sign. Sgt. Carl Day. Kingston, who was in charge of the vehicle on which the writer bounced along and shared the exhaust fumes, politely returned the waves along with a warm smile. Cars and trucks waved through the lines of ar­ tillery, while civilian police directed traffic. While many older people stopped to watch the proceedings, the majority took only a quick glance and went on about their field and farmyard ac­ tivities, leaving us with the impression it was a sight they would just as soon not consider — perhaps on the basis of past experience, or perhaps in fear of what the future may hold. The artillery soon reached their destination and buried themselve in a dense bush, awaiting the start of their 36-hour engagement. Engineers Drew Mud Awakening the next day to the sound of heavy rain, we found the 4 Combat Engineer Regiment located in a field just outside the town* which we used for our headquarters for three days. Our arrival at their muddy site coincided with the Ger­ man farmer who owned the field, and while there was some concern expressed on his face for the deep ruts be­ ing cut into his field, he seemed resigned to the fact it was all part of his con­ tribution to maintaining peace in his country. Men hurried about the site heating water for an early morning shave, while th’e field kitchen staff supplied a warm breakfast to those who had been soaked. We struck up a conversa­ tion with Major K.J. Holmes, London, in charge of the unit, who succinctly explained the role of the engineers as one of main­ taining the progress for the friendly force and denying progress for the enemy. The engineers support two infantry groups, their proudest possession being a new German bridge-builder or Bibber (German for beaver). It hadn’t arrived with the main unit as it was being shipped by rail, but a further description will follow in this article. Major Holmes told us of the many requests the engineers receive from civilian authorities for their services, and many of those public relations tasks are undertaken when the program can result in a valuable training exercise for the personnel. Emergency situations, of course, fall under a different category, and the services of the engineers are readily available to the Germans under such circumstances. During our conversation, Major Holmes looked longingly at a nearby forest and said his unit would move out to’ that spot to get onto higher and dryer ground when the final tracked vehicles arrived. The writer was disap­ pointed to learn that Cpl. Allan Unruh, a brother of Dee Beuerman of Exeter, was on one of the tracked vehicles and this cir­ cumvented our opportunity to pass along a big hello from home. A visit to the tank corps was one of the most exciting outings during the pre­ exercise outings, not only because the press contingent wanted to get their first look at the German-made Leopard tanks, but also because we left knowing the Canadian Forces were ex­ tremely pleased with their new acquisitions. Canada has been leasing some Leopards from the Germans, but have now taken delivery of some of their own. and a young Militia officer, Lieutenant John Murray, of Thorold, was more than pleased to show us the Leopards well camouflaged in a bush. There are 16 tanks in the brigade and Lieut. Murray, who was on a leave of absence from his teaching position in the Eastern Townships of Quebec, gave full evidence that Canada’s Militia at home is as proud and professional as our full- time troops at home and abroad. While we sat bewildered as he rhymed off the capabilities" of the tank, we also had an opportunity to explore every nook and cranny of the huge machines which pound across the countryside at an un- believeable rate of speed and with some dexterity that is difficult to comprehend. The crew had to learn Germarr as part of their in­ troduction, because all in­ structions are in that Vehicles hove a strange habit of needing repairs when they're in the middle of a muddy field, as these two engineers found out. , This anti-tank weapon demonstrated by three Canadian troops is extremely accurate up to 3,000 meters and can penetrate any known armour. It is known as a TOW (Tubelaunch Op­ tically Tracked Wire Command Link). Germanfarmersattempf to carry on as usual, despite some huge obstacles in their village yards. This tracked vehicle was squeezed in behind a wagon, while the farmer is shown cutting some metal beside his barn door. language. The bridge­ builder is also mounted on a Leopard body. 4 After popping a few rounds from the machine gun, we arrived back at the unit’s camp just in time to hear a young officer give an intelligence briefing that gave ample evidence that the Reds are watching NATO troops at every turn, “That lady you bought your bratwurst from at the railhead was the wife of a well-known informer,” the troops were advised. The intelligence briefing also told of a man and his son touring in the area on bicycles and who had spent a large sum of money (400 marks) in a couple of days and they were under sur­ veillance. While the troops are con­ tinually reminded of the fact there are people watching over their shoulders and listening for any unguarded conversations, the briefing was just to point Up more ex- plicity the problems that do exist. In exercises over 25,000 personnel, observers from Warsaw Pact countries are invited to watch NATO troops and vice versa. Few Reminiscences After enjoying a delicious meal from "the finest cooks in the army” at the tank un­ it, we moved onto visit Lt. Col. Butch Waldrum, head of the 444 Tactical Helicopter Squadron. Waldrum had taken some of his early training at RCAF Station Centralia and we found two others in his unit who had also come through training programs there in the persons of Don Chambers and Andy Seguin, the commanders of the two flight groups which incor-. porate 11 Kiowa helicopters. Rain again greeted us, but did afford an opportunity to see the mechanics rebuild one helicopter and to visit many of the personnel in Kids lined the street to wove at the Canadian Armed Forces as they moved to their staging area. However, the lad Shawn here had a different welcome ... he blasted the armored per­ sonnel carrier above with his water gun.