German depot revives vintage tanks amid Ukraine crisis
Satellite photos reveal not only Russian but also German weapon depots. One particular depot caught the attention of an open-source intelligence (OSINT) analyst. This German depot displays hundreds of older armored vehicles, which, according to photo analysis, are undergoing intensive refurbishment.
The depot features 90 Leopard 1 tanks, over 100 Gepard anti-aircraft systems, and 130 Marder 1 infantry fighting vehicles. This impressive equipment list is visible in the satellite images from one of the German weapon depots. As documented in the photos, intensive refurbishment work on the collected equipment has been underway since Russia's attack on Ukraine.
An OSINT analyst who runs the Just BeCause profile on the X platform publicized the contents of the large weapon depot, which is spread over 14 acres near the town of Rockensußra in German Thuringia. Hundreds of different armored vehicles are gathered there.
The existence of the depot is no secret. In Rockensußra, there is a military vehicle dismantling facility currently owned by the Krauss-Maffei Wegmann corporation. Since the end of the Cold War, more than 16,000 tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and other equipment have been dismantled here.
What caught the analyst's attention wasn't just the size of the depot and dismantling center but the changes that have occurred there following Russia's attack on Ukraine. On the depot site, where rows of military equipment once stood openly, a hall with an area of 49,500 square feet was quickly constructed.
The visible parts of vehicles around it suggest that the equipment is not being dismantled under this roof but is being repaired on a large scale. The size of the hall allows for the simultaneous repair of 8-10 vehicles.
The photos also show an influx of more vehicles at the depot, which are now being covered with uniform blue tarpaulins, unlike in previous years.
The ultimate purpose of the refurbished equipment is unclear, but it is assumed that the Rockensußra facility is restoring the operability of old vehicles before sending them to Ukraine.
As noted by the Ukrainian service Defence Express, not every unit can probably be repaired; some may be used as donors for spare parts. Nonetheless, restoring and delivering even a portion of the hundreds of collected vehicles would be a significant aid to Ukraine.
