Crew of a Leopard 2 tank from the 104th Panzer Battalion of the German Army
According to a 1,200-page document revealed by The Wall Street Journal, Germany is preparing for a possible Russian attack before 2029 — and has drawn up a “war plan” to contain Russian forces.
Motorways transformed into landing strips for planes, “cities” built in just two weeks and logistics capable of mobilizing 800 thousand soldiers Germans, Americans and other NATO countries to the front line in case of war with Russia.
These are some of the main points of “OPLAN GAVE”, Germany’s secret plan to respond to a possible attack from Moscow in the near future.
According to a report published on Wednesday, the 1,200-page document was prepared around two and a half years ago by members of the German Army’s high command.
According to the report, German army officers initially believed that Russia would be ready to attack NATO from 2029.
However, a series of recent incidents of sabotage, espionage and violation of European airspace, attributed to Moscow, raise suspicions that an attack by the country led by Vladimir Putin could occur. before this deadline.
One ceasefire with Ukraine It can also give Russia time and resources to prepare an aggression against NATO alliesadd analysts interviewed by the WSJ.
If a war breaks out between Russia and the Western powers, the Germany would play a key role due to its geographical location, since, with the Alps forming a natural barrier, NATO troops would have to cross the country to reach Eastern Europe.
In addition to the logistical details that involve railway lines, highwaysports and routes through which troops and supplies would be transported, the plan also describes how soldiers and vehicles would be protectedfed and housed during these movements.
Still according to the WSJ, OPLAN DEU would also serve to deter Russia of any intention to attack NATO territories. “The aim is to prevent warmaking it very clear to our enemies that, if they attack us, they will not be successful”, a senior official and co-author of the plan told the newspaper.
Change of mindset
According to the WSJ report, one of the main challenges of the plan is the mentality that took hold in Germany after the end of the Cold War and the country’s reunification in 1990.
One “peaceful optimism” led Berlin to neglect investment in infrastructure dual function designed for a scenario in which Germany was in the middle of a global conflict, as between Americans and Soviets.
One of the examples of these infrastructures are the famous “highways“, whose construction provided for its conversion into landing strips for large aircraft. To this end, the protective rails must be easily removed, as well as the central division of the lanes.
There were also underground fuel tanks and infrastructure for immediate assembly of air control towers.
However, From the 1990s onwards, these projects were abandoned – and many of the most recent routes no longer include this possibility of dual use.
According to the WSJ, the German government believes that 20% of motorways and 25% of bridges require adaptation works toto allow the passage of large vehicles.
For the ports of the North Sea and the Baltic, investments of 15 billion eurosof which 3 billion only for projects that allow dual use of infrastructure.
The German war plan also refers to need to facilitate partnerships with the private sector, should the Russian threat materialize.
In recent years, military exercises have already involved some companies, such as , specialized in logistics, which signed a contract worth 260 million euros to support German and NATO troopssays the report.
In recent months, at Rheinmetall built in 14 daysa complete camp for 500 soldiers, with accommodationfive gas stations, a cafeteria and drone surveillance – “a city built from nothing in 14 days and dismantled in 7″, a Rheinmetall source told the North American newspaper.
The operation, however, also revealed the limitations of current German infrastructure: there was no capacity to accommodate all vehiclesand the terrain was uneven, forcing the company to transport soldiers from one side to the other.
Despite that, the German armed forces are optimistic regarding the implementation of the plan, highlights the Wall Street Journal.
“Considering that we started from scratch at the beginning of 2023, we are very pleased with where we are today. It is a very sophisticated project”, said one of the co-authors of OPLAN DEU to the North American newspaper.
