Have you ever wondered what the "Y" on the license plate of Bundeswehr vehicles stands for? We'll tell you what is special about it.
Anyone who is traveling on the motorway or living near military bases has already seen them: vehicles with a Y license plate. These are mounted on vehicles of the German Bundeswehr, but what does the "Y" stand for? We'll explain it to you.
Rumors about the "Y" on license plates
An explanation that haunts the vastness of the Internet: the Y mark stands for the last letter in the word "Germany". But that is utter nonsense . The reason is much more banal.
That's what the "Y" really stands for in Bundeswehr vehicles
For the many vehicles of the Bundeswehr, a suitable letter was needed for the license plate in the year 1955 . However, all possible combinations such as BW had already been taken.
And so the Bundeswehr switched to the letter "Y". Because no larger German city starts with this. Thus the "Y" was free for the military vehicles . The "X" was also available, but Brigadier General Kurt Vogel decided against it. The "X" is now used by NATO vehicles.
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Y mark: This is what the license plate has
Not only the "Y", but also the German flag on the left edge is characteristic of the Bundeswehr license plate. Otherwise, the European flag with country code can be found on civilian vehicles. The "Y" is followed by the stamp of the Bundeswehr Center for Automotive Engineering and a number of up to six digits.
If you come across a Bundeswehr vehicle with a Y license plate, you might notice a little something or not. Because the military marks do not reflect and they should not. This means that enemy forces cannot easily discover the vehicles.
Y marks are assigned arbitrarily. That means there is no system behind it that shows which vehicle type or troop is behind the license plate . This also means that the base to which the vehicle belongs cannot be determined.
Read here what H-plates mean and which cars they get.
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Y mark: vehicles do not have to go to TÜV
Although vehicles with a Y-number plate can participate in normal road traffic, the number plates do not have an inspection sticker. Instead, the vehicles are subjected to an internal monitoring by Bundeswehr personnel. This is based on the road traffic regulations.
The special Bundeswehr license plate : What does the "X" in the license plate of Bundeswehr vehicles mean?
The number plates are tamper-proof to prevent misuse of Y-plates. For this purpose, the seal of the Bundeswehr registration office is branded on the front of the Y-plate. The Bundeswehr seal is also stamped on the back of the military license plates.
Find out here what the number codes on diplomatic plates mean.
Bundeswehr vehicles do not require car insurance. The Bundeswehr is liable for accidents involving military vehicles on the road. If a driver of a Bundeswehr vehicle violates applicable regulations, this will be reported to the responsible military administration . The offense is regulated internally and may result in disciplinary sanctions.
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