This publication deals with one of the most interesting army exercises of the Bundeswehr: "Schneller Wechsel '74". The name was apt for the exercise, which was characterised by long-range redeployments of large units over hundreds of kilometres, road marches and rail transports. In the process, various bodies of water were crossed by means of war bridges and for the most part at night, in order to then start fighting from the marching movement. Road marches were peppered with various training interludes such as heavy equipment breakdowns and the rapid deployment of repair troops. Airborne units supported the fighting, as did U.S. Army units. To have a comparison from today's perspective: The individual tank and armoured reconnaissance battalions sometimes stood in the manoeuvre area with 600 battle tanks each. It is also interesting to note the different material equipment in the battle tank weapon system with the ageing M48A2C battle tank and the new "Leopard" 1, which often fought side by side.
Group
Books (first-hand)
Author
Böhm, W.
Title
Panzerkampf im Kalten Krieg. Heeresübung "Schneller Wechsel '74" des III. Korps
Details
German and english text, paperback, 110 bw- and 9 coloured photos. 64 pages.
