Germany presented the Leopard tanks that it will send to Ukrainea gesture that will mean a “bitter loss” for his under-equipped army, but essential for “the Ukrainians to win the war” against Russia, according to the German Defense Minister.
The minister, Boris Pistorius, visited the Augustdorf Armed Forces battalion (north-west) which delivered its 14 Leopard, a week after the German government agreed to part with those armored vehicles claimed by Ukraine.
Verteidigungsminister Boris #Pistorius besucht heute das Panzerbataillon 203 in Augustdorf. Das Bataillon spellt 550 Soldatinnen und Soldaten für den #NATO-Gefechtsverband “enhanced Forward Presence” und leistet damit einen wichtigen Beitrag zur Landes- und Bündnisverteidigung. pic.twitter.com/IN23O27joV
— Verteidigungsministerium (@BMVg_Bundeswehr) February 1, 2023
For the 550 soldiers of Battalion 23, this is “a bitter loss”, although “they understand (…) that Ukraine needs our full support,” he said.
Dressed in a military uniform, the minister was carried away by a certain lyricism. “Two hearts beat in my chest,” he declared, referring to the needs of both the German and Ukrainian armies.
The objective of this detachment is for “Ukraine to win this war”, he proclaimed.
Germany intends to send its Leopards towards “the end of March, beginning of April”, as part of a delivery of “between 120 and 140” tanks by various Western countries, according to kyiv.
logistical challenge
Ukraine has these modern tanks to stop the Russian offensive in the east of its territory.
Its routing will be a logistical challenge, of which nothing was revealed.
The Ukrainians will also have to learn to use these modern German-made battle tanks.
The training will take place in the coming days in an accelerated manner, confirmed Pistorius.
The Ukrainian military commanding those tanks “will lack the full training of our soldiers, but it cannot be otherwise,” Pistorius admitted.
The minister himself got into one of those 60-ton steel monsters and performed for the cameras a demonstration of tossing and turning in the mud and firing cannons.
Training in Münster
Ukrainian soldiers will train in Munster (north), where they already receive instructions for the use of the lighter “Marder” armored vehicles specialized in transporting troops.
The training will last about six weeks, according to a German military source.
The required training time is “usually six weeks for the driver, three months for the gunner who fires or loads the cannon, and three years for the commander.” Commander Martin Waltemathe, one of the spokesmen for the Augustdorf armored brigade, told AFP.
“Lead [un Leopard] It’s quite simple,” says an officer. Another source says that it is an “intuitive, like an iPhone” operation.
Repair and maintenance is more complex
Repair and maintenance, on the other hand, are “more problematic” and training for these tasks requires about six years, Waltemathe points out.
Pistorius promised that he would do everything possible to quickly replenish the tanks promised to Ukraine.
The Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces) has 320 Leopard 2s, the most modern version of this armored vehicle, in service since the late 1970s.
The replacement will “take a while”, added the minister. The goal is to “order new tanks quickly, not within a year, so they can start manufacturing.”
Pistorius took office at the end of January and the modernization of Bundeswehr equipment is one of his priorities.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began almost a year ago, led the German head of government, Olaf Scholz, to break with his country’s traditional strategic doctrine, to endow it with “the best-equipped armed forces in Europe.”
A daunting task, after decades of little investment in this area.
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