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Category: War
Much of the captured equipment, was incorporated into the Wehrmact, especially vehicles. Many of the trucks used during the invasion of Russia in 1941 were of French manufacture, & would continue to be produced in occupied French factories until liberation. German use of captured/confiscated equipment would become standard practice, & continue until the end of the war. In fact German use of foreign equipment was already under way before the war started.
The Wehrmact already utilized much first class equipment taken from Czechoslovakia whenever they occupied that country in 1938–39,especially weaponry such as the 38t tank, the ZB 26 & ZB 37 MGs,as well as optical instruents. The excellent Belgian made FN Browning “Hi Power” pistol continued in production in occupied Belgium throughout most of the war & large numbers were issued to the German military, especially the Waffen SS.
Not only vehicles & weaponry, but captured stocks of clothing were also utilized. Czech Army helmets were re-issued to German civilian organizations such as air raid wardens & the Fire Police. Kriegsmarine personelle, especially U Boat crews were often issued with British Army battle blouses,taken from large British stocks captured in 1940. French Army tropical shirts captured in 1940 saw widespread service by the Afrikakorps in North Africa as well. Even food was requisitioned, much taken after the fall of Tobruk in 1942. Canned British corned beef & canned fruit being especially prized.
A lot of Russian artillery was utilized by the Germans, the 76mm M1936 F22 anti tank gun for example, as well as captured T 34 tanks & small arms throughout the war on the Eastern Front. In North Africa, the Afrika Korps used captured British vehicles in large numbers. When Italy left the Axis in 1943, the Germans seized much Italian military equipment including vehicles, aircraft, & especially large stocks of cloth for the manufacture of uniforms. Much of the German weaponry used along the “Atlantik Wall” in France was of Czech, French, & Russian manufacture, even Polish machine guns were utilized. Germany received a second infusion of French equipment whenever it occupied the the remainder of France from Vichy in 1942.
Spare parts for vehicles, & as the war progressed, fuel, would become a problem for certain vehicles over time, but many vehicles ( as well as some aircraft, such as the Ju 52, & Fiesler Fi 56 “Storch”) continued to be produced in factories in occupied countries such as France & Czechoslovakia until the end of the war. Ammunition for captured weaponry could be produced in German factories, or sometimes the weapons converted to German calibers.
Captured British Battle Blouse taken from captured British stocks in France in 1940, & reissued to U Boat personelle, has removable German buttons, & German insignia added. (Collectors Weekly)
The excellent Belgian made 9mm “Hi Power”pistol. Large numbers were confiscated by the Germans after Belgium’s surrender in 1940. Large numbers continued to be produced in Belgian factories & issued to the German military. (Simpson Lmtd)
German soldier with Belgian Browning Hi Power 9mm pistol.
French M29 Light MG. Many of these weapons captured in 1940 were issued to German rear area security & Police units in Russia & Yugoslavia for use against partisan units.. (Rock Island Auction)
German soldier manning French made Hotchkiss MG along the Atlantic coast. (Bundarchv).
Renault AHR trucks. Not only did the Germans utilize captured trucks, they continued to manufacture the vehicles in the Renault factory in occupied France.
Captured Soviet T 34.
Captured British Ford truck, North Africa.
Waffen SS “M 43” field cap made from Italian military “Trikot” cloth . Large stocks of Italian cloth were seized by the Germans, after the Italian armistace in 1943, including camouflage, & used by the Germans in uniform manufacturing . (Collectors Guild)
Waffen SS officers wearing tunics & trousers made from Italian Army camouflage clothing material, large stocks of which were seized after the Italian armistace in 1943.
The sound of heavy machinery at the munitions factory in Washington, North East England, rumbles day and night for most of the week.
At the BAE Systems plant, workers are busy forging 155mm shell casings that will eventually be fired by Ukrainian soldiers battling Russia more than 1,400 miles away.
With Kyiv’s need for ammunition still enormous, all production lines are set to ramp up to a 24/7 operation by 2026 – boosting capacity eightfold.
Until recently, operations like these were largely neglected as governments cashed in the “peace dividend” following the fall of the Berlin Wall 34 years ago and the military-industrial economy in Europe was allowed to wither.
Now, governments around the world are scrambling to ramp up production as stockpiles run low and the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war signals yet more demand for munitions.
The Washington factory is just one cog in a vast industrial complex that is slowly spinning up again throughout the Western world, as the need for weapons and munitions reaches levels not seen since the Cold War.
For more than 20 months, the UK and its Nato allies have been funnelling weapons to Ukraine from their own stockpiles.
But Admiral Rob Bauer, Nato’s most senior military official, warned delegates at the Warsaw Security Forum last month: “The bottom of the barrel is now visible.”
He was speaking just days before a fresh conflict broke out between Israel and Hamas terrorists in Gaza, piling yet more pressure on international ammunition supply chains.
Jerusalem warned the Pentagon it needed shell stockpiles for an invasion of the Gaza Strip CREDIT: AMIR COHEN/REUTERS
Since early 2023, the US has been sending 155mm artillery shells from its stockpiles in Israel to Ukraine.
Following the October 7 attacks, when Hamas massacred an estimated 1,200 Israeli civilians, Jerusalem told the Pentagon it needed the shells urgently for an impending invasion of the Gaza Strip.
The opening of a second war front comes as the US and Europe are already nervous about their own dwindling stocks and are also seeking to rearm, not least because they must be ready for any future conflicts that could break out.
Most wars fought by Western forces in the past 20 years or so – such as Afghanistan – have focused on counter-insurgency operations rather than the artillery-heavy, land-based fighting taking place in Ukraine.
This made it tempting for some governments to prune their stockpiles, rather than maintain large and expensive warehouses, says James Black, assistant director for defence and security research at RAND Europe.
Now, they need ammunition again but ramping up production is not the work of a moment.
“You can’t just flip a switch,” says Black.
Exactly how much ammo has been used, how big the stockpiles are and how much is needed is – unsurprisingly – classified information.
But Black says: “We’ve seen underinvestment and cutbacks to stockpiles, which have been viewed as inefficient uses of expenditure at a time of curtailed defence budgets.
“So today you have less ammunition stored in warehouses, ready to go, but also production lines have been reduced because there was not enough demand previously to justify investment.”
Ukraine is banking on a production increase to meet its artillery demands CREDIT: Anadolu Agency/Muhammed Enes Yildirim
That all changed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
At first, Ukraine needed anti-armour weapons like British, shoulder-fired NLAWS to stop Russian tanks. But the fighting has since turned to heavy artillery fire after both sides dug in last winter, with Ukraine using howitzers as well as US-supplied HIMARS rocket launchers.
Russia has been firing up to an estimated 60,000 shells a day, while this year Ukraine was reportedly firing 6,000 back at the height of its counter-offensive. The shells Kyiv is typically relying on are NATO-standard, Howitzer-fired 155mm rounds produced by the likes of BAE’s Washington factory.
The US has donated more than two million artillery rounds alone to Ukraine, while the UK has sent more than 300,000. Europe has promised one million, having delivered about one quarter of that so far.
Military stockpiles across Europe are now running too low to give more, meaning there must be a big production increase to meet Kyiv’s needs, which amount to about 1.5 million shells per year according to some estimates.
The entire output of 155mm shells across all of Europe was thought to be around 230,000 rounds per year before the war, according to the Warsaw-based Centre for Eastern Studies. It signifies there must be a rapid ramp up of production.
As a result, governments are spending heavily again and defence companies are ramping up activity. The UK Ministry of Defence has awarded contracts worth £410m in total to BAE to produce 155mm shells, 30mm medium caliber rounds and 5.56mm ammunition, aimed at restocking the Army’s arsenal.
The new UK contracts will require BAE to set up an additional production line in Tyne and Wear as well as a new explosive filling facility in Glascoed, South Wales.
Shares in BAE have leapt 36pc higher over the last year.
Similar contracts have been awarded by the European Defence Agency to contractors on the Continent.
In that respect, rearmament is proving a boon to defence contractors, including giants such as Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics, which also makes 155mm shells.
Lord Cameron promised to give President Zelensky ‘all the military support’ he needs CREDIT: HANDOUT/AFP
Others in Europe, such as sensor and radar maker Hensoldt, tanks manufacturer Rheinmetall and French fighter jet maker Dassault Aviation are also winning business.
But increasing production will take time, says RAND’s Black.
“These are skilled manufacturing jobs, handling explosive materials and sophisticated sensors and other equipment, so that takes a level of experience,” he explains.
It also requires consistency from policymakers.
Black says: “It is also a question of political will. How long will the war [and Western support for Ukraine] last?
“If you’re a manufacturer thinking about investing in production capacity, that will be contingent on what you think future demand looks like.”
On his first visit to Kyiv as Foreign Secretary last week, Lord David Cameron promised to give President Zelensky “all the military support that you need”. In Washington, activity is the highest it has been since the war in Afghanistan.
For now at least, there is plenty of work to go around.