Encyclopedia
The
German Army is the land component of the
Bundeswehr is the armed forces [i] of Germany [i] and its administration. ...
of the
Federal Republic of Germany. Traditionally, the German military forces have been composed of the Army, the
Navy, and after the First World War, the
Air Force. The
Heer was re-formed in the 1950s as the West German Army as part of the
Bundeswehr. In October 1990, upon the
reunification of Germany, the
East German army, the
National People's Army , was integrated into the now unified force.
History
Overview
Since Germany first became a modern unified state in 1871, previous names of German military forces have included:
- 1919–1935 Reichswehr consisting of the Reichsheer and the Reichsmarine ;
- 1935–1945 Wehrmacht consisting of the Heer , Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy [i] between 1935 [i] and 1945 [i], during the Nazi [i] ...
, and Luftwaffe ; - West Germany
- 1955–October 1990 Bundeswehr consisting of the Heer, Bundesmarine and Luftwaffe;
- East Germany
- 1956–October 1990 Nationale Volksarmee , consisting of the Landstreitkräfte , Grenztruppen der DDR , Luftstreitkräfte / Luftverteidigung and the Volksmarine .
- October 1990–present Bundeswehr: Heer, Bundesmarine and Luftwaffe.
Pre-1914
Following the defeat of
Napoleon at the
Battle of Waterloo the
Prussian Kingdom had years of military successes in the
19th and
20th centuries. Every able bodied man between the ages of 17 and 45 was liable for military service. There were 4 classes of service; Active , Reserve, Landwehr and Landsturm. The
Landwehr and
Landsturm were only called up at times of war. The basic unit of the army at this time was the Regiment. Regiments were typically raised and supported by a specific city or region. Each regiment was then stationed near its home city. The Reserve regiment was often made up of past members of the local regiment. The
Landwehr and
Landsturm units were also organized the same way. An individual could spend all 22 years of military service surrounded by their friends and family. This created close ties within regiments, however, because of this system, the entire population of young men from a city or region could be wiped out in one battle.
World War I 1914-1918
The German army that fought in
World War I was not in fact a single, unitary army. The four German kingdoms that existed prior to the unification of Germany in January 1871,
Bavaria,
Prussia,
Saxony and
Württemberg, each retained their own army upon unification. Prussia had the largest army of the four. After the unification and the formation of the
German Empire, the Prussian army became the nucleus of the Imperial German army . By 1914 the German army fielded 50 active divisions and by 1918 over 250 divisions. The term
"German army" did not come into being until the signing of the
Treaty of Versailles in 1919.
Reichswehr 1918-1935
Following the end of
WWI and the collapse of the
German Empire most of the German army was demobilized or simply dissolved. Many former soldiers drifted into small armed groups known as Freikorps. The
Freikorps were generally groups of 100 men or fewer that protected a neighbourhood or town. On March 6th, 1919 an army known as the
Vorläufige Reichswehr was formed with about 400,000 men, many drawn form the
Freikorps. Then, in September 30, 1919 the
Übergangsheer was created from the Defence Force and the
Freikorps. Finally, on January 1, 1921 the 100,000 man
Reichswehr was formed with 7 Infantry Divisions and 3 Cavalry Divisions. It was the
Reichswehr who crushed
Adolf Hitler's Beer Hall Putsch in Munich in November 1923.
Wehrmacht 1935-1945
Under the Treaty of Versailles, the
Reichswehr was only allowed 100,000 men split between the Army and the
Navy. In 1933 the
Nazi party came to power and began to abrogate the treaty. The Army was made part of the
Wehrmacht in May 1935 with the passing of the "Law for the Reconstruction of the National Defence Forces". The
Wehrmacht included not just the Army and Navy but also a third branch known as the
Luftwaffe. Initially, the Army was expanded to 21 divisional-sized units and smaller formations. Between 1935 and 1945 this force grew to consist of hundreds of divisions and thousands of smaller supporting units. Between 1939 and 1945 close to 13 million served in the Army. Over 1.6 million were
killed and over 4.1 million were wounded. Of the 7361 men awarded the initial grade of the highest German combat honour of WWII, the
Knight's Cross, 4777 were from the Army, making up 65% of the total awarded. The German Army was implicated in widespread war crimes including assisting in the genocide of European Jewry during the
The Holocaust. The Allies dissolved the German Army on 20 August 1946.
Current Army
The Bundeswehr Heer was reformed in the 1950s as the Army of West Germany until 1990, and East and West Germany after. The army of
East Germany was called the Landstreitkräfte, part of
Nationale Volksarmee.
Structure
The German Army is commanded by the Chief of Army Staff in the Federal Ministry of Defence in
Berlin and
Bonn. The major commands are the German Army Command in
Koblenz and the German Army Office in
Cologne.
German Army Command
The German Army Command in
Koblenz leads all combat units . It is command by a general-lieutenant.
- Franco-German Brigade
- HQ Company [mixed]
- Armoured Engineer Company 550
- Light Armoured Regiment [F]
- Light Infantry Battalion 292
- Infantry Regiment [F]
- Artillery Battalion 295
- Support Battalion
- 1st Panzerdivision
- HQ Company
- Army Band 1
- Signal Regiment 1
- Armoured Reconnaissance Battalion 3
- Artillery Regiment 100
- Artillery Reconnaissance Battalion 131
- Artillery Rocket Battalion 132
- Light Air Defence Battery 610
- Air Defence Regiment 6
- Engineer Regiment 1
- Heavy Engineer Battalion 130
- Armoured Engineer Battalion 1
- Light NBC Company 610
- NBC Battalion 7
- Logistic Battalion 3
- Panzergrenadierbrigade 1
- Panzergrenadier 421
- Panzergrenadier 803
- Tank Training Brigade 9
- HQ Company
- Armoured Reconnaissance Company 90
- Armoured Engineer Company 90
- Armoured Battalion 33
- Armoured Battalion 93
- Mechanized Infantry Battalion 92
- Self Propelled Artillery Battalion 325
- Logistic Battalion 141
- Armoured Brigade 21
- HQ Company
- Armored Reconaissance Company 210
- Armoured Engineer Company 200
- Armoured Battalion 203
- Mechanized Infantry Battalion 212
- Self Propelled Artillery Battalion 215
- Logistic Battalion 7
- 10th Panzerdivision
- HQ Company
- Army Band 2
- Panzergrenadierbrigade 30
- Armoured Brigade 12
- HQ Company
- Signal Battalion 4
- Armoured Recconnaissance Battalion 8
- Armoured Battalion 104
- Mechanized Infantry Battalion 112
- Mechanized Infantry Battalion 122
- Engineer Battalion 4
- Logistics Battalion 4
- Mountain Brigade 23
- HQ Company
- Mountain Signal Battalion 210
- Mountain Reconnaissance Battalion 210
- Mountain Infantry Battalion 231
- Mountain Infantry Battalion 232
- Mountain Infantry Battalion 233
- Mountain Engineer Battalion 8
- Mountain Logistic Battalion 8
- Division for special operations
- HQ Company
- Army Band 300
- Airborne Signal Battalion
- Longe Range Reconaissance Company 200
- Light Air Defence Battery 100
- Airborne Brigade 26
- HQ Company
- Airborne Reconnaissance Company 260
- Airborne Engineer Company 260
- Parachute Infantry Battalion 261
- Parachute Infantry Battalion 263
- Air-Assault Support Battalion 262
- Airborne Brigade 31
- HQ Company
- Airborne Reconnaissance Company 310
- Airborne Engineer Company 270
- Parachute Infantry Battalion 313
- Parachute Infantry Battalion 373
- Airborne Support Battalion 272
- Special Forces Command
- HQ and Signal Company
- 1st Commando Company
- 2nd Commando Company
- 3rd Commando Company
- 4th Commando Company
- Support Company
- Training and Research Company
- Division airmobile Operations
- HQ Company
- Army Band 12
- Signal Bataillon
- medium Aviation Regiment 15
- medium Aviation Regiment 26
- light Aviation Regiment 30
- Air Assault Brigade 1
- HQ Company
- Aviation Reconnaissance Squadron 100
- Aviation Support Squadron 1
- Aviation Mechanic Squadron 1
- Light Infantry Regiment 1
- Attack Helicopter Regiment 26
- Attack Helicopter Regiment 36
- Light Aviation Regiment 10
- Army Support Brigade
- HQ Company
- Light Air Defence Battery 300
- Light NBC Company 120
- Artillery Reconnaissance Regiment 345
- Air Defence Battalion 12
- NBC Regiment 750
- 13th Panzergrenadierdivision
- HQ Company
- Army Band 10
- Mechanized Infantry Brigade 37
- HQ Company
- Signal Battalion 701
- Armoured Reconnaissance Battalion 13
- Armoured Battalion 303
- Mountain Infantry Battalion 571
- Mechanized Infantry Battalion 371
- Mechanized Infantry Battalion 391
- Engineer Battalion 701
- Logistic Battalion 131
- Mechanized Infantry Brigade 41
- HQ Company
- Signal Battalion 801
- Armoured Reconnaissance Battalion 6
- Armoured Battalion 413
- Mechanized Infantry Battalion 401
- Mechanized Infantry Battalion 411
- Engineer Battalion 803
- Logistic Battalion 142
- Forces Headquarters
- HQ Company
- Signal Battalion 200
- I. German/Neederlandish Corps
- HQ Company
- Signal Battalion
- HQ Support Battalion
- EuroCorps
- HQ Company
- Corps Support Brigade
- Signal Battalion
- HQ Support Battalion
- Multinational Corps North-East
- HQ Company
- Signal Battalion
German Army Office
The German Army Office in
Cologne is responsible for administration, education, training and logistic of the German Army. It is commanded by a general-lieutenant or a general-major.
- Schools & training centers:
- German Army Officer Academy
- Petty Officer School
- Army Technical School
- Army School of the armoured corps
- Infantry School
- Airborne Training Center
- Mountain Combat Training Center
- Training Center for special operations
- Artillery School
- Army School for air defence
- Helicopter Training Center
- Engineer School
- Army Combat Training Center
- Combat Simulation Center
- Army Tactic Center
- UN-Training Center
- Logistic units:
Kinds of troops
In the German Army, unlike in the armies of its neighbours , there are no individual regiments. Instead, individual
battalions of infantry, armour, artillery etc are given unique numbers.
The German Army distinguishes 11 different types of troops, known as
Truppengattungen. Each corps is responsible for education and training of their units, mostly by their own schools or training centers.
Signal Corps
Units of the signal corps are responsible for communication, strategic reconnaissance and electronic warfare. Most units of the signal corps belong to the Joint Support Center .
| Signal Units |
|---|
| Stabs- und Fernmeldebataillon 4 |
| Stabs- und Fernmeldebataillon 200 |
| Gebirgsfernmeldebataillon 210 |
| Stabs- und Fernmeldebataillon 701 |
| Stabs- und Fernmeldebataillon 801 |
| Stabs- und Fernmelderegiment 1 |
| Führungsunterstützungsbataillon DLO |
| Luftlandefernmeldebataillon DSO |
Army Reconnaissance Corps
During the Army Transformation the armoured reconnaissance corps gets the new name
Heeresaufklärungstruppen. The reason is that the original task of the armoured reconnaissance corps has changed. Today they need for example drones of the artillery or specialists from military intelligence units.
| Reconnaissance Troops |
|---|
| Aufklärungskompanie 90 |
| Aufklärungskompanie 210 |
| Luftlandeaufklärungskompanie 260 |
| Luftlandeaufklärungskompanie 310 |
| Fernspählehrkompanie 200 |
| Aufklärungsbataillon 3 |
| Aufklärungsbataillon 6 |
| Aufklärungsbataillon 8 |
| Aufklärungsbataillon 13 |
| Gebirgsaufklärungsbataillon 230 |
The army reconnaissance corps is equipped with Fennek, Luchs, Wiesel 1, the drone reconnaissance system KZO, ALADIN and LunaX, the radar system BÜR , Fuchs and Dingo.
A typical reconnaissance battalion is structured in a HQ & support company, two or three armoured reconnaissance companies, a drone reconnaissance company and a separate military intelligence platoon.
Armoured Corps
The German Army armoured corps are armored units , equipped with main battle tanks, and mechanized units .
| Armoured Troops | Mechanzied Troops |
|---|
| Panzerbatallion 33 | Panzergrenadierbataillon 92 |
| Panzerbataillon 92 | Panzergrenadierbataillon 112 |
| Panzerbatallion 104 | Panzergrenadierbataillon 122 |
| Panzerbataillon 203 | Panzergrenadierbataillon 212 |
| Panzerbatallion 303 | Panzergrenadierbataillon 371 |
| Panzerbataillon 413 | Panzergrenadierbataillon 391 |
| | Panzergrenadierbataillon 401 |
| | Panzergrenadierbataillon 411 |
A typical armoured battalion consists of a HQ & support company and three Tank companies . The new mechanized battalion consists of a HQ & support company and three mechanized companies . Formerly there was a fifth company with mortars or/and anti-tank units.
Infantry Corps
Within the German Army, there are three types of infantry:
- Jäger - Light Infantry / Rangers
- Gebirgsjäger - Mountain Infantry
- Fallschirmjäger - Paratroops
| Paratroops | Mountain Infantery | Light Infantry |
|---|
| Fallschirmjägerbatallion 261 | Gebirgsjägerbataillon 231 | Jägerbatallion 292 |
| Fallschirmjägerbatallion 263 | Gebirgsjägerbataillon 232 | Jägerregiment 1 |
| Fallschirmjägerbatallion 313 | Gebirgsjägerbataillon 233 | |
| Fallschirmjägerbatallion 373 | Gebirgsjägerbataillon 571 | |
A typical infantry battalion is structured in a HQ & support company, three light infantry companies and an indirect fire support company Then you find specialised Infantry Platoons like a ski and a mountain ranger platoon of the mountain infantery, a HALO platoon of the paratroops or K9 dog platoon are found in the HQ & support company .
Special Forces
Through the Army Transformation the special forces division DSO was formed. Soldiers of the Special Forces Command , formerly belonging to the infantry, today have their own corps.
Artillery Corps
The majority of artillery corps within the German Army are
Panzerartillerie . After the Army Transformation the German Army will only have six artillery units. The German Army needs for e.g. Peacekeeping no artillery, so the new artillery corps is really smaller, but the units are bigger and stronger.
- Two armoured artillery battalions in the two brigades of the 1st Armoured Division with a HQ & support battery and three armoured artillery batteries .
- An artillery regiment with HQ Battery in the division troops of the 1st Armoured Division with:
- An artillery reconnaissance battalion with a HQ & support battery, an artillery reconnaissance battery, a drone reconnaissance battery and two armoured artillery batteries .
- An artillery rocket battalion with a HQ & support battery and four artillery rocket batteries .
- A mixed artillery battalion of the Franco-German-Brigade with a HQ & support battery with artillery reconaissance elements, two armoured artillery batteries and an artillery rocket battery .
- An artillery reconnaissance regiment with a HQ & support battery, an artillery reconnaissance battery, a drone reconnaissance battery and three armoured artillery batteries .
Air Defence Corps
The air defence corps is in the German Army not part of the artillery corps. After the Army Transformation the German Army has five air defence units:
- Three light Air Defence Batteries of the 1st Armoured Division, the Division for special operations and the Army Troop Brigade , equipped with 19 Wiesel 2.
- A mixed air defence regiment of the 1st Armoured Division, equipped with Gepard and ROLAND.
- An air defence battalion of the Army Troop Command, equipped with Gepard.
Army Aviators Corps
The
army air corps contains all helicopter units of the German Army, which are mostly organized in regiments. There are three types of helicopter regiments: the attack helicopter regiment , the light transport helicopter regiment and the transport helicopter regiment . The German Air Forces and the German Navy also have their own transport helicopter units.
| helicopter units |
|---|
| Heeresfliegeraufklärungsstaffel 100 |
| Heeresfliegerunterstützungsstaffel 1 |
| Heeresfliegerinstandsetzungsstaffel 1 |
| Transporthubschrauberregiment 10 |
| Transporthubschrauberregiment 15 |
| Kampfhubschrauberregiment 26 |
| Transporthubschrauberregiment 26 |
| Transporthubschrauberregiment 30 |
| Kampfhubschrauberregiment 36 |
A helicopter regiment is normally structured in a HQ squadron, a support squadron, a flying group , with three squadrons, and a mechanic group , with four squadrons. Each regiment is mostly equipped with up to 40 helicopters.
Engineer Corps
The engineer corps support all units in their mobility. The engineer corps has many faces: the engineer units , the armoured engineer units , the airborne engineer units , the mountain enigneer and other units.
Special engineers do not belong to the engineer corps of
Heer - they belong to the Joint Support Command . They are responsible for repairing runway or pipelines or they build field camps.
The engineer corps becomes in the new army structure bigger and more effective.
| Panzerpioniere | Luftlandepioniere | Gebirgspioniere | Pioniere |
|---|
| Panzerpionierkompanie 92 | Luftlandepionierkompanie 260 | Gebirgspionierbataillon 8 | schweres Pionierbataillon 130 |
| Panzerpionierkompanie 203 | Luftlandepionierkompanie 270 | | |
| Panzerpionierkompanie 550 | | | |
| Panzerpionierbataillon 8 | | | |
| Panzerpionierbataillon 4 | | | |
| Panzerpionierbataillon 701 | | | |
| Panzerpionierbataillon 803 | | | |
|
- An armoured engineer battalion consists of a HQ & support company and three armoured engineer companies.
- The mountain engineer battalion consists of a HQ & support company, two mountain engineer companies and a mountain engineer machine company.
- A heavy engineer battalion consists of a HQ & support company, two amphibious or bridge companies and two engineer machine companies.
NBC Corps
The NBC corps is responsible to decontaminate people, vehicles and other material. They also search for nuclear, bacterial or chemical sources. These research squads are equipped with the NBC Fox , which will be replaced by the MRAV Boxer.
| NBC units |
|---|
| leichte ABC-Abwehrkompanie 110 |
| leichte ABC-Abwehrkompanie 120 |
| ABC-Abwehrbataillon 7 |
| ABC-Abwehrregiment 750 |
Army Logistic Corps
The logistic corps of the German Army support the combat units. The German Army logistic corps is the result of the fusion of the corps of maintenance troops und the corps of supply troops . The logistic units, mostly logistic battalions have many tasks: transportation, maintenance/repairing of vehicles, weapons and other material, supply of material, cooking meals for troops, etc.
| Logistic Troops |
|---|
| Versorgungsbataillon D/F Brigade |
| Logistikbataillon 3 |
| Logistikbataillon 4 |
| Logistikbataillon 7 |
| Logistikbataillon 141 |
| Logistikbataillon 131 |
| Logistikbataillon 142 |
| Luftlandeunterstützungsbataillon 262 |
| Luftlandeunterstützungsbataillon 272 |
| Logistikbataillon |
A typical logistic battalion of the German Army consists of a HQ & support company, two light maintenance companies and two supply/transport companies.
Weapons
Light Weapons
...
- 4.6 mm x 30
submachine gun replacing the MP2
Reconnaissance Systems
- Fennek , replacing the Luchs
- Luchs A2 , being phased out
- LunaX
- KZO
- ALADIN
- RASIT , being phased out
- BÜR , replacing RASIT and ABRA
Combat vehicles
- Leopard 2
- A4, being phased out
- A5
- A6
- Marder 1 A3/A5 , being phased out
- Puma , replace the Marder in the Panzergrenadiertruppe
- Wiesel 1/2
- as a reconnaissance vehicle for the airborne troops
- with machine gun 20 mm
- with TOW
- with mortar 120 mm
- as a radar vehicle for the light air defence system
- as a command vehicle for the LeFlaSys
- as an engineer reconnaissance vehicle
- with Stinger equipped for the LeFlaSys
- as a medical vehicle for the airborne troops
- M113 A2 , being phased out
- Boxer , replace M113 and Fuchs
- Dingo 1/2
- DURO 3
- Mungo
- Fuchs 1/2
Artillery
Air Defence Systems
...
1 A2
- ROLAND , being phased out until 2007
- LeFlaSys , based on Wiesel 2
- LÜR , being phased out
Engineer Equipment
- Dachs
- Büffel
- Biber
- Panzerschnellbrücke 2 , replacing the Biber
- Scorpion
- Keiler
- M3
- Medium Girder Bridge
- Faltschnellbrücke
- Schwimmschnellbrücke
- Pontoon bridge
- Faltstraßensystem
Helicopters
Logistic Equipment
- SLT 50-3 Elefant
- Berge- und Kranfahrzeug, BKF 30.40
Non-combat vehicles
- Mercedes-Benz 250 GD "Wolf"
- LKW 2t mil gl, 4x4
- LKW 5t mil gl, 4x4
- LKW 5t tmil, 4x4
- LKW 7t mil gl, 6x6
- LKW 7t tmil, 6x6
- LKW 10t mil gl, 8x8
- LKW 15t mil gl, 8x8
- LKW 15t mil gl MULTI, 8x8
Reference
- Wheeler-Bennett, Sir John The Nemesis of Power: German Army in Politics, 1918-1945 New York: Palgrave Macmillan Publishing Company, 2005.
See also
External links
-
-
-
-
-
- - Color photographs of German infantry during WWII
- - German Mountain Troops
