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From: bcstec!shuksan!major@uunet.UU.NET (Mike Schmitt)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: NATO briefing
Message-ID: <1991May10.063846.26256@amd.com>
Date: 9 May 91 20:08:27 GMT
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From: bcstec!shuksan!major@uunet.UU.NET (Mike Schmitt)


> From: nzt1939@dsacg3.dsac.dla.mil (William M. Aldo)
> I took part in REFORGER IV back in Jan '73, and then it was an annual field
> training exercise (FTX)...so, I can only assume that it's still an annual
> thing;-)

The MAIN purpose was to redeploy the 1st Inf Div back to Germany.  The
FTX was something to do after getting there.

In the late '60s, the Vietnam manpower requirements were draining the 
European-based units.  Some were only at 'cadre strength'.  6-man squads,
companies commanded by lieutenants, battalions commanded by majors, staffs
at half-strength.  Plus, those of us stationed in Europe at the time 
considered ourselves only on extended "R&R" until we were shipped back to
Vietnam.  Given all that - the US decided to withdraw a division out of
Europe (the 24th ID, Goeppingen, I believe - which went to Fort Riley and
became the 1st ID).  NATO (Germany) was worried about the US having enough
combat power to stop the evil Russian hordes (we can discuss the MTO&E of
a type-Mongol Horde later).  The US promised that they would dedicate one
mechanized division (1st ID) to Europe and that it would redeploy upon the
first indication of trouble.  NATO (Germany) said, "we don't really believe
you can do that, prove it."  Thus, the birth of Reforger.  

The plan was to store in "POMCUS Stocks" all the MTOE equipment for a full
Mech Div in Pirmasens and Karlshrue - division personnel with personal 
weapons would be flown to nearby airfields and 'fall-in' on the equipment
and drive away.  It was a logistics exercise.  Transport people, draw
equipment, exercise the equipment by means of a 10 day FTX, convoy to
Grafenwoehr to 'live fire' tanks, artillery, crew-served weapons, convoy back
to POMCUS Sites, turn-in equipment, redeploy to CONUS.  

The 1st Inf Div was THE class I, premier division in CONUS for European
deployment.  Matter of fact, all our maps, regulations, "enemy" were Germany.
All our regs were VII Corps.  Our "parent unit" was VII Corps and USAREUR,
not FORSCOM and CONUS.  The first six REFORGER exercises were with the
1st Inf Div, under command/control of VII Corps, and manuevered against
VII Corps units in Germany (either 3rd ID or 1st AD).  Usually the 4th
Canadian Mech Brigade and one of the 12th Panzer Division's brigades would
manuever with either of the divisions.

Well, pretty soon, the other Corps' and divisions thought that this was a
great idea and great training and wanted a piece of the action.  The first
non-1st ID REFORGER was in 1976 with the 101st Airmobile Division - over to
V Corps area - against the 8th ID.  (Doomed to failure - just with the
participants - my opinion).  First, you don't "rapidly" deploy helicoptors
by ship!  And I guess they proved that helicoptors without a heavy ground
tank support cannot survive a 'tank battle' battlefield.  Lessons learned?

I participated in 6 Reforger exercises.  Two from CONUS and 4 while in
Germany.  They kept getting bigger and bigger - and now (or at least the
last one) it is a multi-corps, multi-division, multi-nation exercise (called
"AUTUMN FORGE" - series of manuevers).  The enormity of the amount of troops
involved becomes apparent when you know that for every "reinforced division"
manuevering against another "reinforced division" there must be an almost
equal number of "Controllers" and "Umpires" for each side.  That takes 
another full division complement of people.  And since all manuever is on
the German countryside - Manuever Damage takes another brigade-plus size of
manuever damage organization plus an Engineer Brigade to repair damage.
(and there are plenty of horror stories about manuever damage - I'll tell 
you about the 3d Cav tanks doing pivot steers on the cobblestone streets
in the town square of Schweinfurt - some other day).

What did all this serve?  First, we kept the peace in Europe.  But secondly,
the battalion and brigade commanders and staffs that learned to plan these
long range deployments and swift, fast, hi-speed manuevers and action - were
the division commanders and staffs in the Gulf.  The last couple years of
Reforger manuevers were with M1A1 Abrams, M2 Bradleys, MLRS, Apache attacks
helicoptors, supported by USAF A-10s.  

Now, I understand Reforger is being scaled back, further and further.  And
maybe there is no need for it at all anymore.  It served its purpose.

Mike Schmitt

"Sir, is our ration cycle A-C-A?"
"No, it's B-M-G.  Bacherei, Metzgerei, Gasthous."