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Bundeswehr shows what Germany sent Lithuania to defend

2023-04-09T06:52:17.950Z


The Bundeswehr protects NATO's eastern flank in Lithuania. In an ARD report, the enhanced forward battlegroup shows tanks and artillery that are not only intended to deter Alexander Lukashenko.


The Bundeswehr protects NATO's eastern flank in Lithuania.

In an ARD report, the enhanced forward battlegroup shows tanks and artillery that are not only intended to deter Alexander Lukashenko.

Munich/Rukla - The task of the enhanced forward battlegroup Lithuania is already anchored in the name.

It is a combat troops association that is required in the Baltic States "if things should go wrong", as the Bundeswehr jargon puts it.

The same Bundeswehr is in charge of the multinational combat squad from six nations with 1,800 soldiers.

Lithuania: Bundeswehr is on NATO's eastern flank to Belarus and Kaliningrad

They are on NATO's eastern flank in Lithuania (population around 2.8 million) on the 679-kilometer border with Belarus.

The regime of Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk is known to be a partner of Russia's ruler Vladimir Putin, who started the Ukraine war more than a year ago.

In the southwest, the Baltic state has a 266-kilometer border with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, the former East Prussian city of Königsberg.

Moscow's Baltic Fleet is stationed here.

According to reports, the Bundeswehr and NATO partners also registered increased activities there when the Russian attack on Ukraine began.

There were nervous days around February 24, 2022. Now, in an ARD report, the Bundeswehr and NATO colleagues have shown the Russian and Belarusian troops on the other side of the borders what kind of military equipment they have deployed to protect the small country .

In the video: Leopard 2 - one of the most modern main battle tanks in the world

In the TV documentary “Can we make war?

- Bundeswehr in der Zeitenwende", which can be accessed in the ARD media library, the association, which was in action until February, lined up for a kind of final photo after a few months before the regular rotation.

On it you can see: heavy tank howitzers 2000 and massive Leopard 2 main battle tanks of the German Bundeswehr, quite modern CV 90 infantry fighting vehicles of the Dutch and Norwegians as well as Patria wheeled infantry fighting vehicles of the Czechs.

They have now been replaced by Croatians with the same infantry fighting vehicle.

NATO battle group in Lithuania: Germans, Dutch, Norwegians, Croats, Belgians and Luxembourg represented

The task force is completed by a Belgian supply company and around two dozen soldiers from Luxembourg, who are also responsible for military reconnaissance at the borders.

Fuchs transport tanks can also be seen on the video frequency, which, in addition to heavy artillery and the only main battle tanks in the formation, are apparently provided by the Bundeswehr.

What is striking is that there is a lot, but not really a lot of heavy military equipment - for the protection of more than 900 kilometers of borders.

If the alliance were to occur in the event of an attack on national territory, the NATO combat force would be subordinated to a Lithuanian brigade (up to 4,500 soldiers), which, according to the Global Firepower Index, does not have a single main battle tank of its own.

According to this, the Lithuanian armed forces have at least 75 artillery pieces, but among them there is not a single rocket launcher that would be comparable to the American HIMARS system or the German MARS batteries.

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Lined up for the team photo: NATO's enhanced forward battlegroup Lithuania under the command of the Bundeswehr.

© Screenshot ARD Mediathek

NATO battle group in Lithuania: Bundeswehr provides "Leos" and Panzerhaubitze 2000

As ZDF recently reported, the Bundeswehr has stationed eight “Leos” at the Rukla location in Lithuania.

This number of main battle tanks can also be seen in the final photo of the twelfth rotation, which must date from February 2023, when Colonel André Hastenrath was Colonel

Wolfgang Schmidt gave command of the German contingent in the Battlegroup.

The entire multinational task force reports to the German Lieutenant Colonel Marco Maulbecker.

With my companies I am ready to march within a few hours.

Bundeswehr Lieutenant Colonel Marco Maulbecker in the ARD

Four large tank howitzers 2000 from Germany can also be seen.

Is that enough to ward off a possible attack?

According to the ARD report, for example, German soldiers have to gather their material from other Bundeswehr troops at home.

"The Battlegroup is fed from Panzerbrigade 21," says Maulbecker and does not deny this.

Nevertheless, Maulbecker confirms on ARD: “Our job is to be ready for action.

And with my companies I am ready to march within a few hours.

In this respect we are prepared for everything."

(pm)

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2023-04-09

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