Combat in the snow

Surviving in the snow is an extraordinary team effort. Improvisation and creativity are required in winter warfare. In the German Army, the mountain infantry and the long-range reconnaissance forces in particular are prepared to fight in extreme climate and terrain conditions.

Every day, mountain infantry and long-range reconnaissance forces demonstrate their effectiveness in operations around the world. Together with soldiers from different areas of the entire Bundeswehr that also train how to fight in the cold, they develop their own survival strategies in extreme weather, perform strenuous marches in low-visibility conditions, observe enemy forces while remaining undetected themselves, or direct precision fires against an adversary.

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In addition to the burning heat of the desert, the women and men of the mountain infantry are specialised in continuing the fight even at temperatures far below freezing. Cold to extremely cold climate zones can be supremely challenging to humans and their equipment. In such an environment, even small mistakes can have fatal consequences. Whoever wants to fight must first survive. The soldiers are willing to go beyond their own limits in combat to accomplish the mission. Mountain troops never give up. They are steady and dependable.

As silently as possible, long-range scouts move through the winter landscape, ideally in single file. They are the eyes of the Army deep in enemy territory. They too must be able to operate their equipment in such temperatures and make sure that it is always ready. For instance, in these weather conditions, the batteries of electronic equipment used for observation, information collection and data transmission lose their charges much faster than usual.