Their old diesel engines roaring, the Cold War-era battle tanks bobbed through the verdant Germany countryside as the Ukrainian commander radioed an order to his unit to fire.
The gunners’ task was to aim and shoot the 105-millimeter cannon at green pop-up targets as far as 1,500 yards away.
“Fifteen of 17 is a very good result,” said Lt. Col. Marco Maulbecker, who oversees the tank training, referring to the number of targets hit by the crews on the first attempt.
At the time, Germany was criticized for its dithering when it came to sending German-made tanks to Ukraine.
The reluctance reflected Germany’s ambivalence about taking a military leadership role in Europe after World War II, but also the burdens on a German military that was chronically underfunded.
Persons:
”, Marco Maulbecker, —
Organizations:
NATO
Locations:
Ukrainian, Germany, Kyiv, Ukraine, Europe