NATO, WAPA and the indefensibility of LandJut in NGP and D85

[JDR Dragoon]

JDR, in your oob file I can't seem to find the Centurion-equipped Panserjagerbataljon (VI/JDR); did you forget to add it or shouldn't it be there (timeframe 1985)?

VI. JDR spent the period from 86-89 "working up" (it takes time to train a reserve battalion. Especially when you have a limited budget to do it on)

I've seen it mentioned as a part of JDIV's units; also as part of the JKG; and I've also seen both these organizations portrayed as having such a unit (V and VI/JDR), but that is probably not right.

The beauty here is, that I managed to get an email correspondence going with the former VI. JR battalion CO from 89-91 currently employed as a senior lecturer at the military academy). While the battalion was "working up" to operational status it was under the control of the division. As soon as it was "ready" in the mobilization force it was transferred to the 3rd Jutland Brigade. The Jutland Battlegroup didn´t have any tanks (The battlegroups managing the coastal defence sectors in LandZealands sector did however). The breakdown went something like this:

110 obsolete 20 pdr Centurions (happens after 1978 when the last of the Jutland Divisions 120 Leopard 1A3s becomes operational) plus 16 unupgraded Centurions with 105mm guns (126 Centurions in all). During the mid 70s the decision is made to employ these as "Tank destroyers" for lower catagory mobilization units. Individual squadrons are almost immediately seconded to various units as follows:

-2. Squadrons (of about 20 tanks) to the regional defence forces on the island of Funen in order to beef up AT strenght near the ferry crossings of the Great and Little Belt (these units also had some rudimentary training in firing on naval targets)

-1. Squadron to the 2. 3. and 4. Zealand Battlegroups in order to beef up AT strenght in their respective sectors of coastal defence (about 30 tanks). Untill then, the main long range AT weapons of these infantry formations had been 106mm RRs and 105mm howitzers firing directly.... The 4th. Zealand Battlegroup also had a secondary mission as a mobile reserve and was the only unit actually contemplating to use their Centurions offensively.

-1. Squadron (about 10) to the Bornholm battlegroup (untill then the only tank strenght on the island had been a squadron of M41 light tanks)

-Which leaves us 50 tanks for the Jutland divisions "TD BTN", which had to whipped into shape as a unit first before it could be employed gainfully. This hadn´t happened by 1985.

-The remaining 16 tanks were "war reserves" and reservoirs of spare parts (I know that the Squadron slated for Bornholm actually had 12 tanks on strenght, with 2 of them marked down as replacements. A similar arrangement is not unlikely with regards to the other units). I don´t believe that 105mm and 20 pdr armed tanks were "mixed" but so far I have been unable to discover just which unit got the single squadron of 105mm armed tanks that would have been available. Theorhetically the remaining 16 tanks might even have been used ti build another squadron but if so, I have been unable to find any trace of it. This might theoretically have been the squadron attached to the Jutland Battlegroup but as mentioned above I have so far failed to find any indication that the Battlegroup had such a squadron.

-"V. JDR" was the divisional Reconnaisance Battalion. It is my old unit. I should know ;)