major@uunet.UU.NET (Mike Schmitt) (01/18/91)
From: bcstec!shuksan!major@uunet.UU.NET (Mike Schmitt) This is a question for David Collier-Brown, Ontario, Canada: Do you know if any Canadian troops have been or will be deployed to the gulf? I remember the 4th Canadian Mechanized Brigade-Group (CMBG) in Lahr, Germany trained closely with the U.S. VII Corps. Now that the VII Corps and three U.S. units from Germany are in Saudi Arabia - it would be logical for the 4th CMBG to deploy with them -- if anyone from Canada is going.... I remember that ther tank battalion (Royal Canadian Dragoons) had the German Leopard II.....and were very, very good. And, one of the G3 staff officers at VII Corps headquarters was a Canadian Lieutenant Colonel (not a liaison officer but 'assigned'). mike schmitt
henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) (01/19/91)
From: henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) >From: bcstec!shuksan!major@uunet.UU.NET (Mike Schmitt) > This is a question for David Collier-Brown, Ontario, Canada: > Do you know if any Canadian troops have been or will be deployed to > the gulf? Since Dave hasn't responded, I'll give it a try... As of now, there are no Canadian ground forces in the Gulf. There are two Canadian destroyers and a supply ship in the area, and a squadron and a half of CF-18s plus their support units. The fighters were originally nominally for air cover of the ships, but they have been made available for anything the allied command wants to use them for, including offensive missions. Last I heard, a mobile hospital with its personnel was scheduled to be sent, but that was before the shooting started and I don't know the current status of that plan. -- If the Space Shuttle was the answer, | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology what was the question? | henry@zoo.toronto.edu utzoo!henry
davecb@nexus.yorku.ca (David Collier-Brown) (01/19/91)
From: davecb@nexus.yorku.ca (David Collier-Brown) bcstec!shuksan!major@uunet.UU.NET (Mike Schmitt) writes: | Do you know if any Canadian troops have been or will be deployed to | the gulf? At the moment, there is no public plan to send ground troops to the gulf, save for the field hospital and some air force troops who provide security for our aircraft. Politically, we've chosen to specialize in (U.N.) peacekeeping forces and a NATO presence, and stopped there. Our presence in the gulf is our first war-fighting posting since Korea, and is again a U.N. undertaking. The government (ie, the cabinet) does reserve the right to send troops, and may re-summon parliament for (retrospective) approval if it sees fit do do so. | I remember the 4th Canadian Mechanized Brigade-Group (CMBG) in Lahr, | Germany trained closely with the U.S. VII Corps. Now that the VII Corps | and three U.S. units from Germany are in Saudi Arabia - it would be logical | for the 4th CMBG to deploy with them -- if anyone from Canada is going.... | I remember that ther tank battalion (Royal Canadian Dragoons) had | the German Leopard II.....and were very, very good. And, one of the | G3 staff officers at VII Corps headquarters was a Canadian Lieutenant | Colonel (not a liaison officer but 'assigned'). I'm biased, I think they're rather good too (:-)). Speculation aside, they are a plausible formation to send, although logistics makes it hard. The trick is really to get the equipment to the site: I'd hate to truck the Leopards in via Lebanon. --dave c-b -- David Collier-Brown, | davecb@Nexus.YorkU.CA | lethe!dave 72 Abitibi Ave., | Willowdale, Ontario, | Even cannibals don't usually eat their CANADA. 416-223-8968 | friends.
davecb@nexus.yorku.ca (David Collier-Brown) (01/24/91)
From: davecb@nexus.yorku.ca (David Collier-Brown) davecb@nexus.yorku.ca (David Collier-Brown) writes: | save for the field hospital and some air force troops who provide security | for our aircraft. OOPS! I no sooner sent that off than I saw a picture of a member of R22R on airstrip security duty in Saudi Arabis. Sorry, I lied: we have canadian ground troops from the Royal 22nd Regiment, the ``Van Doos'' in the Gulf. Guarding planes, mind you, but defnitely the army. --dave (back to the books!) c-b -- David Collier-Brown, | davecb@Nexus.YorkU.CA | lethe!dave 72 Abitibi Ave., | Willowdale, Ontario, | Even cannibals don't usually eat their CANADA. 416-223-8968 | friends.
major@uunet.UU.NET (Mike Schmitt) (01/27/91)
From: bcstec!shuksan!major@uunet.UU.NET (Mike Schmitt) > From: davecb@nexus.yorku.ca (David Collier-Brown) > OOPS! I no sooner sent that off than I saw a picture of a member of R22R > on airstrip security duty in Saudi Arabis. > Sorry, I lied: we have canadian ground troops from the Royal 22nd Regiment, > the ``Van Doos'' in the Gulf. Guarding planes, mind you, but defnitely the > army. The R22eR (pronunced are-two-two-ers) is(was) a Mech Infantry battalion that served with the 4th CMBG in Lahr, Germany. If memory serves, they were a 'french-speaking' battalion. The other manuever units with the 4th CMBG were the 3rd Bn, RCR (Royal Canadian Regiment) (Mech Inf) and a tank battalion, RCD (Royal Canadian Dragoons)(Leopard MBT). "Leopard" - the obvious pronunciation is "Le' pard", but most use the german pronunciation "Lee o pard" Anyway, I have some fond memories of some very 'interesting' formal dinner affairs at the Black Forest Officer's Mess with the Canadians. Mike Schmitt "Pass down 'nother brew, eh?"