British occupation zone in Germany

The Allied powers who defeated Nazi Germany in World War II divided the country into four **occupation zones**  from 1945 to 1949.

The British zone consisted of Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg,  Lower Saxony and the present-day state of North Rhine-Westphalia.  The British military government was based in Bad Oeynhausen.

Bremen and Bremerhaven were surrounded by the British Zone, but were given to the United States, so that the Americans had a port. What is now Rhineland-Palatinate was to be a part of the British Zone.  It was given up to form part of the French occupation zone.

In May 1949 the British, French, and American zones were joined to form the Federal Republic of Germany.  The military governors were replaced by civilian high commissioners.  The high commissioners were part-governor and part-ambassador.  The occupation officially continued until 1955.  This is when the Federal Republic became a fully sovereign state, the western occupation zones ceased to exist, and the high commissioners were replaced by normal ambassadors. But the four allied powers still had special rights and responsibilities in Germany until the Final Settlement of 1990.

The city of Berlin, however, was not part of either state and continued to be under Allied occupation until 1990.

### Military governors

- 22 May 1945 - 30 April 1946 Sir Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein
- 1 May 1946 - 31 October 1947 William Sholto Douglas
- 1 November 1947 - 21 September 1949 Gen. Sir Brian Robertson, Bt.

### High commissioners

- 21 September 1949 - 24 June 1950  Gen. Sir Brian Robertson, Bt.

- 24 June 1950 - 29 September 1953  Sir Ivone Kirkpatrick

- 29 September 1953 - 5 May 1955  Sir Frederick Hoyer-Millar

## Related pages

- Allied occupation zone
- American occupation zone
- Soviet occupation zone

## References

- Post-WWII commanders/governors of Germany

## Infobox (former country)

- **native name**: _Deutsches Reich_
- **conventional long name**: German Reich
- **common name**: Germany
- **image flag**: Flag of Germany (1946-1949).svg
- **flag border**: no
- **flag type**: The C-Pennant
- **flag**: Flag of Germany#After World War II (1945–49)
- **image coat**: Badge of the Control Commission for Germany.svg
- **coat border**: no
- **coat type**: Arms of Control Commision
- **coat**: Arms of Control Commision (1945–49)
- **image map**: Deutschland Besatzungszonen 8 Jun 1947 - 22 Apr 1949.svg
- **image map caption**: Post-Nazi German occupation borders and territories from 1945 to 1949.
British (green), French (blue), American (orange) and Soviet (red) occupation zones. Saar Protectorate (light blue) in the west under the control of France.
Berlin is the quadripartite area shown within the red Soviet zone. Bremen consists of the two orange American exclaves in the British sector.
- **stat year1**: 1945
- **stat pop1**: 64,260,000
- **stat year2**: 1949
- **stat pop2**: 68,080,000
- **region**: Central Europe
- **status**: Military occupation
- **era**: Cold War
- **year start**: 1945
- **year end**: 1949
- **life span**: 1945–1949
- **p1**: Nazi Germany
- **flag p1**: Flag of German Reich (1935–1945).svg
- **s1**: West Germany
- **flag s1**: Schwarz Rot Gold.svg
- **s2**: East Germany
- **flag s2**: Flag of East Germany.svg
- **s3**: Saar Protectorate
- **flag s3**: Flag of Saar (1947–1956).svg
- **s4**: West Berlin
- **flag s4**: Flag of Berlin.svg
- **capital**: * Berlin <small>(_de jure_)</small>
* Frankfurt <small>(American zone)</small>
* Bad Oeynhausen <small>(British zone)</small>
* Baden-Baden <small>(French zone)</small>
* East Berlin <small>(Soviet zone)</small>
- **title leader**: #Military governors and commissioners, Governors (1945)
- **leader1**: Field marshal, F. Mar. Bernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, Montgomery
- **year leader1**: British zone
- **leader2**: Général, Gen. Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, Lattre de Tassigny
- **year leader2**: French zone
- **leader3**: General of the Army, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, Eisenhower
- **year leader3**: US zone
- **leader4**: Marshal of the Soviet Union, Marshal Georgy Zhukov, G. K. Zhukov
- **year leader4**: Soviet occupation zone, Soviet zone
- **event pre**: German Instrument of Surrender, Surrender
- **date pre**: 8 May 1945
- **date start**: 5 July
- **event1**: Saar (protectorate), Saar Protectorate
- **date event1**: 15 December 1947
- **event2**: West Germany, Federal Republic of Germany
- **date event2**: 23 May 1949
- **event end**: East Germany, German Democratic Republic
- **date end**: 7 October
- **event post**: Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany, Final Settlement
- **date post**: 12 September 1990
- **currency**: * Reichsmark <small>(1945–48)</small>
* German Rentenmark, Rentenmark <small>(1945–48)</small>
* Deutsche Mark, Deutschmark <small>(W: 1948–49)<sup>d</sup></small>
* East German mark, Deutschmark <small>(E: 1948–49)<sup>e</sup></small>
* Saar mark <small>(Saar (protectorate), Saar: 1947–48)</small>
* Saar franc <small>(Saar: 1948–59)</small>
- **footnote a**: Joined the West Germany, Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) on 1 January 1957.
- **footnote b**: Reunited Germany by joining the Federal Republic of Germany on 3 October 1990.
- **footnote c**: German reunification took place on 3 October 1990.
- **footnote d**: The Trizone, western Allied zones of Germany and the western sectors of Berlin.
- **footnote e**: The Soviet occupation zone, Soviet zone of Germany and sector of Berlin.
- **footnotes**:
The four sectors of the Allied occupation of Berlin and West Berlin#Exclaves, exclaves.