Talk:Fulda Gap

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Contents 1 River 2 Defence 3 Armored Cavalry Regiments at the Inner-German Border [IGB] 4 1-68 AR BN in Fulda Gap

[edit] River

"Frankfurt would offer the invaders an opportunity to cross the formidable Rhine River" - that's wrong, there is no Rhine River in Frankfurt, in Frankfurt is only the Main River http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 195.14.202.151 (talk • contribs) August 3, 2005.

Response/Comment: It reads (now?), "Perhaps more importantly, the terrain between the Gap and the river Rhine was less rugged than adjacent districts, offering the best pathway for an invading force from Warsaw Pact territory to reach and cross the formidable Rhine before NATO was in a position to prevent it." . . . It appears that Main crossings are implicit within this context.—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 206.173.54.187 (talk • contribs) August 11, 2006.

[edit] Defence

"Defence of the Fulda Gap was tasked primarily to the US V Corps." - that's of course wrong, it was tasked primarily to the German Armed Forces. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 84.159.219.156 (talk • contribs February 11, 2007.

Response/Comment: What is the source of your information? Note: Ger III Korps & US V Corps were adjacent, from whatever year III Korps came up to strength following 1954-55 planning of Bundeswehr Heer. Also, the US 3rd Armored Division replaced the US 4th Infantry Division in the Fulda Gap in 1956 - this reflected a change in US V Corps strategy. The Bundeswehr was very young in 1956. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 67.108.51.40 (talk • contribs February 22, 2007.
Reference: Tankograd Militaerfahrzeug Spezial No. 5002, Die Anfangsjahre des Heeres 1956 - 1966 ("The Early Years of the Modern German Army") - Verlag Jochen Vollert - Tankograd Publishing 2003. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 67.108.49.206 (talk • contribs July 19, 2007.

It may have varied over the years, but the U.S. Army was very much the sole defender of the Fulda Gap in the 1980s. The Gap was screened by three squadrons of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, whose sector of defense covered the area from Bad Hersfeld in the north to Bad Kissingen in the south. German III Corps was to the north of Hersfeld, more in the Kassel area. Had there been a war, it was the task of U.S. V Corps to reinforce the 11th Cavalry and defend the approaches to Frankfurt/M. There would have been some German assistance in the form of the BGS and possibly local defense forces, but there was no training with local defense forces that I recall. The cavalry regularly patrolled with the BGS, so there was potential there for effective cooperation. Regardless, the bulk of the combat power for 50 kilometers north and 50 kilometers south of Fulda was that of the U.S. forces. W. B. Wilson 14:54, 20 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Armored Cavalry Regiments at the Inner-German Border [IGB]

For many years the Armored Cav screening forces along the IGB wore the Seventh Army's Seven Steps to Hell patch even though they were individually assigned as screening forces in front of one of the two Corps assigned to Seventh Army, V Corps and VII Corps. This reflected the broader mission of an Army level command having two or more assigned corps. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.108.49.206 (talk) 20:51, 15 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] 1-68 AR BN in Fulda Gap

"[The mission of the 1st/68th Armor, stationed at Wildflecken] was to set up a defense line across the Fulda Gap, and provide a shield behind which other elements of the 3AD and 8ID could advance and set up prepared defenses."

Comment: One battalion of armor was going to straddle the Fulda Gap ??? What is the source of that statement ? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.108.49.206 (talk) 10:12, 2 September 2007 (UTC)

Further Comment: External Links section expanded to reflect "two combat battalion contingent [from Wildflecken] of the Fulda Gap screening force". —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.108.49.206 (talk) 09:24, 3 September 2007 (UTC)