Borealis – who guarded the Northern Flank of NATO during the Cold War? [1977]

Produced in 1977 and narrated by British actor Anthony Quayle, the documentary puts faces to the names of men and women who guarded the Northern Flank of the Alliance during the Cold War. For many of them, this was not only an opportunity to defend their national territories but also to contribute to NATO’s collective deterrence and defence.

In 1951, the Alliance had already activated NATO’s Headquarters Allied Forces Northern Europe, or AFNORTH. Located at Kolsås outside Oslo and tasked with the defence of Denmark, Norway and northern Germany, AFNORTH secured and monitored the northern part of the Alliance against any possible attack. Its role was indispensable- not only did it ensure the land and air security of the strategic area close to the Russian border, but it also guarded sea routes in the Baltic and the Barents Sea that Soviet ships and submarines would have to use to reach the Atlantic.

Against the backdrop of daily lives in cities and towns such as Ålborg, Bergen, Holstein or Tromsø, the film uncovers stories of those who helped to maintain a strong defence system in Western Europe. Danish, Norwegian and West German air, land and maritime contingents are shown training and participating in a multinational exercise of the Allied Command Europe (ACE) Mobile Force in Norway with Canadian, Dutch, Italian, UK and US troops. By presenting the responsibilities and motivation of individual officers from different Allied countries, the documentary demonstrates the level of interdependence and trust that prevailed between Allied citizens at AFNORTH.

Discover the untold stories of NATO. from its birth onwards on: http://bit.ly/NATOdeclassified

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Thumbnail photo by Daniel Tonks on Unsplash

🏷 aalborg tromso afnorth nato sir john anthony quayle northern command bergen norway

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