page_title: British Army of the Rhine
section_title: 1945–1994
hierarchical_section_title: British Army of the Rhine / History / 1945–1994
caption_attribution_description: A Warrior Mechanised Combat Vehicle on exercise in winter conditions soon after entering service with the British Army in 1988. The thirteen mechanised infantry battalions of the 1st, 3rd and 4th Armoured Divisions of the British Army of the Rhine converted to the Warrior during the period 1988 - 1994.
context_page_description: There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine. Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War, and the other after the Second World War. Both formations had areas of responsibility located around the German section of the River Rhine.
context_section_description: The second British Army of the Rhine was formed on 25 August 1945 from the British Liberation Army. Its original function was to control the corps districts which were running the military government of the British zone of occupied Germany. After the assumption of government by civilians, it became the command formation for the troops in Germany only, rather than being responsible for administration as well.
  As the potential threat of Soviet invasion across the North German Plain into West Germany increased, BAOR became more responsible for the defence of West Germany than its occupation. It became the primary formation controlling the British contribution to NATO after the formation of the alliance in 1949. Its primary combat formation was British I Corps. From 1952 the commander-in-chief of the BAOR was also the commander of NATO's Northern Army Group (NORTHAG) in the event of a general war with the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact. The BAOR was formerly armed with tactical nuclear weapons. In 1967, the force was reduced in strength to 53,000 soldiers, compared with 80,000 ten years earlier.
caption: A Warrior tracked armoured vehicle as used by the 13 mechanised infantry battalions of the 1st, 3rd and 4th Armoured Divisions of the British Army of the Rhine during the period 1988–1994
exif: {}