A Close Look at a T-72 Regiment

Barracks of Regiment 22 at Torgelow, formerly E. Germany I Otticer and NCO housing ot Panzer Regiment 22 I I

Author inspects gun tube ot 7-72 in heated shelter. L. by Colonel Dale Stewart, USAR Last December, as part of the U. S.- German Armor Combat Development Exchange Program, I had the opportunity to visit a panzer regiment that, two months earlier, had been part of the East German Army's 9th Panzer Division and a key unit in the armies of the Warsaw Pact. P"" Author gets a cnance to drive tne U M V. A Close Look At a T-72 Regiment Before 1987, the mission of Panzer Regiment 22 had been to cut off NATO forces just north of Hamburg and then plunge ahead to the North Sea. From 1987 to reunification, during the thaw in the Cold War, its mission was defensive - to occupy a defensive sector along the eastern bank of the Elbe River. The unit had been ready to roll for 35 years. Panzer Regiment 22 had been based at Torgelow, 15 km west of the Polish BMP at firing range near the Baltic Sea. A T-72 is parked behind. border, since its organization in 1956, when it was equipped with Soviet T-34 tanks. In the years that followed, it received the best of the Soviets' new equipment: the T-54 in 1957, the T-55A in 1968, and in 1983, it was equipped with the T- 72M, the Warsaw Pact's most advanced tank at that time. During these Cold War years, the regiment had been at 100 percent readiness, with all personnel quartered within niinutes of the tank parks. In the parks, the tanks were fully uploaded and 100 percent maintenance ready. Exercises confirmed that the battalions could be out of the motor parks within 20 minutes and in assembly areas within 40. My general impression of the trip was that the East German Army would have been a formidable foe, had war occurred. Its state of readiness far exceeded U. S. and West German assessments. Soldiers were well trained and led by capable officers. What We Saw At the time of reunification last October, Panzer Regiment 22 had its full complement of 94 T-72Ms, 31 ing vehicles, and 178 trucks, along with 600 tons of ammunition. The equipment was in excellent condition, with all fighting vehicles stored in heated shelters. NBC equipment was plentiful. BMP-ls, 37 wheeled infantry fight-As part of our visit, I had a chance to drive both the T-72 and BMP and found both to be responsive and maneuverable. TC and gunner positions, however, were entirely too constrained, and one of the Bundeswehr officers who accompanied us said he doubted e TC could remain effective after wen three hours on the road in these cramped conditions, but one of the former NVA officers insisted that this presented little problem for the crew. He said soldiers understood that the tank was built for the attack, with little concern for how it would perform in a defensive.role or for crew comfort. One drawback of the T-72 was limited gun tube depression, a liability in the defense. Another was that the gun tubes eroded quickly, requiring replacement after firing only about 200 rounds of kinetic energy ammunition. Track required replacement after 1200 lan. The biggest complaint we heard from soldiers who had used the tank was that it took up to four days to replace an engine. Both Panzer Regiment 22 and 21 had T-72s made in the Soviet Union, while Regiment 3’s T-72s were made in Poland and were considered inferior. The tanks that were uploaded and prepared to go were not in daily use. A small number of training tanks were used by the troops for all gunnery and tactical training. Manpower and Morale The original TDA strength of Panzer Regiment 22 was 945 officers and men. Following reunification, when Bundeswehr Command East took over the operations and equipment of all former East German Army units, Lieutenant Colonel Luft, the new commander, along with seven Bundeswehr officers and NCOs, became the nucleus of the new unit. In addition, 400 former East German officers and men remained from the original strength. In the course of our discussions, the consensus was that the East German soldiers were well trained and completely familiar with their jobs, but few were cross-trained. The three battalions were commanded by a lieutenant, a captain, and a major, with each unit having up to five deputy commanders. There was a political officer assigned at both battalion and regimental level. Over 30 percent of the regimental strength was in officers, with, in some cases, majors and lieutenant colonels working technical positions under a lower ranking commander. Some 10 percent of the officers had been selected to attend a four-year course in the Soviet Union, covering Soviet tactics, doctrine, and the Russian language. Each battalion lived in a separate barracks building, but the quarters, the unit messes, and other facilities for creature comfort were unsanitary and in bad need of repair. Buildings were heated with brown coal (soft coal or lignite), which leaves lingering smoke in the air and coal dust on everything. The individual rooms in barracks were neat and quite livable, but there were no locks on the doors, so it was customary to seal the doors with thread and wax, which, when broken, indicated unauthorized entry. All administrative functions were camed out at the regimental level, leaving companies and battalions free to carry out training missions. Only one phone was authorized per battalion. Training maps were considered classified material, and few soldiers ever saw one. The spacious training areas south and east of the camp were only five to ten minutes away. The range was large, permitting three tank platoons and a BMP company to run concurrent exercises. Crews were allowed to fire 20 rounds of HE a year, using the training tanks. Because of the limitations of the new Conventional Forces Europe Treaty, Germany can retain only so many tanks, and for logistic reasons, it is unlikely they will keep the regiment’s Soviet equipment in service. It may be transferred to other nations within NATO or destroyed. The regimental organization will change, too. The Bmdeswehr plans to reorganize with an active tank battalion, a reserve cadre tank battalion, and an antitank company, for a total of 689 officers and men. At present, many of the East German officers and enlisted men have been incorporated into the Bundeswehr. Some officers will be released shortly, while others will be retained for at decision is made. Meanwhile, the officers and NCOs will train in Bundeswehr procedures in four-week courses at Munster and Koblenz. least two years before any final Colonel Dale Stewart, USAR, is the International Research and Development Officer for the Directorate of Combat Developments, Armor Center, Fort Knox, Ky. As a Reservist, COL Stewart is the commander of the 2d Brigade, 100th Division, Owensboro, Ky. He was commissioned in Armor from the University of Southern Mississippi in

1964. He has served as armor platoon leader and tank company commander in both Korea and Germany; battalion operations officer, and as an attack helicopter pilot with the 1st Cavalry Division in Vietnam. He is a 1980 graduate of the Command and General Staff College. His reserve assignments include instructor for CGSC; commander, 3d Battalion, 339th Armor, Hopkinsville, Ky; and brigade executive officer. 20 ARMOR - JUly-AuguSt 7997