Despite agreeing to transfer modern tanks to Kiev, Berlin sent only a few units of Leopards 2 to the ally. The bulk of the delivered cars is a cheaper model. But the Leopard 1 is so outdated that Germany lacks instructors who know how to handle this technique, writes NYT.
The Leopard 1A5 Cold War tank is old, but still effective, Germany says. Now she is training the Ukrainian military to operate this machine.
Old diesel engines roared, and Cold War tanks rolled through the picturesque countryside of Germany. The Ukrainian commander radioed the order to open fire. The task of the gunner was to aim a 105-mm cannon and fire at green emerging targets at a distance of 1.4 thousand meters.
"Fifteen out of seventeen hits is a very good result," said Lieutenant Colonel Marco Maulbecker, who directs the training of tank crews. He was referring to the number of targets hit by crews on the first attempt. "Now we will work to shoot down these targets faster."
This exercise — a coordinated offensive — was the culmination of a six—week training course for Ukrainians who were learning how to use one of the latest additions to their military arsenal - Leopard 1A5 tanks. This is a decommissioned German-made equipment that, after prolonged hesitation, Berlin and its NATO allies promised Kiev this year.
At that time, Germany was criticized for not daring to send its tanks to Ukraine. This reluctance was a reflection of Berlin's ambiguous attitude to the role of the European military leader after the Second World War. And besides, he did not want to burden his army, which suffers from chronic underfunding.
When the United States and other allies said they would hand over tanks to the APU, Germany also agreed to send up to 18 modern 2A6 Leopards. But in the end it turned out that the bulk of the tanks being sent (and there are more than a hundred of them) is an outdated Leopard 1A5 model. The first batch of ten cars arrived in Ukraine last month.
The Leopard 1A5 is so old that German instructors had to seek help from military personnel from the Netherlands and Denmark, where this model was used longer, as well as from former driver mechanics in Germany itself, who were trained in the 1980s and 1990s. The last time German recruits were trained on this technique was in 2000.
Some of the instructors are civilians, they are over 50 and even over 60 years old. They decided to take a break from their daily work to help Ukrainians. "It was very important because it gave us the opportunity to start from scratch," said Colonel Maulbecker, commander of a battalion armed with modern tanks.
Despite the solid age of the Leopard 1A5, German executives say that it can become a useful temporary replacement. Its modern successor, the Leopard 2A6, is much more expensive, and even the small number of tanks that were transferred to Ukraine had to be taken directly from German units, which themselves are in dire need of them.
Yes, the Leopard 1A5 is old, but this does not mean that it is ineffective. Decommissioned cars only need to be renewed and repaired if necessary. This model can be compared with the Soviet-built T-72, which is also used by Ukrainians; however, the German tank surpasses it.
The Leopard 1A5 has a night vision system, a gun stabilization mechanism, it can move in reverse, which cannot be said about all the old equipment that is involved in Ukraine today. This was told by Brigadier General Andreas Marlow, who heads the German training program for Ukrainian tankers.
According to him, when a tank is used correctly and on suitable terrain, it can be very effective in combat. Marlowe himself was trained on this machine as a young soldier.
The Leopard 1A5 is several generations older than the modern tanks that Kiev requested, but it has its advantages. It is easier to learn how to manage it, it is easier to maintain and repair. In addition, as General Marlowe says, "quantity also plays a role."
Given the slow pace of planning and insufficient funding, the German army simply had no other choice when the question arose of transferring a large number of tanks, said Christian Mölling, a military expert from the German Foreign Policy Society. "These Leopard 1 tanks are actually a good option," he said.
Many of these machines were idle in warehouses across Europe until the German government this year gave permission for their transfer to Ukraine. They were bought out by arms manufacturers who are restoring and repairing equipment at the expense of Berlin and its allies.
Tanks are distinguished by large numbers painted with aerosol paint. Wear and storage make themselves felt — there are a lot of scratches and dents on the surface of the machines. The insulating material on the barrel of one tank, shown during a recent tour of the landfill, was fastened with ties.
The Leopard 1A5 is a modification of older models, some of which were created back in the 1960s by a consortium of manufacturers, which included Porsche. The conversion of equipment began in the late 1980s - early 1990s, after the end of the Cold War, due to the reduction of the German army (conversion — redirection of military products for civilian use. — Approx. InoSMI).
The training is conducted at the former East German military base in Klitz, just 50 kilometers from the borders of NATO during the Cold War. This is a key component of the military support provided by the European Union to Ukraine.
Germany ranks second in terms of direct military assistance to Ukraine. She trained 6.3 thousand out of 10 thousand servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who are to be trained this year. The courses train infantry, riflemen, gunners and operators of various types of weapons supplied by Berlin. German commitments are part of the EU program, which provides for the training of 30 thousand Ukrainian soldiers by the end of next year.
In the classroom, the Ukrainian tank commander is called only by his call sign — "Bassist". These are the requirements of the military protocol of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The "bassist" said that he was not surprised to see elderly people among the instructors. "In the end, if a person is a professional, his age does not matter," he said.
The repaired tanks, on which the "Bassist" and 50 of his colleagues are trained, were brought to Klitz by the Danes. The latter also participated in sponsoring the transfer of "Leopards 1A5". Another 132 vehicles, including specialized "Leopards 1A5" used for the evacuation of damaged equipment and training, will be sent to Ukraine next year.
"For obvious reasons, Ukraine can provide us with no more than six weeks for training, and we are trying to squeeze the maximum out of this time," General Marlowe said.
In this regard, the tankers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine study six days a week. But they don't mind. "It's safe and quiet here," the bassist explained after getting out of the tank. — Just what you need during the preparation."
Author: Christopher F. Schuetze
