Formal service
The formal service is in the Bundeswehr common name for the drill .
purpose
The formal training serves to practice certain forms of behavior of the soldier , which are essential for the external and thus internal discipline in military service. It is the only exercise in which the soldier learns to follow his superior on command with a specific action and to obey. The formal service arose from the movements for combat by units of the line troops on the battlefield.
For the Bundeswehr, the central guideline A2-221 / 0-0-1280 “Formal service regulations” (formerly ZDv 3/2) regulates certain forms of behavior for both individual soldiers and departments in military formations. The components of the formal service have their historical origins in part in the 16th to 18th centuries, when combat tactics in battles made it necessary for soldiers to stand in a line and make precise and coordinated movements, especially for fire fighting and loading their firearms , carried out. Even if these methods are technically outdated, the formal service promotes behavioral security in the military community and towards the armed forces of allied nations. He trains confidence in appearance and thus contributes to the external and internal discipline of the soldiers and the troops.
content
Formal service of the individual soldier in the Bundeswehr
initial position
The soldier is first trained to stand correctly and to react immediately to orders. The basic position , commanded by the command "Stand still!" Or "Caution!", Means:
- The feet are with the heels together.
- The tips of the feet point outwards at an angle of approx. 60 °.
- The body weight rests equally on both feet.
- The chest is bulging.
- The shoulders are slightly set back at the same height.
- The arms hang down, the space between the elbows and the body is about a hand's width.
- Place your hands with your palms on the outside of your thighs with your fingers outstretched. (Until 2004: "The hands are closed and lie with the backs of the hands facing outwards on the thighs. The curved fingers touch the palm of the hand, the thumb is stretched out along the curved index finger.")
- The head is held upright, the gaze is directed straight ahead, the mouth is closed.
When the command “Attention!” Is given, the soldier immediately takes the basic position in relation to the superior or in the direction ordered, as when reporting to a higher superior. This command is also used to interrupt the actions and movements of soldiers in special situations.
Analogous to the basic position, this is “stir!”. To do this, the soldier at the command of the same name moves his left foot approx. 20 cm to the left and his hands behind his back. If the carrying of a weapon, personal equipment or other objects prevents the hands from being put on their backs, they should hang freely.
The department or the soldier is to be addressed as the announcement command for “Stand still!” And “Stir yourselves!” (For example 1st platoon). In the case of “Attention!” There is generally no announcement command. It can be given if only part of a department is meant (e.g. 1st group).
The military salute
The military salute takes place in a straight posture. The person to be greeted is looked at. If necessary, the person to be greeted looks up to the shoulder line. As a greeting, the right hand with the fingers lying next to each other, the thumb and the fingertip of the middle finger close to the temple is quickly brought to the head or the edge of the headgear so that
- the back of the hand points upwards,
- the forearm and the hand form a straight line and
- the elbow is about shoulder height.
The greeting must be ended as soon as it has been returned or the person to be greeted has passed.
There is no greeting from a seated position, but standing up in greeting. It is possible to remain seated in public and off duty as well as in private. Drivers and crews of motor vehicles do not greet; The greeting is also omitted when riding a bicycle.
If larger objects are being carried or if the greeting cannot be carried out due to the carrying of the weapon, greetings must be made by turning their eyes. When carrying smaller objects, the right hand is released in good time. If a military salute is not possible with the right hand due to an injury or other physical handicap, the left hand is used.
Formal service of departments in the Bundeswehr
This regulates how departments (at least in the strength of a squad) have to behave.
Compete
Closed departments always appear in a formation sorted by size. In groups and smaller divisions (this is based on a strength of less than twelve soldiers including the military leader), one member is lined up. This means that the soldiers stand in a row, with their toes level and with the front facing the superior. With stronger departments (platoon, company etc.) i. d. As a rule, started in a line (to 3 members) ("three in a row, many-many next to each other"). Here, as in a line to a link, starting from the right; Soldiers to be pushed enter the formation on the left. Here, too, is started according to size. Squad leader and group leader stand to the right of the formation, then the platoon leader and finally the company commander. The exception to this is the company sergeant , who traditionally always appears on the left side when a unit is in a closed formation.
The requirement that military leaders (troop leaders, group leaders, platoon leaders, etc.) enter on the right side of the formation led to the misconception that a formation would compete according to ranks - however, this is only applicable if the higher ranks have corresponding management tasks perceive.
The line to one of the members is according to the "law - in order" to the series . The line ("three in a row, many-many next to each other") becomes the march order .
Step away
On the command “step away!” The place is left with quick steps. The direction of movement or the target must be given; if necessary, turn in the direction commanded first. However, the formal service regulations do not provide for a blanket "Department - return!" Before the command “step away!” The basic position must be given.
Formation changes
If a closed department (e.g. a train) is to move into a building, the command "Row left, middle, right - move into the building!" Here, too, the formal service regulations provide for a different procedure with a fixed sequence of commands: the change of formation. This can of course not only be used when entering buildings, but also to pass through narrow passages, etc.
The transition from the marching order to the row from the hold occurs with the commands
- "Row on the right - without step - march!" ("The row on the left - without step march!") Or
- "In batches - row right - without step - march!" ("In batches - row left - without step - march!")
In the first variant, the right (left) row starts with a normal stride length; the other two rows connect to the end of the neighboring row.
In the second variant, the right (left) wingman of the first squad takes on a normal stride. The others of the group turn about 45 ° to the right (left) and follow the wingman in a row. The following squads behave accordingly until the entire department has taken their turn.
There are also further commands for the transition from the marching order to the row from the movement and from the row to the marching order (from the stop and from the movement), which are not shown here for reasons of clarity.
The message
The report is basically a formal service of the individual soldier, but also takes place with a formation. The individual soldier reports to his superior by taking the basic position, giving military greetings and himself
- reports as ordered,
- reports in an official matter or
- reports in a personal matter.
A formation can also be reported. Here, the formation is first brought to a standstill by its own leader, followed by the commands “Straighten yourselves!” (Without an announcement command), “Straighten your eyes!” And “To report, eyes - right!” (Or “... your eyes - left! “; Regardless of this, the head is always turned exactly towards the person to whom the message is sent); then the department is reported to the supervisor in the strength in which it started.
The march
To order the division to march, it must first be moved in the direction of march (formation row or marching order ). To do this, the superior orders “Right - around!”, With each soldier in the division turning 90 ° to the right at the same time. The command "right -" is the announcement command and "um!" Is the execution command. The commanding superior then orders either “Without stepping - march!” Or “In lockstep - march!”. In order to stop the formation, while marching without a step he orders “Hold in front!”, In lockstep “Department - stop!”.
While after the march in lockstep and the command “Department - stop!” The basic position is assumed, during the march without a step and the command “Hold in front!” The first group of a marching department stands in “stir”, the following groups close until to 80 cm and align themselves.
Protocol service
Most armies have specially trained guard units for representative government tasks such as receptions and military honors.
Germany
In Germany it is the guard battalion at the Federal Ministry of Defense . In addition to the formal service of each soldier, it performs special movements according to the old Prussian drill regulations. For this purpose, it is equipped with 98k rifles that can no longer be fired .
Austria
In Austria is the guard battalion of the Austrian army used in the protocol-related service.
See also
literature
- Harry Horstmann: The Soldier: In Language and Tradition. Books on Demand, Norderstedt 2013, ISBN 978-3-8391-8603-9 .
- Heinz-Georg Macioszek: The problem of tradition in the Bundeswehr. Series of publications by the Europa-Kolleg Hamburg, Volume 1, special issue. Hamburg 1969.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Central Directive A2-221 / 0-0-1280 - Formal Service Regulations. In: https://www.reservistenverband.de/ . Office for Army Development , January 1, 2015, accessed on January 27, 2019 .