After three years under the direction of Udo Francke, the air landing / air transport school in Altenstadt has a new commander: Martin Holle was ceremoniously introduced to the new office at the handover appeal on Thursday afternoon.
Altenstadt -
All those involved were happy that a relatively normal event was possible again for the change of command - the only restriction, not singing the paratrooper song “Red shines the sun” because of the aerosol exposure, was bearable. For one it was even a special first: Wolfgang Taffertshofer, Vice District Administrator for one and a half years, was there for the first time as the official representative of the district and was visibly nervous, but performed his tasks such as pacing the front with confidence.
It was a relaxed mood in dream weather when the honor formation marched in to the sounds of the Heeresmusikkorps Ulm.
Francke (46) deliberately did not want to give a summary in his farewell speech, but above all to say thank you "for the support that the airborne / air transport school and I have received since the day I took over on September 20: It was simply terrific." Elegant In the words of thanks he packed important elements, starting with the redesign of the entire training landscape in the field of military free-fall jumping, the finalization of the training concept and the streamlining of the entire training building.
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The new commander Lieutenant Colonel Martin Holle receives the troop flag from Colonel Stefan Leonhard from the Hammelburg Infantry School.
© Hans-Helmut Herold
Corona made the past difficult - but there was no outbreak
"The last three years have been ups and downs," said Francke, of course with regard to Corona - parachute training is difficult to do with distance requirements and mouth and nose covering.
"That is why it was important to quickly find a way to make our training courses again plannable, orderly, as safe as possible and to meet requirements," says Francke.
That succeeded, one did not have to accept an outbreak.
He did not mention the soldiers' vaccination campaign, which had caused a political stir.
“It was a great honor for me to have been responsible for running the school for the past three years.
You made this part of my life an unforgettable time ”, concluded Francke and after two parachutists with Germany and Bavaria flags landed and an M-28 aircraft had flown low over the roll call area, he was brought with a small tank "Wiesel" practically driven out of office.
Udo Francke received the badge of honor from the infantry school
Colonel Stefan Leonhard, site elder from the superordinate Infantry School Hammelburg, sang a true hymn of praise for Francke in his speech.
He “exceeded expectations” and mentioned, among other things, the certification as a training center that is unique in Europe, the training concept for vertical transport and of course the new asphalt runway, “with which our army airfield, the lifeline of training, will also be ensured for the future became".
Francke has supervised more than 40 projects in the three years, "he is the type of leader who is good for our armed forces".
That is why Leonhard also awarded him the badge of honor of the Infantry School and wished him every success in his new position as a consultant in the Ministry of Defense in Berlin.
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Premiere for the Vice District Administrator: Wolfgang Taffertshofer walking down the front with the outgoing Commander Udo Francke and Colonel Stefan Leonhard.
© Hans-Helmut Herold
The previous commander goes to Berlin - the new one comes from there
The previous commander is going to Berlin, the new one is from there - Martin Holle has been a consultant in the ministry up to now and has a lot of international experience: The 40-year-old was a department head in the military committee of NATO and the EU in Brussels and was involved in a "Command and Staff" - Took part in the US Marine Corps course at Quantico. “That was a tough year,” says Holle, who was also praised by Leonhard for his 303 days in Afghanistan (2010 and 2020), during which he was awarded the combat medal. “Continue to write the success story of the school”, demanded Leonhard, who knew: “I set the bar high, but you can take it. I'm curious to see what accents you will set. "
Now Holle, married and the father of two children (7 and 5), has to arrive first, although he knows Altenstadt from many courses - every paratrooper has been here at some point.
“At least I'm closer to home now,” says Holle and laughs - he comes from Saarland, where his family also lives.
"It's only half as far from here as from Berlin."
