Thread: Rear Area Operations

In the US the Corps of Engineers manages the nations inland waterways as a civil defense function. They have some 38000 military and civillian contractors employed at this. The CoE also manages a lot of the nations hydroelectric power generation.

In war time if the US were invaded, areas falling under military operations would be immune to posse comitatus but other areas would not be. Active military operations would be by the US military active, guard and reserve while the rear areas would fall to the states including state militia forces and law enforcement supported by federal law enforcement. But that is highly unlikely... the distances are too great. But the same structure can be used in the event of a major social collapse.

Posse comitatus is a bit complicated here. Essentially as long as we are not in a state of defense, each state of the federation is on its own - they can call in help from other states (of their choosing) or from the federation. This includes battling everything up to and including an organized insurrection with militarily armed forces. Federal forces in Germany have less jurisdiction than in the USA.
Posse comitatus is only denied if a state is unwilling to handle insurrections endangering the continued existance of the state or federation (i.e. mostly separatism) or endangers the free democratic basic order in either (e.g. nazis, communists or monarchists taking over). The senate - as the assembly of states at federal level - can deny the federation this right though.

In wartime however posse comitatus is thrown out of the window. For that - in addition to two thirds of the lower house - two thirds of the senate need to agree though; i.e. currently 46 votes, representing at minimum 11 out of 16 states and minimum 57.7% of the population (in 1989: 28 votes, representing 7 out of 10 states and at least about 50% of the population)

P.S.: As far as i know there's nothing in the federal constitution preventing the German states from fielding their own armies.

The only state that ever had official aspirations of doing so was Bavaria in the early 1950s, wanting to field an own Bavarian component for the EDC forces - separate from a German contribution. All states did field relatively large-scale light infantry forces as part of their police forces though (total: 30,000 men), organized in battalions and armed with automatic weapons, mortars as well as light fire support / recce vehicles like Ford M8 - similar to the Bundesgrenzschutz at the time. These units had a wartime rear-security function which was formally abandoned in 1968.

Originally Posted by kato

I currently have the full ToE for the Civil Protection units in front of me (official OrBat and ToE of all expanded disaster protection troops in Germany, 1989, from the Federal Agency for Civil Protection). These units used plenty of confiscated civilian tech as well.

Since posting it all would be a bit too exhaustive, here's a sample listing for a single District Defense Command, DDC 522 (Rhine-Neckar), consisting of four districts with a total population of 1,025,000 in 1989:

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al

as i understand it from wiki, it´s area is 5637 km2 and popul 1,025 mil.? well, that population density is really big difference, we´ve got 1,3 million in 45000 km2, 75 EOD specialistin 4 groups, 98 rescue commandos 8with different manning levels)+ 50 assist.commandos (volunteers, with little equipment)

Originally Posted by BD1

as i understand it from wiki, it´s area is 5637 km2 and popul 1,025 mil.?

Nah, the one described is just the "right side of the Rhine" core area that's within Baden-Württemberg state - 1.025 mil ppl in 1989 on 2441.84 km² land.

Also, the stated forces above are only those paid from federal funds. The state forces (for which there is no unitary ToE) within each district are twice those numbers again; with some reduction that is still about the level held today - Heidelberg for example fields 920 volunteers in 2012 (at a population of 147,000), of which about 200 are paid from federal funds and organized in a single company-sized "technical platoon".

If we go for the full Rhine-Neckar area (those 5637 km² of land), we're at a population of 1.87 million in 1989 (2.36 million today), two different DDCs (522, 451 and one district each from 432 and 452) with the following total federal forces:

• Command Assets : 129/75/414 = 618 men (16 TEL, 2 FmZ, 8 FmZt(19), 8 FmZt(12), 15 AMASt, 10 BAMSt)
• Firefighting, Rescue & Recovery : 52/364/1244 = 1660 men (17 LZ-R, 11 LZ-W, 21 BZ-38, 4 BZ-50)
• NBC Defense & Maintenance: 17/146/495 = 658 men (9 IZ, 8 ABCZ)
• Medical & Veterinary: 57/210/595 = 862 men (11 SZ, 4 SZ-T, 6 SZ-A, 2 VZ)
• Population Care : 7/68/137 = 212 men (4 BtLtZ, 3 BtZ)
• Supply: 0/34/120 = 154 men (8 MatETr, 23 VPflTr, 4 VGTr)

Total: 4163 men - 262 officers, 897 NCOs, 3004 enlisted

Estimated with state-funded forces: ca 10500-12500 men total
Target structure with state-funded forces: ca 18,000 (12,000 state, 6,000 federal).

The above includes among other things in standardized ToE:

• 75 recovery squads + recovery equipment squads (rescuing people from bombed buildings, busted cars etc; also have 25 small boats)
• 56 firefighting squads (each 9 men on a firefighting truck)
• 47 medic squads (8 medics in van)
• 34 intense care troops (5 medics + doctor in medevac truck)
• 30 maintenance squads (repairing vital infrastructure damage; 10 squads each with electricity/water&gas/sewage&oil specialization)
• 26 mobile NBC recon units
• 16 motorcycle squads (each 6 bikers + 2 men in communications van)

Now estimate all those numbers times three to account for the state forces - roughly.

EOD was part of the state forces, not federal, since it also had considerable work to do in peacetime due to WW2 leftovers in pretty much every single construction site.

Additional civil defense assets within same 5637 km² area in 1989:

• 5 auxiliary hospitals (total 2464 beds), all located at least 20 km from Mannheim (ground zero in a nuclear strike), activating in wartime
• somewhere around 100 large-scale public bunkers (most in Mannheim/Ludwigshafen, i.e. ground zero) with between 500 and 5000 spots each; not all nuke-safe
• ca 40 unmanned radiation sensor stations, networked into warning service
• 2 command stations for the warning service (ground combat & WMD observation), at least one in bunker
• 3 medical depots (stocking wartime supplies of drugs)
• 1 central maintenance plant for civil defense equipment (vehicles, signals and protection equipment)
• at least 1 auxiliary bridge depot (Bailey and Krupp-D emergency bridges)
• Air Rescue Stations Ludwigshafen and Mannheim (1 Bo-105CB and 1 AS-350 helo; Bo-105 in wartime used for observation and coordination for civil defense); reaches any place within region in 20 minutes.
• presumably at least one, possibly two emergency food depots (locations classified either secret or top secret, not sure) with about 10,000 tons of mixed food items each (beans, canned meat etc)
• two corn depots in Ludwigshafen harbor, stocking at least 25,000 tons of grain at any time; one public, one in location held confidential
• oil reserve depot in Speyer, 5 million bbl capacity (strategic petroleum reserve for about 100 days usage for the area).
• probably around 100-150 wartime emergency wells for water supply

Total Military Assets purely for "local use" in same area, remaining there in wartime:

• 80 light infantry platoons for area defense (urban and forest combat primarily)
• 25 light infantry platoons for securing local bases and depots (static defense)
• 7 fire support platoons: one AT, three mortar, three autocannon (assets: 7 KanJPz, 18 120mm mortars, 21 FK 20mm)
• 40 replacement platoons training up reservists in wartime, usable for light object security (assets: rifles only, perhaps ~100 MG3 total)
• 3 emergency bridges across the Rhine predeployed on-site with bridge engineer platoons
• 5 reserve military hospitals (wartime-converted depots), with a total of 3500 beds (7000 surge capacity) and 14 specialist doctor groups (3x ENT, 2x OB/GYN, 2x neurology/psychiatry, 2x orthopedics, 2x ophtalmology, dermatology, dentistry, laboratory medicine)
• 3 communications bunkers located at local bases
• 3 DDC command centers
• regimental area defense staff with supply assets
• DDC support forces (2 signals companies, 3 maintenance companies, 3 supply companies)

Assets held by light infantry platoons included about 400 ea MG3, PzF44, 40mm GL and ~1000 DMR. Couple hundred more of each with support units.

Total number of personnel in above military units, approximate: ca 11,800 military plus 1,800 civilians
(i.e. about the same ballpark number as the civil defense assets)

The number of prepared demolition obstacles in the area was relatively low btw, due to it being a real rear area. Known prepared obstacles include 15 bridges to be demolished to prevent enemy use, as well as one cratering obstacle demolishing the only Autobahn due west and one obstacle blocking a bridge/lock with a plug-in concrete barrier.

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Mobilizing from the same area, immediate use within area possible after mobilization:

for territorial army (ca 6,800 men in addition to above):

• Territorial Command South command battalion plus support forces (field intelligence company, helicopter liaison squadron with 6 Alouette II, signals battalion) and subordinate division-level commands
• 1 medical battalion, 1 military police battalion, 1 bridging battalion, 1 engineer battalion, 1 supply battalion

for field army (ca 4,300 men):

• combined-arms force consisting of a mechanized infantry and a light infantry battalion supported by a nuclear-prepped armored artillery battalion
• support forces for this force (2 transport companies, 1 supply company, 1 maintenance company)
• amphibious engineer battalion
• signals battalion for army level command
• assets: 46 Marder, 18 M109A3G, 33 Milan ATGM, 12 M113 w/ 120mm mortar, 7 FK 20mm

for air force (ca 2,500 men):

• Air Force Support Regiment 4 (various supply assets; remain in area, mostly in underground facility)
• Air Force Training Group III/3 (six recruit companies reinforcing air force security squadrons plus one light air-defense company with 12 twin 20mm guns)

for war host nation support, supporting US Army (ca 4,000 men):

• 1 security battalion, 1 transport and 2 supply battalions
• assets: 25 FK 20mm

(mobilized additionally: 17,600 men including ca 5,000 active)


=> total mobilization within area during wartime:
- active military : ca 5,000 men (for use elsewhere)
- field military mobilization : ca 12,600 men (for use elsewhere)
- local defense mobilization : ca 13,600 men
- civil defense : ca 11,800 men

=> total ca 43,000 men (ca 2.25% of population)

One small last post regarding the civil defense strength levels, regarding current levels:

In the state of Baden-Württemberg, current (2012) strength for the Disaster Protection Service is 200,000 according to the state ministry of the interior - a full 1.87% of the population.

This number splits into 1,800 professional firefighters, 108,500 volunteer firefighters and about 90,000 volunteer members of medical organizations such as the German Red Cross in the state. It does not include the (federally-funded) THW forces, whose Baden-Württemberg branch organization numbers another 11,000 volunteers plus 2,000 youth volunteers (aged 12-17). Including THW the Extended Disaster Protection Forces to be fully mobilized in wartime come up to almost exactly 2% of the population, or twice the numbers originally planned for in the Cold War.

Just because i took this pic last week:

Originally Posted by kato

think of them as a biker patrol unit that steers fleeing civilians from the frontlines through the district

Those still exist, hooked up mostly with the German Red Cross since the 60s. Current:

Originally Posted by kato

One small last post regarding the civil defense strength levels, regarding current levels:

Topping up with the Federal Transport Organization (TOB). This organization has assured-access contracts with some 600 transport companies that provide about 12,000 trucks with ca 190,000 tons capacity. This capacity is distributed to the states based on population and economic power, the state of Baden-Württemberg is assigned 12% of it (1440 trucks with ca 23,000 tons capacity). The states nominally have their own equivalent "TOL" state organizations. For the entire federation these state organizations additionally supply ca 5,800 trucks and ca 92,500 tons capacity, for Baden-Württemberg for example ca 800 trucks with ca 12,000 tons (13%).

TOB is only responsible for transportation across state borders. The TOL do intrastate transport.

TOB and TOL are public defense (not civil defense!) measures only active in wartime or under special dispensation of the Federal Parliament. Its role is to ensure supply of the civilian population and the armed forces.

Depending on severity of the situation TOB/TOL have three possible levels of control: 1) regular contracts with companies (contracting); 2) drafting transportation services (enforced contracting); 3) direct control of civilian companies as civil defense assets. Level 2 may only be entered once Level 1 - capitalism - is not sufficient to ensure supply. All companies that take part in TOB and TOL are doing so voluntarily (... at least until they actually are called up i guess). Services called upon - even if enforced - are renumerated.

There are exactly nine organizations that may call upon TOB/TOL assets in wartime. These are:
- the federal disaster protection agency (i.e. civil defense agency) (1)
- the federal agency for Defense Administration (2)
- the federal agency for agriculture, BLE (3)
- the Robert Koch institute (4)
- the federal police precincts
- the federal technical assistance corps, THW
- the federal institute for pharmaceutical products
- the federal central organization for health information
- the German Institute for Medical Documentation

(1) - including on behalf of third-party organizations such as Red Cross etc.
(2) - on behalf of German and Allied Armed Forces
(1) - tasked with wartime emergency supply of the civilian population, also running wartime food reserves
(2) - equals federal organization for disease control in Germany

Originally Posted by kato

Working off the "unfinished draft version" of the Orbat now.
German Air Force Rear Area structure, inf units only:

From finished orbat version, security/infantry troops within Luftwaffe:

• Air Force Command & Control - 16 inf sq, 20 inf pl
  
  
  • Signals Regiment 11 (AutoFüFmLw North Germany): 7 inf sq (reserve)
  • Signals Regiment 12 (AutoFüFmLw South Germany): 8 inf sq (reserve)
  • Signals Group 70 (AuswZFmElAufklLw): 1 inf sq (reserve)
  • Signals Regiment 71 (FmAufklLw North Germany): 7 inf pl (reserve)
  • Signals Regiment 72 (FmAufklLw South Germany): 7 inf pl (reserve)
  • Signals Regiment 81 (Air Traffic Control): 6 inf pl (reserve)
  
  
• Joint Forces Agencies & Central Commands - 2 inf sq
  
  
  • Agency for Military Geophysics: 1 inf sq (reserve)
  • Air Transport Command: 1 inf sq (reserve)
  
  
• Missile Wings - 6 inf sq, 2 AA sq (48 twin 20mm)
  
  
  • Missile Wing 1: 3 inf sq, 2 AA sq (PA) : 24 twin 20mm AA guns
  • Missile Wing 2: 3 inf sq, 2 AA sq (PA) : 24 twin 20mm AA guns
  
  
• Bases (North Germany) - 47 inf sq, 17 AA sq (244 twin 20mm)
  
  
  • Radar Control Command 1: 7 inf sq, 6 AA sq (PA) : 72 twin 20mm AA guns
  • Air Base (N) Nörvenich : 5 inf sq, 1 AA sq (PA) : 16 twin 20mm AA guns
  • Air Base (C) Cologne-Wahn: 5 inf sq, 1 AA sq (PA) : 12 twin 20mm AA guns
  • Air Base Hohn : 4 inf sq, 1 AA sq (PA) : 16 twin 20mm AA guns
  • Air Base Ahlhorn : 3 inf sq, 1 AA sq (PA) : 16 twin 20mm AA guns
  • Air Base Wittmund : 3 inf sq, 1 AA sq (PA) : 16 twin 20mm AA guns
  • Air Base Hopsten : 3 inf sq, 1 AA sq (PA) : 16 twin 20mm AA guns
  • Air Base Jever : 3 inf sq, 1 AA sq (PA) : 16 twin 20mm AA guns
  • Air Base Schwesing : 3 inf sq, 1 AA sq (PA) : 16 twin 20mm AA guns
  • Air Base Oldenburg : 3 inf sq, 1 AA sq (PA) : 16 twin 20mm AA guns
  • Air Base Wunstorf : 3 inf sq, 1 AA sq (PA) : 16 twin 20mm AA guns
  • Air Base Leck : 3 inf sq, 1 AA sq (PA) : 16 twin 20mm AA guns
  • Support Group Kalkar: 2 inf sq (reserve)
  
  
• Bases (South Germany) - 37 inf sq, 13 AA sq (208 twin 20mm)
  
  
  • Radar Control Command 2: 6 inf sq, 4 AA sq (PA) : 48 twin 20mm AA guns
  • Air Base (N) Büchel : 4 inf sq, 1 AA sq (PA) : 16 twin 20mm AA guns
  • Air Base (N) Memmingen : 4 inf sq, 1 AA sq (PA) : 16 twin 20mm AA guns
  • Air Base Neuburg : 3 inf sq, 1 AA sq (PA) : 16 twin 20mm AA guns
  • Air Base Bremgarten : 3 inf sq, 1 AA sq (PA) : 16 twin 20mm AA guns
  • Air Base Fürstenfeldbruck : 3 inf sq, 1 AA sq (PA) : 16 twin 20mm AA guns
  • Air Base Pferdsfeld : 3 inf sq, 1 AA sq (PA) : 16 twin 20mm AA guns
  • Air Base Lagerlechfeld : 3 inf sq, 1 AA sq (PA) : 16 twin 20mm AA guns
  • Air Base Landsberg : 3 inf sq, 1 AA sq (PA) : 16 twin 20mm AA guns
  • Air Base Leipheim : 3 inf sq, 1 AA sq (PA) : 16 twin 20mm AA guns
  • Support Group / Air Base Neubiberg : 2 inf sq (reserve)
  
  
• Air Force Support Command (North Germany) - 15 inf sq, 2 AA sq (24 twin 20mm)
  
  
  • Support Regiment 2: 1 inf sq (reserve)
  • Support Regiment 6: 2 inf sq, 1 AA sq (reserve): 12 twin 20mm AA guns
  • Support Regiment 7: 3 inf sq (reserve)
  • Support Regiment 8 / Underground Complex Mechernich: 8 inf sq (reserve)
  • Air Field Diepholz: 1 inf sq, 1 AA sq (PA): 12 twin 20mm AA guns (note: part of Support Regiment 2)
  
  
• Air Force Support Command (South Germany) - 18 inf sq, 3 AA sq (36 twin 20mm)
  
  
  • Support Regiment 1: 1 inf sq (reserve)
  • Support Regiment 3 / Underground Complex Landsberg: 4 inf sq (reserve)
  • Support Regiment 4 / Underground Complex Neckarzimmern: 3 inf sq (reserve)
  • Air Field Erding: 3 inf sq, 1 AA sq (PA) : 12 twin 20mm AA guns (note: part of Support Regiment 1)
  • Air Field Ingolstadt: 4 inf sq, 1 AA sq (PA): 12 twin 20mm AA guns (note: part of Support Regiment 1)
  • Air Field Kaufbeuren: 3 inf sq, 1 AA sq (PA) : 12 twin 20mm AA guns
  
  
• Air Force Training Regiments (note: Basic Training units; recruits dispersed to above units as additional security squadrons in wartime) - 58 inf sq, 13 AA sq (156 twin 20mm)
  
  
  • Air Force Training Regiment 1 (North Germany): 19 inf sq, 4 AA sq: 48 twin 20mm AA guns
  • Air Force Training Regiment 2 (Netherlands): 16 inf sq, 4 AA sq: 48 twin 20mm AA guns
  • Air Force Training Regiment 3 (South Germany): 23 inf sq, 5 AA sq: 60 twin 20mm AA guns

AutoFüFmLw: Air Force Automated Command Signals Network, distributed
AuswZFmElAufklLw: Air Force SIGINT/ELINT Analysis Center
FmAufklLw: Air Force Stationary & Mobile SIGINT Units, distributed
(N): Nuclear Strike Group
(C): Air Base for Capital, VIP flights etc.

(PA): partially active

"Partially active" above generally means a cadre component active (regular: one sq + civilian guard), plus for air bases one AA pl with 4 twin 20mm AA guns; for nuclear bases additionally one 300-man inf sq active.

Each Air Base additionally had a battery with either 4, 6 or 8 truck-mounted Roland missile systems (depending on individual locale, i.e. territory etc) seconded from an air defense regiment in wartime. In peacetime these were centralized in groups of three batteries at bases located somewhat conveniently to reach all three protected bases.

Total:
- 199 infantry/security squadrons (companies) + 20 platoons, estimated 30,000 men
- 50 air defense squadrons (companies), estimated 10,000 men with 716 twin 20mm AA guns
- ca 1,000 civilian security personnel (contractors) additionally in peacetime

Note: An additional ca 300 twin 20mm AA guns were stowed in depots.

Originally Posted by kato

The OrBat i'm reading covers 170 pages for the German Field Army and 264 pages for the Territorial Army.

The above OrBat has been finished btw, and is available in multiple parts (with 1,515 pages total):

Part 1 - Federal Ministry of Defense (151 pages)
Part 2.1 - Army - Field Army (167 pages)
Part 2.2 - Army - Territorial Army (271 pages)
Part 3 - Air Force (118 pages)
Part 4 - Navy (61 pages)
Part 5 - Military Administration (72 pages)
Annex A - Federal Ministry of the Interior, Federal Police, Civil Defense (47 pages)
Annex B - Base Directory (628 pages)

Annex A is not particularly detailed though, mostly since the contemporary source material based on for that is pretty crappy (i've read it).

The author has tacked on a second work with the US Army in Europe:

US Forces in Europe 1989 (306 pages)
US Forces Europe Base Directory (234 pages)

All in German of course.