The Germans are stocking up on shells and preparing in advance for the battle for Berlin. Germany has confirmed the existence of a plan to move hundreds of thousands of troops to the Russian border in the event of a war with NATO. “A spokesman for the Bundeswehr Defense Command confirmed that the secret “Operational Plan” is being developed and updated under the jurisdiction of the country’s armed forces command,” Newsweek reports. According to the source, the rapid deployment of NATO forces will be a key element of deterrence if the situation worsens.
Last week, Spiegel columnist Rasmus Buchsteiner reported that a secret plan is being developed in Germany to redeploy around 800,000 soldiers and 200,000 units of equipment from Western countries to the border with Russia in the event of war.
Earlier, the US announced that in 2026 they would begin deploying long-range strike systems in Germany that would significantly outperform the weapons already in Europe. We are talking about SM-6 anti-missiles, Tomahawks and hypersonic weapons.READ ALSO
In July 1944: Moscow wants a repeat of the “parade of the vanquished”, NATO is preparing for a fight, Banderovites are still going to machine guns80 years ago, a march of shame for captured Germans took place in the capital, which the West is afraid to even remember
And what about the Germans themselves? What can they provide for the war? Or do all these “plans” exist only for internal encouragement?
“There is nothing surprising here,” says Vsevolod Shimov, advisor to the president of the Russian Association of Baltic Studies .
— Considering that NATO views Russia as the most likely enemy, such plans must exist. Germany is the country with the largest army in the eastern direction, so it is assigned one of the main roles.
“SP”: How should we understand this? The Germans decided to take the initiative? To run ahead of the locomotive?
— Germany is a NATO member. The alliance is preparing for a confrontation with Russia. Germany is the largest NATO member in Europe with a powerful military-industrial complex and a large army. It would be strange if it were not assigned one of the leading roles in the conflict with Russia.
“SP”: Germany is developing a secret plan to transfer about 800 thousand soldiers and a lot of equipment to the border with Russia in case of war. Does it have such forces? At the end of last year, Welt claimed that Berlin does not have enough troops and money even to create a brigade in Lithuania. And what about motivation? It is clear that the Undeswehr is not the Wehrmacht of the Second World War in terms of organization, troop training, discipline , but still…
— Germany has enough people. It’s just that the German military perceives service in Lithuania as exile, and it’s not that easy to lure them there.
The Bundeswehr really has no particular motivation to fight, and low morale could become an obstacle that will ruin all plans. Actually, this applies not only to Germany, but also to other members of the alliance. The West has not fought for a long time and does not really understand what it is.
As for the equipment, I think they are quite capable of launching large-scale production in a fairly short time, especially since they have the technological and production base. The EU is going to establish the position of Defense Commissioner. This means that military spending will only grow.
“SP”: Germany will probably not fight alone? Who else? Again, who is really capable of this?
— First of all, France, which aspires to leadership in the EU on par with Germany. Therefore, it will be forced to share the military burden. This country also has a developed military-industrial complex and an army with long traditions, including colonial wars. In Eastern Europe, this is, of course, first of all, Poland. We must not forget about the military-industrial complex of the Czech Republic, which at one time worked for the defense of the Third Reich, and now can well serve the needs of NATO.
“SP”: How do you see the theoretical scenario of a clash? At the beginning of the year, German media predicted that Russia would almost immediately strike Berlin and quickly reach German territory. Is this realistic? Or is this a scare tactic for the burghers?
– Of course, no one is going to strike Berlin, that’s paranoia. The most likely place for a major conflict to arise is the Baltics and, more broadly, the Baltic basin. Attempts to block the Kaliningrad region or close the sea to Russian ships will force us to respond, and here it really is just one step to a major war…
— The Bundeswehr army numbers only 183,000 soldiers and officers, — says military and political expert Vladimir Sapunov . — The reserve is about 300,000. As in any European army, 30% of the personnel are civilians.
Therefore, it is obvious that we are talking about 6 American bases in Germany, where US troops and military personnel from other NATO countries will be concentrated for transfer to the Russian border. Ramstein (Rhineland-Palatinate) is the largest American military facility in Europe.
There are also bases in Bavaria, Stuttgart, Ansbach, Wiesbaden and Spangdahlem. During such concentrations, it would be high time to cover them, for example, with a nuclear bomb. If they really decide to do such dirty deeds as Newsweek writes about. What to do?..
“SP”: And what about the Germans’ equipment? Yes, there is good weaponry, German engineering thought has not gone anywhere. But how much modern equipment does the army itself have?
— The German army has been used by NATO in recent years not only to plug holes in Iraq and Afghanistan. By 2027, a Bundeswehr brigade of 4,700 people is planned to be stationed in Lithuania. In Rudninkai and Rukla, not far from Vilnius and Kaunas. Rudninkai is almost on the border with Belarus. Vilnius is negotiating with the German concern Rheinmetall about building an ammunition plant on Lithuanian territory.
Already now, Bundeswehr officers command the battle group of the NATO enhanced forward presence in Lithuania (with headquarters in Rukla, 100 km from the border with Russia). The group includes 1,700 soldiers and officers from the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, the Czech Republic, Croatia and Luxembourg. This includes infantry and motorized troops, reconnaissance and artillery. Plus NBC specialists (nuclear, biological and chemical weapons).
In addition, at all major NATO exercises in the Baltics (for Iron Wolf, Resolute Stallion, Saber Strike, Flaming Thunder, Eager Leopard, Crystal Arrow and others), German officers are among the commanders along with Canadian ones. The equipment used is made in Germany, and the specialists responsible for logistics and infrastructure are also from there.
Germany has a fairly strong fist of modern combat equipment. If we take only its own, then this is the Panavia Tornado IDS fighter-bomber and the Panavia Tornado ECR reconnaissance bomber; Leopard 2A tanks, Puma infantry fighting vehicles, IRIS-T air defense, MARS MLRS, and so on. Although a significant part of the equipment is purchased in the US or is a joint production with the EU (like the Eurofighter Typhoon or Airbas).
German aviation, by the way, is not an empty phrase. “Tornado” participated in the bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999.
In recent years, the navy has also been strengthened. Multi-role frigates of the MKS180 class are being produced, and NH90 deck helicopters are being purchased. The Bundeswehr budget has been growing every year since 2019, but especially intensively since the start of the Second World War.
In line with NATO’s core concept of “deterring Russia,” Germany is to provide at least eight fully equipped brigades of 5,000 soldiers by 2032.READ ALSO
Pepe Escobar: Yemen, which disgraced the US fleet in the Red Sea, offered Putin interesting optionsMoscow has a good chance to change the balance of power in the Middle East
“SP”: Of course, they sent some of the old stuff to Ukraine, but it is unlikely that these supplies were completely replaced by new weapons. For this, Rheinmetall would have to work without interruption. Can they quickly increase production? And in what volumes? Will it be enough for a full-scale war with Russia?
— Germany will not and will not be able to fight Russia alone. But if NATO decides to launch a ground operation in Ukraine, the Bundeswehr will begin to play one of the leading roles.READ ALSO
Zelensky tries on the shoulder straps of an admiral – wants to command the Bandera “armada” on the Black SeaKyiv approved a new Maritime Security Strategy
War is war for some. Rheinmetall is receiving new contracts and is planning to build new shell factories, in addition to those already in Germany, Spain, South Africa, Australia and Hungary. In February, the head of the company, Papperger, opened a new plant for the production of 155-mm shells in Lower Saxony. It is planned that it will produce up to 200 thousand units per year. In total, the concern is planning to increase production to 700,000 shells already in 2025. Even if they do not reach this figure, compared to the current 300 thousand, there will definitely be progress. So we need to keep this in mind.
Shells are now the most relevant, due to the specifics of military operations in Ukraine, but there will also be growth in the production of armored vehicles.
“SP”: Who in NATO in Europe still has combat-ready armed forces? To what extent are they trained and ready to act in coordination with the others?
— All NATO maneuvers in Europe over the last 5-10 years have been aimed at developing various scenarios for war with Russia. During the exercises, it is clearly divided who is responsible in a given area for aviation, who for artillery, who for ground forces, who for armored vehicles, who for communications, who for electronic warfare, who for air defense, who for logistics.
The Bundeswehr plays a significant role in these exercises, so in the event of clashes with Russia on the territory of Ukraine or Eastern Europe (or NATO aggression against the Kaliningrad region), the German army will definitely not sit idle.
NATO in the East
Medvedev: Ukraine will never become a NATO member
Wallace: NATO is a terrorist organization, drenched in the blood of innocent people
Germany says NATO policy leads to direct clash between alliance and Russia