"Team Yankee backgrounder - REFORGER 85" Topic

In the context of researching Battlefront's Team Yankee WW3 release, some good advice I read on this forum was to google 'Reforger 1985'….so I did:

I can't guarantee that all of these images represent US REturning FORces to GERmany in 1985, but they do provide some context in terms of the mix of kit and likely terrain:

some of those are older than '85

the M-60s with the orange RealTrain numbers are from the '70s

Sure – well feel free to contribute any that you know are from 1985 – be good to get a collection!

The M60a1's are States side unit(s). The picture of the M60a3 is from 3rd Armored, 3rd/32nd AR, C company, second platoon, a unit that was stationed in Germany. The Bradleys are either newly issued and the unit has not had time to paint them, or were drawn out of POMCUS stocks, and not yet painted. No bumper numbers on them, so it's hard to say.

We used the realtrain numbers into the mid 80's.

Ah, fond memories

WOW, I thought by '85 everything was MILES

WOW, I thought by '85 everything was MILES

I can pretty much tell you for a fact that most maneuver units in Reforger 85, (at least in Southern Germany), didn't maneuver.
The soil condition was too soft and considered red and damage control would've been too high, so most heavy (Tanks, etc..) units did a road march to an assembly area, (outside of a village), and then sat for two weeks while the officers pretended to be their companies and rode around in Jeeps.

We did some land nav training, etc…but most of it was just "sitting", and bs'ing with the German locals.

I've got a photo album from my days over there, with about six pages full of pics I took.

Yes I was on REFORGER 85 and REFORGER 88…(the last BIG one)…..

Wow Murphy. That's depressing. Glad I did my time in the FRG before that. We maneuvered our selves nearly senseless. In 1980 we moved up to Northern Germany to support a unit up there. Providing back stops vs breakthroughs. Then we did a thunder run all the way back to our normal AO in Bavaria and continued the exercise there. That was when I was in E Trp. 2/2 ACR. My second Reforger wasn't as busy. But we still did a bunch of maneuver training.

So based on the pictures would it be an even split between M113 and M2/M3s? Or would the M113s appear later with National Guard units? What's the mix between M1s and M60A3s?

I was in the 3ID in Germany 1980

I was with the 32d Sep INf Bde Mech during one of those Reforger exercises, 85 or 86. We were National Guard and had M60's and 113's. All good until we got to the wash racks at Vilseck. ARRGGG!!!!

Units were transitioned to M-1's by battalion, by brigade and by division (or by squadron, and by regiment for the Cav). Any unit that was stateside that had M-1's and that had a REFORGER mission had to have a second set of tanks located in Europe. Also, once units we issued the M-1, a certain number of tanks had to the pre-positioned in Europe to be combat replacements. In 1984 the Lima tank plant could manufacture IIRC around 50 M-1 tanks a month, not quite a battalions worth.
The Army tried to equip European theater units as fast as possible, but also tried to have Stateside units equipped so that soldiers rotating assignments would not lose their skills with the M-1. In 1986, you still had stateside, active Army Divisions equipped with M60a1's (and some of those had IR sights and searchlights), M60a3's and M-1's. In Korea they still had IIRC the M-48a5 with the pop-up commanders hatch.
The National Guard generally had M-60a1's or M-48's. The Louisiana National Guard was designate as a round out Brigade for one of the active duty Divisions so they were issued the M-1 in the late 1980's.

In 1985 I did my Armor Basic course on M60A3s, did a drill weekend with the CAARNG on M48A5. In February '86 I was on M1s(and XM1s) at 2AD

Good times

11 ACR seems to be a good unit to model for the US, a good mix of everything!

Tally Ho!

Indeed…if memory serve the Black Horse get a specific mention in 'The Third World War', within which book Team Yankee is set…

I did Reforger 83 and my unit (1st Cavalry) played a lot of wargames on Ft. Hood against 2nd Armored.

By summer of 1984, 2nd AD had fully shifted to M1's (with the 105s) and the Bradley's. 1st Cav still had M60s & M113's. None of the M-1's or Bradley's had the camo paint when they first arrived. It probably took 3 months before that happened.

The Cobra & Huey were still standard helicopters, although when I was on Reforger & worked with Special Forces all I saw were Blackhawks. There were a couple of Apaches on the flight line, I think for training purposes, but still hadn't deployed in numbers by summer of 84.

I don't remember if we were maneuvering with 1st AD or 3rd AD in Reforger 83. I'm thinking it was 1st AD. No Abrams, just M60s.

Enjoyed the pics. I was to young at that point but I remember Reforger 85 and it was one of the reasons I signed up in 86.

Oh, and to take it back 10+ years, in 1st Bde, 1st AD we got the first batches of 3-color camo paint in the summer of 1974, painted it on IAW a pamphlet with big brushes…as I recall, we did the whole battalion (1/37 Armor) in less than a month.Every crew was responsible for their own vehicle, but soft skin drivers had help from others in their company or section.

Tanks were M60A1s at that time, although I think they got the A2s in '75-76, supposedly as a reward for good gunnery! M114, M113, and gamma goats as well as the normal assortment of 5-ton, deuce-and-a-half, 5/4 ton dodges, and M151 (mostly A2) jeeps.

So, for the '75 Reforger all the ETO-stationed vehicles we saw had full camo on…

I participated in REFORGER 1985. I can't say much. My HAWK missile ADA battery sat in one place for nearly the entire exercise due to rain. Because we didn't move from our location, our site turned into one big mud puddle. We just waded around in the mud. Even though we were on an exercise, we still maintained our Cold War vigilant status, prepared to fire if the Soviets did attack. I was a Chief Warrant Officer in charge of the battery's maintenance. Did I mention there was mud everywhere?

Did I mention there was mud everywhere?

Is it a proper USArmy exercise when there isn't?

LOL. Lion, I suppose you're correct provided the exercise is in Europe or the Eastern USA. :-)

Indeed…if memory serve the Black Horse get a specific mention in 'The Third World War', within which book Team Yankee is set…

They're in "Third World War", but not in Team Yankee. Cole used made-up units and fictional locations for Team Yankee. But the cavalry who fought the opening action could have been a corps level asset (ACR). However it just as likely could have been the divisional cavalry battalion too.

Mud or Dust

I had the good fortune of serving with Murphy in Germany. Most of the Bradley's and M1's were given to the border Cav units first. I know the BDE Murphy and I were with still had M60a3's and M113's during Reforger 85. While his tank company sat in their tanks, my Scout platoon actually moved around quite a bit.

Thanks for the pictures.

Why do I suddenly feel damp and want to find my US rain jacket?

@John Tyson: Pretty sure the only place it doesn't always rain during an exercise is Fort Irwin. I heard enough horror stories about the Yakima training ranges, and those are on the dry side of Washington state!

link

@ Lion in the Stars: Fort Bliss, Texas was my home fort and the home of the Air Defense Artillery during my Army career. Like Ft Irwin, around Ft Bliss/El Paso, there is a lot of beach. ;-)