Crash course in tank operation: Ukrainian soldiers begin training in Germany

Germany has supplied Leopard 2  battle tanks to Ukraine but just handing the tanks over won't go very far to help the country win the war.

To succeed the Ukrainian soldiers have to learn how to handle these tanks. So the Ukrainians are receiving a crash course on tank operation in Munster, Lower Saxony.

In this "crash course" Ukrainian soldiers will learn how to operate German tanks - in just five weeks. The difficulty: most of them have almost no prior knowledge.

Some of the soldiers have been interviewed and do not wish to be identified as they are likely to be fighting at the front again soon. "We don't have time. We have to go back to Ukraine as soon as possible," says one of them, named Anatoly, as reported by the Tagesschau.

The Ukrainians are not only learning how to use the Leopard 2 main battle tank, but also how to operate the Marder infantry fighting vehicle.

According to a lieutenant colonel, the content that the Ukrainian soldiers learn in Munster in five weeks is normally taught over several months.

The course for the Ukrainian soldiers lasts 6 days a week and 12 hours a day. Sunday is actually intended as a day off, but will also be added if time makes it necessary.

Only about 20% of the Ukrainian soldiers in Munster have previous experience in tank operation. 80% of the training participants are starting from zero.

During the training in Munster, the soldiers mainly learn practical knowledge. Because they are trained for emergencies, namely survival in war, as reported by the Tagesschau.

The aim of the course is also to teach the soldiers how to hit the target with the first shot. This is to counteract the shortage of ammunition at the front.

The Ukrainian soldier Anatoli says: "We worked on Soviet battle tanks. They are old - and these are modern and new. And we have high hopes for the modern battle tanks."

There are also translators on site who support the training. Nevertheless, the Ukrainian soldiers have to learn some important terms in German or English.

Although the most important terms in the tank were translated before training, communication often has to be made "with hands and feet", as one captain says.

The fact that Ukrainian soldiers come straight from the front and will return there soon does not change the training. One instructor says: "We have always prepared soldiers for emergencies." And the principle always applies: "Everything you can't do here will be missing in the end."

Deliveries of the Leopard 2 and Marder tanks from Germany to Ukraine are scheduled to take place by the end of March. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius confirmed this schedule.

On February 20, Pistorius visited the training center in Munster together with the Ukrainian ex-professional boxer Wladimir Klitschko and the Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany, Oleksij Makejev.

Pistorius also pledged to train more Ukrainian soldiers. Accordingly, Germany will train as many soldiers as is required by Ukraine.