Army logistics troops (Bundeswehr)

Supply and transport troops

Repair troop

Beret badge of the Bundeswehr

The army logistics troops are a type of service in the army of the Bundeswehr that is part of the operational and command support troops . The main tasks of the logistics troops in the army are supplies for the army, the repair of technical equipment in the army and general transport and logistics tasks in the army.

assignment

The main tasks of the German logistics force are to supply the army, in military parlance " replenishment " and the repair of equipment, vehicles and weapons of the army. The army logistics troops thus ensure the operational readiness and combat strength of the army. Forces of the other branches of the armed forces and military organizational areas can be supported if necessary.

The repair force is responsible for ensuring that the army's high-quality material can be used for as long as possible. Directly at the troop units, the repair force is jointly responsible for the maintenance and repair at the low material maintenance level , generally for the operational readiness of all military equipment. Logistics battalions are tasked with carrying out repairs on a higher material maintenance level. The formerly planned army repair works for more complicated repair work have been dissolved and their capabilities are no longer part of the army's capability profile. In addition, the repair troop ensures the defense case and exercises field maintenance of the entire material of the army with weapons , missiles and vehicles and places it in a field-usable condition. In addition, the addition of spare parts and supplies must be ensured. In the event of an emergency, the repair team is able to recover large equipment that has failed on the battlefield and to make it operational again in the mobile or fixed facilities provided for this purpose. Engineers, master mechanics and other technically trained soldiers are often among the management personnel of the repair troops. It should be noted that the Army Aviation Troops in particular have their own repair units for their large equipment.

The supply force is responsible for providing, managing, issuing and transporting the supplies required by the force such as weapons, vehicles and equipment, ammunition , supplies and spare parts as well as food . (The Bundeswehr medical service , however, has its own replenishment services for the supply of medical goods.) The replenishment force forms supply chains that extend from the armed forces base, which ensures the basic service in peacetime, through the large units of the army to the supply subunits. The transshipment points and depots (for ammunition, for mobilization troops and for other equipment - but not for medical supplies), if they are located in the area of ​​the army and are not part of the armed forces base, are largely set up and operated by the supply force. During the Cold War , the depots were of particular importance for the mobilization of the territorial army . The spectrum of goods stored and transported is diverse. A distinction is essentially made between:

• Bulky consumer goods (MVG): Goods that are consumed and required by the troops in large quantities. This primarily includes ammunition, fuel and food.
• Individual consumer goods (EVG): Replenishment goods that are subject to wear and tear, but have to be delivered to the front either only when required or in small numbers.
• Non- consumer goods (NVG): Everything that is normally not subject to wear and tear. For example, large equipment such as vehicles etc.

In the case of a defense, the field of supply troops also includes the delivery of field post , the other tasks of which fall within the area of ​​the armed forces base. In the event of a defense in the Cold War, the supply troops would have operated their own bakeries , slaughterhouses and sanitary facilities such as baths and laundries (in foreign deployments , the special pioneers are primarily responsible for this today ) for food . In the event of a defense, the supply force is also responsible for the removal of looted material.

education

The course-related training of the supply and transport parts of the army logistics troops is in charge of the logistics school of the Bundeswehr in Garlstedt for logistics forces of all branches of the armed forces and organizational areas. The logistics school of the Bundeswehr is part of the armed forces base, but has its roots largely in the former army supply school. The central training center for the military pack animals is the deployment and training center for pack animals 230 in Bad Reichenhall .

The training center for land systems technology in Aachen is responsible for the course-related training of the repair parts of the army logistics troops . The Land Systems Technology Training Center is responsible for the joint and cross-organizational training of repair workers. However, only the repair of land-based weapon systems and electronics is taught, as far as these devices are used by the troops of the army and armed forces base. The school's commander is also the general of the army logistics troops . The general of the army logistics troops is responsible in a special way for the training of the army logistics troops, including the supply and transport components. The Army Development Office has been responsible for the further development of the military branch since June 2013 .

history

Field repair (engine replacement) Spz Hotchkiss (1968)

Removal of Spz Hotchkiss without caterpillar , left (1968)

Field restoration (1969)

The army logistics troops have their roots in the quartermaster and field warriors . As a first step in the establishment of the two branches of the armed forces, the " Feldzeug-Troop School " in Sonthofen and the " Quartermaster Troop School " in Andernach were set up in 1956, when the Bundeswehr was founded . The quartermaster troop corresponded to the later supply troop . The field force corresponded to the later repair force . Troops of the two branches of service were called completely analogous: Quartermaster kompanie , ordnance battalion , etc. In 1959, the field and quartermaster troops were given their present names repair and supply troops. At the top of the line were the general of the supply troops and the general of the repair troops . With the increasingly complex technology in the Cold War , special units were set up to maintain and repair the electronics in the army. As part of the WHNS , the two branches of service took on important tasks relating to the maintenance and replenishment of American "special weapons" . For a time, the two branches of service, repair and supply troops (temporarily plus medical troops ) formed the army's technical troops with an appropriately named troop school . The two branches of service have often been closely linked throughout history. Before that, in the history of the army, mixed units and associations were formed again and again, which were made up of these sub-areas of today's army logistics force. These include or included the headquarters companies, supply battalions, logistics brigades and mixed supply units . As a result of the reorganization of the troop types in the course of the transformation of the Bundeswehr (announced in the commanding letter of the inspector of the army of October 17, 2005), the then independent troop types of supply troops, repair troops and the transport units of the army became the army logistics force. Instead of the generals of the supply and repair troops, the position of general of the army logistics troops was created. The first logistics battalion of the Bundeswehr was the logistics battalion 51, which was set up in 2002 and has since been disbanded. The armed forces base is home to a large part of today's forces for replenishment, transport and maintenance of the Bundeswehr. In the army, it was mainly the troops that directly ensure the logistical support up to the combat logistics for the combat troops of the army. Securing basic logistical operations in peacetime, on the other hand, is primarily the task of the troops in the armed forces base. New tasks for the army logistics troops arose from the "takeover" of the maintenance and repair trains of the staff and supply companies, which had previously been organically integrated into the army's units, and which previously serviced and repaired equipment at the lower material maintenance levels directly at the troop units. In the field and in the home country, the cooperation with private companies and civil authorities in the field of logistics has been expanded since the end of the Cold War. Examples of this are army repair logistics , which take on the original tasks of the repair troops , and the establishment of the Bundeswehr service centers , which take on important supply tasks in the garrisons, whereby it should be noted that many of these functions were performed by the site administrations before the transformation and therefore already were civilly organized.

organization

classification

The army logistics troops are a type of service in the army of the Bundeswehr that is part of the operational and command support troops . The army logistics troops consist of the formerly separate troop types of supply troops, including the transport units of the army and the repair force . At the level of the battalions and regiments, the army logistics force provides services directly to the troops with the integrated supply services. Specifically, for example, the maintenance trains of the headquarters companies, which formerly belonged to a tank or tank grenadier battalion, have now been replaced by the logistics service providers. In addition to the units belonging to the army logistics troops, many other units in the army have their own transport, supply, material and repair groups. These forces responsible for logistics ( supply services ) at the level of regiments, battalions and companies are often still an organic part of these units and belong to the type of service to which their higher-level unit is assigned. But you work closely with the army logistics forces. The transport helicopter regiments of the Army Aviation Troops in particular have large transport capacities in the Army . However, these are part of the Army Aviation Troops and are not part of the Army logistics troops, which only include land-based transport capacities. The forces for the operation of the NATO pipeline , which represented the backbone of the fuel supply in the Federal Republic, do not belong to the army logistic force, but mainly to the engineer force (or did not belong to the supply force either) . The ferries, which were also operated by the Bundeswehr during the Cold War, were not part of the supply or transport troops, but were also part of the pioneer troops (river pioneers).

According to their name, the army logistics troops are a type of service that can only be found in the army. In the armed forces base , comparable forces, including those wearing army uniforms in the armed forces base, are grouped together under the designation " logistics force ". The other branches of the armed forces and military organizational areas also have comparable logistical forces. There, however, no types of troops are defined, so that an (army) logistics force in the narrower sense only exists in the armed forces base and in the army. In the Navy logistics forces are including in the '60s using rows together "(Logistics and Headquarters Service). In the Air Force are primarily in the service area "technical service / supply services" represent many logistics forces of the Air Force.

The army logistic troops represent logistic level 2 in the three-level logistic system of the Bundeswehr.

Active units

Haflingers are used in the army logistics force as riding and pack animals

In the course of the realignment of the Bundeswehr , the army logistics troops were reclassified and the units were renamed supply battalions.

The army logistics troops also include other shares in multinational supply associations. For the logistical support of the airborne troops of the German armed forces , the two paratrooper regiments with their 8th companies each have an airborne supply company. In addition to a transshipment / transport squadron and a repair train, these companies also include a parachute / air cargo train and an air cargo train. Thus, both companies have the capability of strategic as well as tactical air handling. The Mountain Supply Battalion 8 is capable of logistics in difficult terrain or under unfavorable climatic conditions. The deployment and training center for pack animals 230 bundles the capabilities of the army in the army's military pack animals . Along with the service dogs of the Bundeswehr, their mules and Haflingers are the only animals in the service of the Bundeswehr and are among the most popular members of the army. In mountainous terrain and in bad weather, the pack animals secure supplies in difficult terrain.

Troops of the army logistics troops of the Bundeswehr

	designation	place	Association	Deployment concept 2011
	Supply Battalion 4	Roding	Armored Brigade 12	formed on July 18, 2014 from LogBtl 4
	Supply Battalion 7	Unna	Armored Brigade 21	formed on July 1, 2015 from the LogBtl 7
	Mountain Supply Battalion 8	Feet	Mountain Infantry Brigade 23	Mountain Logistics Battalion 8 until mid-2014
	Supply Battalion 131	Bad Frankenhausen	Panzer Grenadier Brigade 37	formed on July 1, 2015 from the LogBtl 131
	Supply Battalion 141	Neustadt am Rübenberge	Tank Training Brigade 9	formed on July 1, 2015 from the LogBtl 141
	Supply Battalion 142	Hagenow	Panzer Grenadier Brigade 41	formed on October 1st, 2015 from the LogBtl 142
	German part of the German-French Brigade supply battalion	Muellheim	Franco-German Brigade
	8th / Paratrooper Regiment 26	Merzig	Airborne Brigade 1	from on April 1, 2015 LLUstgBtl 262 formed
	8th / Paratrooper Regiment 31	Seedorf	Airborne Brigade 1	formed on October 1, 2014 from LLUstgBtl 272
	3./Support Forces Command Special Forces	Calw	Special Forces Command
	Operation and training center for pack animals 230	Bad Reichenhall	Mountain Infantry Brigade 23

Even if they are not part of the army logistics force in the narrower sense, the following three depots are of particular importance for logistics in the army:

	designation	place	Association
	Central long-term camp Herongen	Herongen	Army command
	Central long-term camp Pirmasens	Pirmasens	Army command
	Central mobilization base	Brück / Neuseddin	Army command

These depots are the last major remaining depots of the army. The depots serve as a transfer point and for long-term storage of technical equipment. Vehicles are preserved for this purpose, i. H. without operating materials and with tracked vehicles without tensioned chains, stored and only made ready for operation again in the event of mobilization . In addition, vehicles to be controlled are dismantled in the depots, spare parts are removed and these are then made available to the active troops. In some cases, vehicles are also completely technically repaired and supplied to the troops. The remainder is then sent for final scrapping.

equipment

vehicles

Heavy load transporter Elefant

The Army Logistics Force has extensive equipment to carry out its missions:

• Armored recovery vehicle 2
• Armored recovery vehicle 3 buffalo
• Mobile crane light (FKL)
• Mobile crane medium (FKM)
• Heavy load transporter SLT Elefant
• Truck 2t mil gl ( Unimog )
• Truck 5t mil gl
• Truck 10 t mil gl
• Truck 15t mil gl MULTI
• All protection transport vehicle Dingo

Supply and transport units mainly use off-road trucks , for the transport of larger vehicles on the heavy-duty transporter SLT Elefant , various armored recovery vehicles and vehicle cranes enable the recovery of other vehicles and enable the field repair (the armored recovery vehicles by crane arm) of the defense material. The ATF Dingo serves to secure the army logistics force.

uniform

The weapon color of the army logistics troops, shown for example as the color of the braids and collar tabs , is medium blue . When the collar tabs were reintroduced, the gun color of the quartermaster troop was initially light blue. In 1962, the technical troops (i.e. repairs and replenishment) received uniform, medium blue collar tabs.

The color of the beret, which is worn relatively seldom, is coral red . With the beret badge, there are two different beret badges due to the different roots of the army logistics troops. This is unusual in the Bundeswehr, in which most of the branches of the armed forces only have a beret badge, unless specific military submissions require anything different. After the planning of the army logistics troops, no uniform beret badge was ordered, but the beret badge of the disbanded supply force and the repair force continued. In the army logistics force, the repair companies wear the beret badge of the disbanded repair force, the supply and transport units wear the beret badge of the disbanded supply force.

The beret badge of the repair units shows a field weapon ( wrench , cannon barrel , gearwheel ) framed by an oak wreath . The Feldzeugmark indicates that the repair work was called Feldzeugtruppe in the early years of the Army . The berets of the supply and transport units show a wing bar ( caduceus ) with a railway wheel framed by an oak wreath , which refers to the beginnings as train units .

The uniform of the army logistics troops corresponds to the uniform of the army uniform wearers in the logistics force of the armed forces base.

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  Beret badge and beret color repair troop

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  Beret badge and beret color supply troop

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  Collar Tabs

See also : Army uniforms

Military symbols

The army logistics troops use a variety of military symbols for their units, e.g. B. a wrench for repairs or a spoked wheel for transport. Some examples are shown below.

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  Military symbol of a supply battalion

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  Repair military symbol

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  Military symbol for transportation

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  Military symbol for supplies

Rank designations

→ Main article : Section "Bundeswehr" in the article on the collective term "Soldier"

The lowest rank in most units of the army logistics troops and other branches of the armed forces is the shooter . He corresponds to the rank of hunter, radio operator, tank grenadier etc. ( → see here ) of other branches of service. The other ranks correspond to the general ranks of the Bundeswehr .

Team rank
Lower rank		Higher rank
-	Sagittarius	Private
Rank group : Teams-NCOs-NCO-NCOs-Lieutenant-Captains-Staff officers-Generals See also : Ranks  and Rank Badges of the Bundeswehr

literature

• Georg Thielmann: The history of the logistics of the Bundeswehr from 1955 to today . Traugott Bautz GmbH, Nordhausen, 2012, ISBN 978-3-88309-759-6 .
• Peter Blume: The supply force of the Bundeswehr . History, structures and vehicles. In: FP (Vehicle Profiles) . UNITEC media sales, 2010.
• Technical force . In: Bundeswehramt (ed.): Our army . tape 9 , 1962.

See also

• Army repair logistics
• Replenishment services
• Supply number
• Field post of the Bundeswehr

Web links

• The army logistics troops. Federal Ministry of Defense , the head of the press and information staff, accessed on January 4, 2020 . 
• Website. Blue Bund e. V., accessed December 10, 2010 . 

Individual evidence

1. ↑ What is the mission of the army logistics troops? Federal Ministry of Defense , the head of the press and information staff, accessed on August 1, 2015 . 
2. ↑ Formations of the Army. (No longer available online.) The Federal Archives, archived from the original on April 2, 2015 ; Retrieved December 9, 2010 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
3. ^ History of the army logistics troops. Federal Ministry of Defense , the head of the press and information staff, accessed on August 1, 2015 . 
4. ↑ www.deutschesheer.de History of the Army Logistic Troops (1993–1997). Accessed November 25, 2013.
5. ^ The stationing of the Bundeswehr - October 2011 (PDF; 2.8 MB) BMVg, accessed on October 26, 2010 . 
6. ↑ What equipment and technology do the army logistics troops use? Federal Ministry of Defense , the head of the press and information staff, accessed on August 1, 2015 . 
7. ↑ engl. CSS - Combat Service Support, German operational support
8. ↑ here: engl. ALL for all replenishment classes; with Roman numerals (instead of "ALL") individual classes, e.g. B. "III" for operating materials or "V" for ammunition
9. ↑ ^{a b} The equivalent, higher and lower ranks are given in accordance with ZDv 14/5 B 185, cf. The Federal Minister of Defense (ed.): ZDv 14/5. Soldiers Act . DSK AV110100174, change status July 17, 2008. Bonn August 21, 1978, rank designations in the Bundeswehr, p. B 185 (Not to be confused with the Law on the Legal Status of Soldiers (Soldiers Act) . The order of the ranks shown in the info box does not necessarily correspond to one of the regular rank sequences provided for in the Soldiers' Career Ordinance , nor does it necessarily correspond to the rank hierarchy described in the Superiors Ordinance a managerial relationship ).