REFORGER 74 Certain Pledge
Reinforcements for the US units on the German “Frontline“
From 30 September to 22 November 1974, US armed forces conducted a REFORGER manoeuvre for the sixth time. In addition to the REFORGER deployment exercise, the corps exercise Certain Pledge (the field training part) was carried out under the direction of VII (US) Corps in Stuttgart, with the participation of soldiers from American, Canadian and West German armed forces. Based on the scenario of previous REFORGER exercises, “REFORGER VI” also involved practising the reinforcement of American land forces stationed in Germany and NATO. The field training exercise Certain Pledge was a large-scale corps-level event in which 28 combat battalions and 17 artillery battalions took part, with around 45,000 soldiers, 8,000 wheeled and 4,000 tracked vehicles, and around 250 helicopters in the field. Among them were units of 4 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group and, as the only large unit of the Bundeswehr, the reinforced Panzer brigade 30 from Ellwangen.
This publication shows, in impressive and hitherto mostly unpublished photos, the involved vehicles and the stages of the exercise.
“American Armour and German Trucks“ - Founding Years of the Modern German Army 1956-65
Based on the increasing tensions of the Cold War, West Germany became the centre stage of a potential third world war battlefield in Europe. Only ten years after the German Wehrmacht’s defeat in World War Two it was seen as crucial to create a modern German Army, the Bundeswehr. The rearmament of the Heer ground forces in the founding years of the Bundeswehr in 1956-65 can be described as “American armour and German trucks“. This publication provides rare, eye-candy and mostly hitherto unpublished photographs of the first decade of modern German military vehicles including armoured legends such as the American-made M4 HST, M5A4 HST, M7, M16, M39, M41, M42, M44, M47, M48, M55, M74, M88, M113 and legendary trucks by German manufacturers such as Borgward, Mercedes-Benz, Daimler-Benz, Faun, Porsche, Auto-Union/DKW, Henschel, Magirus-Deutz, MAN as well as many other unique vehicle types.