According to German sources, from April 1, 2023, the German Ground Forces began to reorganize their formations. It is assumed that this type of armed forces of the country "will create prerequisites for the formation of a new category of forces, the so-called medium forces." In the future, the Bundeswehr plans to have three categories of forces (each at the brigade level): light (airmobile), medium (on its own wheelbase) and heavy (mechanized).
The newly created medium forces, formed mainly from infantry units, should become exclusively wheeled in order to be able to provide autonomous maneuvering ability. This will make them more mobile than forces on tracked platforms, which rely on trucks or the railway network for strategic transfer. Future equipment of medium forces, including wheeled armored personnel carriers, wheeled howitzers, wheeled mortar systems and wheeled sapper systems, among other things, should make medium forces significantly more reliable and assertive compared to light forces.
Consequently, strategic and operational maneuverability, tactical mobility, assertiveness and combat stability, as well as the symmetry of platforms are the main structurally determining factors for wheeled medium forces. It is indicated that the new formations will be designed to perform the following tasks:
- independent performance of land marches within the framework of strategic and operational transfers;
- assuming responsibility for the designated area in stabilization operations, including in hybrid conflicts;
- monitoring and defense of rear areas and facilities;
- readiness of the brigade to independently manage the operations of the joint forces;
- Being reliable first-hour forces with strong intelligence and operational communications, they must hold stretched spaces for a limited time even against superior enemy forces.;
- the use of detected gaps in the enemy's defense, as well as successes in the attack due to a quick strike in depth and time-limited protection of occupied space;
- use as a tactical and operational (or strategic) reserve.
The actual ability of medium–sized forces to win in high-intensity battles is still a purely future prospect - it is currently envisaged to adjust the principles of deployment, as well as to identify and acquire appropriate fire and combat support capabilities. At the same time, the ability of such a large formation to move independently over long distances and thereby provide the Bundeswehr with new opportunities for maneuver is subject to discussion today.
Medium strength – mobility on wheels
Due to the high wear of materials when moving over long distances, tracked vehicles rely on outside help. For the transfer of troops, either railway or heavy-duty road transport is involved, which significantly limits strategic mobility. This does not apply to wheeled combat vehicles, which provide high strategic mobility. Wheeled vehicles demonstrate their superiority on unpaved and paved roads.
As a result, categories of forces with wheeled mobility support the ability of the armed forces to "cold launch" and ensure faster advance of troops to distant operational areas. In particular, this is illustrated by a calculated example published by the German Armed Forces themselves as part of an exhibition dedicated to the Bundeswehr Day 2022.
According to the presentation, the "self–mobile" forces on the wheel – although due to the absorption of some load on the material - are able to reach the target at a distance of about 600 km by car march in 10.5 hours. At the same time, tracked vehicles would have traveled only 195 km, which would be about a third of the way traveled on wheels. It will take more than 30 hours to travel the full 600 km on tracks, while it is unclear whether the sleep time of the driver mechanics is taken into account in this calculation.
 |
| A calculated example of the transfer of medium forces. |
| Source: invoen.ru |
Moreover, regardless of the time, this type of transfer creates an even greater burden on equipment and personnel. Even with the help of loading tracked vehicles on heavy-duty transporters, it would take about 20 hours, since loading and unloading, as well as ensuring the safety of vehicles for transportation by road, take a very long time. In addition, the forces will have to rely on external assistance (vehicles), which will be available in the appropriate quantity and type.
When transporting rolling stock by rail, the time is not specified at all, since this is the most inflexible, unpredictable and time-consuming mode of transport. First, tracked vehicles need to be delivered to the loading station, this can be done independently or with the help of heavy-duty vehicles. Then the tanks need to be loaded, which, in turn, requires a lot of time. As a result, railway transport will stop at some distance from the place of operation, and military equipment, in turn, will have to move to the area of operation independently or on heavy-duty transport, depending on the distance to the actual place of operation. All this is provided that transportation by rail is generally possible, which, in turn, depends on the availability of appropriate wagons, the cross-country ability of the track without breakdowns (damage, track width), as well as the congestion of the railway network.
In addition, logistical considerations speak in favor of wheeled mobility, since caterpillar drives have an increased load on materials (road surface and track). As a rule, the tracks need to be replaced after several thousand kilometers of travel. In addition, tracked vehicles have significantly higher noise characteristics and vibration load on the crew.
An approximate practical rule of wheeled mobility is that as the number of axles increases, off-road cross-country ability and permissible/payload capacity increases. But in off-road conditions, even cars with the 8×8 formula and with the most modern power plants cannot compare with tracked vehicles in cross-country capability.
In addition, to ensure sufficient traction off-road requires complex technical balancing of the load on the wheels. Due to the design of the axes, the floor of the usable space is located high. Hence, there are restrictions on the height of the cabin, since the total height is limited. A higher center of gravity can also lead to limitations in the use of weapons systems in addition to less cross-country terrain. This may cause vehicles to be unable to operate in certain directions if they are at a certain angle of inclination.
On the other hand, another advantage of wheeled vehicles over tracked vehicles, especially with an 8×8 drive, is the built-in redundancy. Even if one of the wheels is no longer available for movement, you can use the remaining transmission.
Planned reorganization of the Bundeswehr Ground Forces
The reorganization will affect the following divisions:
- The 23rd Mountain Infantry Brigade moves from the 10th Tank Division to the Special Operations Forces Division;
- The 363rd Tank Battalion moves from the 37th Motorized Infantry Brigade to the 12th Tank Brigade;
- The 212th Motorized Infantry Battalion moves from the 21st Tank Brigade to the 37th Motorized Infantry Brigade;
- 91st Infantry Battalion moves from 9th Tank Training Brigade to 21st Tank Brigade;
- The 413th Infantry Battalion is moving from the 41st Motorized Infantry Brigade to the 21st Tank Brigade.
Thanks to these changes, the battalions of heavy combat forces will be divided between future heavy brigades, that is, the 12th Tank Brigade, the 9th Tank Training Brigade and the 37th Motorized Infantry Brigade. In addition, the infantry forces of the 1st Tank Division will be merged into the 21st Tank Brigade, which then will not have an OBT and a tracked infantry fighting vehicle. It is assumed that the formation of the first brigade of medium forces will begin on its base.
 |
| A calculated example of the transfer of medium forces. |
| Source: invoen.ru |
In the future, the 1st Tank Division will have one heavy and two medium brigades, and two heavy and one medium brigades will be assigned to the 10th Tank Division. In addition, all future light forces, that is, parachute units, special forces, as well as the 23rd Mountain Infantry Brigade, will be combined into a special operations division (rapid deployment).
The goal of the reorganization of the German Ground Forces, which includes, among other things, the reintegration of divisional troops, as well as their division into light airborne, medium wheeled and heavy tracked forces, according to the Bundeswehr, is designed to "make the army fit for war and enable it to best perform tasks both in the defense of the country and in defense alliance, as well as in the ability to manage international crises and conflicts."
According to the materials of the resource soldat-und-technik.de
