Here we look at another offering from Tankograd titled "Fulda Gap, NATO's Key Sector for the Defence of Central Europe during the Cold War".
This is partial text from the full article (usually with photos) at https://armorama.com/news/fulda-gap
This is partial text from the full article (usually with photos) at https://armorama.com/news/fulda-gap
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I was stationed in Germany during the Cold War. I was at a NATO Site near the French border. We were told if the Soviets came through the Fulda Gap that we only had minutes to live. We were a very high priority target. So much so that the US Air Force did low level practice bombing runs over our site. If we were under attack or overrun we were expendable. They would destroy the contents of the bunkers so that they didn’t fall into enemy hands.
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I have fond memories of those days and the GAP.
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Our Regimental deployment positions had us in the middle of the 3rd Shock Armies main route…we didn’t really look forward to it kicking off for real… Just thinking about it now makes me want to read Ref Storm Rising again …
I spent a week down at the Gap on an exchange visit with a tankie Regt there … That was good.
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I might as well just get my Army pension transferred directly to Tankograd; they keep coming out with Cold War titles par excellence!
However, for what it’s worth I’d like to see them branch out into the stuff that was going on the other side of the IGB. All those massive Warsaw Pact exercises - Waffenbruederschaft anyone?
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I spent 2 years in the middle of the gap stationed in Fulda with the 1/11th ACR. I drove M551s and M60A1s when we turned in the Sheridans. A platoon would spend several weeks at OP Alpha on the border. It was a strange feeling being 3 feet from the Iron Curtain. Will probably get the book for nostalgia if nothing else.
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I was stationed in Schweinfurt, Conn Barracks, 3-64 Armor, 3rd ID (84-86, 90-92). Our General Dispersal Positions were 11 km west of the E. German, Czech border. My tank companies position straddled autobahn 303 and we were a blocking force against Soviet and E German formations. We were told if we could not hold our positions, the long bridge behind us would be blown. Essentially we would have been left to fight to the death.
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Ah yes, the days of TIT and DIP.
TIT = Tanks, Infantry, TOWs
DIP= Die In Place
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Has anyone read “Red Army” by Ralph Peters?
Fun fact! The British were stationed where the Americans should have been stationed and vice versa!
Any of you Brit tankers stationed in Hildesheim?
This is kind of covered in the Red Army bock.
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I know RTR were there in the mid 80’s to very early 90’s while I was in Detmold and Sennelager … cant remember which one out the 4 it was though. Would that be about the same period you were over there ?
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I stayed in Hildeshiem on the way to Wildflecken. I only know that there was some sort of tank regiment there. I was invited to sneak off the base, which of course I did, and caroused with the Brits.
A great time was had by all, but the next morning I’ll never fogrget. Bangers and mash. Some of the prettiest browned sausages I’d seen up to that point. Unfortunately they were not the same type of pork based bangers from the night before. These were bread sausages that had little flavor at all. Thenk God for Dad’s sauce.
Maybe the morning sausages are designed to soak up the alcohol from the night before. 
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Well, if you were eating bangers and mash, you can rule out 4 RTR… They would of had you eating Haggis for breakfast lol…
1 RTR were N West, predominantly Merseyside, 2 were London and home counties, and 3 were the South West of England
John,
The excellent website “BAOR Locations” has 1 RTR serving there (Tofrek Barracks) from Nov 84 - 92:
Tofrek Barracks (baor-locations.org)
If you scroll down from the attachment there’s a pretty interesting set of pics from 1 RTR.
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I forget about that site…I often have a scroll through looking at the old Trg areas and barracks or places I went to … 
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Yes, I believe it was the winter of 84-85.
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Geez, Rob you and me chewed some of the same dirt back in the day - your ‘visit’ to Wildchicken was while I was there with 1/68 Armor. We were at the far end of the Kaserne, you left our motor pool banged a left and you were essentially on the tank trails to the ranges.
I havent heard that name in ages. One of the few places I wish I never visited. Or remembered.