When Britain Invaded Cold War Europe... | INTEL

[@BFBSCreative]

This video is a re-upload. That's because we've moved to this new channel! NEW content like this is coming very soon - 30/4/2020.

[@randommadness1021]

Got to say I loved your videos in Gibraltar. Do you just do the narration or are you also involved in the filming and editing? Was a really good show of how the Marines are changing, at least the beginning of the change into more of the commandos that they used to be.

[@BFBSCreative]

@@randommadness1021 Hi Barry, we do everything! From the filming to the scriptwriting to the narration to the editing - it's all BFBS Creative. A lot of the archive is ours as well. Really glad you are enjoying the content!

[@ayrton525]

My dad was in the Dutch forces when this happend. He told me he "died" on day 2. When jets bombed his outpost.....

[@BadBart64]

I was part of Spearpoint as a platoon commander of a Dutch Leopard 2 platoon. It was great fun. Brits didnt know we had thermal sights :).

[@dulls8475]

You did not know we had thermal vests either.

[@matthewyabsley]

Didn’t know you had thermal sights? Ha. We didn’t even know you guys were awake ;-)

[@dulls8475]

@@matthewyabsley Sleep is important,

[@michaelgreen1515]

@@dulls8475 I think that was when my Dutch friend deliberately ran over his an MP's foot with his APC.

[@patricklamshear1806]

Now that is bad intelligence, been shafted by the Germans. 🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@DHBucsFan]

I like how the Canadians are always just referred to as "Commonwealth personnel" We went from having our own beach on D-Day 1944 to "Commonwealth personnel" in 40 years. Lol

[@boomer4312]

If it was only Canada I think he probably would have said Canada. He might be including Canada in the "Commonwealth Personnel", but there would have been a mix from Common Wealth nations.

[@chineduokafor9683]

What's the population of Canada then?

[@markdowns9607]

Well perhaps to be referred to as Commonwealth is better than Trudeau's Canada of today?🤔🤔🤔

[@mjc8281]

Took part in Operation Lionheart the three things I remember is I spent 2 days driving around south of England in a Military bus trying to find a departure point after over 24hrs at Brize Norton we ended up spending nearly 24hrs at Luton, before flying out. I was issued a left handed gas mask(that sucked)because they had no right handed ones left and when we returned to the UK we had 2 people on the plane who shouldn't have been so the Tristar stopped and we all had to get out on the taxiway for a formal headcount. Needless to say my experience left me of the view that if it came to all out war we would have been in trouble!

[@dh1380]

A left handed gas mask? I thought all single canister masks were "left handed" to enable firing? What kind of masks were you using back then!

[@mjc8281]

​@@dh1380 I believe it would have been the S6 it was I identical to that used in the right hand version, but the threaded connector was on the opposite side, to be honest I think it was the only one I ever saw and we returned them as soon as we got back to the UK

[@patricklamshear1806]

What's new about that. 🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@metronetrail]

I was involved in Exercise Reforger 1988 in Germany with a mixed country military of 124,800 Soldiers. Us the British played as the Russians if i remember correctly. This exercised was designed for a rapid reinforcement from the U.S. of their military from the states to Germany, since they had removed 2 divisions from Germany in the late 60s. They had always kept certain camps fully equipped with stores, weapons and vehicles, but only a few US military personnel and German civilian staff carrying out all maintenance duties. At the time i was driving a Foden Fuel Tanker and would get tasked to meet a unit at a grid reference somewhere in Germany, no tom toms in those day, just a map and off you went, could take a few days to get where you was going. Normally on your own since we always had a manpower issue, not enough of us. Once i found them which was not always, i would tag along and supply then fuel as required. I would normally be located well away from them and could set up like a petrol station by putting out 4 to 6 hoses for fuel delivery. What would normally happen is the unit/regiment would move out and forget to bother to tell me. If lucky the last vehicle going past might stop and shout we are bugging out the Americans are coming down the road around 1k away. then they would drive off. Packing all my equipment away could take a good few hours. So i would still be packing away as the first American units shot past, at some stage an American Vehicle would stop and say hi who are you. One time asking if i knew where they could find a coke machine. I was again captured by the Dutch in Holland, driving down a country road in the late hours, pitched black and no vehicle lights on, went round a corner in a little village and nearly crashed into an Dutch artillery unit placed in the middle of the road. I always remember when the Dutch soldier asked me for the password and as normal had no idea, him saying You Are My Prisoner. To me this was a great time, no bullshite just plenty of freedom. When you got tasked to go somewhere, you knew your own unit would be moving someplace else, of course you would not know where this was, so would have no idea where to go after you finished the job you had. So as you might have guessed, i would not try to hard to find your unit, but did depend on how much money you had, since we never got any rations, no compo - nothing, so would buy our own food. Or if lucky see a military vehicle and follow it until it went to a base/camp, then go and see if they had a canteen or cookhouse. On another task me and a friend 2 Tankers were sent right up near the boarder on east and west Germany. Could not find the unit we were to delivery too. So parked up on a hill over looking the boarder and stayed there for 3 days until we ran out of money to buy food, from the small village, the looks we used to get from the villagers - That was a good time. It was Sunny.

[@lylewyant3356]

Reforger 86 for me. Happened to be my duty station at the time. Support role for units coming out of the field.

[@reccerat4446]

Yep, first exercise I went on out of training, days sat in the gunners seat of an MBT looking out a armoured glass window of about 4 inches by 2 inches. Happy days!

[@phnijman]

Darn, didn’t know i was that big. For me Lionheart was 3 weeks boredom

[@stupotingoole]

6:50,the Antars of 617 Sqn RCT roll by,I’m probably somewhere down the road following them in my REME fitters MK.

[@patricklamshear1806]

617 Tank Transport Unit was based in Hamm north Rhine westphalia. 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇩🇪🇩🇪

[@stupotingoole]

@@patricklamshear1806 I know,I served in the REME Wksp there for 3 years

[@squeaksvids5886]

My late father was involved with exercise Lionheart. He was in the Royal Signals (TA).

[@dogsnads5634]

Same here..49 Sig Sqn from Leeds. Still remember seeing the entire convoy driving past and joining all of the others on the M62 on the way to Hull to embark. Thousands of vehicles on the go.

[@squeaksvids5886]

@@dogsnads5634 My father was based at Brentwood if memory serves.

[@fondren001]

This is back when britian was still badass...

[@adamatch9624]

D.G.L S.P.L nah we still are

[@fondren001]

@@adamatch9624 You can be delusional and ignore all the bs the left has done to your country or you can accept that fact and do your part as a citizen and vote so Britain can be just as badass as they used to be. Still badass? Sure. As badass? Nope. The right is the only reason Britain has maintained some form of badass. Badass...

[@chazychap]

D.G.L S.P.L The right wing want to get rid of the Royal Marines.

[@kizzaaaamate8976]

chazychap fuck the right wing

[@muhd195ify]

@@chazychap Wtf? Why though?

[@simonnock5019]

I was stationed in Rheindahlen at HQ BAOR during Lionheart. For me it was no where near as intensive as Crusader 80 was only four years earlier... but then I was in 1 (BR) Corps... Great times and thank you for this excellent documentary... brought back a few memories

[@camrenwick]

I was there with 5 Regt RA. Moving to new gun positions. Usually at night. A lot of the time just waiting for fire missions. Never had a clue what was going on.

[@rogerhudson2814]

The Corps Patrol Unit of 1 BR Corps, right up(under) the sharp end. When the UK had 750 MBTs !

[@Gorbyrev]

Fascinating and a lovely clip of Rush's "The Camera Eye" at the end. Keep up the good work.

[@Iolis]

Happy days. I was with B Echelon receiving and documenting the Battle Casualty Replacements flown out from UK. Many of them were late middle-aged and older, grey haired and pot-bellied, some had served when the Army was still in pre-'combat' khaki Battle Dress! Today I look just like them! When ENDEX finally came and we gathered in the Divisional Admin Area, there were literally thousands of men and vehicles. I have never seen a concentration of so many soldiers in so small an area! I knew even then that I would never again see or experience anything like that in my lifetime. I would not have missed Lionheart for the world.

[@MrWiggo91]

It's kind of BS at the end though because the skills have been lost, and whilst NATO can still do it, the point is that back then the UK alone could do that, so could the Germans, so could the French, so could the Italians and so on and so forth. Now, everything is reliant on the Americans.

[@malachy1847]

The Gap the narrator was talking of was, 'The Fulda Gap' in the American Sector, that's the spot where the Nato guys reckoned the Warsaw Pact forces were going to punch through, remember going through the forest woods in the early eighties up there adjacent to that Border and seeing American Military Notices .."No Photography "

[@fus149hammer5]

I remember doing an accidental 360° driving a 432 due to mud on the road while the C/O was on board. 😬 Finished to cheers on the net and an invitation to take a "refresher course" from the boss..... Great days though. 🇬🇧

[@MasterChief-sl9ro]

Lucky they did practice this. As in August of 1990.. The US and UK had moved 200k troops to Saudi Arabia inside 45 days... By December those numbers were over 500K.... The speed at which the Coalition forces moved. Had even amazed the former Soviet Union..As the amount of tanks and planes that Saudi Arabia had bought were already there. Just a matter of moving personnel into the region. Which had only taken 30 days...Iraq had no chance of invading any further...

[@frankrenda2519]

it diddnt amaze the soviets the saudi and coalition force of armour was nothing compared to zapad 81 by the soviets

[@MasterChief-sl9ro]

@@frankrenda2519 You're damn idiot...

[@michaelgreen1515]

@@MasterChief-sl9ro although we did have some serious problems with our medical units. People appreciate those in real war.

[@theenchiladakid1866]

We could never do this now not with the trains always being late

[@istvansipos9940]

09:40 :- ) I love this new version of that old piece of wisdom

[@robertstorey7476]

I remember seeing an endless line of vehicles moving down the M3 towards the channel ports when they practiced reinforcing the BAOR during an exercise. It was an amazing site. It was serious stuff, my father designed military comms equipment and had to go on exercise with the army in Germany. A lot of soldiers told him the only real plan was to run as fast as possible in the opposite direction if the Russians ever invaded because they had no hope of stopping them. Army humour maybe but like all good jokes it contained some truth.

[@pw3019]

Remember it well. I was with the Royal Signals and we travelled all the way from York via North Sea Ferries at Hull. Driving a whole HQ & Sig Regt in convoy out of York and in to Hull, the locals stood at the side of the road wondering if WW3 had started and someone had forgotten to tell them. Drove all the way through Belgium and in to Germany. Spent the next 3-4 weeks driving around Germany ( i think we got 1 shower run in the whole time) and then drove all the way back again. Tiring but thoroughly enjoyed it. Like other people who were involved, something like this makes you suddenly feel old. Young people today, who I speak to, have no concept of 'the cold war' and what was going on in Europe at the time - certainly something very real to serving soldiers at the time. It's a shame to see the British Navy, Army and Air Force decimated to the levels we have today. Do we never learn from past mistakes? Does the Government not see the Sabre rattling from the East? Probably only when it's too late and something big bites you in the Ass.

[@dogsnads5634]

You weren't with 49 Sig Sqn were you?

[@pw3019]

@@dogsnads5634 No - I was with 2 Inf Div HQ & Sig Regt. We used to be 2 Armd Div HQ & Sig Regt, based in Bunde, Germany, but they moved the regiment back to the UK and based us at York and changed us from an Armd Division to an Inf Division. When I first got to the unit in Bunde, they moved the whole Sig Regt out of box bodies and put us in to 432's, but after the move back to the UK, they put us back in to Box bodies.

[@harveymerchant3587]

Great video, you need to tag more hashtags to get more views.

[@Ezorus]

Shame we haven't the numbers to practice this again.. As much of a hassle as this probably was it would make you feel more like a soldier than exercise in Sailsbury

[@patricklamshear1806]

Or the money. 🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@dog11222]

I was there, good times....

[@plushiie_]

why is there fog in every clip i see from the cold war?

[@rukbiiboi]

It was quite cold then, I'm told.

[@plushiie_]

Luke Bickerton apparently so

[@petersone6172]

Haven’t you heard of “the fog of war”

[@yoda101]

Excellent content.

[@2plus2isTom]

0:53 Oh! That's Ealing Broadway!

[@randommadness1021]

I wonder what these guys would think of the new Challenger III Tank. Such a pity that we lost a few guys to this exercise. I wonder what would have happened to the channel tunnel was it around in WWII? Would it just have been 'plugged' at both ends? Or would it have just been blown up, and if so, by who? The Allies or the Axis??

[@NewMinority]

Good video

[@alfredobushelli6636]

Nice video

[@thechosen254]

They couldn't even mobilise there own troops without british airways for an exercise 😱😱 😂

[@norb0254]

Most countries use the private sector for transport be it planes ferries or trains ,it is normal

[@patricklamshear1806]

When Britain had an army an Air force, those days are long gone never to return. 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@truckertom3323]

Crusader 80 i was on that one, mustache and my 7.62mm SLR - a real Rifle, when Infantry carried weight and stopping power into battle. And now for the truth, the Warsaw pact would have run over us and been in London for Tea and crumpets at Windsor Castle, having gone through Buck House first, in say, three weeks max, we would maybe have slowed them down by days, but when you are a 20 year old Soldier, who had joined in 79 and did a Tour in N.Ireland, then on Crusader 80 you really thought you were going to win. Go forward 40 years after finding out the truth by reading and studying history with facts, and facts and even more facts, that for every Nato Division or Corps, the Warsaw pact Block countries had 10 to our 1. The Soviet Union had 100 in reserve just waiting for what was left of Nato, that includes Airpower, Tanks, and Mobile infantry, Artillery, not to mention Airbourne and Spetsnaz.

[@kalle911]

I think you give commie bloc too much credit. Western publications representing soviet military might exaggerated as well, to justify increased spending. USSR's priority was military with meager scraps left for civilian industries.

[@truckertom3323]

@@kalle911 No, not credit, Facts, Facts and more Facts, that is also not a thought, but a Fact. I found this out myself, not from T.V or Radio, or News Papers, but from reading Books, and making my own mind up, with the Factual evidence in printed form, it's easy to do, the Mainstream media is the "Mushroom" that's been living in the dark, being fed S%^t, then giving it out as News or "The Truth" with no proof or Facts. As for the increased spending, i am well aware of that part to, and with more Facts the swamp is drying out in Washington DC and all the corrupt Treasonous ones who were pocketing Billions in back handers will be found out, and they will pay the price for Treason.

[@kalle911]

@@truckertom3323 the events of late 1980s tell me enough about the stability of commie bloc. Rotten countries with a rotten system.

[@Centurion101B3C]

Yep! Thank the higher being of choice (none is okay too) that we never had to put NATO to the final test for it would have been FINAL indeed. Having served in a TACOPS/G2 cell at the time, we all were all too well aware of our immediate vulnerabilities and lack of capabilities to do a damned thing about it under the best of circumstances. Contemplating our esteemed opponent deploying its second and eventually third echelons, brought to mind A. Einstein's estimation that No matter what weapons would be applied to fight WW3, WW4 would certainly be fought by utilizing sticks and stones. If the cold war would have gone 'hot' we would have ample and excellent opportunities to verify the 'Flash-Bang' indications of nuclear exchanges before all was said and done.....

[@truckertom3323]

@@Centurion101B3C I thank the Lord that it never ever came to it, for humanity's sake, as life is so precious, all life. Peace to the Planet. WWG1WGA.

[@dalecrawford7642]

Looking back today these were great times even though the uncertainty of the era did make us question when the Russians would attack. I was a Sapper and we held multiple roles working with differing allies across BAOR. I really enjoyed Germany and that is probably the reason I still live here, I only hope the current peace prevails.

[@FHIPrincePeter]

Just Me and the old B.V

[@pdarley58]

Yep was part of that !!!

[@cyclesgoff9768]

The “English “ Army, really??👹. British old chap , British.

[@cammid2110]

What a great video

[@fus149hammer5]

I thoroughly enjoyed Lionheart. Far better than being spat at or worse in Belfast.

[@petesy03]

I don’t think britain could invade the Isle of Man today

[@clive3490]

we probably couldn't defend ourselves if the IoM invaded US!!

[@fluff2001]

UK was a top tier military when this occurred in 80's ... They have really gone down hill in last 10 years. Not even a top 10 quality military today ...... Br exit may help things, I hope so because we cant count on USA to protect us every time .....

[@Spiretail]

sadly brexit wont help in the short term but possibly long term

[@Tourist1967]

Sixth, actually. Just behind France. The top four are, naturally enough, the US, Russia, China and India - somewhat larger nations. But it has been calculated that in a fight the UK, with a long history and expertise in overseas operations, would probably beat a Chinese or Indian expeditionary force because they don't have that ability to project power on a global basis.

[@fluff2001]

@@soul0360 I have seen the military get softer since 2008 or so, the individual soldiers and the top leaders.... I dont know how old you are but I remember the 90's and Desert Storm and we were right behind the USA in quality and capabilities.... We have been going down hill for a while ... SAS and SBS are still top of the line .... BREXIT is a good thing now and long term. The EU is doomed to fail I guarantee you .... I would rather be tied to USA CAN AUS than EU any day ...... We will see ......

[@michaelgreen1515]

@@Tourist1967 only an expedition, not a full on war in close proximity.

[@Tourist1967]

@@michaelgreen1515 Where do you think the UK and the Chinese might fight engage in close proximity? The Brits handed back HK a long time ago.

[@andrewfox6631]

State of those berets. Look even worse on the Rupert's

[@sandemike]

Why did he have an NBC Boot on his head ?.

[@geraldsmith5310]

Because he is taking the piss

[@robertbeattie3988]

I was on EX Trident Jucnture :)

[@johnbanks4761]

back when we had a military.......and a clue

[@davidbell8320]

I enjoyed it immensely, bloody good days abd equally bloody good piss ups

[@shotsfiredandmissed9068]

well today corona is doing this very exercise instead of the military

[@BA9000]

hahaha!!

[@BA9000]

i like ur pf pic

[@rustypadlock5129]

It is incredible how low this country has fallen. Decade after decade it sinks more and more. An empire until recently, then a strong country and suddenly Scotland is allowed to have its own parliament and prime minister, Walles is allowed to make the first steps toward independence, Northern Ireland is left without troops and even the peasants of Cornwall mourn for not having their own "free" country. Maybe there is a god after all and Britain is paying for all its arrogance back in the days when it was indeed a great country and not a shrinking satellite state as it is now. The saddest part is the number of men who died in so many wars, including the last two world wars to defend the interests of a country and a flag which very soon will be no more due to the incompetence and weakness of its own people. Do you remember when the parliament under Cameron and the Queen sang together the "new" national anthem based on a poem by William Blake (LOL)? In my opinion that was the most contemptuous and humiliating moment in the history of England. Imagine those who marched and died under fire singing the national anthem we all know would feel hearing their descendants singing that ridiculous "song" by W. Blake. Goodbye, great country.

[@aldionsylkaj9654]

Technology allows the weak to be strong. They're still the same - fucking snowflakes.

[@gunner678]

A lot of truth in what you say.

[@ykmvp1870]

Scotland have a first minister not a prime minister

[@michaelgreen1515]

@@ykmvp1870 actually Jerusalem has been the anthem of England for a very long time, just like every part of the union has it's anthem (otherwise it would get very confusing at the commonwealth games) however "God Save the Queen" is the National anthem of Great Britain; and several other Royal dominions in the Commonwealth. As for snowflakes Jerusalem was a poem and was set to music in 1916 for the "Fight for Right" movement so I think you might he a little confused.

[@ykmvp1870]

Michael Green why the fuck are you telling me this it has nothing to do with what I commented

[@aidanedwardsmith8033]

That is so cool

[@davidbell8320]

I was there lol god feel old now

[@kwengface1185]

Back then the British army was easy to join, this time too much medical shit!! Army has became so weak

[@davidfraser7265]

i was there

[@raleighburner1589]

Rather hilarious title haha to the haha next you'll be telling that England is Anglo Saxon the same way Boston is Irish American

[@5732noel]

Invaded?

[@notsomalicious4435]

He says the wall was still up in 1994, the Berlin wall came down im 1989 and the Cold War ended in 1991. In 1994 we still did the operation but the Cold War was over.

[@Carewolf]

Wasn't this in 1984?

[@oddjobkia]

1984....

[@kathmarks7883]

He said 1984 not 94 you miss heard

[@stephenthomson2196]

pooh

[@batotit]

lol, effing clickbaiter