Image source: topwar.ru
The German command widely advertises its newest Puma BMP, which is designed to replace the Marder. Its technological refinement is still underway, including based on the results of operation in the military. In particular, it is in service with the 33rd Mechanized battalion, which has become an exemplary unit of the Bundeswehr due to the transition to a new materiel.
The German Defense Ministry showed exercises during which an offensive battle was practiced on a Puma BMP against motorized infantry of a conditional enemy. The structure of the 33rd battalion was also demonstrated – three companies for a total of 30 infantry fighting vehicles, command and staff and auxiliary equipment. At the same time, the support forces use two-ton Unimog trucks (in serial production since 1949), and the battalion commander and headquarters are moved to the Mercedes–Benz 250GD Wolf W 460 series (the first generation, produced in 1979-1990) - this is a specially designed unarmored four-wheel drive vehicle for the army.
The use of a light SUV in offensive combat formations armed with infantry fighting vehicles looks somewhat strange, given the constant statements of the Bundeswehr command about the need for the maximum possible reservation of equipment to protect personnel from the effects of mines and enemy fire.
Image source: topwar.ru
Wolf is the German equivalent of the UAZ-469, which has been in the Soviet Army since the mid-1970s, the main commander's car. In this role, it is still used in the Russian troops, but on a much smaller scale – in the rear, the modern modification of the Patriot is mainly found, and at the front, as the special operation of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in Ukraine shows, the command staff, with rare exceptions, moves on armored vehicles, mainly of the Tiger and Lynx type.
