- Joined
- 27 September 2006
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- 6,074
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As we know, the UK relinquished most of its non-NATO commitments in the late 60s as a result of financial chaos at home and overstretch.
Before the UK withdrew from East of Suez there was an ambitious programme under the general heading "Project Prodigal" for a lighter more mobile Army with futuristic looking kit able to be airportable to wherever it was needed.
As the UK continued to try and field heavy Divisions in Germany, the West Germans were powering ahead economically and were better able to put such divisions with decent kit into the field.
The UK tried various ways to get out of keeping standing forces on the Continent, such as pulling individual brigades back to the UK. If Project Prodigal had delivered the right kit, may be we could have followed Canada in downsizing our forces in West Germany in favour of forces better able to reinforce Norway and Denmark where NATO was weakest and the host nations did not want forces deployed on their soil in peacetime. In my scenario the UK would have negotiated with the FRG to replace two of its three divisions with properly manned and equipped Bundeswehr units. The remaining UK 1 Armoured Division would have pulled back towards to Dutch border.
To compensate for this change, 3 Infantry Division from the UK would have received modern Prodigal kit and been allocated to the defence of Jutland, where it could fly in at the beginning of a crisis.
The Royal Marines would have been also given Prodigal equipment and increased in size to a full Division of at least 4 to 5 Commandos with appropriate shipping and airlift for reinforcing Norway in times of tension.
These divisions would have been far more useful than the badly equipped and maintained divisions in FRG and forced the West Germans (who could afford it) to take on more of the burden of their policy of forward defence.
Before the UK withdrew from East of Suez there was an ambitious programme under the general heading "Project Prodigal" for a lighter more mobile Army with futuristic looking kit able to be airportable to wherever it was needed.
As the UK continued to try and field heavy Divisions in Germany, the West Germans were powering ahead economically and were better able to put such divisions with decent kit into the field.
The UK tried various ways to get out of keeping standing forces on the Continent, such as pulling individual brigades back to the UK. If Project Prodigal had delivered the right kit, may be we could have followed Canada in downsizing our forces in West Germany in favour of forces better able to reinforce Norway and Denmark where NATO was weakest and the host nations did not want forces deployed on their soil in peacetime. In my scenario the UK would have negotiated with the FRG to replace two of its three divisions with properly manned and equipped Bundeswehr units. The remaining UK 1 Armoured Division would have pulled back towards to Dutch border.
To compensate for this change, 3 Infantry Division from the UK would have received modern Prodigal kit and been allocated to the defence of Jutland, where it could fly in at the beginning of a crisis.
The Royal Marines would have been also given Prodigal equipment and increased in size to a full Division of at least 4 to 5 Commandos with appropriate shipping and airlift for reinforcing Norway in times of tension.
These divisions would have been far more useful than the badly equipped and maintained divisions in FRG and forced the West Germans (who could afford it) to take on more of the burden of their policy of forward defence.
