Territorial Kommando Nord

The Rear Combat Zone

In our game, a player commander will oversee logistics, and player pilots and truckers will undertake logistics taskings to support combat operations.

In 1986, the Territorialkommando Nord (Territorial Command North) served as one of the three regional territorial commands of the Bundeswehr, headquartered in Kiel. Its role was closely tied to West Germany’s overall defense strategy during the Cold War, particularly the need to secure the nation’s rear areas while enabling NATO’s forward defense. Unlike frontline corps or divisions, Territorialkommando Nord was tasked with organizing and controlling territorial defense in northern West Germany—mobilizing reserve forces, safeguarding infrastructure, and ensuring the flow of reinforcements through ports and logistical hubs.

A crucial part of its mission was to support NORTHAG (Northern Army Group), the NATO formation responsible for the defense of northern West Germany against a potential Warsaw Pact invasion. While NORTHAG’s combat units—comprising British, Dutch, Belgian, and German forces—focused on fighting along the forward line, Territorialkommando Nord ensured that the rear areas remained secure and functional. This meant defending supply lines, protecting depots, coordinating reinforcements arriving through ports like Bremerhaven and Hamburg, and maintaining communications with civilian authorities. In essence, it provided the operational depth that allowed NORTHAG to concentrate on the immediate threat at the front.

By 1986, this arrangement reflected NATO’s “forward defense” principle: frontline combat forces needed a reliable and secure rear area to operate effectively, and Territorialkommando Nord provided precisely that. It embodied the Bundeswehr’s dual focus on territorial defense and alliance solidarity, acting as a bridge between the West German state and NATO’s multinational command structure.