Berlin Brigade

After the end of World War II, under the conditions of the Yalta and Potsdam agreements, Allied forces occupied West Berlin. This occupation lasted throughout the Cold War. The Berlin Brigade was a term used to describe the brigade-sized garrison forces based there by the British and American armies; the French army also maintained a garrison, but did not use the name.

United States

The Berlin Brigade was an United States Army unit; its shoulder sleeve insignia was the U.S. Army Europe patch with Berlin tab. During the Berlin Wall Crisis of 1961, the army reorganized the command structure of the forces in Berlin and created the U.S. Army Berlin and created the Berlin Brigade from the units already in the city. At this time, the infantry units of the Brigade were organized according to the "pentomic" structure: One "battle group" consisted of five line (rifle) companies, a combat support company, and a Headquarters & Headquarters company. Berlin Brigade had the 2nd & 3rd battle groups of the 6th US Infantry Regiment assigned to it from 1960 through 1964, when structure reverted to battalions.

Contrasting roles of the Berlin troops-- 1970 soldier's jammed locker includes uniforms for variety of duties along with big-city dress clothes.

The brigade consisted of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Battalions of the 6th Infantry Regiment (reflagged to 4th, 5th and 6th Battalions of the 502d Infantry Regiment), Battery C 94th Field Artillery, Echo Battery 320th Field Artillery, Company F of the 40th Armor, 42nd Engineer Company, 42nd Military Police Company (Customs), 287th Military Police Company (Separate), 43rd and 76th Chemical Detachments, 279th Station Hospital (became US Army Hospital Berlin in 1976), 168th Medical Detachment (Veterinary Service), and 298th Army Band. The 168th and 298th share the distinction of being the longest serving units in Berlin. They both arrived to the city in a 37-vehicle convoy on July 3, 1945. The commanders of both units were old high school classmates.

After the reunification of Germany, the Berlin Brigade was no longer necessary and it was deactivated in 1994. The Berlin Brigade was the first combat unit selected to deploy to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in 1993 as Task Force Able Sentry.

United Kingdom

The Berlin Infantry Brigade of the British Army consisted of some 3,000 men in three infantry battalions, an armoured squadron, and a number of support units. It may have initially not been part of the British Army of the Rhine despite being based in Germany. However, it is recorded, at the very least, by the mid-1980s, that the brigade was indeed part of BAOR, being its second major component after I (BR) Corps.^[1] The actual 3 infantry battalions and armoured squadron assigned to Berlin were rotated regularly; the single armoured squadron was detached from an armoured regiment assigned to I (BR) Corps. 7 Flight AAC, based at RAF Gatow, provided aviation support. Other units such as 62 Transport and Movements Squadron RCT, REME, RAOC, 38 (Berlin) Field Squadron RE, 229 Signals Squadron R Signals, 247 Provost Company RMP and British Military Hospital Berlin were also permanently based in Berlin.

External links and references

• Berlin Brigade Memories
• History of the French, American and British Berlin Brigades
• Berlin 1969 - the Allies in Berlin at midpoint of the Cold War
• Photos and information on the British Military Train to Berlin.
• Co F 40th Armor site by Bob Decker.

References