The British Army's Cold War Defence Test | Exercise Brave Defender, 1985
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- Опубликовано: 19 янв 2025
- In September 1985 the British Armed forces undertook the United Kingdom's Biggest Cold War Home Exercise, Brave Defender. For the first time the country's new 'Home Service Force' would be put through its paces under a mock Soviet Invasion.
For this video I was kindly provided photos from Brian Eager, A former Guardsmen who took part in the Exercise, defending Biggin Hill Airport. A big thank you to Brian for the use of his images and first-hand testimony from the Exercise.
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All research and opinions are my own. Resource materials are used under fair use.
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This is the content I am here for. A forgotten piece of cold war history.
Cheers mate!
Happy days. The "CND demo" at RAF Northolt were wives, girlfriends and other family members of A and HQ Sqns 21 SAS led by CSM Tony Gordon. Two successful attacks entered through the main gate that morning, one in a British Telecom van "We're here to put in some extra lines for Ex Brave Defender". and the other were a party of "Polish WW2 veterans" who had booked the Mess for refreshments after a service at the Polish War Memorial. Heseltine was strictly off limits with dismissal from the Regiment acting as a detterant.
That’s great information!
@@RMMilitaryHistory That attack on RAF Biggin Hill was carried out by A Sqn 21 SAS. The "General" and his "ADC" had both been officers in the regular army, I can't recall what regiment "General Bates" had been in but his "ADC" had been a Lt in the RGJ until 1978. Both wore their own service dress. The car, a black Ford Granada, belonged to the ADC's employer, a firm of Lloyd's Brokers called Sedgwick. It had a red rectangular sign in front of the grill with two gold stars on it. They had to bluff their way in as using their MOD 90s was against exercise rules.
@@rayrock190 oh thanks that great!
Royal Engineers, fresh out of training. We'd just finished Combat Engineer training and sent to the Ripon area to set up a water purification point. We got bumped off one day and a Para transfer lad, myself and 3 others gave chase. Para and me caught one and he put up a hullava fight but we all got him back to the base.
Turned out he was part of an SBS section and we eventually got back to Gib. Barracks as heroes!!
Glory days.
Great stuff! 🔥
I was newly commissioned and handicapped by a broken leg, so I was involved in the DS side of this for 5 Div. Frankly in the present climate, the HSF should become a reality again. The sooner the better.
There’s Certianly a conversion to be had isn’t there
@@RMMilitaryHistory Hmmm definitely! Very worrying times! Good video, lots of memories!
@@gunner678 thanks Matthew, it’s an Exercise that’s always fascinated me
@@RMMilitaryHistory indeed. I has been on both Crusader 1980 and Lionheart 1984, both important NATO exercises, but this one was more important for the UK than the others. It showed glaring weaknesses in home defence. The irony is, we were far better prepared then than we are now, in every respect. Good work, keep it up.
The real advantage was the HSF was cost-effective, only one paid training night per month, yet most units still paraded weekly.
Thanks for posting this. I remember as a ten year old hearing on the News about this exercise, that we might see troops taking part and not to be alarmed. From that moment on, everytime my family went out in the car I was looking for them but unfortunately I didn't get to see any. It's interesting to know the background to the exercise. It sounds much more fun than some of the ones I was involved with when my turn came to serve.
There are so many great individual stories about Brave defender, thanks for watching!
An RMP Sergeant described to me how he "raced" to an incident on the Bovington Training Area, across the rough, flooded, undulating tank tracks in his Vauxhall Chevette, "it was more submarine than patrol car"!
Hahah that’s great!
The HSF should never have been scrapped, cost effective and easily implemented.
It should be reinstated, especially considering the size of our current regular and reserve forces.
I tend to agree on that one
many a good soldier now in their 50s could quite easily hold a defensive position
@@glosfishgb6267 Ukraine's average age on the frontline is 40+ as they try to preserve their younger generations as to not screw up their demographics even more
I was in Sennalager when Lionheart was on as I was too young to go to N.I. with my battalion. I had not long passed out as a junior soldier. Next year we moved to Chester and we were involved in Brave Defeder. My company was in Manchester Airport. To be honest the exercise was a bit boring.
Fascinating - love this kind of history. THanks for sharing
130k fuck me you're lucky if the army is half that size now. Crazy that they organized excercises that large not that long ago
It’s amazing isn’t it. It’s even more amazing when you realise the army remained its size at that time in the midst of defence cuts ect.
Back when men were men, people loved God, country, family back then. Now people love their smartphones and computers more than anything.
Also not everyone was involved troops in NI Falklands and Hong Kong just of the top of my head.
@@corey8420 Christ, why is there always someone with rose tinted glasses about the past? Men are still men. This country is a shit hole (thanks a lot Thatcher) God is a man made construct.
Very informative video. Thanks for sharing. Just recently I read a book by Kenton White called "Never ready: Britain's armed forces and NATO's flexible response strategy 1967-1989." It touched the same subject of Britain's home defence.
Great book, we had Kenton on the fighting on film podcast not that long ago talking about his book.
1:09 mullets and SLR’s.
A strong look 👏😎
@@RMMilitaryHistory The head and right hand of the free world.
@@M80Ball topping of 1984s hottest look with the NBC suit 👌😎
People always said that trainees would be deployed as force augmentation. As a regular at the time I wondered what that meant and this video has answered that question - cheers.
My pleasure! Thanks for watching
Great stuff Robbie! I always enjoy forgotten stories of the Cold War!
Thanks Ian!
The poor Welsh guards the rest of the battalion was on Med man 7 in B.A.T.U.S.
Good bunch of lads to work with.
I remember watching this on the news. I wondered why my own TA unit was not involved, it was only years later that I worked it out, by then I was in the regular army. My TA unit was NATO reinforcement with no home defence role.
Fascinating stuff. Difficult to conceive how a Soviet attack on the UK mainland would have happened prior to a nuclear escalation finishing everything off. Terrifying to think of and after the end of the 80s, I thought we’d never have to worry about it again. But we do again now. 😢Solidarity with Ukraine 🇺🇦
As a 17year old Junior Leader ( Royal Corps of Transport) we, the whole Junior Leaders Regiment RCT, took place in this at Azimghur Barracks, Colerne. I’m sure we were also joined by some TA unit. I’m sure this was all about protecting the runway of the former RAF airbase as it would have still been a viable asset to the U.K. armed forces, and thus a legitimate target. This would have been one of my first “adult” training exercises and one of many in the U.K., Germany ( including Berlin) and other parts of the world.
I had just joined JLRRE in Dover. I believe our intakes contribution was to live off of reduced rations for the duration of the excercise!
Took part in Brave Defender with 14platoon E haft company 5/8 Kings at a secret nuclear bunker near Warrington, rained all weekend, cleared up at 1 pm Sunday when we endexed. Also did Strong Link, and another can’t remember. Happy days.
I was 1Kings, Manchester Airport
A great video! Good to see those Cold warriors in the field.
Thanks! Always wanted to make a video on the Exercise but it took me a while to get documents about it together.
Really well researched video - thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you for this, it was really interesting.
Thanks for watching!
Fantastic video. You guys did a lot of exercises regarding an invasion scenario, we Indians actually faced multiple Pakistani invasions- so we have quite similar stories in some aspect, lol. I am gonna say, good air-army-navy co-ordination, secured opsec, stable logistics, and proper estimations of both sides are some of the key factors for winning war in the battlefield. There’s other important stuff necessary for winning the war itself but that's not in an army's playlist.
I am subscribing you, you are great.
Thanks for the support
I remember this one well, my first annual camp in the TA as an 18 year old sprog . Bombing up and down the country in kennings hire sherpa vans because the Army didn't have enough vehicles ! Happy days 🙂👍
Oh wow! The lack of vehicles isn’t somthing that’s bought up in any offical documents I’ve read on BD, amazing
@@RMMilitaryHistory The sherpas got quite a beating that week ,the last two days they got driven over the stanford training area , one had its sliding door fall off😖 ! I bet kennings sent the MOD quite a bill for all that "battle damge" !
@@johngreen-sk4yk I bet! 😅
Yes, I was the same age. I remember we got sent to one RAF base after 23 SAS had burst through the guardhouse with a chainsaw after the Crabs locked themselves in for protection. 😅…. Oh how we laughed at the shiny tin pots and cammed up cheekbones of the RAF regiment….. they got full respect for the cookhouse though… it was proper gourmet style with happy smiling chefs. 😁
I was on this exercise…..the weather was horrible…sleeping in water filled trenches
Drenched for weeks at a time
Did you get a slight sniffle and a tickly cough 😂😂😂
@@warrenA.B 😂
I took part in this exercise as a Territorial army infantry soldier, guarding a key piont at a military installation in Monmouth, Lots of stagging on then high intensity defensive situations against special forces attacks.
Cool video! Modern Homeguard
Lion Heat 1984, Brave Defender, 1985, and I am buggered if I can remember the name. But 14 airmobile training West Germany 1986 :)
So many
I remember this. We were QRF for Cambs and Lincs. Had 29 Commando as our ‘enemy.’ Brilliant lads.
I remember patrolling across a field surrounded by a herd of lively young cows and a BBC film crew jumping out of a car across the other side on a track. When we got over the fence we had to put on a show and go tactical, then my ‘sexy banana’ (section commander) climbed over a high fence, caught his crotch on the wire and got stuck before falling over the other side. We then started walking off over the next field which had a grumpy looking bull in it while the film crew continued shooting away. I was up front and the bull start moving at pace towards us so we all jumped over the wall.
It would have made a great scene for a comedy… but alas the Beeb must have deemed us unworthy. 😂
hahah! thanks for watching
I was in basic training with the RA and we went out to RAF northholt to perform installation defence
We had shedloads inside rnay fleetlands in gosport ! The yard was "raided" by special forces from fareham creek ! Mod plod personnel were left tiewrapped up in the back of one of their vehicles !
Great video remember it .the ta unit i wes in never was used. We wes put on alert
But not deployed. 😮
Superb..!
Thank you for contributing Brian!
I was on Op-Banner Training during this time over in sunny Sennelager 😊
NATO cooperation was quite impressive all things considered. It's easy to underestimate the deep division within the Warsaw Pact. The threat of the Warsaw Pact may well have been more effective than the Pact itself.
That’s very true
I live in Hull and I remember watching over 100 army vehicles driving to the ferry terminal to board the 3 vehicle ferries, heading towards Holland or Germany, I'm not sure if it was 84 or 85 but I was still at junior school at the time.
That was exercise Lionheart - 1984
Homeland defense interests me a lot - probably more than the field armies and such.
A melting pot of active and reserve military, police, militias and civil defense.
The creation and then testing of home defence armies is fansinating to me, from the Home Guard right up to Ukraines TDF. Exercise Brave Defender was a one of a kind Exercise.
I agree it's a fascinating subject. If this was a civvie up force I would doubtless volunteer.
I was based at RAF Brawdy at the time.The SAS were playing the part of Soviet special forces to test station defences.
Great historical overview
I remember way back in 1992 we exercised with the TA SAS..
Lovely vid, thank you.
Thanks for watching 😎
I remember this well....the legend of a certain Para Bat infil of a certain Nuke RAF Base....I believe over a dozen CFs got starched....before the station commander ENDEXd it...Sure we went Amber for 3 months just after ?
@StanlyStud Crabfat Pebble Monkey..
Great video, very informative.
Thanks David!
This exercise had one clear message of meaning: “Better not to be caught on guard but be fully prepared.”
Exactly the point of the exercise
mmm, when we were doing our exercises in late 70's we always had NBC components, remember wearing my protective gear ( mask anfd full kit) for 12 hours one time ! wonder why they did not simulate this then ?
The Exercise wasn't to test NBC fighting capability more to test conventional defence and integrate the new HSF units into the eider home defence system
@@RMMilitaryHistory I think there was NBC for some. We definitely suited up for at least a couple of days, but not the whole time. Very vague memory now.
What that a non regulation mullet?
Reservist/ TA soldering on 🪖The Home Service Force or HSF was UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's Cold War version of the World War 2 Home Guard. An almost forgotten unit, the HSF was established in 1982 and recruited from ex-regular Army, ex-territorial and ex-uniformed service personnel aged up to 60 years old.
I was project star(strengthening training army reserve)att RWY TA/HSF!! always RWF cap badge ich dien 🪖🫡 SNLR'd for health issues in 94, the green machine went onto vetranerans events cenotaphs and fields of rememberance etc✝️
I was on this, our battalion was mobilized mainly in hire vans 😂😂😂
Heard a few stories like that
I was on Lionheart in 84.
Every British Male and Female should do at least 3 months National Service, so that if the shit did hit the fan. At least people would know some military know how.
Most Boring Exercise I ever did. Some joker drove passed our Missile site at RAF West Raynham in a landrover with a GPMG on the back blatting away with Blanks. Only Inject in the whole exercise. Most Exercises we did had at least some impressive air attacks.
amazing, thanks for watching
In my 60s now. I would love them to bring back the Home Service Force. I would join it.
There was a few people saying that it could make a come back at the moment. It would be a interesting thing to bolster the army reserve
@@RMMilitaryHistory well at least home security, I cant see advancing to contact, with my knees.
@@tonycavanagh1929 sitting in a slit trench is more my style anyway 😉😊
@@RMMilitaryHistory at are age.
If you chat to a ex NCO who served in the Home Service Force you find the real reason why the Government disbanded the organisation.
The question to ask is “ Tell me why the Kent HSF Unit was disbanded?”
At the sharp end of PSF, RAF BZN we had to collate all the leave apps and prepare to recall airmen/women that were on leave!!!!! Advantage of being stationed at a front line station, nothing interfered with planned departures/arrivals.
The Darkest times ever in Europe The iron curtain
Aaaah the 80`s.....When the army was almost 200.000, slr`s, and a fleet of approx 8/900 chieftain tanks, plus incoming challenger 1`s.......Today (2024), roughly 76000 troops, and about 220 worn out challengers. Not so much of the "Great" Britain anymore.
Or just play operation flashpoint🙂
an Arma 3 map based on the exercise would be interesting to play
soviet union collapsed in 1991 not in 1989 berlin wall fell in 89
It started with the collapse of the wall, the wheels had been turning before then. Imo
@@RMMilitaryHistory i know spend reading watching thinking how soviets collapsed for 1.5 main reason is the gorbi alowed free speech and that backfired only after that economy he alowed opossion and yelsin used that to gain power and that in avguat putch the hardliners didn't want to use force at the start the soldiers defected and please be correct always say it collapsed in 91
@@Medieval_history_lover noted
@@RMMilitaryHistory thanks
@@RMMilitaryHistory you are best
Some memories there ..... I think my last be TA EX ? Seems painfully naive now - that long hair, poor fieldcraft and low numbers filmed for a major EX ? Try not to look for the poor grammar, MOD spelling errors - "impotent" should be "important", "elected" should be "selected", "placed" should be "faced" .... ! An important record of the time many of us in Home Defence units prepared to serve our country ... part time ! Thanks RMMH !
thanks for watching!