{"id":64303,"date":"2026-04-03T18:30:34","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T16:30:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/?p=64303"},"modified":"2026-04-10T20:07:46","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T18:07:46","slug":"a-nostalgic-exercise-in-germany-using-old-leopard-1a5-tanks-of-danish-origin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/2026\/04\/03\/a-nostalgic-exercise-in-germany-using-old-leopard-1a5-tanks-of-danish-origin\/","title":{"rendered":"A nostalgic exercise in Germany using old Leopard 1A5 tanks of Danish origin"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 1965, just 20 years after the end of World War II, West Germany began receiving Leopard 1 tanks.<\/p>\n

The almost unrecognizable appearance of the Ukrainian Army's Leopard 1A5 tanks<\/a><\/rel>
\nFlakpanzer Gepard, the German vehicle that fights against Russian drones in Ukraine<\/a><\/rel><\/p>\n

This model was the first tank manufactured in Germany after that bloody war. The German Army operated almost 2,500 Leopard 1s<\/a> out of the 4,700 units manufactured. It was a very advanced tank for its time and replaced the American M-47 and M-48 Patton models in Germany. The Leopard 1 remained in service with the German Army until 2003<\/strong>, when the last ones were retired from active service and replaced by the more modern Leopard 2.<\/p>\n

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A Leopard 1A4 of the German Army in a photo taken in 1987 (Photo: Bundeswehr<\/a>).<\/div>\n

However, 23 years later, the German Army is seeing Leopard 1 tanks again at one of its training grounds<\/strong>, and not because they have returned to service, at least not in Germany. In fact, they aren't even tanks used by the German Army: they are Leopard 1A5DKs of Danish origin<\/strong>, a country whose army operated 230 armored vehicles of this type for a relatively short period, between 1995 and 2005, when they were replaced by the Leopard 2.<\/p>\n

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Three Danish-made Leopard 1A5DK tanks training Ukrainian crews as part of the EUMAM UA program in Germany (Image: Bundeswehr<\/a>).<\/div>\n

These tanks are being used by the European Union Military Assistance Mission in Support of Ukraine (EUMAM UA)<\/strong> to train Ukrainian crews of Leopard 1 tanks provided by several countries as military aid against the Russian invasion. As we saw here in 2024, the Leopard 1 is a tank highly valued by Ukrainians<\/a>, who consider it far superior to its Soviet-era counterparts. As is customary in Ukraine, Ukrainian Leopard 1s have been covered with Kontakt-1 reactive armor blocks<\/strong> to provide them with additional protection.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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A Leopard 1A5 of the Ukrainian Army covered with Kontakt-1 reactive armor blocks (Image: Suspilne Rivne<\/a>).<\/div>\n

Yesterday, the Bundeswehr released a video showing this training exercise at an undisclosed location.<\/strong> This training will surely have stirred up nostalgia among veteran members of the German Army. Ukrainian tank crews are being trained by personnel from the German and Dutch armed forces.<\/strong> The video is in German; you can activate automatic English subtitles in the player's bottom bar:<\/p>\n