Structure of the Belgian Armed Forces in 1989

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The Order of Battle of the Belgian Armed Forces at the end of the Cold War in 1989 is given below.

Contents

Introduction

The Kingdom of Belgium was one of the founding nations of NATO. Nearly all Belgian Army and Belgian Air Force units were assigned to NATO's Northern Army Group and Second Allied Tactical Air Force, while most Naval Force units were assigned to Allied Command Channel. In 1989 Belgium spent $2.58 billion ($5.01 billion in 2016 USDs) on defence and fielded the following number of active troops:

Army

The Chief of the Army's general staff was tasked with the administrative management of the Belgian army, as well as with procurement, training and doctrine. In case of war most units would have come under NATO's Northern Army Group, while one battalion of the Para-Commando Regiment would have been assigned to Allied Command Europe's ACE Mobile Force-Land (AMF(L)). Depending on operational needs Allied Command Europe (ACE) would have deployed AMF(L) to whatever theater needed reinforcements, with NATO's AFNORTH command in Norway the most likely destination. Reserve units stationed in Belgium would have remained under operational control of the army's general staff in wartime.

Interior Forces

The nine provincial regiments were each assigned to one of the nine provinces of Belgium and they fielded one reserve infantry battalion and either a reserve armored or armored reconnaissance squadron. The 1st and 7th provincial regiments fielded two reserve infantry battalions. These regiments were tasked with protecting critical infrastructure in their province. The four light infantry battalions were the General Staff's mobile reserve. Engineering units were tasked with keeping the line of communication between the Port of Antwerp and the front open.

I Belgian Corps

Structure of the I Belgium Corps in 1989 (click to enlarge) I Belgium Corps - 1989.png
Structure of the I Belgium Corps in 1989 (click to enlarge)

The I Belgian Corps was assigned to NATO's Northern Army Group and partially forward deployed to Northern Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia in the Federal Republic of Germany.

Germany, Federal Republic of location map January 1957 - October 1990.svg
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I (BE) Corps
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16 Pantser
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4 Pantserinf.
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17e Blindée
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10 Pantserinf.
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Corps Recon
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Corps Artillery
I (BE) Corps main units in Germany 1989

1er Division d'Infanterie

  • 1er Division d'Infanterie , Liège, Belgium
    • Headquarters and Signal Company, Liège
    • 1ste Pantserinfanteriebrigade, Leopoldsburg, Belgium
    • 7ème Brigade d'Infanterie Blindée, Marche-en-Famenne, Belgium
      • 7th Staff Company, Marche-en-Famenne
      • 1er Régiment de Lanciers, Marche-en-Famenne, (37x Leopard 1, 7x M113, 4x Scimitar, 1x Bergepanzer 2)
      • 1er Régiment de Chasseurs Ardennais, Marche-en-Famenne, (42x AIFV-B-C25, 4x AIFV-B-MILAN, 3x AIFV-B-CP, 4x Scimitar, 4x Kanonenjagdpanzer, 4x M30 107mm mortars)
      • 12e Régiment de Ligne "Prince Léopold", Spa, (42x AIFV-B-C25, 4x AIFV-B-MILAN, 3x AIFV-B-CP, 4x Scimitar, 4x Kanonenjagdpanzer, 4x M30 107mm mortars)
      • 1er Régiment d'Artillerie, Bastogne, (16x M109A2 155mm self-propelled howitzers)
      • 8th Anti-tank Company, (12x Kanonenjagdpanzer, 12x AIFV-B-MILAN)
      • 67th Engineer Company, (10x M113)
      • 7th Maintenance Company
      • 7th Supply and Transport Company
      • 7th Medical Company
    • 12ème Brigade d'Infanterie (Reserve), Liège, Belgium
      • 12th Staff Company, Liège
      • 3e Régiment de Lanciers, Altenrath, (active unit forward deployed to Germany, (37x Leopard 1, 7x M113, 4x Scimitar, 1x Bergepanzer 2)
      • 2ème Régiment de Chasseurs Ardennais, Bastogne, (42x AIFV-B-C25, 4x AIFV-B-MILAN, 3x AIFV-B-CP, 4x Scimitar, 4x Kanonenjagdpanzer, 4x M30 107mm mortars)
      • 3e Régiment Carabines, Liège, (42x AIFV-B-C25, 4x AIFV-B-MILAN, 3x AIFV-B-CP, 4x Scimitar, 4x Kanonenjagdpanzer, 4x M30 107mm mortars)
      • 15e Régiment d'Artillerie, (16x M109A2 155mm self-propelled howitzers)
      • 12th Reconnaissance Company
      • 12th Anti-tank Company, (12x Kanonenjagdpanzer, 12x AIFV-B-MILAN)
      • 12th Engineer Company, (10x M113)
      • 12th Maintenance Company
      • 12th Supply and Transport Company
      • 12th Medical Company

16de Pantserdivisie

  • 16de Pantserdivisie, Neheim-Hüsten
    • Headquarters and Signal Company, Neheim-Hüsten
    • 4de Pantserinfanteriebrigade, Soest
    • 10e Pantserinfanteriebrigade (Reserve), Limbourg, Belgium
      • 10th Staff Company, Limbourg
      • 8de Regiment Lansiers, Limbourg, (37x Leopard 1, 7x M113, 4x Scimitar, 1x Bergepanzer 2)
      • 2de Regiment Karabiniers, Limbourg, (42x AIFV-B-C25, 4x AIFV-B-MILAN, 3x AIFV-B-CP, 4x Scimitar, 4x Kanonenjagdpanzer, 4x M30 107mm mortars)
      • 4de Linieregiment, Limbourg, (42x AIFV-B-C25, 4x AIFV-B-MILAN, 3x AIFV-B-CP, 4x Scimitar, 4x Kanonenjagdpanzer, 4x M30 107mm mortars)
      • 74de Regiment Artillerie, (16x M109A2 155mm self-propelled howitzers)
      • 10th Reconnaissance Company
      • 10th Anti-tank Company, (12x Kanonenjagdpanzer, 12x AIFV-B-MILAN)
      • 10th Engineer Company, (10x M113)
      • 10th Maintenance Company
      • 10th Supply and Transport Company
      • 10th Medical Company
    • 17ème Brigade Blindée, Siegen
      • 17th Staff Company, Siegen
      • 1er Régiment des Guides, Siegen, (37x Leopard 1, 7x M113, 4x Scimitar, 1x Bergepanzer 2)
      • 2e Regiment Gidsen, Altenrath, (37x Leopard 1, 7x M113, 4x Scimitar, 1x Bergepanzer 2)
      • 1ste Regiment Karabiniers Wielrijders, Spich, (42x AIFV-B-C25, 4x AIFV-B-MILAN, 3x AIFV-B-CP, 4x Scimitar, 4x Kanonenjagdpanzer, 4x M30 107mm mortars)
      • 2ème Régiment de Carabiniers-cyclistes, Siegen, (42x AIFV-B-C25, 4x AIFV-B-MILAN, 3x AIFV-B-CP, 4x Scimitar, 4x Kanonenjagdpanzer, 4x M30 107mm mortars)
      • 19e Régiment d'Artillerie à Cheval, Siegen, (16x M109A2 155mm self-propelled howitzers)
      • 2nd Anti-tank Company, Siegen, (12x Kanonenjagdpanzer, 12x AIFV-B-MILAN)
      • 15th Engineer Company, Cologne, (10x M113)
      • 17th Maintenance Company, Siegen
      • 17th Supply and Transport Company, Siegen
      • 17th Medical Company, Siegen

Other units

The following two air-defense units of the Belgian Army were assigned permanently to NATO's Second Allied Tactical Air Force

Air Force

A Mirage 5BR of 42nd Squadron takes off in 1989 Mirage 5BA (24813620056).jpg
A Mirage 5BR of 42nd Squadron takes off in 1989
An Alpha Jet taking off in 1985 Dassault-Dornier Alpha Jet 1B, Belgium - Air Force AN1840465.jpg
An Alpha Jet taking off in 1985
Belgium relief location map.jpg
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Royal Belgium Air Force bases in 1989

The Chief of the Air Force's general staff was tasked with the administrative management of the Belgian air force, as well as with procurement, training and doctrine. In case of war most units would have come under NATO's Second Allied Tactical Air Force (2 ATAF).


note 1: Nuclear sharing unit capable of delivering tactical nuclear weapons stored and maintained by the United States Air Force in Europe's 7361st Munitions Support Squadron.

Koksijde Air Base and the US managed Chièvres Air Base were designated as Collocated Operating Bases to be used by US Air Force reinforcements in case of crisis or war. Additionally the United States Air Force in Europe's 485th Tactical Missile Wing with nuclear capable BGM-109G Ground Launched Cruise Missiles was based at Florennes Air Base. [4]

The Chief of the Naval Force's staff was tasked with the administrative management of the Belgian navy, as well as with procurement, training and doctrine. In case of war the entire combat fleet would have come under NATO's Benelux Sub-Area Channel Command (BENECHAN), a joint Dutch-Belgian command in Den Helder under Allied Command Channel (ACCHAN). ACCHAN was tasked with the defense of the sea areas, including and especially allied shipping, around the English Channel and BENECHAN was one of its three naval sub-commands. BENECHAN's area of operation comprised a large portion of the southern part of the North Sea and would command the entire Belgian Naval Force as well as the Home Fleet of the Royal Netherlands Navy. [5]

While the commanding officer of BENECHAN was always the commanding admiral of the larger and more powerful Netherlands Home Fleet, Belgium's Commander Naval Operations served as the BENECHAN's Chief of Staff. The combined Dutch and Belgian staff at Den Helder in the Netherlands was tasked with ensuring that the approach, coastal, and entrance channels to Belgian and Netherlands' ports were always open for allied shipping. As ACCHAN's other two sub-commands PLYMCHAN (Plymouth Sub-Area Channel Command) and NORECHAN (The Nore Sub-Area Channel Command) defended the direct approaches to the Belgian and Dutch coast via the English channel and the North Sea and as BALTAP's German-Danish Allied Naval Forces Baltic Approaches Command (COMNAVBALTAP) kept the Soviet Baltic Fleet bottled up in the Baltic Sea, the main risk for allied shipping in the BENECHAN area of operations were air and submarine dropped naval mines.

Therefore, the Belgian Naval Force fielded a large number of minesweepers and minehunters. As American reinforcements, crucial to defeat a Soviet advance towards the Rhine, would have disembarked mainly in the ports of Antwerp and Rotterdam, the Belgians fielded 10 inshore minesweeper to keep the Western Scheldt free of naval mines. To increase interoperability and to have a quickly deployable force ACCHAN included the Standing Naval Force Channel (STANAVFORCHAN), which consisted of seven to nine mine countermeasure vessels from the Royal Navy, German Navy, Royal Netherlands Navy and Belgian Naval Force.

Below follows a list of all ships of the Naval Force at the beginning of 1989 grouped by their home ports: [6] [7]

Gendarmerie

Gendarmerie

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References

  1. ↑ https://archive.today/20160414122907/http://www.museum-bsd.de/grafiken/stationierung_deutschland.gif Stiftung Museum der Belgischen Streitkräfte in Deutschland Graphic
  2. ↑ Alter, Fritz. "BSD/FBA 89" (PDF). Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  3. ↑ Alter, Fritz. "Gliederung und Stationierung der belgischen Streitkräfte in Deutschland im Jahre 1989" (PDF). Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  4. ↑ Dragoner, O. W. "United States Air Force 1989".Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. ↑ Mooney, Thomas (March 1979). The Belgian Navy (Thesis). Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School.
  6. ↑ http://www.marine-mra-klm.be/flotte_force_navale___marine_119.htm Royal Museum of Army and Military History: De la Force Navale à la Marine
  7. ↑ Mooney, Thomas (March 1979). The Belgian Navy (Thesis). Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School.
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