When war became urban (Berlin in 1945, or more recently Chechnya) cities and people were ravaged. Now, given the rise in population of towns and cities, the French army must familiarise itself with more subtle warfare where all-out destruction is not an option by Philippe Leymarie
"I never imagined that one day I would train in a camp which my former enemies had run," Colonel Pierre Esnault said with a smile. "The Wall is well and truly down." At that moment, November 2007, the colonel was in command of the French army's first infantry brigade from Epinal taking part in exercises at Altengrabow, the former Soviet base some 60 km south of Berlin, which also served as a prisoner-of-war camp during the second world war. Today abandoned to exuberant vegetation, its memorials mark the victorious march of the Red Army on the German capital. This camp, maintained by the Bundeswehr, is the sole site in Europe capable of staging a massive urban warfare exercise "“ thanks to its endless rows of disused barracks stretching over almost 8 sq km.
Berliners "“ who hadn't seen occupying troops since the early 1990s "“ were well warned about the event but were still astounded by such a huge influx of French soldiers: 1,500 men, 450 vehicles including 100 armoured cars, dozens of helicopters and aircraft, special forces, military intelligence, even dog handlers, were lifted 900 km from their base in eastern France for three weeks to play out a "Battle of Rosenkrug", simulating the recapture of an important nearby town.
Around France itself urban war games are becoming more frequent, and more realistic. During April 2008, some 800 soldiers with 200 armoured vehicles were deployed in the town of Sedan for a series of logistical manoeuvres focused on treating the wounded, protecting convoys and evacuating French nationals. These, according to the defence ministry, were created to "replicate current military involvement in Kosovo, Afghanistan, Ivory Coast and Lebanon".
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