REFORGER '87 / Exercise Certain Strike 1987 Documentary

**Sorry for the 2 mins silence at 4:48 - KZbin hit me with a Copyright issue for the Soviet National Anthem. **
As part of my Cold War series, this video is an in depth documentary examining one of the largest NATO exercises that took place in West Germany during the final years of The Cold War.
In Autumn 1987, for the first time since World War 2, utilising the REFORGER concept, an entire Corp of the US Army was moved from North America to Northern Europe to reinforce NATO's Northern Army Group.
Exercise Certain Strike was then the Field Training Exercise of REFORGER '87 which saw West German and US Armoured Divisions battle across 1/8th of West Germany, against a multinational OPFOR simulating a Soviet Armoured Invasion force attacking across the inner German border.
Today, implementing such large scale exercises taking place across farmland and open countryside are unthinkable.
REFORGER '87/Exercise Certain Strike took place against a backdrop of one of the most turbulent of geopolitical times of the 20th Century, and today is an all but forgotten episode in modern history.
#coldwar #soviet #usarmy #callofdutymodernwarfare

[@solarwizzo8667]

I grew up in Lower Saxony, Germany during the 70´s and 80´s. Each autum BAOR troops came through my town with Chieftains, Abbots, Scorpions, Scimitars, AVLB´s and the hell you name it! Cold War! As a kid for me it was the greatest season besides christmas when the british tanks roared through my town. Today I know, each time at ENDEX we would have been nuked out! But still thanks to the british, american, dutch, belgian and german soldiers, who participated in these exercises, so that it would not become a hot war.

[@ronshaffer6713]

I was there for this reforger. I served with an armor unit from 4th ID from Fort Carson, CO. You should add 4th ID to your blue force

[@monkeydank7842]

Learning English with the BFBS…

[@dannygross5885]

My brother and I participated in Reforger 76. We were part of the 101st.

[@govansquared4759]

yeah, british kit used to be cool... now we don't have any boots.. 😢

[@jagapatto]

"**Sorry for the 2 mins silence at **4:48** - KZbin hit me with a Copyright issue for the Soviet National Anthem. ** " Wow. Says a lot about youtube's loyalties!!!

[@dillonjames-so5cz]

Yea they are some comies

[@jameshall6399]

wouldn't censoring the soviet anthem be anti comie?@@dillonjames-so5cz

[@yolanda231000]

I took part in Reforger 82 with the US 1st Infantry Division and then Reforger 88 with the 3rd Infantry Division. Different times. I try explaining to younger people the scale of the exercises and they don't believe it.

[@TheNigelrojo]

I was an umpire on this exercise, attached to the Blues & Royals Battle Group (20 Bde / Orange Forces). I was gobsmacked when they set up a marquee in the field with all the regimental silver on the table. Despite attempts to keep armoured manoeuvre to the training areas, I do remember a tank battle in the Ebstorf (NW of Uelzen) area at the end, it turned the area around the town into a dust bowl. I think the Soviet observers were reasonably impressed.

[@simonh6371]

Thats cavalry officers for you, household cavalry are probably the worst for bs.

[@rachelcarre9468]

Regimental silver on the battlefield in a mobile war? That’s just crazy, I do hope the British Officer Corps has modernised attitudes since then.

[@anthonymorphet9328]

@@rachelcarre9468 If the Ops Sgt can put up an Ops tent the Mess Sgt can put up a Mess Tent!😀

[@DaveRea]

I was there. 18 years old and first year in the army. 3/67 Armor, 2nd Armored Division. 3 weeks of exercises and maneuvers followed up with 2 weeks in garrison. We stayed at a British kaserne in Bergen Hohne. The Dutch soldiers stationed there were awesome! Had their own pub on the 3rd floor of their barracks. Endless free Grolsch and appetizers. Great times and memories.

[@Wil482Senior]

I was also in 2nd Armored Division, in 1/41 Infantry station in Germany north of Bremen. During REFORGER 87, we deployed to the Hanover area. My platoon sergeant and I spoke decent German, so we were the maneuver damage team, following the battalion helping Germans fill out claims forms and submitting them to the brigade. It was a great time.

[@billb3454]

I was a tank platoon leader in 1-66, 2nd Brigade, 2nd Armored Division stationed at Fort Hood Texas during this time. We always went to the Mojave desert to train, at the National Training Center. We were excited to get to go to Germany on this exercise. Unfortunately for us, the army decided to leave one brigade at Fort Hood from III Corps. That was us. Worse than getting left behind, all of the training areas at Fort Hood were wide open because the whole garrison was in Germany, except us. I remember it was around September and hot as hell. Our brigade rolled out the back gate two days after most of the post went to Germany. We stayed out training the entire time the rest of the garrison was in Germany. In the Texas heat, staring at cows. My two roommates, who were in different units, actually got back to Hood before we came in from training. That was one pissed off battalion. My roommates came back 5 pounds heavier telling stories about drinking German beer and flirting with the German girls. Life, especially army life is not fair. But on the bright side, my roommate brought me a Welsh Guards rugby jersey he got from one of the Brits that I still have.

[@Uncle-PAIN]

As a 17 year old, my dad was a semi permanent part of this 3 corps deployment. He was an Apache test pilot with 2/6 Cav: one of , if not the first permanent Apache helicopter squadron stationed in Illesheim, Germany. I remember not wanting to move to Germany, but that changed quickly as I learned I could buy beer off post and less than a year later at 18 I was of legal age to buy alcohol on base. The two years I spent there in Germany 1987-1989 were the most fun in my life. I didn't get to see much of the REROGER 87 but in 1988 after moving off base to the village of Sontheim, I saw plenty of maneuvers. In 1989 I joined the US army in Nuremberg as a 19D Cavalry Scout. Back in the mid 70's during my dads first Germany station with the 11th ACR based in Fulda, we lived off base a little ways in a small town called Istergiesel and I remember the M60 tanks rolling right outside our house. I knew from an early age that I wanted to be part of what I witnessed as a kid. Great video, you really helped bring back some pleasant memories.

[@ernestrichendollar8177]

I served with the 75th Field Artillery Brigade when I participated in Reforger 87. It was a lot of work but as young soldiers, we loved it! Thank you for sharing this!

[@reddevilparatrooper]

I remember REFORGER 87 my unit 1st Brigade of the 4th Infantry Division from Ft. Carson Colorado. I was in A co. 1/10th Infantry (Mechanized). This exercise was fun because we got to drive around and walk around the Northern German country side. I got to meet the Dutch and British soldiers during our set maneuvers. The Dutch were very cool guys when we came up on a tank platoon and brought out some booze. The British Army was all business and the German farmers were all upset with them tearing up their driveways and digging in their backyards and destroying their fields. During the exercise I was designated as a "casualty" and ended up being notionally evacuated to first Luxembourg, Belgium, and Holland for the last week of the exercise. I was released with 3 other guys in my unit after my unit had flown back to the US two days after. Then from Holland back to the US to Dover AFB then back to Peterson AFB in Colorado. We got back to Ft. Carson two weeks after the battalion got back. Us 3 showed back at our company after the bus dropped us off and they were surprised. Well that was an adventure, then 7 months later our battalion was going to NTC the National Training Center at Ft. Irwin California for a much more realistic exercise. REFORGER 87 was a fun exercise indeed. We were young then and full of spirit. I would go on later in an Airborne Infantry Battalion stationed in Panama for the Panama Invasion in 1989-90, and later in Iraq in 2006-08 to really put what I have learned in training during the 1980s into actual combat use. Nothing has changed if you are in combat but you can always apply changes through training from experience. Combat to live through it is by luck with skill. Nothing is 100%. because your every move is in the presentence with movement and planning. Your enemy's job is to kill you or stop you, they will do their job 100% as you would to accomplish your objective.

[@kdrichmond]

Ha, we must have crossed paths at some point, I too was 4th ID, '87 Reforger followed by NTC. Good times, I was the company commanders track driver and I still have the the 60 or so maps that the CO and I covered and taped together to make a gigantic fold out map of the entire exercise, that thing is huge. NTC was a blast also we had MILES gear for our M-113 even a giant blank adapter for the mounted Ma Deuce .50 cal.

[@dannynolan818]

I was in B Co 1/10 inf in 1980

[@19iason19]

Lived in that area. The exercises were exciting. All the tanks and other military vehicles driving around. One evening our city was full of british soldiers (a kind of day off?). Hundreds of them sitting in pubs and restaurants. I remember that the farmers got good compensation by the government if tanks drove across their farmland and destroyed the soil. They saying was that the tanks would do the harvesting and the farmer got even more money.

[@50STONEhW]

I remember this as I was in 2nd Battalion 67th Armor Regiment 3AD Friedberg Germany during this exercise. We were doing a 70+ days in the field with Certain Strike as part of that FTX. We had recently received M1A1 Abrams Tanks and had to field them and this was the perfect exercise to do it in. The extensive training paid off. Part of it was Live Fire at Grafenwöehr Training Area which also included fielding the new range setups for the Abrams tanks. All U.S. Army Tank Gunnery ranges had to be converted from M60 series Tank Gunnery platforms and again Grafenwöehr was our test especially the mew CALFEX Phase.

[@kelleywright1929]

I was in 3 AD at the time and I dont remember going north , so we must have been in Graf and Hoenfels during this one.

[@CrunchGrunt]

2/36 INF 3rd AD at Ayers Kasern here. We deployed to Hohenfels. I don't think I slept for 2 weeks straight.

[@christophersmead8140]

I memory serves, this was also the first big exercise for the new Leopard II MBTs

[@ollok2496]

I was 17 and I am living in the FTX area close to Nato Range Bergen Hohne and I can remember this exercise. Many troops were present with lots of vehicles. Although we had a steady presence of troops , especially British, German and Dutch ones, the deployment of Americans was something different to us. Everywhere Biwaks and also Artillery positions visited by the younger kids after school to get hold of some sweets, Ratio packs or especially glow sticks. The soldiers were verz nice to us and have shown us the tanks and vehicles from inside. The East German Border was just 30mls away and looking back wencan be glad that the cold war never became hot…

[@davidtaylor7242]

This brought back so many memories, Wolfgang many a soldier remembers him pulling up and smelling the hot food cooking, a very welcoming sight and smell when your freezing, wet, extremely tired stuck in a Milan trench board out your tiny mind. I am not sure but may have done basic training with D Duxbury at Pirbright in 1984-85. Well, anyway thanks for posting the vid from an ex 1SG anti-tank platoon.

[@ryanhell921]

I was U.S. Army that year, assigned to the 3AD in Frankfurt, the 22D Chemical Company. Will never forget. And oh yeah, I was assigned to the Berlin Brigade, 42ND Engineer Company, 1982/1983. Fun times for sure! Thanks for the memories brother.

[@christophersmead8140]

This was my first large scale exercise as well. Our reserve unit deployed from US, including vehicles, for it. We picked up our vehicles in Rotterdam and drove them to our duty locations for the exercise. I am friends, to this day, of a British soldier I met in a chow line over there! OMG the hours we spent at wash racks! LOL

[@prologservice]

Andy Thx for your videos and especially for this one! I was part of REFORGER as a liaison soldier with the 1st cavalry division fort hood Texas. This exercise I will never forget. What an experience. Well, we all thought, such activities would not be necessary any longer - youngest history shows, it still is. Let’s hope we don’t need to defend our freedom in the future. Best greetings from northern Germany Stefan

[@samueltrump698]

WOW! At 25:01 min in that is Sp4 Sipola. I was his squad leader in the 902nd Engineer Co. Great kid. A real hard charger. This Exercise Certain Strike was quite the experience and was great for the troops of the 902nd. We were stationed at the "schoolhouse" at Ft. Belvoir at the time under the 11th Eng. Bn. A pretty benign training environment teaching young officer students in OBC. The bridging boys really kicked ass and got the job done under these stressful "real world" conditions. This REFORGER Exercise was a massive logistical undertaking and overall great training experience from the highest to lowest echelons. I am blown away that this footage is out on the net. Thanks Andy!

[@rolfman299]

Scout Platoon - 2nd Battalion 41st Infantry - 2nd Armored Division. I was a driver of a M-3 Bradley. We flew from Ft. Hood Texas in a C-141and landed at Köln/Bonn airport. Bused to Mönchengladbach area for our POMCUS then rail loaded north to the staging area. What I recall of the exercise is very little. A lot of driving and sitting. There was one river crossing at night that was pretty exciting. The best part was after the exercise. When spent weeks in a containment area and went on several tours. I got to visit The Gilde Brewery, Hanover & Hamburg. The single best moment was the week spent in Cuxhaven with the 73rd Panzergrenadier Battalion. Got to earn my Schützenschnur and Das Abzeichen für Leistungen im Truppendienst. I truly enjoyed the German food, the beer, and the people. Returned to Ft. Hood and came down on orders to transfer to 2nd Squadron 1tth Armored Cavalry Bad Kissingen (1-88 to 12-89) and patrolled the border.

[@The_Oracle]

So glad to hear US forces had some downtime.

[@horstkollmeyer6654]

I also took part in this NATO exercise as a reservist. Memories are awakened, especially of the Weser crossing, which we used at night. But since the main troops used the destroyed bridge, we lost contact with our unit. During the exercise with our explorer, I was an officer of the 7 Bat. 11 Achim anti-aircraft regiment on the move.

[@rachelabrantegil3937]

without nukes you guys would lose 100%

[@zhufortheimpaler4041]

@@rachelabrantegil3937 you realise, that with nukes germany would have lost anyways, as germany would have been a nuclear wasteland afterwards?

[@pzakp311]

I grew up in Rethem /Aller, some 10 km up the river from Ahlden. I remember this exercise very vividly because of its size and duration. Engineers building a bridge for the counter attack, hundreds of tanks, ICV and other vehicles forcing a crossing eastwards, air strikes, Gepards firing, you name it….

[@Jim_Evan]

thank you for making this video！been a cold war enthusiast（not like im a warmonger and stuff）and always happy to know more about REFORGER‘s history.And thank you for your service！ by the way：the name of the soviet exercise mentioned in 5:00 is called“zapad”（“western”in russian）-81 i think

[@harveywallbanger3123]

Seeing L85A1s: "Oi, poor lads" Seeing L85A1s shooting blanks with no blank fire adapter, thus reducing it to a bolt-action rifle: *SOME TALK OF ALEXANDER AND SOME OF HERCULEEEEES*

[@MausTheGerman]

I remember a Maneuver of the Americans in our small village Pleckhausen near Koblenz. I think it was in 1987 but not sure. For us 9-10 year old kids it was so cool seeing all the tanks and other military vehicles. They were there for a couple of days. We gave some home made cakes to the soldiers and we got army caps, glow sticks, MRE packs and other military stuff as return 😀 we were so proud. I especially loved the glow sticks, I had about 50, all with different colors and hours of illumination. Every day we were looking for them to bring them more cakes to get more stuff from them 😆 I also remember that the tanks did lots of damage in our street‘s sidewalk because one tank driver run over it. As I remember correctly it got fixed soon and the damage was paid by the US Army.

[@theblankettruth]

I love the Cold War documentaries. Often others want to cover the broader scope of the conflict while skimming over the military aspects, especially in Europe, more so with training and exercises. I enjoyed the video immensely! I look forward to watching the rest and waiting for more!

[@Jimmythefish577]

It sounds stupid, but the world seemed a much safer place back then.

[@atomsmash100]

It totally did. The world made more sense during the Cold War.

[@quailbingle]

I would describe it as simpler and much easier to understand

[@Upuauta]

Thanks for this awesome documentary. Thank you for your service! Greetings from Germany.

[@johnallen7807]

Seems a long time ago, jumped into Germany on these exercises quite a few times. On one we lost 7 or 8 guys in the Kiel canal, was it Crusader? anyone else remember?

[@rachelcarre9468]

Thank you for sharing Andy and thank you to everyone for sharing their memories of the exercise as participants or civilian observers. It’s crazy to see ‘big guns’ being fired in a main street whilst simultaneously trying hard not to destroy civilian cars/homes unnecessarily. it looks like there was a major transition in soldiers personal equipment between 1987 and 1991.

[@robjenkins676]

Thanks so much for making this video. I was just 10 during this exercise and lived well south, in Heidelberg. So I was completely oblivious to this at the time but truly grateful to have leaned about it now. Keep posting videos like these- they’re epic!

[@kevincronin8899]

I remember being in two reforger exercises 79 and 80 attached to 2nd armored division foward garlstedt Germany It was pretty intense for a 17 year old pfc. Never will forget it.

[@ScrotusXL]

Terrific historical document right there. Very impressed with your presentation and thank you for your service!

[@DerQn66]

I "attended" REFORGER from Northag/2ATAF's JOC & PWHQ in Maastricht. I didn't see any of this happen, but we were participating closely from under ground. Thanks for composing this video and sharing it.

[@chrisa.ger.5360]

Great Video 👍🏼Cool collection of sequences. Nicely done 🙏🏼🎗🇬🇧🇩🇪🇺🇲 Good to understand voiceover 😉

[@-r-495]

Good old days. I remember relatives of mine visiting when stationed in Germany and also the Leopard I tanks coming round the corner in the village I grew up in. Of course they ridded the road of the curb and that staid like so for a few weeks thereafter. Happy to have found your channel.

[@-r-495]

Also: The sound is especially good in this episode. The mix of footage and narrative is excellent too. Jolly good job!

[@blitzkriegfritz2779]

I found it really realistic that the bloke in the close up with the SA80 used it as a bolt action rifle, because fucking hell he can be lucky it fired at all.

[@robertjones9189]

Thanks for the video. Really enjoyed watching it. Brought back a lot of memories.

[@k5nutt]

1-86/8/89 Wiesbaden Air Base. HQ-A Co. 8/158th Avim. 5th Corp. We did the 3rd shop level maint on rotor driven air assets. We also took care of the first Apaches in theater. I miss those days.

[@earlwright9715]

Great video, brother. Watching all this seems like it was yesterday.

[@Iolis]

Thanks for the memories. Deployed with 1 GREEN HOWARDS under command of 12th (Airobile) Brigade out of Catterick. Great days!

[@barthoward5397]

Thanks for making this and bringing back memories of the professionalism of NATO military forces in that era! It was truly a unique time.

[@ashleyupshall7641]

Interesting vid Andy. Thanks for posting.

[@mofunkdrummer]

in 1987 I was with the 51 Signal battalion, 93rd Signal Brigade, VII Corp out of Ludwigsburg during this exercise

[@EMvanLoon]

I remember this well: I was a first year student living close to the (then) airbase Ypenburg in the Netherlands. I witnessed so many Canadian and US Hercs and other aircraft landing there!

[@SteelbeastsCavalry]

Loving this channel!

[@chieftainmk12]

Great video!

[@hckyplyr9285]

Thanks for the video, your contribution to the historical record, and your service.

[@greyfox8194]

I love these videos and a on the ground source though you didnt talk about it much its great to see people from this period talk about the stuff they did

[@williamhodges6532]

I was a NBC NCO assigned to E Company 8th Engineer Battalion, 1st Calvery Division. Our company was a Ribbon Bridge Company. A design copied from the Soviets. The maneuver portion of the exercise started with an assault river crossing with our Company building one of the bridges.

[@benleman649]

I remember French soldiers exercising in our village around that time (in southwestern Germany) and got to climb into a VAB once. But the highlight was looking through the sights of their Milan launcher. That thing had excellent optics.

[@realjohnboxall]

Outstanding video, I really enjoyed it. Thank you.

[@AndyMcloone]

Thank you too!

[@haroldsimmons9623]

I was THERE. 130th Engineer Brigade, 568 Engineer Co. Based out of Hanua, West Germany at the time. V Corps. 1986-1990

[@unicorn_6932]

Wow- amazing documentary! You are a talented producer!

[@user-jr2ue9nu6y]

This is awesome. Thanks Sir

[@user-gm5tp7kt5e]

It was a massive deployment, remember when the British had close to 6 operational divisions 😮 with reserves

[@a.meinheit7028]

What a brilliant documentary! I used to live near Soltau back then and remember that exercise very well. Thank you!

[@AndyMcloone]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@ronshaffer6713]

I remember my unit having a battle on a major road near there. Was fun times for me. I also was at the winter one in 85, coldest winter in Europe in a long time. We were all freezing at that one and wasn’t as fun.

[@edcook1569]

I was the very last 11 Ord Coy Soldier to leave the Barracks. The unit moved to Gütersloh . I still have the Ingersoll padlock for the vehicle bay. It was Surreal sweeping up and getting rid of stores from there. I am moving to Celle soon with my wife who comes from Soltau.

[@DreadedOne509]

2/6 IN, 1st AD participant. Had a blast. Was my 3rd and last REFORGER.

[@jwf1964]

I was in C/2-6. Regulars on Guard!

[@bradsteele7762]

Nice to see Wolfgangs ‘bratty van’ making an appearance. Great film, thanks for sharing.

[@AndyMcloone]

Of course Wolfgang had to be mentioned.

[@peterpontinen9220]

I was also there. 1st Armored Division, HHC 16th Engineer Battalion. "Catamount".. Great memories. Ich liebe Deutschland!!

[@chrispig7748]

Thanks for that, really takes me back to those days

[@Backwardlooking]

Excellent. Thank you. 👍🏻🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@infromthecold8184]

Thank you so much for posting this. I have been reading Jim Storrs "Battlegroup!: The Lessons of the Unfought Battles of the Cold War" and its great to finally see exercises like this getting the attention they rightly deserve. I feel that the 40 years of organisation, training and thinking that went into deterring an attack during the Cold War has been all too easily dismissed as "irrelevant", particularly during during the "war on terror" (Sadly, I have even heard this voiced from those who began their careers during this period). In an age of strategic competition which is the rule not the exception, its this era that we should be studying and learning from. Do you have any memorable anecdotes from this exercise?

[@spartacus72]

Great Video Andy I was stuck in Oxford Bks in Munster Cutting up meat for the rear party While you guys was roughing it.

[@sungodrah]

this is amazing to see (again ) though I was a kid thru the 80s ,life WAS different than whatever today is .I always wondered if they would have just let Patton ake Berlin instead of USSR.mmm .anyways it is what it is .be safe my brother from across the pond .God Bless

[@painful-Jay]

Thank you for your service. I enjoy your videos.

[@AndyMcloone]

Much appreciated

[@DevonRefSM]

I was an officer in a nuclear submarine in the Atlantic / Channel / North Sea phase of this Reforger. Be good to expand this in any future doc. Much enjoy your videos but like most D-Day films... this "starts" at the end of the ocean / channel battle! Keep up the good work

[@mikem3950]

WOW... This brought back some memories for my part of REFORER 87 as part of 2-1 CAV 2AD. We must have driven all over Germany. At the time, I didn't realize how the world would change in about 2.5 years, and maneuvering on this scale would end.

[@bdinaz]

Hey, I was in 2-41 infantry in the Tiger Brigade... I grew up fast as a platoon leader prepping at the NTC for this one. The difference in exercises was like night and day

[@raymondfrazier5856]

Anybody from Fort Benning 2nd B 18th Inf 1987 that went to Reforger? I was there. Oh what memories!

[@royboiiiluo6178]

I’m joined us marines fairly recently and one of exciting things I’ve been anticipating is to train with allied forces, when I was in SOI one of instructors is a royal marine commando, he really knows a lot about his job. Too bad Cold War is over, no more opportunities like this to wage a joint military exercise with this scale

[@reccerat4446]

I'm fairly certain it was on this exercise we had one of our lads go missing, we all feared he had been killed as we couldn't find him for days. It turned out a US Arty unit kidnapped him and took him with them for a bit, hilarious!

[@drunkenwoodelf]

You've got a sub from me, bell and like an all that good stuff. Thank you very much for your service!

[@wehosrmthink7510]

Excellent documentary!

[@redcastle12b31]

I was with A company, 8th Engineer Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division, III Corps at the time.

[@rayw3294]

Hi Andy, I travelled all around Europe and even USA watching football as Scotland supporter. My favourite thing was having beers with locals, including Russians. They never had a morsel of hate towards us. The opposite. Like we Brits, they only got mad if the beer (or Vodka) ran slow. I just don't understand after Stalin died, the whole thing didn't peter out? Eisenhower warned about military industrial complexes. (Now pharmacy). Do you think a lot nowadays is cash? I do know the top 5 will need top quality standing armies. We will never know what a nut will do. The rest of the UN should be dissolved from my point of view.

[@Rayhid1956]

I took part in this REFORGER exercise. It was the first one of three REFORGER exercises I participated in while stationed in Wiesbaden from 1986 to 1991, serving as a liaison NCO and providing logistic support to participating units. I was assigned to the 3rd Corps Support Command (3RD COSCOM), V Corps.

[@AdamosGara]

I was there with the US Forces during this event. It was a really amazing thing to be a part of. I also remember a massive brawl at a beer tent at the end of it between soldiers of the 1st Cavalry Division and 2nd Armored Division. It is still talked about by the old timers.

[@Georgeconna32]

Cracking Channel loving the Cold War stuff amazing scenes.

[@thegodofhellfire]

Wow. Didn't realize reforger was an acronym!

[@iron_-yc1kf]

Great Video !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@danmeehan1390]

I was on this with the Canadian Army (8th Canadian Hussars)

[@friendofcoal]

I was in REFORGER 84 in southern W. Germany in September 1984.... Great Times..... I was so proud and happy when the "Wall" came down. But, today we are back in another Cold War, Cold War II (version 20.0).

[@_ob200]

22:35 shock ! the SA80a1 fails to fire first shot

[@dig494]

Thanks, Mr. Mcloone for the reminder of the north DE back in the 80's. USAF airman here was stationed with all you folks back up north then. BAOR and what not. Wish the Cold war could have just ended then with that big pissing contest that it was. Garrisoned in Niedersachsen Cuxahaven area. 81-85. REFORGER used to suck! But it was, what it was was at the time that it was! I miss the "old" NATO.

[@chrismitchell4808]

Want a bizarre laugh? My mum was half East german and Half British Indian, Then when I'm in the Scots guards, I was posted to Munster Germany BFPO17 from 2006 to 2008.

[@joerivanlier1180]

I've heard of this by logistics people in NL, not the details of the exercise but just that they were doing just what's ordered and nothing more as orange was the team they wanted to win. Things with lost paperwork but clearly needing to go to X just not being send IE. So thanks for the story behind the anecdotes I've heard many times. Also small tip, if using partially mono audio, just make everything mono, that's perfectly fine for this kind of clip imho

[@simonecanepa8168]

In this exercise was the tactic of Orange and Blue force "improvised" on the field, or was it pre-planned in advance? It could have been interesting to see British and American units fighting as "enemies" and Harriers engaging F-15s and F-16s

[@westyinzer4607]

I was trained in US army by men that took part in this exercise. I remember one story about how their infantry unit was in the field so long that when they came off the line when it was over they just threw their soiled torn BDUs into a giant heap that was burned. Also that they had some men killed that had slept out in an open area that were run over by armored forces that were moving at night

[@nikcroudace7300]

Crazy that we have the first of the new exercises over the sky’s of Germany very soon!

[@Archangelm127]

29:00 - Is the strobe light on the rear of the tank an "I'm dead" indicator, or is it a safety aid?

[@AndyMcloone]

Both. When the umpire ‘killed’ an AFV you had to switch the amber beacon on and take no further part in the exercise. MBTs had to fully raise their barrel

[@Archangelm127]

@@AndyMcloone Cool! Most of what I know about such things comes from Tom Clancy novels, which as you can imagine is somewhat limited. :P Were you using MILES or a similar system for vehicle exchanges, or was it purely umpire-ruled?

[@George-dx2sd]

I may have been on this exercise. I was in Germany from 1982 - 1993 We would be deployed on the Autumn exercise every year around September /Oct. We'd spend about 6 weeks tearing up the German countryside playing soldiers. Format was always the same. Charge up to the IGB ( Inner German Border, retreat back the way we had come after a few days . Then charge back up to IGB again and ENDEX !

[@kelleywright1929]

I dont remember ever going North. We 3 (3AD must have stayed South and done our own thing, though I thought I was in every Reforger. Always somone either being referees or holding down the fort during major exercices.

[@andreaslermen2008]

REFORGER was a part of my childhood, since I lived in a place, they used to exercise or transfer troops from to other areas.

[@hantykje3005]

Ex Certain Strike involved more soldiers than there are in the British Army today.

[@josephhudson8829]

Reforger 85 Been there done that. Bamberg West Germany 1st Armoured Division 83- 85

[@dcpugh]

Fantastic video. I'm a student (and child) of the Cold War and this was just outstanding. I always wondered what "war in Europe" in the 80s would have looked like and this pretty much sums it up. Do you think this conflict would have gone nuclear, though? Seems odd it would have stuck to conventional forces for so long.

[@simonh6371]

In reality the Sovs would have steamrollered us and within a day or 2 the US would have had to deploy tactical (i.e. man-portable) nuclear weapons to stop them, after that it would have escalated, and that would have been the end of the Northern Hempispher.

[@samueltrump698]

@@simonh6371 I agree with this assessment. I was forward deployed near the Fulda Gap 82-85. Nothing more than a stopgap/speedbump and had it come down to deployment of these insidious man-portable nukes that probably would have been the end of the world as we know it. 12E was the Military Occupational Code for the guys whose mission it was to deploy those weapons. A rare breed of soldier to be sure. "Suicide Jockeys" Loved those guys.

[@jameslynch7826]

I was on that too Challenger crew Brilliant fun

[@paulturnbull5861]

Nice pick at the start in Oxford Barracks

[@budguy21]

Was the UH60 crash a real-world crash, or simulated as part of the exercise?

[@m1geo]

Sound disappears mid-sentence for me at 4:47. Returns at 6:42 mid-sentence. Guessing there's two minutes of copyright material there, but we lost your explanation.

[@AndyMcloone]

Yes Copyright issue with music, explanation in the description

[@sysrun]

Anyone else is seeing the short picture disturbances when the radar is pointing to the camera? At 18:40

[@danielmarshall4587]

33:47 Stone the crows it's Sgt Willson stood in the background..... anyway, silly comment aside thank you for a very interesting video and a great look back in history.