Germany’s army is so under-equipped that it used broomsticks instead of machine guns

Washington Post ^ | February 19, 2015 | Rick Noack

[C19fan]

The German army has faced a shortage of equipment for years, but the situation has recently become so precarious that some soldiers took matters into their own hands.

On Tuesday, German broadcaster ARD revealed that German soldiers tried to hide the lack of arms by replacing heavy machine guns with broomsticks during a NATO exercise last year. After painting the wooden sticks black, the German soldiers swiftly attached them to the top of armored vehicles, according to a confidential army report which was leaked to ARD.

[GeronL]

I wonder if ISIS and Russia have such problems?

[GeronL]

The German Army still scares me! heh

[baltimorepoet]

Maybe the Germans are hoping that if the Russians invade, they’ll rape the women with broomsticks instead of like they did during the end of WWII, so they’ll be less half-Russian babies.

What do you expect of socialist, liberal Euroweenies?

[GeronL]

I love that video

[dfwgator]

Russkies will have to go through Poland, first, the Poles may not have the biggest army, but you can bet they’ll fight the Russkies with everything they’ve got.

[HartleyMBaldwin]

[staccato eh-eh-eh-eh sound]

“I got you! You’re dead!”

“No I’m not!”

[baltimorepoet]

Hopefully the Poles got more than broomsticks. Otherwise they would be just an inconvenient speed bump for the Russian army.

[ansel12]

Now that the Soviet Union is returning, the West is rethinking it’s war status.

Defense Minister says German armed forces will act under new strategy from 2016, marking a formal end to its post-WWII pacifist policy.”

Germany’s armed forces will come under a new security and defense strategy from 2016, the German government has announced.
Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen announced in Berlin on Tuesday that Germany, which has been traditionally hesitant in taking part in international military operations mainly because of its Nazi past, would act “without any taboos”.
Speaking at the start of a meeting of experts, civil and military officials and politicians on the construction of a new defense strategy for Germany, der Leyen said: “Today, we are beginning our work on a new White Paper on the security policy and the future of our armed forces, the Bundeswehr.”
She said the White Paper would form the basic strategic document of the German military.
Germany has long opposed providing weapons to parties in conflict zones, but decided last year to send arms and ammunition to the Kurdish Peshmerga forces in their fight against ISIL
‘Alarming developments’
In another milestone decision last month, the German parliament approved deploying up to 100 soldiers in northern Iraq to train Peshmerga forces, clearing the way for the first German military deployment abroad without any NATO or UN Security Council mandate.
Public opinion in the country has been largely against Germany taking any military role in international conflicts but, in recent months, German government officials have been advocating a more aggressive foreign policy, supported by military measures, stressing Germany’s responsibility for international “peace and stability”.

[Boogieman]

I don’t know if they are worth much, but they sure are pretty :)

[Boogieman]

Awww, it’s a widdle baby tank.

[Moonman62]

As long as they can provide jobs for their enemies they’ll have no problems according to Barry.

[dfwgator]

These aren't broomsticks.

[GeronL]

Polish Army (Wiki) - 120,000 active, 515,000 reserves

military budget - 1.95% of GDP

Main Battle Tanks: 1,000 (everything from T-72’s to Leopard 2A5’s)

AFV’s - 2,000 (everything from BRDM-2’s, humvee’s and KTO Rosomaks)

artillery- 1,200

army helicopters - 200 (mostly transport, utility helicopters)

-— almost no real navy to speak of)

112 air force fighters - 32 MiG-29A/UB, 48 F-16 C/D Block 52+, 32 Su-22M-4K/UM3K

.....................

Germany

active - 180,000, reserves - 144,000 (!!!)

budget - 1.2% of GDP

Their Wiki page doesn’t seem to number the tanks and fighters, that would need more digging I guess

[dfwgator]

They just bumped up their military spending, big time.

[GeronL]

tankette

Imagine fighting in the forests and stuff.

or holding towns after the main forces have moved on with the battlefront

[Larry Lucido]

There was some joke the drill sergeant told in basic training. A platoon sergeant tells the new private that there are no weapons for him, but if he sees the enemy just say “bangity bang” or “stabbity stab!” So he does that and it actually works a few times. Then another enemy keeps coming and tramples him saying “tankity tank, tankity tank.”

Well, we all laughed, anyway.

[GeronL]

See what happens when you let the APC’s and MBT’s share bunks!

[Idaho_Cowboy]

Hey, I would make room in my garage for one of those.

[GeronL]

I hope so! They need to make sure their tankettes do not become their main battle tank.

[T-Bird45]

That soldier has the least hair I’ve ever seen on a member of the Bundeswehr.