page_title: Northern Army Group
section_title: Structure
hierarchical_section_title: Northern Army Group / Structure
caption_attribution_description: English: Corps sectors of military responsability in NATO's central region Français&#160;: Secteurs de responsabilité des corps d'armées de l'OTAN en Allemagne de l'Ouest
context_page_description: The Northern Army Group was a NATO military formation comprising four Western European Army Corps, during the Cold War as part of NATO's forward defence in the Federal Republic of Germany.
  The Army Group headquarters was established on 1 November 1952 in Bad Oeynhausen, but was relocated in 1954 to Rheindahlen. The HQ complex near Mönchengladbach contained NORTHAG HQ and three other command posts; the headquarters of the Second Allied Tactical Air Force, British Army of the Rhine and Royal Air Force Germany.
  Previously, 21st Army Group had been on the left flank of the Allied advance into Germany, and had advanced into the North German Plain. This may have been the reason that a four-corps sized formation - which would usually be considered an army - was given the title of 'Army group'.
context_section_description: In the NATO command structure NORTHAG belonged to Allied Forces Central Europe (AFCENT), which in turn reported to Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE). NORTHAGs responsibility was the defense of the North German plains from south of the river Elbe to the city of Kassel. The defense north of the Elbe was the task of Allied Land Forces Command Schleswig-Holstein and Jutland (COMLANDJUT), while south of Kassel it was the task of CENTAG.
  Commander in Chief of NORTHAG was the commanding General of the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). Chief of Staff was a German Major General, with a Belgian or Dutch Major General as alternates.
  Northern Army Group was assigned the following formations: 
  I Dutch Corps (Dutch 1st, 4th and 5th Mechanized Divisions and the 101st Infantry Brigade. From July 1985 the German 3rd Panzer Division was added.)
  I German Corps (1st Panzer Division, 7th Panzer Division, 11th Panzergrenadier Division, and 27th Airborne Brigade.)
  I British Corps (1st Armoured Division, 3rd and 4th Armoured, and 2nd Infantry Division)
  I Belgian Corps (1st Infantry and 16th Armoured Division)
  These organizations fell in peacetime under their respective national command authorities. Only in the case of attack did operational control over the Corps automatically transfer to NORTHAG. Air support was provided by 2 ATAF.
  During peacetime NORTHAG multi-national staff commanded the following units: 
  13th Belgian Telecommunications Company (13 Cie T Tr)
  28th Signal Regiment, Royal Signals (NORTHAG)
  German Telecommunications Battalion 840 (NORTHAG)
  Dutch telecommunications company
  NORTHAG telecommunications company (radio NORTHAG Air Support Squadron), which consisted of soldiers from all four nations.
  In the case of war the headquarters of the 2nd ATAF and NORTHAG would be relocated to the JOC (Joint Operations Center), a bunker complex in the St. Pietersberg in Maastricht area.
  There were two other corps not located on the front lines but associated with NORTHAG. The III French Corps with the 2nd Armoured Division, and 10th Armoured, and 8th Infantry Division began to be more closely associated with the northern part of the Central Front from the late 1970s.
  In addition, also, from the late 1970s the U.S. 3rd Brigade, 2nd Armoured Division was forward deployed at Garlstedt. III (US) Corps was later assigned as a reserve corps. The rest of 2nd Armored Division, along with 1st Cavalry Division, 5th Infantry Division (Mech), 212th Field Artillery Brigade and 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment were tasked to join NORTHAG through OPERATION REFORGER within days after an outbreak of hostilities. They were to draw  their equipment from POMCUS depots in the Netherlands, Belgium and North Rhine-Westphalia. These reinforcements depended upon the air bridge across the Atlantic being opened and the vehicle depots being unharmed or protected from early Soviet action against them.
caption: NATO corps sectors in the Central Region
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