The following lists German active and reserve units within the structure of the German Army. Reserve units do not possess any heavy equipment and their personnel is intended as replacements for losses sustained by regular units.
The German Army is commanded by the Inspector of the Army (Inspekteur des Heeres) based at the Army Command (Kommando Heer) in Strausberg near Berlin. The training centers are supervised by the Army Training Command in Leipzig.
The Army's combat formations comprise two Panzer (armoured) divisions and the lighter Rapid Forces Division. There are five heavy brigades and half a light infantry brigade in the two panzer divisions. Battalions and regiments are directly subordinate to brigades or to divisions as divisional troops. Regiments are rare. German infantry battalions field 1,000 men, considerably larger than most NATO armies.
The list describes the current structure of the army, which replaced the previous structure NEW HEER. Under the heading of “transformation”, the structure of the army is subject to constant change in small steps. With this current structure, the HEER 2011 structure was achieved. The first fundamental step was the establishment of the Army Command with the simultaneous elimination of the Army Command and the Army Command Staff on October 1, 2012. At this point in time (October 2012), the Army comprised around 68,000 active soldiers. The HEER 2011 structure was largely achieved at unit level at the end of 2015. At the same time, the first changes occurred compared to the originally intended ARMY 2011 structure. For example, the non-actively planned 414 tank battalion was transformed into a German-Dutch active tank battalion and subordinated to the Dutch 43 Mechanised Brigade.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine from February 2022, NATO began expanding its forces in the three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. In November 2023 a press release from the German Ministry of Defence specified that a new armoured brigade, , would be established in Lithuania. It will comprise Panzer Battalion 203 from Augustdorf, and Panzergrenadier Battalion 122. Initial command elements will start moving in the second quarter of 2024, and a staff to establish the brigade in the fourth quarter of 2024.[1] The overall NATO headquarters supervising this area is Multinational Corps North East.
203rd Panzer Battalion (Panzerbataillon 203), in Augustdorf with 44x Leopard 2A7 main battle tanks — will move to Lithuania and join the 45th Panzer Brigade in 2024
130th German/British Bridging Engineer Battalion (Deutsch/Britische Pionierbrückenbataillon 130), in Minden[4][5][6]
12th Panzer Brigade (Panzerbrigade 12), in Cham[10]
Staff Company 12th Panzer Brigade (Stabskompanie Panzerbrigade 12), in Cham
8th Reconnaissance Battalion (Aufklärungsbataillon 8), in Freyung with Fennek reconnaissance vehicles and KZOdrones
8th Mountain Panzer Battalion (Gebirgspanzerbataillon 8), in Pfreimd (Reserve unit, 1 of 3 tank companies is active in peacetime and assigned to the 104th Battalion)
104th Panzer Battalion (Panzerbataillon 104), in Pfreimd with 44x Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks
363rd Panzer Battalion (Panzerbataillon 363), in Hardheim with 44x Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks[11]
122nd Panzergrenadier Battalion (Panzergrenadierbataillon 122), in Oberviechtach with 44x Puma Infantry fighting vehicles — will move to Lithuania and join the 45th Panzer Brigade in 2024
4th Panzer Engineer Battalion (Panzerpionierbataillon 4), in Bogen
4th Supply Battalion (Versorgungsbataillon 4), in Roding
Signal Company 12th Panzer Brigade (Fernmeldekompanie Panzerbrigade 12), in Cham
1x Staff, 1x Special Recon, 1x Special Commando, 3x Commando, 1x Signal Company, 1x Medical, 1x Support, and 1x Supply company; a Training Department and a Development Department
Helicopter Commandedit
Helicopter Command (Kommando Hubschrauber), in Bückeburg[14]
10th Transport Helicopter Regiment (Transporthubschrauberregiment 10), in Faßberg with 40x NH90 transport helicopters
30th Transport Helicopter Regiment (Transporthubschrauberregiment 30), in Niederstetten with 40x NH90 transport helicopters
1st Sergeant/ NCO Candidate Battalion (Feldwebel-/Unteroffizieranwärterbataillon 1), in Sondershausen
2nd Sergeant/ NCO Candidate Battalion (Feldwebel-/Unteroffizieranwärterbataillon 2), in Celle
3rd Sergeant/ NCO Candidate Battalion (Feldwebel-/Unteroffizieranwärterbataillon 3), in Altenstadt
Infantry Training Centre (Ausbildungszentrum Infanterie), in Hammelburg
Mountain and Winter Combat Training Base (Ausbildungsstützpunkt Gebirgs- und Winterkampf), in Mittenwald
Airborne/ Air Transport Training Base (Ausbildungsstützpunkt Luftlande/Lufttransport), in Altenstadt
2nd Officer Candidate Battalion (Offizieranwärterbataillon 2), in Hammelburg
Training Centre Munster (Ausbildungszentrum Munster), in Munster
Army Reconnaissance Troops Training Department (Ausbildungsbereich Heeresaufklärungstruppe), in Munster
Panzer Troops Training (Ausbildungsbereich Panzertruppen), in Munster
Armed Forces Joint Tactical Fire Support/ Indirect Fire Training (Ausbildungsbereich Streitkräftegemeinsame Taktische Feuerunterstützung/Indirektes Feuer), in Idar-Oberstein
1st Officer Candidate Battalion (Offizieranwärterbataillon 1), in Munster
Engineer Training Centre (Ausbildungszentrum Pioniere), in Ingolstadt
Explosive Ordnance Disposal Training Base (Ausbildungsstützpunkt Kampfmittelabwehr), in Stetten am kalten Markt
Land Systems Technology Training Centre (Ausbildungszentrum Technik Landsysteme), in Aachen
Special Operations Training Centre (Ausbildungszentrum Spezielle Operationen), in Pfullendorf
Air Mobility Training and Exercise Centre (Ausbildungs- und Übungszentrum Luftbeweglichkeit), in Celle
Army Combat Simulation Centre (Gefechtssimulationszentrum Heer), in Wildflecken
Army Combat Training Centre (Gefechtsübungszentrum Heer), in Letzlingen
Bundeswehr United Nations Training Centre (Vereinte Nationen Ausbildungszentrum Bundeswehr), in Hammelburg
German Army locations 2020: Units: PanzerPanzergrenadierJägerGebirgsjäger Paratroopers Special Forces Reconnaissance Artillery Engineers Army Aviation Logistics Signals *92 Panzergrenadier 93 Panzer 325 Artillery
Logistics, CBRN defense and Military Police units of the German Armed Forces fall under the Joint Support Service (Streitkräftebasis) of the Bundeswehr. Therefore, the German Army does not have its own units of such type, but is supported by the units of the Joint Support Service as needed.
Joint Medical Serviceedit
All medical units of the German Armed Forces fall under the Joint Medical Service of the Bundeswehr (Zentraler Sanitätsdienst der Bundeswehr). Therefore, the German Army does not have its own medical units, but is supported by the units of the Joint Medical Service as needed.
Referencesedit
^"Entscheidungen zur Brigade Litnauen". bmvg.de. 2023-11-06. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
^"1. Panzerdivision - Organisation". Deutsches Heer. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
^"Panzerlehrbrigade 9 - Organisation". Deutsches Heer. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
^ abEberhard Zorn, Inspector General of the Bundeswehr. "Tagesbefehl des Generalinspekteurs: Änderungen in der Grobstruktur". German Ministry of Defense. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
^"German and British Engineers Become One". www.bundeswehr.de.
^"Bridging nations with German and British engineers". www.army.mod.uk. Retrieved 2021-10-04.
^"Panzerbrigade 21 - Organisation". Deutsches Heer. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
^"Panzergrenadierbrigade 41 - Organisation". Deutsches Heer. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
^"10. Panzerdivision - Organisation". Deutsches Heer. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
^"Panzerbrigade 12 - Organisation". Deutsches Heer. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
^"Ein traditionsreicher Panzerstandort wird wiederbelebt". Deutsches Heer. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
^"Panzergrenadierbrigade 37 - Organisation". Deutsches Heer. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
^"Gebirgsjägerbrigade 23 - Organisation". Deutsches Heer. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
^"Kommando Hubschrauber". Deutsches Heer. Retrieved 21 April 2021.