Re: Bundeswehr": was official" german ...

[Shawn Mulock <01340743@xxxxxxxx>]

festusdirk@urbia.de wrote:

> Zitiere Shawn Mulock <01340743@3web.net>:
>
> wouldn´t call it integration. practically anything
> from eastern origin except some mig 29 was scrapped,
> sold or otherwise disposed. For example the use of the
> standard vehicle tool kit was discontinued as the hammer
> had a wrong weight, the winter clothing system (far
> better or at least warmer than ours) was sold in surplus
> shops.
> i saw some tanzanian park rangers in former nva uniforms
> and trucks, so at least some material is really used for
> a good thing.
> all eastern baracks are modernized, some just when they
> got closed for downsizing; the most modern training
> ground is on east german soil, so technically
> integration is reached (by now more western barracks
> need an update, it ther´d be any money to spent.

Sounds like they really should have been more careful in what they got rid
of.  To me it also appears there is a certain degree of division remaining
in the German mindset, 40 years is a long time for a nation to be split in
two.

> there is no real difference between the performance of
> ,say, the schneeberg/saxony and
> garmisch-partenkirchen/bavaria mountain bataillons, but
> for traditional reasons it will be the saxon units that
> will be closed next. but all in all the downsizing hits
> garrisons all over the country. my former unit went from
> hannover, a state capital, railway hub and rather nice
> place to be, to Rotenburg/Wümme, a small county town in
> the middle of nowhere (well, the middle of a very flat
> part of lower saxony). afaik, they still recruit mainly
> from northwestern germany, as consripts and short-term
> nco are usualyy sent to units as near to hometowns as
> possible.

Looks like the conscription system needs an overhaul, how many eastern
recruits have requested western postings, I wonder?

> and the still existing units are always forced to share
> with the forces send to former yugoslawia. i´ve heard of
> transport companies with three operational trucks, the
> rest cannibalized for spare parts. the augustdorf MP
> company, responsible for the 7.division area, say 100
> times 100 rather densely populated kilometers and with
> tenthousands of conscripts hitting the railway stations
> any weekend, usually have one opel (that´s vauxhall with
> left-hand-drive) astra station wagon (breakneck top
> speed 130km/h) to cover the area. friends told me when
> they had to take a volkswagen van for an emergency call,
> they shut blue lights and siren off as any truck was
> faster.

It seems that the effort to support UN commitment has caused a tightening of
the purse strings in other areas. I guess it is all due to the additional
cost to the Bundeswehr to move troops out of country. Seeing as how they had
not sent troops outside of Germany between the end of W.W.II and the
beginning of the I.F.O.R. missions, they did not seem to have the structure
in place. How goes that, do you think?

> one thing is funny. soldiers from eastern germany still
> only receive about 90% of the regulation payment,
> regardless if serving near their hometown (living is
> slightly cheaper in some parts of estern germany)or
> anywhere else. for example "fernmeldafing", the signals
> school in feldafing, is located at the shores of lake
> starnberg, amidst munichs most expensive suburbs, still
> east german soldiers there are paid less than soldiers
> recruited on the other side of the long gone wall.

I am afraid there may be a bias somewhere in the higher echelons in regards
to the eastern recruited troops.

>
> i´m glad i left soon enough...
>
> festus

All in all it sounds to me as if they are still stuck on the short sighted
mandate based on, "Since the Iron Curtain is down, we no longer need a large
military force." Not to mention the insane costs of getting everybody onto
the same page as far as the integration is concerned...

S.