Fire alarm in Ohrdruf: Fire quickly under control during Bundeswehr exercise

Fire alarm in Ohrdruf: Fire quickly under control during Bundeswehr exercise

On Wednesday, a fire broke out on the Bundeswehr military training area in Ohrdruf, in the Gotha district. It was a shooting exercise in which an area with dry grass caught fire. The cloud of smoke was visible for miles, which led to an alarming Situation. The fire brigade was quickly alerted and was able to control the fire in time. Fortunately, there was no immediate danger for neighboring forests or residents. However, the residents were asked to keep windows and doors closed to protect themselves from smoke development. This was reported by tag24.de

The military training area Ohrdruf, on which the incident took place, has a long military history. It is located in Mittelthüringen and extends over an area of about 8.5 km in north-south and 11.5 km in the east-west direction. Originally used as a maneuver since the 19th century, the area acquired military importance after the founding of the German Empire. The first military unit, the 1st battalion of infantry regiment No. 95, arrived on the pitch in 1908. During the two world wars, the square experienced numerous changes and was used for various military purposes.

historical insights

Over the decades, the military training area developed into an important military location. In 1915 the Gotha military aviation barracks were put into service with its own airfield. During the First World War, the area of the front training of recruits served. A warehouse for prisoners of war, mostly French military members, existed from 1914 to 1916. After the First World War, looting and vandalism occurred on the premises, which temporarily reduced military importance.

After the Second World War, the square was used by various armed forces until 1991, including Soviet and later the NVA of the GDR. In 1993 the Bundeswehr took over the place after the Warsaw Pact troops. Since December 2013, however, the military training area Ohrdruf has no longer been a regular military training area, but has been converted to the location exercise area for the Friedenstein-Kaserne in Gotha, which indicates a fundamental re-evaluation of the use. Further information about the Bundeswehr military training places are available on the official website of the