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46-751: In spite of the establishment of the Bergen Training Area in 1935 and the two training areas in Munster (1893 and 1916), the protected areas of the Lüneburg Heath Nature Reserve were initially out-of-bounds for military purposes. During the Second World War , however, German military installations were built here, including a Luftwaffe observation post on the Wilseder Berg , a satellite hospital for

92-593: A Moor . In the northern part of the training area is the small Wittenmoor. Just beyond its eastern boundary is the larger Großes Moor, in the south is the Ostenholz Moor and on the southern boundary the Bannetzer Moor which adjoins the Meißendorf Lakes . The remaining areas consist of woodland. Outside of and flowing parallel to the northwestern edge of the military training area is part of

138-568: A large British military garrison for the 7th Armoured Brigade (the Desert Rats) which was part of the British Forces Germany . Opposite this barracks is the village of Belsen which gave its name to the nearby Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in the Second World War . The current German commandant of Bergen-Hohne Training Area, Colonel Gerd Ahrens, is also responsible for Munster Training Area . He also has command of

184-537: A liberation camp for survivors of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp , which was located on the edge of the training area near the town of Bergen . Under British control, the training area was steadily expanded and, since the 1960s, has also been used by the German Armed Forces ( Bundeswehr ) and other NATO troops. Bergen-Hohne Training Area is situated on both sides of the boundary between

230-461: A result of armoured vehicle training, the heathland of the red areas increasingly resembled a desert. The areas were not, however, placed out-of-bounds like a normal military training area and the public could enter them. In a few cases there were accidents as a result of visitors tampering with training munitions. No live firing was permitted in the area, however. During the 1970s, an average of 1,500 armoured vehicles and 30,000 soldiers exercised in

276-408: A wide area without unduly inconveniencing the public or putting others at risk. They are particularly important for all arms training where the different elements of armed forces come together to cooperate and coordinate their fire and movement. Training areas often incorporate a variety of terrain types, including forests, heathland, waterbodies and farmland, as well as urban training facilities such as

322-447: Is because they comprise large tracts of countryside with restricted access and are free from development, cultivation or other exploitative activities. They typically divide into areas that are regularly disturbed by vehicle traffic or weapons such as bombs and missiles and areas that are relatively undisturbed. Military training areas are home to some of our most endangered species of animals and plants "precisely because they are used by

368-605: Is increasingly used by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and it is the only training area in Germany which may be overflown by reconnaissance drones. Air-to-ground practice and live munitions may also be fired. Hohne station was one of the main British Forces bases and was located in Lager Hohne , a former Wehrmacht facility, on the eastern side of the training area. It was the headquarters of Bergen-Hohne Garrison ,

414-582: Is less poaching and the hunting areas tend to be far larger than those on private land, so they are less easy to find. Former military training areas: Austria has had important training areas since the 18th century. From 1938 the German Wehrmacht established new training areas, the largest being Döllersheim (now Allentsteig) Training Area in the Waldviertel . Other areas in use today include: There are four military training areas (MTAs) in

460-543: Is on the southwest boundary of the area in the Ostenholz Moor at about 28 m high. As early as the 19th century the army of the Kingdom of Hanover used two small areas here to drill their troops. The last wolf in the Lüneburg Heath was seen and shot east of Becklingen on 13 January 1872 in the forest of Becklinger Holz , which, today, is within the training area. It was shot by the forester, Grünewald, who

506-708: The Bundeswehr was also allowed to use the training area again. They maintained a liaison headquarters there with the British commandant. On 1 April 1958 the British Army transferred the training area to the Bundeswehr. Up to 50,000 British, American and German soldiers were stationed at Bergen-Hohne and it became the largest military training area in Europe and one of the training area for NATO's ground forces in

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552-578: The Czech Republic with the total area of 1,296 km . They are run by "Military Regions" and have been used since 1994 for joint exercises and training between the Czech armed forces and its allies. This was initially carried out as part of Partnership for Peace Programme and subsequently with NATO. In addition, since 2001, the armed forces of Austria, Belgium, France, Hungary, the Netherlands and

598-581: The Federal Republic of Germany . In the southwest of the area is Ostenholz Camp ( Lager Ostenholz ), which has an autobahn junction in the immediate vicinity. This camp is only used for exercising troops, yet it has permanent accommodation as well as the massive buildings of the training area's headquarters and permanent range staff. After the end of the Cold War the number of soldiers significantly reduced. The British Army withdrew completely from

644-605: The Lower Saxon parliament in Hanover. In 1990 they obstructed the railway ramp at Reinsehlen Camp to prevent the off-loading of tanks. In 1991, the blockade of an underpass near the camp was set up to prevent tanks entering the heath. In another citizen's initiative was started in Amelinghausen in 1988 to reduce military exercises. In 1992, both movements, together with other environmental organisations, demanded that

690-777: The Reichsbauernführer ("Reich Farmers' Leader") to present their concerns. On 18 March 1935 more than 80 farmers drove to Berlin to confirm their future and the planned relocation of their homes. In spite of opposition from the local population, within a few years 3,635 inhabitants in 25 villages had to leave their homes. Amongst the villages that disappeared from the map were Deil , Hörsten, Hoppenstedt, Hohne, Hohnerode, Manhorn, Lohe, Gudehausen, Ettenbostel , Oberndorfmark , Oberhode, Benhorn , Hartem, Fahrenholz , Böstlingen , Pröbsten , Kolk , Südbostel, Nordbostel, Obereinzingen , Untereinzingen , Achterberg , Wense and parts of Oerbke , Ostenholz and Hasselhorst. At

736-537: The minister president of Lower Saxony, Gerhard Schröder , put an end to the exercises and the agreement. In 1989, at the end of the Cold War , the Soltau-Lüneburg Agreement was renegotiated by defence ministers, Gerhard Stoltenberg , and Tom King , in order to reduce the impact of exercises on the local population. In 1990, a break in training of several weeks was agreed during the time when

782-469: The 'Afghan village' at Thetford on Stanford Training Area . Such training areas are run by the military and are normally out-of-bounds to the public who may sometimes be allowed access during weekends or holidays. Training areas may incorporate shooting ranges or designated areas where live firing is permitted. Military training areas are often important wildlife refuges and can make a "significant contribution to conservation... if properly managed." This

828-805: The Böhme), which likewise has many ponds. The extreme northeast is drained by streams that flow eastwards into the Meiße . A heavily wooded moraine ridge runs across the training area in roughly a southwest-to-northeast direction. These woods include the Becklinger Holz and amongst the elevations here are the: Falkenberg ( 150 m above  sea level (NN) ), Hakenberg (143 m), Staffelberg (127 m), Hengstberg (121 m), Hammberg (107 m), Großer Dellberg (107 m), Scharpenhorn (107 m), Fuhrberg (102 m), Horstberg (98 m), Söhrenberg (93 m) and Ziegenberg (63 m). The lowest point

874-855: The Meierbach stream flows in a southwesterly direction. The central and southern parts of the training area are drained by this stream (which passes the Sieben Steinhäuser ) and the Hohe Bach , both northeastern tributaries of the Meiße. Its southeastern part is drained by the Liehlbach (a northern tributary of the Meiße), along which several ponds are found and the northwest mainly by the Fischendorfer Bach (a southeastern tributary of

920-633: The United Kingdom) or training centre (Canada) is land set aside specifically to enable military forces to train and exercise for combat. Training areas are usually out of bounds to the general public, but some have limited access when not in use. As well as their military function, they often serve as important wildlife refuges. They are distinct from proving grounds which are designed for purposes such as testing weaponry or equipment. Military training areas are important because they enable troops to train more realistically and in greater numbers over

966-591: The area in September 2015. The facility still has considerable importance, however. Live firing ranges are heavily used by the Bundeswehr , Dutch and Belgian forces. Plans for the future use of the military facilities are still unknown. The original ranges and their purpose: Today there are 22 firing ranges on the training area for main battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles , of which nine are also suitable for anti-tank guided missiles . In addition there are 14 artillery fire positions, six of which are outside

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1012-514: The boundaries of the training area. There are also five small arms ranges and three ranges for hand-held anti-tank weapons, as well as air defence training facilities, FIBUA villages, deep wading points and bivouac sites. The troops of NATO member countries – Germany, Netherlands, Britain and Belgium – exercise regularly on the training area. Major combat equipment that uses the ranges include Challenger 2 and Leopard 2 tanks, WAH-64 Apache attack helicopters and Panzerhaubitze 2000 . The area

1058-513: The cessation of training in the heath. On 31 July 1994 the Soltau-Lüneburg Agreement ran out and the last red areas were returned to the VNP. They have subsequently restored the areas with the assistance of the Federation. Bergen Training Area The Bergen-Hohne Training Area (German: NATO-Truppenübungsplatz Bergen or Schießplatz Bergen-Hohne ) is a NATO military training area in

1104-630: The city of Hamburg in Wintermoor and a military airfield near Reinsehlen. After the Second World War, Canadian forces and units of the British Army of the Rhine conducted military exercises on the Lüneburg Heath from 1945 as part of their occupation rights . There was initially no defined training area. The site of the former German military airfield became Reinsehlen Camp and was used continuously by British armoured units from 1950. In

1150-764: The country against possible invasion by the Soviet -controlled Warsaw Pact . In 1956 the Canadians largely stopped exercising in this area. That year the British withdrew from an area of 600 hectares near Haverbeck, after major protests by the locals. On 3 August 1959 the Federal Republic of Germany, Canada and the United Kingdom signed a special agreement in Bonn permitting exercises in the area of Soltau-Lüneburg in order to be able to train to defend Germany in

1196-480: The county of Lüneburg . Before the agreement the military had been using 48,000 hectares for training purposes. The red areas were set aside purely for the stationed troops, the Bundeswehr were not permitted to exercise on them. Around 1,800 landowners were required, under the agreement, to make their property available for military purposes. With over 1,600 hectares , the Nature Reserve Society

1242-399: The districts of Heidekreis (formerly Soltau-Fallingbostel ) and Celle , about 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of Hanover , roughly 70 kilometres (43 mi) southeast of Bremen and around 80 kilometres (50 mi) south of Hamburg . It is located between Bad Fallingbostel in the west and Bergen in the east, and between the towns of Soltau a few miles to the north and Wietze to

1288-532: The early years, the occupying forces continually extended their exercise area until they reached as far as the Wilseder Berg, but they pulled back again in the late 1940s. From 1948 they no longer exercised all year round, but restricted training to eight months of the year. The president of the Nature Reserve Society ( Verein Naturschutzpark ) or VNP, Alfred Toepfer , fought for the preservation of

1334-507: The eastern part of the area as a Royal Armoured Corps Training Centre. Up to 1952, the training area was expanded more and more until it reached its present-day limits. During the Cold War the area was intensively used by the heavy concentrations of troops on the North German Plain , which was seen as strategically important to NATO . There were also discussions about combining the training areas of Munster and Bergen. In 1957

1380-466: The eastern perimeter of the area, near the village of Belsen , and called in those days the Ostlager or "East Camp", around 100 barrack blocks , 50 stables and 40 large garage blocks were built, as well as a hospital, storage depots and a target factory, where targets for the firing ranges were made. To the south of this camp was a military ammunition dump for infantry munitions . On 4 May 1936

1426-561: The event of attack during the Cold War . The agreement was included in Article 19 of the NATO Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). Due to its protracted ratification, the law was not published in the statute book until 1961 and it went into force on 1 July 1963 as the Soltau-Lüneburg Agreement ( Soltau-Lüneburg-Abkommen ). In 1965 a Standing Committee for the Soltau-Lüneburg Agreement ( Ständiger Ausschuss für das Soltau-Lüneburg-Abkommen )

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1472-483: The first units took over their accommodation. On the western edge of the area, near the village of Oerbke , another camp, the Westlager ("West Camp"), was built. From 1 April 1937 until 1942 more barracks, stables, garages and depots went up. From 1 August 1938 military exercises took place across the whole training area. On 15 April 1945 the training area was taken over by British forces. They initially only used

1518-426: The heath was in bloom during the peak tourist period of August and September. In addition no tanks were permitted to use the red areas on Sundays and public holidays. Villages were given a 400 metre wide buffer zone from armoured exercises and tanks were not permitted to drive through them at night. After German reunification , the two defence ministers, Stoltenberg and King, reached an agreement on 17 October 1991 for

1564-649: The middle course of the River Böhme . Similarly the Meiße runs roughly along its southeastern and southern boundary (both are northeastern tributaries of the River Aller ). Near the centre of the area are the Sieben Steinhäuser (literally: seven stone houses), a group of dolmens that may be visited at weekends. East-southeast of them and not far away is a small lake, the Meiersee, through which

1610-503: The military." In the US, 21% of endangered species live on DoD land which forms only 3% of the country. A Polish study showed that the training was not significantly detrimental to biodiversity. The major factor in this was the lack of human intervention for lengthy periods of time. In Germany, it has been found that wolves moving into new areas will invariably settle first in military training areas before spreading out. This may be because there

1656-613: The reserves, but the British commander-in-chief only offered farmland and grassland areas that were desperately needed to feed the population. In the wake of the integration of West Germany into the West, the country joined NATO in 1955, whereupon the occupation statute ceased to operate. The Paris Peace Treaties contained a new regulation for the presence of foreign troops in West Germany, which henceforth became known as "Sending States' Forces", stationed in Germany to help defend

1702-539: The south. Its extent roughly coincides with the geographical area known as the Heidmark . The terrain is between 28 and 150 m above  sea level (NN) . The central part of the training area consists of two areas of heathland ( Heide ) known as Lohheide und Osterheide , which have not been under any local administrative control since 1945. Surrounding this are a number of areas of marsh known in German as

1748-528: The southern part of the Lüneburg Heath , in the state of Lower Saxony in northern Germany. It covers an area of 284 square kilometres (70,000 acres), which makes it the largest military training area in Germany. It was established by the German armed forces, the Wehrmacht , in 1935. At the end of the Second World War it was taken over by British occupying forces and some of its facilities used as

1794-472: The sparse population and the varied landscape this area was selected for creating the largest exercise area for Germany's armed forces, the Wehrmacht . On 15 September 1934 the news of the establishment of a training area reached the farmers resident there. On 1 October 1934 the farmers affected by the relocation assembled at the Sieben Steinhäuser for a counsel. A delegation went that same day to Goslar to

1840-404: The towns of Soltau and Lüneburg , with an area of about 34,500 hectares , in which some 26,000 people lived. The federal government rented about 12% of the area, of which the stationed forces were given about 4,600 hectares as red areas (Rote Flächen) for their continuous and unrestricted use. 3,700 hectares of red area belonged to the present-day county of Heidekreis , the remaining 900 ha to

1886-412: The training area each year under the terms of the agreement. As a result, traffic on the local roads was heavy due to troop movements and there was an increased risk of accidents. The local population had to put up with noise, dust and vibration. In addition, the harvests were sometimes affected and roads damaged by the movement of heavy military loads. However, significant compensation for the damage caused

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1932-509: The training areas at Ehra-Lessien and Lübtheen . There are several places of interest within the Bergen-Hohne Training Area: In the area of Lohheide : In the area of Osterheide and its neighbourhood: 52°48′0″N 9°49′0″E  /  52.80000°N 9.81667°E  / 52.80000; 9.81667 Military training area A military training area , training area (Australia, Ireland, and

1978-471: Was formed. It handled complaints, strove to balance the interests of different parties and coordinated civilian and military issues. The agreement permitted stationed troops to conduct exercises all-year-round within the specified area. Villages and farmsteads were not to be used as military objectives and armoured vehicles could not move on Sundays or public holidays. The Soltau-Lüneburg Agreement designated an area, 40 km long and 10 km wide, between

2024-485: Was one of the landowners affected and they refused to accept the Soltau-Lüneburg Agreement from the outset, although their opposition came to nothing. Another 1,600 hectares belonged to private landowners. In 1970, several landowners were allowed to return their estates to agricultural use. In the mid-1970s, the VNP unsuccessfully sued, citing the unconstitutionality of the agreement before the county court in Lüneburg. As

2070-460: Was regularly paid by both the British and German governments in accordance with the SOFA. In Schneverdingen a citizen's initiative was begun in 1986 to reduce the military impact in the Lüneburg Heath. They gathered 13,000 signatures demanding the end of the Soltau-Lüneburg Agreement. Its members organised many protests. In 1988 they collected around 100 oil drums from the red areas and protested to

2116-512: Was the head gamekeeper ( Leibjäger ) to King George V of Hanover , the last king of Hanover. In commemoration of the event, the "Wolf Rock" ( Wolfsstein ) was erected there in 1892. In 2012, wolves were once again sighted in the training area. The first plans for establishing the military training area were laid in August 1934 as part of the military re-armament of the German Reich . Due to

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