Western Union Defence Organisation | |
---|---|
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Active | 28 September 1948 [1] |
Disbanded | 20 December 1951 |
Countries |
Belgium France Luxembourg Netherlands United Kingdom |
Branch | Navy (UNIMER) Army (UNIAIR) Air force (UNITER) |
Type | Multinational military organisation |
Size | c. 100 officers and 300 other personnel [2] |
Part of | Western Union |
Garrison/HQ | Fontainebleau, France |
Engagements | Cold War |
Commanders | |
CinC Comm. Chairman | FM Montgomery |
CinCLand | Gen. Lattre |
CinCAir | ACM Robb |
FOWE | Vice-Adm. Jaujard |
From April 1948, the member states of the Western Union decided to create a military agency under the name of the Western Union Defence Organisation (WUDO). WUDO was formally established on September 27–28, 1948. [3] [4] [5]
The objective of WUDO was to provide for the coordination of defence between the five powers in the military and supply fields and for the study of the tactical problems of the defence of Western Europe; in addition, to provide a framework on which, in the event of any emergency, a command organization could be built up.
The Treaty of Brussels contained a mutual defence clause as set forth in Article IV:
Article V set forth the obligations of Brussels Pact members to cooperate with the United Nations Security Council to maintain international peace and security, and Article VI set forth the obligations of Brussels Pact members to not enter any third-party treaties that conflicted with the Treaty of Brussels. [6]
WUDO's organisational chart as of November 1948, in which solid and dashed lines indicate control and liaison lines, respectively: [7]
Consultative Council (foreign or prime ministers) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Permanent Commission (4 ambassadors in London plus Foreign Office representative) | Defence Committee (defence ministers) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Military Supply Board | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chiefs of Staff Committee (WUCOS) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Finance Committee | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UN General Assembly Special Committee | Security Committee | Military Committee and Combined Staff of WUCOS | Commanders-in-Chief Committee and its Chairman | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
C-in-C Western Europe Land Forces | C-in-C Western Europe (Tactical) Air Force | Flag Officer Western Europe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
:
The overall command structure was patterned after the wartime Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF), which included a joint planning staff. [4] WUDO could also be compared with the defence organisation in the United Kingdom.
Government direction and control is provided by the Western Union Defence Committee which, in peacetime, was composed of the national defence ministers. The Defence Committee was served by the Chiefs-of-Staff Committee and the Military Supply Board, meeting regularly in London. These bodies were analogous to the U.K.'s Chiefs of Staff Committee and Joint War Production Staff, respectively.
The secretariat worked for the other bodies, and had a British Secretary General.
In parallel with this Chiefs-of-Staff organisation, the Western Union Military Supply Board advised the Defence Committee on all questions affecting military supplies and made recommendations as to how the requirements of the Five Powers for Military Supplies could be met. The Supply Board was on a high level and is composed of one representative from each country. The British representative, who was to be chairman for the first year, is also Chairman of the British Joint War Production Staff. The infrequent meetings of the Board were served by a permanent Executive Committee working in London, composed of representatives from each country.
The Western Union Chiefs of Staff Committee (WUCOS), based in London, United Kingdom, [8] consisted of the five national chiefs of staff. [9]
WUCOS directed the operative organisation and advised the Defence Committee on all matters affecting the defence of Western Europe, taking account of commitments in other parts of the world. Within this broad direction, its special tasks in Western Europe were those such as:
WUCOS included observers from the United States and Canada. This American liaison mission was initially led by Major General Lyman L. Lemnitzer, U.S. Army, and subsequently by Major General A. Franklin Kibler, USA. [10]
The Western Union Commanders-in-Chief Committee, responsible to the Western Union Chiefs-of-Staff Committee, was created on 5 October 1948. [12] [13]
The committee consisted of Western Union Commanders-in-Chief for the three military branches (Land, Naval and Air), as well as the senior officer, designated Chairman. Their immediate task was to study the tactical problems of the defence of Western Europe, i.e. make plans to meet a Russian armed threat in Western Europe. They did not assume executive command of any forces in peacetime, although they were in close contact with Military Governors of the occupation zones, and it was hoped that, to a limited extent, peacetime dispositions could be adjusted to meet the needs of defence.
Portrait | Name | Title | Defence branch | Nationality |
---|---|---|---|---|
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Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery. [10] | Chairman | British Army | United Kingdom |
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General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny | Commander-in-chief, Land Forces, Western Europe (CinCLand) | French Army | France |
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Air Chief Marshal Sir James Robb | Commander-in-chief, Air Forces, Western Europe (CinCAir) | Royal Air Force | United Kingdom |
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Vice-Admiral Robert Jaujard | Flag Officer, Western Europe (FOWE) [4] [14] [15] | French Navy | France |
The committee formed a nucleus command organisation in the French town of Fontainebleau, south of Paris, known as the Combined Allied Command of WUDO (UNILION), which, in war, would be capable of commanding all land forces and supporting air forces to meet a Russian armed threat. UNILION employed c. 100 officers and 300 other personnel. [2]
The top-level headquarters of UNILION, with the office of the C-in-C Committee Chairman, was housed in Château des Fougères in Fontainebleau's neighbouring commune of Avon. [11] [16]
UNILION's three subordinate commands, one for each service, were housed in the Henri IV quarter at the Palace of Fontainebleau:
Much ill-feeling was caused in the headquarters from disagreements between Chairman Montgomery and CinCLand de Lattre. [17] [18]
Château de Courances served as private residence for Chairman Montgomery. [12] [19] [15]
The Western Union undertook the following training exercises (incomplete list):
Date | Name | Branch | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1949 | Operation Bulldog [20] | Air | |
1949 | Exercise Verity | Naval | Involving 60 warships from the British, French, and Dutch navies held in the Bay of Biscay during July 1949. [21] The exercise was under the overall command of Admiral of the Fleet Sir Rhoderick McGrigor, RN, the Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet. [21] [22] The 60-ship flotilla included the British battleship Anson; the British carriers Implacable, Victorious and Theseus; and the French carrier Arromanches. [21] Admiral McGrigor summarized the accomplishments of Exercise Verity by noting: "The object of these manoeuvres is to show that we are willing and able to work together in case of aggression. I can say straight away that it's been a very great success." [21] Following Exercise Verity, WUDO announced that a major ground military exercise was scheduled for Fall 1949 under overall command of Général d'Armée Jean de Lattre de Tassigny. [21] [Note 1] |
1950 | Exercise Cupola [23] | Air |
Compiled by Dr. James A. Kuhlman, University of South Carolina, 1977; edited by Dr. Mark A. Cichock, University of Texas at Arlington.
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