Allied-occupied Germany#British Zone of Occupation

The British occupation zone ( or North West Zone ) was one of four occupation zones into which Germany west of the Oder -Neisse line was divided after the capitulation in May 1945 by the victorious Allied powers on the basis of occupation law.

Description

The British zone of occupation included on the takeover of occupation by the Prussian provinces of Hanover, Schleswig -Holstein and Westphalia, the northern part of the Rhine Province and the country Braunschweig, Hamburg, Lippe, Oldenburg and Schaumburg -Lippe of the German Empire. The Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, consisting of the cities of Bremen and Bremerhaven was initially enclosed in an exclave of the American occupation zone of the area of the British occupation zone.

British occupied was also a part of Berlin due to the four-power status.

After the British military government had declared earlier Prussian Province of Hanover Hanover to the country, this was merged with the countries of Brunswick, Oldenburg and Schaumburg -Lippe November 1, 1946 State of Lower Saxony. From the Prussian province of Schleswig -Holstein was also a new country. The state of North Rhine -Westphalia was first of two Prussian provinces, namely the northern part of the Rhine Province ( " North " ) and Westphalia formed. In January 1947, the hitherto independent Free State of Lippe joined the new state of North Rhine -Westphalia. In January 1947, the formation of the countries in the British zone was completed. These countries were on January 1st 1947 part Bizonia, the Trizone, and finally on 23 May 1949 the Federal Republic of Germany.

Seat of the British military government was - until her move to Berlin - Bad Oeynhausen with further offices in Munster, Dusseldorf, Kiel and Hannover. In Bad Oeynhausen was also the headquarters of the British Army of the Rhine, in Bad Eilsen the British air forces in Germany (RAF Germany ) to the merging of the two headquarters in 1954 in the Rhine Dahlen.

British military governors were ( non-exhaustive ) Sir Gordon McReady, Sir Sholto Douglas and Sir Brian Robertson. The latter was deputy military governor from May 1946; In 1947, he was military governor (and thus also a member of the Allied Control Council ).

A coordination function had temporarily John Hynd.

Broadcasting

As the sole radio station of NWDR was established in Hamburg.