Occupation Forces(Germany)

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captain_wright
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Occupation Forces(Germany)

#1

Post by captain_wright » 31 Jan 2013, 01:55

After World War II ended how many military personnel were involved in the occupation of Germany? From what I've been able to read via the Wikipedia it sounds like the Soviet Union outnumbered the other allies by a substantial margin, but I can't find any numerical proof in the Wikipedia.
Can someone help me?

James

ejstuczko
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Re: Occupation Forces(Germany)

#2

Post by ejstuczko » 07 Feb 2013, 01:25

US Constabulary, an elite 30000 man unit, was created for border patrol, occupation duties, refugee placement, etc. from 1946-52. Most post-war troops were sent home, with the Constabulary troops remaining to restore order until the German Republic had an efficient force to take over these duties. There are many websites devoted to these young men who were in the front lines against the Soviet threat at the very beginning of the Cold War. I hope this answers some of the question you asked. Ed


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Re: Occupation Forces(Germany)

#3

Post by Larry D. » 07 Feb 2013, 15:09

Another fragment that may prove useful. In 1958 when I was in Mannheim in a position where I had access to this information, there were 365,000 uniformed U.S. military in Europe plus 300,000 wives and kids. So, after a big decline immediately after the war ended, force levels began climbing again, especially after the Soviets detonated their first nuclear device in the early 1950's. The figures for the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) at the same time elude me, but I think they were around 35,000. The French contingent on German soil was very small by then, maybe 5,000, because they could deploy rapidly forward from their bases in France if necessary. There are a number of books on this subject in English and German, and there should be some reliable information on the internet, too.

L.

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Re: Occupation Forces(Germany)

#4

Post by Loïc » 07 Feb 2013, 18:46

~75 000 French in Germany and ~7000 in Austria
during the War in Algeria ~50 000

I think that there were Belgians and Canadians too



Loïc

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Re: Occupation Forces(Germany)

#5

Post by will_b » 07 Feb 2013, 18:57

This is an interesting subject, I have a few questions myself.

Were the occupation forces spread across the whole of Germany, by that I mean every town, every village. Or was it more densely populated area's such as large towns and cities?

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Re: Occupation Forces(Germany)

#6

Post by Larry D. » 07 Feb 2013, 21:23

Loïc wrote:~75 000 French in Germany and ~7000 in Austria
during the War in Algeria ~50 000
I think that there were Belgians and Canadians too
Loïc
Earlier, no doubt, but that number (75,000) was greatly reduced by 1958-59 when I was there, I believe. The problem here is that the person starting this thread did not specify exactly when he wanted the information for.

L.

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Re: Occupation Forces(Germany)

#7

Post by Larry D. » 07 Feb 2013, 21:37

will_b wrote:This is an interesting subject, I have a few questions myself.

Were the occupation forces spread across the whole of Germany, by that I mean every town, every village. Or was it more densely populated area's such as large towns and cities?
With few exceptions, they took over existing Wehrmacht Kasernen, and these were in the center of cities, on the outskirts of cities and in and around towns with populations of 5,000 or more. They were not in the small towns or villages, generally. I can't speak for the Brits or the French, but about the only infrastructure the Americans built in Germany from 1945 to present were some housing areas for families.

Geographically, the Brits were in northwestern Germany, the French in the Saarland and along the Rhine in SW Germany, and the Americans in central and south Germany. Berlin was occupied by all 4 (U.S., U.K., FR and USSR), each having their own section of the city. The Soviets occupied eastern Germany.

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Re: Occupation Forces(Germany)

#8

Post by ejstuczko » 08 Feb 2013, 00:07

Sharing some facts from my father's service in US Constabulary 1946-1948 in US Occupation Zone- Bavaria. The vast majority of WWII US servicemen, with the required points, were shipped home. The remainder waited until they accrued the appropriate points to go home. Until that time US troops were sent to Bavaria and trained at Sonthofen Castle as Constabulary/Occupation troops. Dad was stationed in Simbach am Inn, along the Austrian border, and Passau, Germany (HQ), later Landshut, Germany during that time. Duties included border patrols, black market raids, Nazi collaborator arrests, DP (displaced person) housing and re-location, etc. I spoke with a fellow trooper a few years ago and he verified that the Soviets would fire artillery into no man's land along the Austrian-German border, sometimes overshooting, just to see if everyone was awake on the US side. Wehrwolves"(?) were assassinating mayors, blowing up buildings and bridges, etc. and needed to be eliminated. Thankfully their time as a fanatic group was short-lived and ended by 1947. In 1948 many of the US Constabulary units became Armored Cavalry Regiments (ACR) to thwart the possible Soviet armored invasion of Germany during the Cold War. Ed

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Re: Occupation Forces(Germany)

#9

Post by will_b » 08 Feb 2013, 05:03

Interesting, thanks for this information

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Re: Occupation Forces(Germany)

#10

Post by Loïc » 10 Feb 2013, 20:22

Larry D. wrote:
Loïc wrote:~75 000 French in Germany and ~7000 in Austria
during the War in Algeria ~50 000
I think that there were Belgians and Canadians too
Loïc
Earlier, no doubt, but that number (75,000) was greatly reduced by 1958-59 when I was there, I believe. The problem here is that the person starting this thread did not specify exactly when he wanted the information for.

L.
hello

actually only 5000 French soldiers in Germany seem very curious for this period 1954-1962, only a brigade-size army when there were usually 3 Divisions in occupation in Germany since 1945, the French Army reaching a third peak after WWI and WWII during the Algerian War concerning the military strenght with ~one million unders arms of which ~450 000men at the maximum in Algeria,
in march 1956 the garrisons in Germany were reduced but only from 80 000 to 67 000 men...

Regards
Loïc

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Re: Occupation Forces(Germany)

#11

Post by Larry D. » 10 Feb 2013, 20:55

actually only 5000 French soldiers in Germany seem very curious for this period 1954-1962, only a brigade-size army when there were usually 3 Divisions in occupation in Germany since 1945, the French Army reaching a third peak after WWI and WWII during the Algerian War concerning the military strenght with ~one million unders arms of which ~450 000men at the maximum in Algeria,
in march 1956 the garrisons in Germany were reduced but only from 80 000 to 67 000 men...
Regards
Loïc
It sounds like something that needs to be researched for those interested!

L.

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Re: Occupation Forces(Germany)

#12

Post by captain_wright » 23 Apr 2013, 07:07

What was the cost of maintaining the occupation forces in West Germany and did West Germany contribute anything toward the cost?

James

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Re: Occupation Forces(Germany)

#13

Post by jeger » 14 Jan 2014, 21:44

Also a Norwegian Brigade Group 3.400 strong as part of BAOR 1947-53
Jeger

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