ChieftainMK12 Posted December 13, 2016 Share Posted December 13, 2016 Hello, my name is Rainer and I am from Hameln, Town of the Pied Piper in Germany. I am a bit army barmy and my main area of interest is the cold war, especially the big 80s exercises. When Lionheart 84 took place I was 14 years old and was always out and about. Until last year I used to have an Ex MoD 110 which unfortunately I had to sell after 13 years for time reasons. But in the future when the kids are a bit older I surely want something green in the garage again. Regards from Germany Rainer (ChieftainMK12 is just wishful thinking...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero-Five-Two Posted December 13, 2016 Share Posted December 13, 2016 Welcome aboard, Rainer. During Ex Lionheart '84 I was at Willach, near Monchengladbach, remember it very well. Bit earlier on Crusader '80 my Regiment went over from the UK to build a bridge across the Weser at Hameln Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryH57 Posted December 13, 2016 Share Posted December 13, 2016 Hello Rainer, Welcome to the web site; I remember Hameln very well as I was in the Royal Engineers, and stayed at the Barracks and also the Bridging Camp with tents. I was there fore Operation Spearpoint part of Crusader 80. I supplied a few photos to Lars who helps run this site that may be of interest to you and to people in the UK who remember BAOR; http://military-database.de/1980-spearpoint-galerie-fenske/ Regards Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 (edited) Hi and welcome I was in spearpoint/crusader a long time ago it was a great exercise was part of the umpire team so got around a lot of the areas great days. Al Edited December 14, 2016 by Big Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferretfixer Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 Hello Rainer, I too. Served many years in Germany, as was on Spear point / Crusader 80. The likes of major field exercises like these will never been seen again, sadly. The financial cost & logistic nightmare theses days prohibit such things! :cry: I crossed the Weser at 2.am in the morning in a Bedford 3 ton truck. VERY precarious with no lights & DEEP water on either side!!! you REALLY did concentrate on your driving at THAT time!...:cool2: Welcome to this website, you will find a 'Lot' of Us here are 'Army Balmy'. So you will be in good company! :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10FM68 Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 Yes, welcome indeed. I too knew Hameln very well in those days - between 77 and abut 82 I managed to find myself in one wood or another in that area each autumn. Got to know the Weser valley reasonably well - Alfeld area in particular, I think - I remember the distinctive smell of the sugar beet factories, on full pelt as the farmers brought in trailer-load after trailer-load of beet. Those was the days of, "the water sandwich", "the hockey stick", the "finger valleys" and various other shortcut expressions for the geographical features in those parts. I missed Crusader 80 as I was in UK, but Iron Triangle is a name I remember. It is indeed very difficult to believe it was all so long ago and, when you think of the way NATO exercised over private and, even in the streets of the smaller towns and villages, it is like another world. Who can forget the reserve demolitions at bridges where even main roads crossed the Weser - fascinating stuff for us at the time, let alone 14-year-olds! 10 68 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChieftainMK12 Posted December 14, 2016 Author Share Posted December 14, 2016 Thank you very much for your response! I know Lars and Arnd very well, they run this excellent "Military Database" Website. We all live around Hameln. Back in 2004 there was the last "big" british exercise in this area: Rhino Charge 2004 I supplied Lars some photos. http://military-database.de/2004-rhino-charge-teil-16-galerie-preuss/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChieftainMK12 Posted December 14, 2016 Author Share Posted December 14, 2016 I also put some footage from thie exercise and some other stuff on YouTube Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hutch3674 Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 Hello, my name is Rainer and I am from Hameln, Town of the Pied Piper in Germany. I am a bit army barmy and my main area of interest is the cold war, especially the big 80s exercises. When Lionheart 84 took place I was 14 years old and was always out and about. Until last year I used to have an Ex MoD 110 which unfortunately I had to sell after 13 years for time reasons. But in the future when the kids are a bit older I surely want something green in the garage again. Regards from Germany Rainer (ChieftainMK12 is just wishful thinking...) Hi Rainer, "56 Ton of Punch" we use to say back in the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean N Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 Any of you Hameln or RE guys ever get involved with these things: ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryH57 Posted December 17, 2016 Share Posted December 17, 2016 I'm not sure lifejackets were in use in the early 1980's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChieftainMK12 Posted December 18, 2016 Author Share Posted December 18, 2016 Living in Hameln I certainly came across the M2 or its successor, the M3. On two occasions we were even allowed to cross the river Weser in our own Ex military vehicles on board a M3 ferry built by 421 Troop TA. This is a film about exercise United Shield which I filmed back in 2009 in Grossenwieden, just outside Hameln. It really is a shame to see Hameln without british troops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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