NATO: Hedgehogs

Operation Holdfast climaxed a month of the most ambitious maneuvers that NATO’s small, green but growing forces have so far staged. On the north German plain, east of the Rhine, 150,000 British, Dutch, Belgian and Canadian troops were holding off a theoretical mass attack from the east. Britain had contributed three armored divisions, equipped with the 52-ton, Korea-tested Centurion tank. Belgium had one division of obsolescent U.S. Shermans.

Three weeks ago, U.S.-French maneuvers aimed at holding several Rhine crossings alarmed the West Germans, who got the impression that NATO’s strategic thinking is centered on a defense at the Rhine (which would mean giving up most of West Germany, including the Ruhr). But last week’s exercise should have reassured the Germans. The basic idea of Holdfast is that a relatively small Western force—with good weapons and air support, and with the right tactics—could stop a massive Russian drive east of the Rhine. How? Not by an old-fashioned linear defense based on rivers, mountains, etc. (which would require more divisions than NATO is likely to have for years), but by means of “hedgehogs.”

By hedgehogs NATO planners mean mobile defense units which would be free to dig in almost anywhere, surrounded by their own armor and infantry perimeters and by minefields. Aim of the hedgehogs is to break the enemy mass and to direct it into channels. The defenders would counterattack with atomic weapons, harry the canalized enemy laterally from the hedgehogs, blast him from the air.

Holdfast’s strategists had developed their plan after studying German tactics in the long retreat from Stalingrad (in which the Germans first used the word “hedgehog”), Britain’s experiences with Rommel in Africa, and NATO Commander Matt Ridgway’s own mobile defenses against enemy masses in Korea. The maneuvers were commanded by General Sir John Harding, a veteran of Britain’s desert battles in World War II and a hedgehog pioneer. Neither General Harding nor anyone else suggested that NATO’s present divisions (hopefully estimated at 47 by year’s end) could actually stop a Soviet attack. But Harding said: “This is how, at this stage, we feel we can approach the problem.”

Operation Mainbrace, the NATO sea exercise (TIME, Sept. 22), ran into foul weather off the Norwegian coast last week. The allied fleets broke off operations in the north, headed south into Kiel Bay to interdict a simulated enemy attack across the Kiel Canal into Denmark. Since the east end of the canal is only 40 miles from the East German frontier, Mainbrace’s planes were unarmed and the pilots were sternly warned to avoid Soviet territory.

The Russians were unmistakably interested in both Mainbrace and Holdfast. A group of very quiet Soviet military observers appeared at a Dutch command post and asked to be shown around. On instructions from Sir John Harding, the Dutch commander told his visitors that if they did not withdraw at once they would be tossed out. They withdrew.