German armed forces. What kind of army does Germany have? Army of Germany: number, equipment, weapons. Military operations carried out by Germany abroad

Modern Germany It was formed on October 3, 1990 as a result of the unification of two German states on the basis of the Treaty on the final settlement with respect to Germany of September 12, 1990, as well as the unification agreement between the GDR and the FRG. The area of ​​the country is 357,022 km2. In administrative-territorial terms, Germany consists of 16 federal states. The total population of the country is about 82.16 million people, of which 51.1 percent. - men. The capital of Germany is Berlin (more than 3.47 million inhabitants).

The military-political activity of the German leadership is focused on strengthening the country's leading position in Europe, strengthening its influence on world politics, as well as increasing its role in solving key problems of international security. Germany persistently strives for granting it the status of a permanent member of the UN Security Council, takes a broad part in the settlement of crisis situations in various regions of the world, including with the use of military force.

Having the largest armed forces (310 thousand people) among the Western European states, Germany considers the Bundeswehr as important tool realizing their foreign policy goals. The military-political leadership of the FRG is persistently striving to bring the Armed Forces in line with modern requirements. The reform of the Bundeswehr is carried out according to a ten-year program (2001-2010).

As part of the military reform, by 2006 the number of personnel of the Bundeswehr is planned to be reduced to 282 thousand people, and civil servants (by 2010) - from 120 thousand to 80 - 90 thousand people.

In accordance with the country's constitution supreme commander the armed forces are the Federal Chancellor, and the overall direction of them is the Minister of Defense (civilian), who is responsible for implementing the policy of the ruling party coalition in the field of defense and military development. Its working body is the Ministry of Defense (MO). The operational leadership of the Armed Forces is carried out by the inspector general of the Bundeswehr through the main headquarters.

The armed forces of Germany have a three-service structure (land, air force and naval forces). In 2001, the Joint Support Forces (OSF) and the Medical and Sanitary Service (MSS) were created as separate components within the Bundeswehr.

The ground forces, which, according to the annual publication of the London International Institute for Strategic Studies "Military balance-2001", 211.8 thousand military personnel, are headed by an inspector who exercises control over them through the main headquarters. The ground forces are one of the main branches of the Bundeswehr. In accordance with the modernization program, by July 1, 2001, the national army corps, the 1st mountain infantry and 5th tank divisions were disbanded and two divisions were created - airmobile and special operations, as well as the command of the military branches, including combat and logistics support formations. All division headquarters were reassigned directly to the operational command of the ground forces, and in October of the same year the military districts were transferred to the OSO with a reduction in their number from seven to four.

The ground forces are armed with 2,521 tanks, 2,073 field artillery pieces, MLRS and mortars, about 2,630 infantry fighting vehicles (APCs), 204 combat helicopters.

After the completion of the reform, motorized infantry and tank divisions it is planned to transform into five mechanized divisions. In total, the ground forces are planned to have: 23 brigades (nine deployed mechanized, two airborne, two logistic support, mountain infantry, air-mechanized, army aviation, artillery, engineering, air defense, radiation, chemical and bacteriological protection (RCBZ) and three mechanized reduced composition); special forces command; German component of the Franco-German brigade.

The transfer of logistic and medical units from the ground forces to the OSO is expected to begin in January 2004.

The Air Force (more than 70,550 servicemen) is headed by an inspector, who manages them through the main headquarters of the Air Force. The forces and means of the Air Force medical and sanitary service have been reassigned to the TsMSS since October 2001.

Currently, the Air Force has four aviation divisions, 22 squadrons of combat aircraft (eight fighter-bomber, four reconnaissance and electronic warfare, eight fighter air defense and two combat training), six squadrons of auxiliary aircraft, five helicopter squadrons and 15 anti-aircraft missile squadrons. squadron.

The Air Force is armed with: 434 combat aircraft, about 550 missile launchers, more than 260 anti-aircraft artillery guns, up to 100 auxiliary aircraft and 104 helicopters.

According to the plans of the German Ministry of Defense, in the future it will be reduced by 25 percent. the number of combat aviation formations, by 30 - anti-aircraft missile units, by 50 - radar formations and rear units.

The reform of the organizational and staffing structure of the operational command of the Air Force was to be completed by April 2002, and the commands of the Air Force "North" and "South" were supposed to be disbanded before October 2002.

The headquarters of the 1st aviation division was planned to be redeployed from Karlsruhe to Furstenfeldbrück until April 2002, and by December 2003, the 34th fighter-bomber squadron would be disbanded. The process of transferring warehouses and storage facilities from the Air Force to the OSO was scheduled to begin in January 2002.

The total strength of the Air Force is expected to be increased to 51,000 military personnel, which will make it possible to have in their composition: four divisions, including one reconnaissance, four fighter-bomber, three fighter squadrons and four air defense squadrons, four operational control areas and a battalion for covering objects; command of military transport aviation, including three squadrons of the military aviation aviation and the air group of transportation of the Ministry of Defense of Germany; Air Force Operations Command; two logistics regiments and an arms maintenance center.

The naval forces (26.05 thousand military personnel) include the fleet and the aviation of the Navy. Naval forces are managed by the Naval Inspector through Naval Headquarters. The operational command and central administration are subordinate to him.

Currently, the Navy has more than 50 warships, 30 combat boats, 80 auxiliary vessels, 65 combat aircraft, 40 helicopters.

In accordance with the plans of the German Ministry of Defense, total strength The Navy will be reduced to 20,000 servicemen, which will make it possible to have five flotillas in their composition: naval aviation, frigates, boats, minesweepers, and submarines. In addition, the structure of the German Navy will include five support commands and the Naval Control Systems Command.

It is also planned to reduce by 70 percent. personnel of the territorial waters protection unit and change their organizational and staffing structure. Since January 2001, the disbandment of the command of the naval base areas has begun, and since October, the process of transferring medical and sanitary units to the MSS began.

In January 2002, the transformation of the fleet command began, and from January 2007, it is planned to begin disbanding the naval supply schools.

The Joint Support Force is led by an inspector with the rank of Deputy Inspector General of the Bundeswehr. With the completion of the formation of the OSO, as the representative of the Ministry of Defense of Germany stated, it is planned to entrust them with the tasks of management, support and training. Among the most important functions of the new component of the Armed Forces are the following: operational control, centralized support, information processing, ensuring the defense of the national territory, and maintaining warehouses of central subordination.

The following were formed as the main command and control bodies within the OSO: the central command (since April 2001), the unified support command and the unified operational command (since July 2001). Since October 2001, from the ground forces, they have been transferred to the regional headquarters of defense, military police and training centers. It is also planned to transfer the central services of the Bundeswehr to the subordination of the joint support forces, and since the beginning of 2002, the formation of a control and support regiment, as well as a strategic (space) intelligence command, began as part of the OSO. In 2002-2003, it is planned to set up headquarters for logistic support regiments and battalions.

It is assumed that the OSO components will also become the Armed Forces Support Command with four subordinate commands of the military districts, the joint operational command and the strategic (space) intelligence command.

Such a centralization of functions, according to the Minister of Defense of the country, will make it possible to reduce about 8,000 positions in the formations of operational and logistic support of the Bundeswehr.

It is planned that the total number of OSO will reach 52 thousand people. The medical and sanitary service of the Bundeswehr is headed by an inspector, who in the future should have about 26.5 thousand military personnel at his disposal. The operational command of the MSS and four military districts are subordinated to the operational command of the medical and sanitary service. In April 2001, the formation of the central administration of the MSS began.

The military administration will include: the military administration service, four regional military administration departments (currently seven) with three representations, 74 garrison departments (124) and 81 district departments (83), four military administration schools and ten special schools (21).

The possibility of implementing the above plans is directly dependent on the problems of financing and manning the national armed forces, which, in connection with the active involvement of the FRG in the conduct of the international anti-terrorist operation and the peacekeeping operation in Afghanistan, have acquired particular relevance. After the September 11 terrorist attacks, Germany allocated 3,900 soldiers and officers to participate in it, 1,800 sailors were sent to the Horn of Africa, and about 1,500 Bundeswehr troops will operate directly in Afghanistan. In addition, there are currently 2,000 Bundeswehr troops in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and another 4,900 have been sent to the Serbian province of Kosovo. Germany plays a leading role in the peacekeeping operation in Macedonia, where it is represented by 570 troops.

The recruitment of the country's Armed Forces is carried out according to a mixed principle: due to the conscription for active service of those liable for military service on the basis of the law on universal military service. From January 1, 2001, the duration of military service has been reduced from 10 to 9 months, with the possibility of completing the last three months of service during several military training camps. If desired, a soldier can extend the term of service on a voluntary basis up to 23 months. Those who serve under a contract are given the right to conclude it for a period of two to 15 years. In addition, the Bundeswehr is equipped with regular military personnel.

In modern conditions, the Bundeswehr's need for personnel for recruiting special forces, military police, specialists from the RCBZ and the medical and sanitary service has significantly increased. This deficit arose against the backdrop of the presence in the Armed Forces of Germany of chronic problems in personnel and financial policy. In the troops, according to information Center Bundeswehr, a surplus of a number of categories of regular non-commissioned officers and specialist officers has formed, and until 2004 a shortage of officers - platoon commanders is predicted. More than 17 thousand positions of privates and sergeants are vacant. There is a significant shortage of specialists in such ranks as sergeant major and chief sergeant major, non-commissioned officer and staff non-commissioned officer. Of the entire draft contingent, only a third of those liable for military service can be called up to the armed forces. The number of draft evaders continues to grow (over 9,000 in 2001).

The state of health of conscripts has significantly worsened (about 20 percent are recognized as unfit for military service), the number of convicts and persons evading military duty for religious reasons is growing.

Attempts by the leadership of the Defense Ministry to raise the prestige of military service by increasing the financial allowance of military personnel did not find support from the Federal Chancellor G. Schroeder and Minister of Finance G. Aichel, since the Minister of Defense, according to reports mass media The Federal Republic of Germany has not yet been able to receive a significant planned profit from the program for the sale of property of the Bundeswehr, released during the military reform.

Preserving the principle of recruiting the Bundeswehr on the basis of universal conscription, simultaneously with recruitment on a contract basis, did not solve all personnel problems, which is due to a set of reasons, the main of which are: the development in NATO of an objective tendency to reduce the number of troops (forces) and transform them into professional armed forces; reducing the military budgets of the member states of the alliance with a simultaneous increase in the cost of maintaining military personnel; the decline in the prestige of military service in the Bundeswehr, due to the economic, social and demographic situation in Germany.

In connection with these circumstances, the Soyuz-90 / Greens coalition, which is part of the government, the leadership of the military-industrial complex, a number of representatives of the Cabinet of Ministers and deputies of the Bundestag from the SPD faction initiated a discussion in the media on the transition of the Bundeswehr to a professional recruitment principle. However, their initiatives provoked harsh criticism from supporters of universal conscription (Minister of Defense, Bundeswehr command, CDU/CSU leaders led by former minister defense of the country F. Ruhe), who substantiate their opinion in statements to the German and foreign media by the need to maintain the basis of NATO's mobilization deployment on the front lines of the alliance's zone of responsibility.

The leadership of the Ministry of Defense believes that it is enough to staff only the most combat-ready formations of the Bundeswehr with professionals. According to the Minister of Defense, the professionalization of the army will inevitably lead to a significant increase in the country's military spending in the long term. In his public speeches, he emphasizes the support of the majority of the German population (about 60 percent of the citizens of the FRG) for the preservation of universal military duty, which makes it possible to educate young people in the spirit of "national traditions and patriotism."

Supporters of the professionalization of the Armed Forces, on the contrary, justify their position by the absence of a real threat of large-scale global conflicts in modern conditions. In their opinion, the Bundeswehr is capable of responding to crisis situations with much smaller, but more professionally trained formations. This is primarily due to the fact that the FRG is covered from the East by the new NATO members - Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary. In addition, prerequisites are being created for expanding the "buffer zone" by preparing other countries for entry into the bloc. The current geostrategic position, according to the German Society for Security Policy, provides the FRG with a gain in time to prepare the necessary mobilization resources to complete the purely professional Armed Forces.

According to R. Schmidt, a member of the SPD faction, such a situation will become a decisive condition for reducing possible losses and the basis for the successful participation of German military personnel in the operations of the multinational forces.

The same position is taken by the "Greens", who proclaimed the rejection of universal military duty as one of the points of their election campaign program. According to studies conducted by experts from this coalition, only one in five of those liable for military service in Germany is in demand by the armed forces, and this ratio will increase every year, as a result of which the very concept of “universal military duty” will lose its meaning over time. In addition, supporters of the professionalization of the armed forces argue that voluntary service is more in line with the ideals of democracy than universal conscription.

The trend towards renunciation of universal military duty is gradually increasing. This is evidenced by the following facts: a reduction in the proportion of military conscripts and the duration of military service; a decrease in the volume of funding for the Bundeswehr with a simultaneous increase in the level of salaries of professional military personnel; further decline in the prestige of military service; complication of the recruitment process in the Armed Forces, due to the deterioration of the demographic situation in the country.

However, the military-political leadership of the FRG hopes, in difficult financial, economic and socio-demographic conditions, to implement the begun military reform and to keep the Bundeswehr in a leading position among the armed forces of Western European states.

Major G. Khansov

On January 2, 1956, 60 years ago, the first formations of the country's new regular army, the Bundeswehr, were created in Germany. Eleven years after the victory over the Nazi regime, West Germany again got the opportunity to have its own armed forces. In fact, preparations for their creation were carried out earlier, and the Ministry of Defense of the FRG began its work on June 7, 1955. In the same 1955, on November 12, 100 first volunteers of the emerging West German army took the oath. On January 2, 1956, the new armed forces of the FRG received the name "Bundeswehr" (Bundeswehr).

Demilitarization of Germany and plans to revive the army

As you know, after the defeat of Nazi Germany, the victorious powers decided to "demilitarize" Germany both in the eastern - Soviet, and in the western - American-Anglo-French, occupation zones. Even at the Potsdam Conference, a decision was made to demilitarize the country. German militarism was blamed for starting two world wars, for which reason Germany was no longer supposed to have its own armed forces. After 1945, under the control of the allied forces, only some units of the former navy Germany - they were engaged in mine clearance of ports and coastal waters and were completely deprived. Even after independent states appeared in 1949 - the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic, they were not supposed to have their own armed forces. However, a few years later, the recklessness of this decision became clear to the leadership Western countries and the Soviet leadership. After all, the changed geopolitical situation in Europe, the growing military-political confrontation between the USSR and its allies, on the one hand, and the United States and its allies, on the other, suggested the need to build a developed defense system for both parts of Germany. It is known that back in 1942, Winston Churchill, in a letter to the British government, proposed the creation of a "European Union" - an association of all the countries of Western and Eastern Europe, which, as he assumed, could become a defense against a likely threat from Soviet Union. However, it is natural that during the Second World War this proposal of Churchill was not advertised, and officially both the prime minister himself and other top leaders of England and France expressed respect and sympathy for the Soviet leadership. But after the end of World War II, plans to create a "pan-European army" received a new breath. This time they were used by supporters of the revival of the German army to hide their revanchist plans - after all, the all-European army, as it were, was not German, although it was clear to everyone that, if it was created, it was the German component that would play the leading role in it. Many West German politicians, including Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, actively supported plans to create a "European Defense Community" (EDC).

Konrad Adenauer (1876-1967) could hardly be called a revanchist and accused of sympathy for Hitlerism. After all, this politician, in 1917-1933. the former Mayor of Cologne, was in opposition to the Nazi regime, and in 1933 he refused to meet Hitler during a visit to Cologne and ordered the Nazi flags to be removed from the city. Adenauer was repeatedly arrested by the Gestapo, so it is not surprising that it was he, who headed the Christian Democratic Union of Germany, who in 1949 also took the post of Chancellor of the FRG. An unconditional supporter of Christian values, Adenauer opposed state interference in private and economic life. However, all the humanism of the chancellor ended when it came to relations with the USSR and the countries of the Soviet bloc. Adenauer was convinced that it was possible to use methods of forceful pressure against the communist state. For this reason, he did not object to the entry of the FRG into the NATO bloc and was one of the initiators of the revival of the German national armed forces that had begun. Although Adenauer officially opposed the participation of former members of the Nazi Party in the formation of the country's new armed forces, in reality, the Nazi past of most future generals and officers of the Bundeswehr was not given importance.

In 1950, a special commission was convened in West Germany, whose responsibility was to organize preparations for the creation of national armed forces. Theodor Blank (1905-1972) was appointed chairman of the commission. This German politician was one of the founders of the conservative Christian Democratic Union party, from which in 1949-1972, until his death, he was a deputy in the Bundestag. In 1950, it was Theodor Blank (pictured) who headed the department responsible for contacts with the command of the occupying forces in West Germany. This structure was called the "empty office" or "Blanc's office". In fact, it was she who was responsible for preparing for the creation of the national armed forces. In 1951, the first paramilitary structure appeared in Germany - the Federal Border Guard - Bundesgrenzschutz. It consisted of about 10 thousand employees and was a light police unit. Employees of the Bundesgrenzschutz were stationed on the territory of the former NSDAP sanatorium Prora, on the island of Rügen. With the creation of the Bundesgrenzschutz, the West German authorities responded to the emergence in East Germany of the militarized People's Barracks Police (Kasernierte Volkspolizei), which was a military unit responsible for maintaining public order and important public facilities. It is clear that the Bundesgrenzschutz could not be called armed forces, but it was the formation of the border service that laid the foundation for their creation.

On May 27, 1952, an agreement was signed in Paris on the establishment of the European Defense Community. Representatives of the United States, Great Britain, France and the FRG signed documents on the future fate of West Germany, including the "Treaty on Relations between the FRG and the Three Western Powers." A significant part of the agreements reached by the West German leadership was not advertised. In particular, they tried to keep secret everything that concerned the future of the defense system of West Germany. In 1954, a historical event- an agreement was signed, according to which the occupation regime was removed on the territory of Germany. The state sovereignty of Germany was proclaimed, which also implied the emergence of the possibility of creating its own armed forces, the presence of which was prohibited until 1954. Germany was admitted to the NATO bloc, and the development of the concept of building the armed forces of a new Germany began. The Paris Agreement also contained references to certain “special agreements” concluded at the time of the signing of the EOC agreement. In this regard, the leadership of the FRG was forced to confirm that as early as May 27, 1952, there was an agreement on determining the size of the future army of West Germany at 500 thousand people. The FRG refused “from the production of atomic, chemical and bacteriological weapons. At the same time, nothing was said about the fact that West Germany could not use atomic, chemical and bacteriological weapons, which would be provided to her by other states, for example, the United States. The United States and Great Britain actually “given the green light” to the creation of the West German army, although they officially preferred to hide their participation in the adoption of relevant decisions in every possible way. It was planned to create a pan-European army, which would include French, Italian, Belgian, Dutch, Luxembourgish and German troops. However, this project was never implemented - primarily due to doubts on the part of France. Paris was extremely afraid of the revival of the power of the German army, so it opposed any plans to "militarize" the FRG.

Campaign against "remilitarization"

It should be noted that the process of recreating the German army did not go smoothly. From the very beginning, the German left opposed the re-establishment of the army, believing that this would lead to the restoration of the political positions of the "military", among which the majority at that time were Wehrmacht veterans anyway. In addition, the leftists were convinced that the creation of the German army could "revive Nazism" - after all, revanchist sentiments in the Weimar Republic developed in parallel with the strengthening of the country's armed forces. Frankfurt am Main became the center of the anti-militarist movement in West Germany. The positions of the trade union movement were strong in this large industrial center, and the Social Democrats were active, sharply criticizing plans to create a new army. The protest movement involved "soldier's mothers" - the mothers and widows of German soldiers who died during the Second World War. “The one who organizes military blocs can talk as much as he likes about the need to reunite the country, but in fact he creates real obstacles on this path,” said the “German Manifesto”, adopted by opponents of the creation of armed forces at a meeting in Frankfurt an der Maine.

The German communists played an important role in countering the plans to recreate the German army. In 1951, the Communist Party of Germany organized a nationwide survey on the question of the remilitarization of the FRG. Naturally, the West German leadership officially banned this survey, but the people took it with great enthusiasm. By November 1951, 4.5 million signatures from residents of West Germany had been collected, and by April 1952, more than 9 million (9,119,667) residents of West Germany, West Berlin and the Saar region opposed the remilitarization of the FRG. As for the German Democratic Republic, here practically the entire adult population spoke out against the militarization of the FRG. However, the West German authorities were not going to listen to the opinion of their own population, especially since the American patrons demanded that they speed up the measures to create the armed forces. Therefore, Bonn did not stop at the use of open violence against opponents of the militarization of West Germany. Thus, on May 11, 1952, the German police dispersed a youth demonstration that was taking place in Essen. More than 20,000 young people took part in the rally of "peace caravans" - residents of West Germany, representing public and religious organizations. The police attacked the demonstration, and as a result of their actions, a young worker from Munich, Philipp Müller, was killed. 250 demonstrators were arrested. Thus, the West German authorities openly showed the whole world their readiness for the most extreme measures in the fight against the dissent of their own population. It should be noted that it was the mass youth movement against the remilitarization of Germany and the creation of the Bundeswehr that became the immediate predecessor of the many thousands of leftist student movements that swept Germany in the 1960s. It was then that the vector of confrontation between the leftists and the West German authorities was set, whose activities were defined as revanchist, and the representatives of the authorities themselves were openly accused of fascism (after all, among the West German establishment of the 1950s-1960s, officials and generals who began serving as early as Kaiser Germany and successfully made a career during the Nazi regime).

Creation of the Ministry of Defense and the Bundeswehr

Meanwhile, France opposed the ratification of the EOC treaty, which allowed the opponents of militarization to hope for the implementation of their plans to prevent the creation of the armed forces of the FRG. However, the German government, headed by Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, decided to create the armed forces, guided by the aggravation of the foreign policy situation and, first of all, the presence of the fact of the neighborhood with the "Warsaw bloc". In addition, the revival of the German army was part of the plans of the United States, which sought to create an effective counterbalance to the Soviet presence in Europe. The beginning of active work on the formation of the armed forces of West Germany was welcomed by conservative German politicians, who were accused of revanchism and neo-fascism in the Soviet and left German press. One of the most ardent supporters of the creation of the West German armed forces was Franz-Josef Strauss (1915-1988) - a Bavarian politician, leader of the Christian Social Union - a conservative party in Bavaria, which acted at the federal level in conjunction with the Christian Democratic Union - CDU / CSU. Like many of his peers, Strauss did not escape service in the Wehrmacht. In 1939 he, at that time a student at the University of Munich, was drafted into the army. He served in the artillery unit, but received leave to complete his studies at the university. In 1940 he received a non-commissioned officer rank, and in 1941, after graduating officer school, Strauss was sent as a platoon commander of an anti-aircraft artillery battery to the eastern front, participated in Battle of Stalingrad. However, even before the surrender of Paulus's army, he was sent to courses for battery commanders, but along the way, Strauss got frostbite on his legs, was hospitalized and never returned to the active army, serving as an instructor officer, and then as an officer for National Socialist education at the Air Defense School in Bavaria. After the end of the war, Strauss spent some time in a POW camp, but was later released because he did not commit war crimes. Strauss became an interpreter in the American military commandant's office and new employers soon promoted him to administrative work in the emerging West German government. He entered politics and quickly made a career in the Christian Social Union, in 1949 he became a member of the Bundestag, and in 1953 he was appointed federal minister of the Federal Republic of Germany for special assignments. In this position, he actively participated in the preparations for the creation of the national armed forces and in every possible way justified the need for this step, explaining it by the presence of a "threat from the East."

On June 7, 1955, the West German Ministry of Defense was created, and on June 8, Theodor Blank was appointed Minister of Defense. On November 12, 1955, Chancellor Konrad Adenauer welcomed the first hundred soldiers of the new Germany. In the city of Andernach, on the left bank of the Rhine, 500 km. from Bonn - the then capital of Germany, a solemn ceremony was held. The chancellor welcomed the first volunteers who decided to enter the military service. On January 2, 1956, the first training battalion of the new West German army was formed in Andernach. Thus began the Bundeswehr - one of the most combat-ready Western European armies in the post-war period. On October 16, 1956, Theodor Blank was replaced as Minister of Defense of the FRG by the same Franz-Josef Strauss, who remained in this position until 1962. Naturally, immediately after the creation of the Bundeswehr, a symmetrical response followed from the German Democratic Republic. On January 18, 1956, the creation of the National People's Army of the GDR was announced (we will talk about it in the corresponding article). Thus, both Germany entered into a military-political confrontation. If the NNA of the GDR was created with the active participation of the Soviet Union, then the United States played the main role in the formation of the Bundeswehr. At the same time, the Bundeswehr could not do without the involvement of professional soldiers who had previously served in the Wehrmacht. Moreover, in the mid-1950s. they were all still young people - almost any German man over 30 years old had then experience of service in the Wehrmacht or other power structures of the "Third Reich". Naturally, it was they who formed the backbone of the officer and non-commissioned officer corps of the emerging West German army. At the same time, until 1957, the rank and file of the Bundeswehr was recruited by hiring volunteers, and only after 1957 was a mandatory conscription for all male West German citizens. This moment also testified to the growing aggressiveness in foreign policy Germany. Indeed, by switching to the conscription recruitment system for the Bundeswehr, the West German government signed the need to prepare an impressive mobilization reserve for the armed forces, which in itself was necessary only in the event of a threat to the country's security or its own aggressive plans against its neighbors.

Heusinger and Speidel - the first generals of the Bundeswehr

It should be noted that even before the creation of the Bundeswehr, unions and associations of former soldiers, non-commissioned officers and officers of the Wehrmacht launched an active activity in West Germany. Strictly speaking, the situation developed according to the scenario of the Weimar Republic. Then, after the defeat of Germany in the First World War, it was in the ranks of the “unions of front-line soldiers” that revanchist sentiments ripened, military training of young people was carried out. In the post-war period, in fact, fraternities and unions of former Wehrmacht servicemen became the main base for the deployment of Bundeswehr units, the main personnel resource of the new West German army. Indeed, it was in these communities that it was possible to recruit a sufficient number of volunteers for officer, non-commissioned officers and ordinary positions in the formed parts of the Bundeswehr. Direct work on the formation of the Bundeswehr was headed by Adolf Heusinger (1897-1982) - a professional military man, just a representative of the classical German military elite. Heusinger served in the German army since the First World War - in 1915, at the age of 18, he entered the 96th Infantry Regiment as a fanenjunker (candidate for officers), then received the rank of lieutenant, was awarded the Iron Crosses of two degrees, visited in British captivity. After the First World War, he continued to serve in the Reichswehr, then in the Wehrmacht. Since 1937, Major Heusinger served in the 1st (operational) department of the General Staff of the Ground Forces, where he rose in the ranks. In 1940, Colonel Heusinger became chief of the operations department of the general staff of the ground forces, and in 1944, with the rank of lieutenant general, he became acting chief of the general staff of the ground forces. He later came under suspicion of participating in a conspiracy against Hitler and was arrested, but later released. On March 25, 1945, just before the end of the war, he headed the Wehrmacht cartographic service, and on May 8 he was captured by American troops. In 1950, Heusinger became a military adviser to German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, and in 1952-1955. led the military department in the “Blank office”, thereby directly participating in the process of preparing for the creation of the national armed forces of the FRG. After the creation of the German Ministry of Defense, Heusinger returned to military service, was promoted to lieutenant general and appointed chairman of the military leadership council. Naturally, the appointment of the former Hitler's general one of the key leaders of the Bundeswehr, fit perfectly into the general mainstream of revanchist sentiment in West Germany. On the basis of the “Blank office”, the Bundeswehr command apparatus was formed - the operational headquarters, to which the inspectors of the armed forces and their headquarters were subordinate. The Inspector General of the Bundeswehr and the inspectors of the military branches formed the military leadership council (military operational council) under the Minister of Defense of the FRG. It was he who was led by General Heusinger. Even in the Wehrmacht, he was engaged in planning military operations for the ground forces, which made it possible to use the experience gained by Heusinger in creating a new West German army. At the same time, it was somehow overlooked that while serving in the operational department of the General Staff of the Wehrmacht ground forces, Heusinger carried the direct burden of planning punitive operations against partisan detachments operating on the territory of the Soviet Union. However, rumors about Heusinger's involvement in a conspiracy against Hitler became his kind of indulgence for the Anglo-American command. Unlike more exposed figures in war crimes, Heusinger took no responsibility for his activities. Nor was he extradited to the Soviet Union in 1961, when the Soviet leadership raised the issue of extraditing Heusinger, who by that time was serving as chairman of the NATO military committee in Washington.

The basis of the command staff of the Bundeswehr, as we noted above, was the generals and officers of the "old school" - former Wehrmacht servicemen. The first generals of the Bundeswehr were Lieutenant General Adolf Heusinger, appointed Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, and Lieutenant General Hans Speidel (1897-1984). Hans Speidel, like Adolf Heusinger, was also a professional soldier who began serving in the Kaiser's army in 1914. In 1940, Speidel was already a lieutenant colonel in the Wehrmacht and was appointed to the post of chief of staff of the occupation forces in France. In 1944 he took over as Chief of Staff of Army Group B. The undoubted advantage of Speidel in the changed political situation was his participation in the anti-Hitler conspiracy (conspiracy of July 20, 1944). However, the officers' court of honor acquitted Speidel, but he spent seven months in prison, despite this decision, and was released by the Allied troops. After the end of the war, Speidel became a lecturer in history at the University of Tübingen, but after the formation of the Bundeswehr began, he was invited to cooperate - as one of those senior officers of the Wehrmacht who was not tainted by outright participation in the war crimes of the Nazi regime. On November 22, 1955, General Speidel was appointed head of the Armed Forces Department of the German Ministry of Defense, and from 1957 to 1963. served as Commander of the Allied Ground Forces of NATO in Central Europe. It should be noted that one of the main reasons why Hans Speidel appeared among the first generals of the Bundeswehr, in addition to Heusinger, was the close ties of the latter with the British and American command, established in the second half of the 1940s. More than a commander, General Speidel was a military diplomat - and this was the main factor in determining his candidacy for the post of commander of NATO ground forces in Central Europe. In this post, Speidel actually remained an intermediary between the American and German leadership.

From the Wehrmacht to the Bundeswehr. Staffing problem

Naturally, Speidel and Heusinger were not the only Wehrmacht generals who found themselves in senior positions in the Bundeswehr command. But there was no other option but to invite Hitler's generals and colonels to the highest positions in the Bundeswehr. It must be understood that in Germany there was nowhere to take a professional military man capable of occupying senior and senior officer positions, except from among the former generals and officers of the Wehrmacht. At the same time, Adenauer was afraid to take too prominent persons of the Nazi Wehrmacht to the highest positions in the Bundeswehr. Therefore, the generals of the Bundeswehr were formed from senior officers of the Wehrmacht, who did not occupy too prominent and significant posts in Nazi Germany. Field marshals, admirals and colonel generals of the Wehrmacht were involved as military consultants, experts and advisers, but it was up to the generals who were commanders of corps and divisions, chiefs of staff of corps and divisions during the war years to “raise the Bundeswehr”. So, the post of inspector of the ground forces of the Bundeswehr was taken by General Hans Rettiger, in 1943-1944. who served as chief of staff of Army Group A, which fought on the territory of Soviet Ukraine. General Josef Kammhuber was appointed Inspector of the Air Force of the Bundeswehr, in 1943-1944. who served as commander of the 5th Luftwaffe air fleet in the northern sector of the Soviet-German front. Former generals and colonels of the Wehrmacht also occupied all the posts of inspectors of the military branches, division commanders, commanders of the military districts of the Bundeswehr. Naturally, the Wehrmacht soldiers also prevailed among instructor officers and non-commissioned officers, so the young replenishment of the Bundeswehr soldiers was trained in the appropriate spirit and under the appropriate ideological influence.

One of the serious problems of the Bundeswehr in the first decade of its existence was the "aging" of command personnel. The fact is that during the years 1945-1955. in Germany there were no armed forces and military educational institutions. Accordingly, there was no training of officers, and there was nowhere to take young officers. Thus, in 1955-1956, when the Bundeswehr was being formed, only people with military training received before 1945 could fill command positions. It turns out that even in lieutenant positions there were men at the age of at least thirty years old (of course, there could be exceptions, but in the bulk it was just that), not to mention positions of a higher rank. For a long time, the Bundeswehr was considered the "oldest" army among the other armies of the NATO bloc. The generals and officers of the Bundeswehr were on average ten years older than their counterparts from the American, British and other NATO armies, who were in similar positions and ranks. That is, if the average NATO major at the end of the 1950s was thirty years old, then the Bundeswehr major was forty years old, and colonels were forty and fifty, respectively. It took considerable time to train new command personnel, therefore, at least until the end of the 1960s, the Bundeswehr was doomed to use people from the Wehrmacht in general positions. So, after General Heusinger was transferred to Washington in 1961 to the post of head of the NATO military committee, he was replaced as inspector general of the Bundeswehr by the even more remarkable General Friedrich Fertsch. Like Heusinger and Speidel, General Friedrich Ferch began his military career in the Kaiser's army, in 1944 he was promoted to major general, and by the end of the war he held the post of chief of staff of the Courland Army Group. In this position, Ferch was captured by the Soviet troops, who were liberating the occupied territory of the Soviet Union. It was found out that while he was the chief of the operational department of the headquarters of the 18th Wehrmacht Army, Colonel (then) Ferch took part in the direct organization of the blockade of the city of Leningrad. Then, already when he was chief of staff of the 18th Army, Ferch also led the fight against Soviet partisans operating in the northwestern regions of the RSFSR, including the Leningrad, Novgorod and Pskov regions. Naturally, in the fight against the partisans, numerous war crimes were committed against the civilian population. After being taken prisoner Soviet troops and establishing involvement in war crimes, General Furch was sentenced on June 29, 1950 to 25 years in prison. However, he did not finish this term - he was released, like many other prisoners of war, and returned to West Germany. There Ferch quickly recovered in the service of the Bundeswehr and in 1961 took the post of Inspector General of the Bundeswehr.

The political fitness for service in the Bundeswehr of potential candidates for senior and senior officer positions (from colonel and above) was determined by a specially created in 1955 Commission of Personnel Experts - Personalgutachterausschuss. It carried out its activities until November 1957, when the final formation of the Bundeswehr took place, and during this time it managed to check 600 candidates, 486 of whom were accepted for active military service in the Bundeswehr. The commission checked 553 applications of former Wehrmacht officers who wished to enter the positions of colonels or generals in the unit and command of the Bundeswehr. Of these applications, 51 were rejected, 32 were withdrawn by the candidates themselves, and 470 applications were accepted. At the same time, not a single candidate was refused because of his service in the Wehrmacht. In addition to the Commission of Experts on Personnel, the Federal Personnel Commission was also created, which was responsible for conferring military ranks. On August 2, 1956, this commission decided that all servicemen of the SS troops (Waffen-SS) who served in the ranks up to Obersturmbannführer (the equivalent army rank is Oberst Lieutenant, Lieutenant Colonel) can be accepted for military service in the Bundeswehr with preservation Togo military rank in which they served in the SS.

Bundeswehr in the NATO system

In 1955-1957. active work was also carried out on the formation of the personnel of the Bundeswehr, and the principle of the formation of the Reichswehr was taken as the basis. In the event of a war, each non-commissioned officer of the Bundeswehr turned into an officer, and an officer into a commander of a larger unit. This made it possible to significantly increase the size of the army in the event of mobilization. As for the established size of the Bundeswehr, for 1957 it was determined at 265,000 people (in fact, for a long time it was much less). Of these, 136 positions were generals, 26352 people wore officer shoulder straps and 92752 people were non-commissioned officers. Thus, for each officer of the Bundeswehr there were only 9 subordinates, and for each non-commissioned officer - only 3 privates. If necessary, sixty army divisions could be deployed on the basis of the personnel of the Bundeswehr in 1957. But, at the same time, Konrad Adenauer at first did not dare to move on to a further increase in the size of the Bundeswehr, including through the transition to a draft system for recruiting the army, because he was afraid of a violent public reaction. After all, a significant part of West German society was extremely anti-militarist, and the introduction of universal conscription could lead to mass protests.

However, in the same 1957, it was still decided to switch to the recruiting system for recruiting the Bundeswehr. The real number of the Bundeswehr also grew: if in 1956 55,570 people served in the Bundeswehr, then after 1 year, in 1957, - 115,000 people, in 1958 - 200,000 people, in 1959 - 225,000 people, in 1960 year - 240,000 people, and in 1961 - 291,000 people. In 1964, the size of the Bundeswehr was increased to 420,000 people. The Bundeswehr included ground forces, air forces and naval forces. Territorial defense troops were also formed, designed to perform a fairly wide range of functions - from protecting military facilities and strategically important communications to repairing and building roads, ensuring rail transport security, anti-tank defense, and so on. By 1964, the Bundeswehr consisted of ground forces (235,000 men), air force (93,000 men), naval forces (28,000 men) and territorial defense forces (28,000 men). In organizational terms, the ground forces of the Bundeswehr were transferred to a brigade structure.

Strategically, the Bundeswehr has become the main unit of the NATO military bloc in Europe. Given the weakness of the armies of most European NATO members (Greece, Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands and others), it was the Bundeswehr that was considered by the American leadership as almost the only reliable force in continental Europe capable of fulfilling “deterrence” duties. Throughout the " cold war”, the Bundeswehr remained one of the most important military components of the NATO system. At the same time, the Bundeswehr also faced a very unpleasant task - to fight against fellow tribesmen. Indeed, in the event of a confrontation between NATO and the Eastern Bloc, the main opponent of the Bundeswehr was to be the National People's Army of the GDR. It turns out that the soldiers of the Bundeswehr were deliberately prepared for war against the same Germans. The confrontation with the GDR for a long time remained one of the most important areas in the organization of the training and service of the Bundeswehr formations.

After the collapse of the "Eastern bloc" and the unification of the FRG and the GDR, there were large-scale changes in the military sphere. So, since the mid-1990s. The FRG abandoned the principle of not using its units and divisions in armed conflicts outside Germany, which had prevailed for forty years of the existence of the Bundeswehr. Since that time, German soldiers began to take regular part in numerous peacekeeping operations around the world. According to the German military leaders, this not only emphasizes the status of the country, but also helps to increase the combat capability of the Bundeswehr units. The number of personnel of the Bundeswehr was also reduced by more than half compared to the period of the Cold War - in 2011, 204,000 military personnel served in it. At present, the Bundeswehr includes three types of troops - the ground forces, the air force and the navy, as well as the joint support forces and the medical and sanitary service created in 2000 as separate "military command structures". The head of the Bundeswehr remains the federal minister of defense, the direct leadership is carried out by the inspector general and the inspector of the types of troops and military control structures. In 2001, women began to be accepted into service in all branches of the Bundeswehr (before that, they could only serve in the medical and musical services). Until 2011, the recruitment of the rank and file of the Bundeswehr was carried out through conscription. Conscription military service was mandatory for all male citizens of Germany who were called up for 6 months (who did not want to take up arms for reasons of principle - for a longer period of alternative service). However, in 2011, a decision was made to end compulsory conscription for military service. Since that time, the Bundeswehr has been completed exclusively on a professional basis.

February 21st, 2015

German Air Force

The German Air Force (Luftwaffe) includes the Operational Command and the Central Office (both located in Cologne). The Operational Command has three air divisions (1st, 2nd, 4th).

- 1st air division includes: 32nd fighter-bomber and 74th fighter squadrons, 5th missile defense squadron, 1st special transportation group, 61st and 62nd transport squadrons, 1st command and communications regiment , Tactical Training Command in Italy;

The 2nd air division includes: the 31st and 33rd fighter-bomber and 73rd fighter squadrons, the 2nd missile defense squadron, the 3rd command and communications regiment;

The 4th air division includes: the 71st fighter, 51st reconnaissance, 63rd transport squadrons, the 1st missile defense squadron, the 2nd and 4th command and control regiments, and the separate Friesland regiment for guarding Air Force facilities.

The German Air Force does not have its own training units. Training of cadets is carried out in the USA on the American technical base.

German Air Force Typhoon fighter-bomber (Jagdgeschwader 74)

Basic strike force Luftwaffe are Typhoon fighter-bombers. Initially, in 1986 it was planned to have 250 of them, but later the plans were reduced several times. Thus, to date, the Air Force has received a total of 97 vehicles (including 24 combat training) of this type.

Fighter-bomber Tornado IDS German Air Force

In addition to them, there are 144 Tornado bombers upgraded to the ASSTA 2.0 standard. It is assumed that this will allow the upgraded vehicles to remain in service until 2025. However, it was also assumed that Typhoons should replace them all, but they were not bought even to the extent of the needs of the fighter and fighter-bomber squadrons.

McDonnell Douglas F-4F Phantom II German Air Force

So, 40 ancient F-4F Phantom-2 fighter-bombers have not yet been removed from service with the Luftwaffe. Another 9 Tornadoes and 3 Phantoms are in a warehouse in Germany itself, and 1 and 15, respectively, are additionally stored at the Davis-Monthan airbase in the United States. In the future, until 2020, all F-4Fs are supposed to be written off, and the number of Tornadoes, including those in storage, will be reduced to 85 units. Thus, in the short term, the strike aircraft of the FRG will be approximately 180 - 200 vehicles.

Military transport aircraft Transall C-160 of the German Air Force

The transport aviation of Germany has 2 A-319s, 2 A-340s, 6 A-310s (including 4 air tankers), 73 S-160s. Experts recognize the current capabilities of transport aviation as unambiguously insufficient for solving the tasks facing it. It is not able to ensure the landing of even one airborne brigade and ensure its supply for at least 30 days of active hostilities.

Air defense system Patriot of the German Air Force

Ground air defense includes 18 batteries of the Patriot air defense system (eight launchers each, four missiles per launcher).

German Navy

The German Navy (Bundesmarine) today is a perfectly balanced and technically advanced, but very budgetary and purely local fleet of about 50 pennants. The military doctrine of the country does not provide for the fleet any serious tasks, except for the defense of the coast and the provision of assistance to the allies in the multinational forces. It is assumed that only the United States and, perhaps, Great Britain will seriously fight at sea. The business of Budnesmarine is to help with reconnaissance and control of the Baltic Sea. It may be possible to allocate a couple of frigates to escort convoys.

However, it should be noted that Germany at the same time retained a powerful and advanced shipbuilding industry, which continues to produce some of the best examples of naval weapons in the world. For example, German non-nuclear submarines (now there are no more diesel engines in the submarine fleet, all submarines are either nuclear or have atmospheric power plants, for example, on fuel cells) of the Type 209 project were purchased by the Indian, Greek, Turkish navies, South Korea, Venezuela... In total - 14 countries of the world. Over the past 14 years alone, Germany has built and successfully sold 12 Type 212 and Type 214 non-nuclear submarines. Despite the relatively high cost (for example, the price of one Type 214 submarine is $ 330 million "in the basic configuration"), they are dismantled from Germany as hot pies.

Submarine Project 212

However, Germany's own fleet is only 4 Type 212 submarines. 2 more boats are under construction. Plus 13 frigates different types: 6 old ones, type "Bremen"; 4 very modern, like "Brandenburg"; 3 newest, type "Sachsen". On January 29, 2015, the 4th Sachsen-class frigate Project F125 - Rhineland-Palatinate was laid down in Germany. As reported, later, after the sale for scrapping of the 2 Bremen frigates of earlier years of construction already withdrawn from the state, the ships of this type that are in service will also be excluded from the lists of the fleet.

3D model of the frigate project F125

What is worth paying attention to here. In essence, the frigate of the F125 project is like not quite a frigate. With a displacement of 7200 tons, this is rather a normal destroyer. However, in terms of armament, it looks more like an empty platform for naval weapons, which may appear in the future. For a ship of this size, one 127-mm universal gun, two helicopters, a couple of RIM-116 blocks and 27-mm close range assault rifles are nothing at all. The situation is not much changed by the presence of regular 8 anti-ship missiles "Harpoon". Most likely, the main armament will appear later, but its composition is still completely unknown.

But they must have been up to something. For Literally ten years ago, the Germans built three excellent frigates (project F124 Sachsen, Saxony), whose capabilities allow them to be included in the naval missile defense system. The powerful Thales SMART-L radar, which allows you to track targets at low Earth orbits, and 32 launch silos for interceptor and conventional anti-aircraft missiles. All this and much more (for example, the APAR multifunctional radar with four active headlamps) fit in a hull with a total displacement of “only” 5800 tons.

Frigate project F124 Sachsen, Saxony

In addition to frigates, the Bundesmarine has 5 Brunswick-type corvettes, 8 Gepard-class missile boats (another 2 Gepards and 2 older Albatross are in the slump) and 20 minesweepers (10 Pr. 332, 5 Pr. 333, 5 Pr. 352).

Obsolete Bremen-class frigate

Naval aviation includes eight R-3C Orion anti-submarine aircraft, three Do-228 patrol aircraft, 43 helicopters (21 Sea King, 22 Super Links).

Fly in the ointment in a barrel of honey

Now it's worth taking a look at what of all of the above can be put on the battlefield "if something happens." As it turns out, not so much. Aware of the impossibility of containing in the same way high degree readiness of its entire army, Germany divided it into three levels according to the timing of readiness and, in general, the intended purpose.

The most combat-ready units are formally part of NATO's Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF). Their total number is planned at 30,000 people. Including due to the forces of the 26th Airborne Brigade of the Bundeswehr. So it turns out that, together with the forces already involved in international operations, the total number of "most combat-ready" units is approximately 8.5 thousand people. Of which about 5 thousand soldiers and officers are deployed directly in Germany.

Airborne Bundeswehr

The next category is the parts assigned to the Operational Engagement group. They include the 1st tank and airmobile divisions, as well as the German part of the joint Franco-German brigade (two battalions). It is officially stated that the level of staffing of the listed units in peacetime is 75% of the state. In full readiness, these parts can be brought in 40 - 50 days from the date of receipt of the corresponding order. The current number of parts of the Operational Engagement is up to 8 - 10 thousand people.

Bundeswehr exercises

Everything else is summarized in the Joint Support Forces group. In fact, the Germans are creating an old, still Soviet, system of framed units. For example, the 10th Panzer Division included here is such only in name. In addition to two brigades, deployed at 45-50% of the state, and a headquarters base, also not at full strength, there are no other divisional units and subunits in the division. More precisely, their property is stored in warehouses, and the personnel will be formed from reservists called up for mobilization. Units of the Joint Support Forces can be brought to full readiness no earlier than 180-200 days in advance. Here the first important question arises - will the Operational Engagement units be able to hold the front for these 6-7 months?

Well, the most important thing. In September 2014, the Defense Committee of the Bundestag held a closed meeting. On it, the command of the Bundeswehr presented a report on the current state of the material and technical base of the German army. As Chief Inspector Volker Wicker later said, the parliamentarians were presented with a register of military equipment in service with the FRG. A simple three-color scheme was used. Similar to a traffic light. It turned out that, for example, "Boxer" armored personnel carriers are marked in red. Of the 180 available, only 70 are on the move. The remaining 110 are under repair of varying degrees of complexity. Moreover, there are not enough spare parts for its implementation. Almost everywhere, the normative deadlines for carrying out work are hopelessly exceeded. The situation is no better in army aviation. For example, out of 31 Tiger helicopters, only 10 are suitable for flights, and only 8 out of 33 NH90 helicopters.

Helicopter NH-90

In addition to purely technical ones, the lack of funding and the lack of necessary spare parts are already negatively affecting educational process. In 2014, due to a shortage of infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, German fighters from the Franco-German brigade had to train on Mercedes Vito minibuses. In the same year, the KSK special unit of the Bundeswehr was forced to refuse to participate in the annual participation of NATO rapid deployment forces, since out of 9 helicopters they had, ready to take off at any moment, 8 failed before the exercises, and the last one had only three hours of flight time until the mandatory routine inspection. In 2013, Luftwaffe pilots managed to fly only 2/3 of the required flight hours. The continuation of this trend is fraught with a decrease in the level of flight practice below that allowed by NATO standards. In the fall of 2014, in Mazar-i-Sharif, for one and a half hundred soldiers and officers of the Air Force, they were forced to send a plane from the fleet of the German Chancellor, as the standard military transport Airbus 310 turned out to be out of order. In the second half of last year, two of the three German Transall military transport aircraft involved in the arms delivery operation in Erbie broke down. Berlin had to urgently rent a transport aircraft from the Dutch Air Force. Which, by the way, also had problems during the flight.

But the funniest thing was revealed after one battery of the Patriot air defense system was redeployed to Turkey to be on duty as part of the NATO air defense forces on the southern flank. In order to maintain its constant combat readiness, the German Air Force was forced to remove some components and blocks from missiles located in Germany itself.

Fortunately, these problems can be successfully solved. However, this requires an expansion of the military budget. NATO standards provide for spending at least 2% of national GDP on defense. Berlin now spends only 1.3%, but instead of expanding defense spending, the Bundestag continues to cut it. In 2013, the country's military budget was reduced by 400 million euros, to 32.8 billion. In 2014, it was cut by another 700 million. In the future, until 2017, Germany's military spending is going to be reduced to 1.1 - 1.05% of GDP .

Conclusion

At the moment, it turns out that the Bundeswehr is not able to solve any large-scale military tasks on its own. Allocate one, even two brigades to some kind of multinational force - maybe. It is capable of deploying an excellent rear base for repairs and supplies. But even then only in conditions of low-intensity conflict. This is when the enemy is either weaker or severely limited in military-technical capabilities. Including - with a mandatory guarantee of the inviolability of their own rear of these multinational forces. Thus, no parts of the Bundeswehr will move anywhere "to the east". For there is simply no one, nothing ... and there are practically no people who want to fight in the Bundeswehr either.

Currently, there is a lot of talk about the fact that the NATO army is constantly building up its forces and preparing for joint military operations with the United States against Russia. In order to understand what a real force is the NATO army, one should consider in detail the German army, as the strongest in this alliance.

To get a complete picture of the state of affairs in the German army as of 2017, you need to consider in detail all types of troops that make up its composition.

German ground forces

As in any other army in the world, the main force of the German army is the Ground Forces. Their total number significantly exceeds the number of all other types of troops of the German army. As of 2017, the German Ground Forces consist of the following units:

• 4 NATO “rapid deployment” corps: Eurocorps, NATO AK BR, German-Dutch Corps and German-Danish-Polish Corps;
• 5 operational groups that are in the army corps of the Alliance: French, Spanish, Italian Turkish and Greek corps;
• 5 divisions and a number of different units and divisions;
• Various armored divisions and brigades;
• Mountain infantry and motorized infantry brigades;
• Airborne brigades;
• Helicopter regiments, which include regiments of fire support helicopters and regiments of light transport helicopters.

At first glance, the number and composition ground forces Germany in 2017 is quite impressive. Moreover, numerous international exercises have proved that modern detachments in terms of their combat power and capabilities are twice as superior as detachments of the 70-80s, which had the same number. It turns out that the 5 divisions that exist in 2017 can replace the 11 divisions of previous years. However, recent events in Iraq have shown the fallacy of these judgments. Firepower is certainly good, but it is the infantry that should carry out the operations to clear the territory. This is where its lack of numbers comes into play.

Despite the big words that are spoken to the world media, the military command is well aware that the number of Ground Forces is insufficient. That is why even in the official document of Germany's military construction it is directly stated that the German army is intended for peacekeeping operations, as well as for localizing conflicts of a low degree of intensity. The main emphasis is on the fact that the German army will act as part of a coalition of forces.

Although in 2017 many Germans are still convinced that Russia should tremble at the mere sight of a sign of the German army, judging by the “successes” of the Ground Forces in Iraq, only one thing can be said: the Bundeswehr army can compete on equal terms only with third world countries, yes and then with quite small ones. The German military doctrine does not provide for any global wars, and the latest terrorist attacks in Europe show that the NATO army is not able to restore order even at home.

Civil society in Germany believes that although the army is a mandatory attribute of a solid state, it can be significantly reduced. A serious reduction in the German army began after the abolition of compulsory military service in 2011. Since then, the entire German army has been made up of contract soldiers. The prestige of military service in the Ground Forces is evidenced by the fact that almost 10% of vacancies in the army are open. There is a general lack of doctors and qualified service personnel complex systems protection and weapons.

If 20 years ago the Germans were considered the best soldiers in Europe and even civilians were ready to serve in the army with pleasure, now even professional German contract soldiers treat their service as if they were ordinary work. Although the contract details the duties of military personnel in case of war, few people take them seriously. If some major military conflict happened, all the German Ground Forces would be completely at a loss, since the army had no real combat experience.

According to statistics, many German military personnel are on various operations in the hot spots of the world, so either rear units or staff members remained. Despite US pressure, Germany stubbornly avoids participating in those operations that could turn into infantry fighting. For example, the Bundeswehr does not want to openly oppose ISIS in Syria and Iraq.

Armament and composition of the German Ground Forces

If we take official statistics, then the armament of the Bundeswehr Ground Forces looks quite impressive:

• The total number of tanks is 1095 units;
• Various field guns and MLRS - 644;
• 2,563 armored vehicles;
• 146 combat helicopters.

The picture is quite encouraging, but it is only at first glance. In fact, in reality, things are somewhat different. If you analyze the situation with German tanks, you can see that the main German tank is the "Leopard" of various modifications.

Of the total number of "paper" tanks, tanks of the Leopard-2 modifications make up 685 pieces. The rest of the tanks are Leopard-1, which are mostly dismantled for metal or used as targets at training grounds. Although the development program includes the purchase of the latest Leopard modifications, in reality, the renewal of the fleet is very slow. The military budget is getting smaller from year to year. The newest Leopards in the German army are no more than 100 pieces. If you look at the total number of tanks that are quite modern today, you will get no more than 500 units, and half of them will be rather outdated modifications of the A5.

Looking at the real numbers, it becomes clear that the hopes of the member countries of the NATO bloc to protect the German armada of tanks in the event global war are, to put it mildly, exaggerated.

Light armored vehicles of the German army

The approach of the Bundeswehr to the modernization of light armored vehicles is interesting. Although local operations require just such equipment, it is unprofitable to send tanks on missions to eliminate small outbreaks, and the maneuverability of tanks is limited. The modern fleet of light armored vehicles in Germany is represented by outdated Marder infantry fighting vehicles, which began to enter service with the German army back in 1961, although even then this process dragged on for almost 10 years. The first modernization of the Marders began only in September 1979. The upgraded models received the A-1 index and received an additional Milan ATGM launcher, which was installed on the turret on the right side.

In 1985, when the "Marders" were presented in three modifications (from "A-1" to "A-3"), the development of a new modification "Marder-2" began. With the start of the development of Marder-2, the release of previous modifications was completely curtailed. Since during these years military funding began to gradually decline, the development of the new Marder stretched out for 6 years.

The first car "Marder-2" was shown on September 17, 1991. Her tests continued until 1998, and as a result of the fact that her production turned out to be too expensive, she was completely abandoned, practically "burying" many years of work. Until now, "Marder-1" is the main infantry fighting vehicle of the German army. Due to the fact that even its latest modifications were released more than 30 years ago, their number is declining from year to year, as they are gradually dismantled for spare parts. As a result, out of 1581 "Marders" that are in service, no more than 350 units remain on the move.

Since the need to adopt a new infantry fighting vehicle has been standing for a long time, a new vehicle, the Puma infantry fighting vehicle, was developed and put into service. In 2016, the Bundeswehr was supposed to purchase about 400 new vehicles, but in fact, not a single such BMP was purchased.

It turns out that, in fact, ensuring the mobility of infantry and fire cover, the Bundeswehr army is provided only with wheeled armored personnel carriers and vehicles:

• 430 TpZ-1 "Fuchs";
• 359 Wiesel;
• 51 "Boxer".

Although about 1,500 pieces of obsolete American M-113 infantry fighting vehicles should be stored in the army warehouses of the Bundeswehr, nothing has been reported about them since 1995. Most likely, they have long been dismantled for scrap.

In total, 1,130 armored personnel carriers remain, although more than 300 of them are Wiesels, which are absolutely not intended for transporting infantry. The remaining quantity is about 800 pieces. In order to understand whether this is a lot or a little, let's show some interesting statistics. Approximately 800 pieces of armored personnel carriers of various modifications of armored personnel carriers were lost by Ukraine in 2014, so you should not be afraid that the German army has a powerful base of light armored vehicles. The army, which has not participated in military conflicts for more than 60 years, is very out of touch with reality.

German artillery at present

German artillery also fell under mass reduction. About 650 units of guns, mortars and MLRS were decommissioned. Instead of obsolete equipment in Germany, they began to develop the latest weapons systems. Taking a cue from the Americans, the Germans developed systems that allowed for a significant increase in firepower, even with massive reductions.

German designers have developed the PzH2000 self-propelled gun, which is considered one of the best combat vehicles in its class. The PzH2000 self-propelled artillery mount has the following performance characteristics:

• This gun provides targeted coverage of the target at a distance of 30 kilometers, while it fires 3 shots in 9.2 seconds;
• 8 shots fired in 51.4 seconds;
• 20 shots - in 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

As a result of constant improvements and upgrades, German designers were able to increase the rate of fire of this gun to 59.74 seconds - 12 shots and 1 minute 47 seconds - 20 shots.

This self-propelled artillery mount is capable of reliably protecting its crew from shelling with small arms up to 14.5 mm caliber and any artillery and mortar fragments. There is reactive armor that covers the top of the installation, protecting the crew from aerial bombs and artillery shells.

Of course, the PzH2000 self-propelled guns is one of the best systems of this type in the world. It is for this reason that she completely ousted all systems of this type from the German army. It seems that everything is fine in the artillery of the German army, if not for one problem: their total number does not exceed 180 units.

In addition to the PzH2000 self-propelled guns, the German Ground Forces are armed with no more than 130 self-propelled mortars of 120 and 100 mm caliber. Military experts will definitely turn their attention to the fact that the Bundeswehr army has a very small number of mortars of caliber less than 120 mm. These tasks should be solved by army aviation, since the military command believes that batteries of such weapons are not capable of quickly changing their location and will not bring any benefit in a real battle, so NATO's main stake in such matters is combat attack helicopters.

Army aviation and air defense of the Bundeswehr

As for the army aviation of the Bundeswehr, it includes the following types of helicopters:

• 38 powerful attack helicopters "Tiger". Although the immediate plans of the Bundeswehr included the purchase of another 20 units of such equipment, budget cuts are unlikely to contribute to their implementation;
• 118 light attack helicopters VO-105, which can also be used as multi-purpose ones. Another 24 helicopters of this model are in storage, but it is not known what condition they are in. Given the old army habit of dismantling army vehicles, it is unlikely that they are in operational condition;
• 93 CH-53G transport helicopters;
• 93 multipurpose UH-1Ds and 39 EC-135s;
• The most modern helicopters are 77 NH-90 units.

If all these helicopters are in combat condition, then the position of the Bundeswehr army aviation is quite stable.

The army air defense system is represented by 50 Ocelot air defense systems, which in fact are nothing more than 4 Stinger MANPADS mounted on the chassis of the Wiesel combat vehicle. There is no need to say that the Stingers are a rather outdated weapon in modern realities, although during battles with a technically backward enemy it poses a significant threat to targets located at low altitudes.

German Air Force

The Luftwaffe includes the Central Office and the Operational Command. Since Germany does not have its own training bases for training cadets, all pilots of the German Air Force are trained in the United States of America.

The basis of the German air force are the following aircraft:

• The most important force of the German Air Force are Typhoon fighter-bombers. When their production was first planned, the Air Force intended to purchase only 250 aircraft, but in the end, today there are only 97 of them, if you count together with training aircraft. The global reduction in the army also affected the German air force, so the Air Force command had to moderate its appetites somewhat;
• Second in importance, but the first in terms of total numbers are the Tornado bombers, which have been upgraded. Their total number is 144 units. The modernization was carried out in order to make it possible to leave the Tornado in service with the German Air Force until 2025. In future plans, they want to completely replace them with Typhoons. However, since the Typhoons are not enough even in their "fighter" category, it is hardly worth expecting a replacement for the Tornado by 2025;
• Due to the acute shortage of combat aircraft, the German Air Force is still armed with the F-4F Phantom-2, which began to be produced back in 1961. These aircraft are also planned to be replaced by Typhoons by 2020.

Based on the above data, the strike aircraft of the German Air Force should be about 200 aircraft by 2029. For comparison, we can say that Russia has about 3,500 aircraft in service, which can be used for military purposes. therefore, German military aviation does not pose any significant threat to Russia.

The transport aviation of the German Air Force does not exceed 100 units of aircraft, which are not even able to ensure the landing of an entire brigade of paratroopers, and you can immediately forget about supplying it with ammunition and provisions.

The air defense of the German Air Force includes no more than 18 batteries of the Patriot air defense system.

German army navy

The German navy, even in the face of a reduction in the military budget, is sufficiently equipped and modern. At the same time, he is not able to solve any serious combat missions, since he is quite budgetary. His tasks include solving local problems, such as protecting the coast or reconnaissance activities.

At the same time, it should be noted that military shipbuilding in Germany is one of the most modern in the world, and warships and submarines are bought up by various countries with great pleasure. Despite the high prices of submarines (about 330 million dollars for the Type 212 in the "base"), they are in stable demand and bring a steady income to the German economy.

Judging by what new German warships are being built, they are clearly thinking of placing some new and powerful weapon on them.

The naval aviation of the German Navy also does not represent a significant force and is represented by the following types of equipment:

• 8 R-3C Orion aircraft, which are designed to combat submarines;
• 3 patrol Do-228;
• 43 Sea King and Super Links helicopters.

Judging by the state of military shipbuilding in Germany, in the event of a large-scale military conflict, Germany will be able to acquire a powerful navy in a short time.

What army can Germany put on the battlefield

Now we need to face the truth and honestly answer the question, how much military equipment can Germany put on the battlefield? Based on the above information, not so much. The command of the German army is also well aware of this, so they divided the entire army into several levels of readiness (3 levels).

The most "combat-ready" parts of the German army are no more than 8,500 people. This is exactly the amount that can be collected in the shortest possible time, in the event of a surprise attack. Parts of the second level (operational engagement group) can be put on alert in 40-50 days. Parts of the third level (group of the Joint Forces) are brought to full readiness in 180-200 days.

A reasonable question arises, who will hold back the onslaught of the enemy for 6 months, until all the military forces of Germany gather? Such a long defense can only be maintained against savages armed with rifles, machine guns and Molotov cocktails. Obviously, Germany is very hopeful for US assistance in the event of a serious conflict in Europe.

In addition to the insufficient efficiency of the German army, the state of military equipment raises serious questions. About 70 percent of the total number of combat vehicles is under repair, the terms of which are repeatedly exceeded, since spare parts are often not available. The exercises of 2014 became significant, when the fighters from the Franco-German brigade had to use Vito Mercedes instead of armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles.

In aviation, things are also not the best. Transport planes constantly fail, pilots cannot fly for the required number of hours, which negatively affects their flying skills.

Although NATO standards indicate the need to spend 2% of the country's GDP on the army, Germany is constantly lowering this bar. By the end of 2017, it is planned to reduce it to 1.1 or to 1.05%.

Although some alarmists see the impotence of the German army as a cunning maneuver, which consists in hiding their true capabilities, in fact, one should not be afraid of a large-scale campaign of the NATO army to the East. Europe is now unable to cope with emigrants, so talk of a military threat from Germany is nothing more than empty words.

Bundeswehr

Tanks Leopard 1 Leopard 2
BMP Schutzenpanzer Kurz HS.30 Puma
BTR UR-416 Spz 2 Luchs Condor UR-425 TPz 1 Fuchs Boxer
Armored cars Dingo ATF Fennek Kanonenjagdpanzer Jaguar 1 Jaguar 2
tank destroyers
Self-propelled artillery LARS-1 PzH 2000 DONAR
Roland Gepard ASRAD Air Defense Systems
Trucks and light vehicles MAN Mungo ESK Yak Serval AGF

Military ranks in the Bundeswehr

Ranks in the Bundeswehr are divided into three categories: officers, non-commissioned officers and privates. Officer ranks are further divided into three subcategories:
Generals (admirals)
senior officers
junior officers

Non-commissioned officer ranks are divided into two subcategories:
non-commissioned officers with a harness
non-commissioned officers without a harness

In the branches of the armed forces of the army and in the Luftwaffe, the ranks are identical; non-commissioned officers and officers of the navy, as well as officers of the medical service, have other ranks.

Retired military personnel:

The ranks of military personnel transferred to the reserve have additions a. D. or d. R. (außer Dienst or die Reserve). If the next rank is awarded at the end of active service, then they are combined, for example: OLt a. D.u. HPTM d. R. (Oberleutnant außer Dienst und Hauptmann der Reserve) - reserve senior lieutenant and reserve captain.

Retired individuals may apply for permission to wear a uniform. In this case, they must wear additional insignia (black-red-gold letter R on shoulder straps for the army and Luftwaffe and gold on shoulder straps and sleeves for the Navy). It is allowed to wear everyday uniforms and only in exceptional cases (with the permission of the head of the garrison) - field uniforms.