Armored brigade convoys tanks, Bradleys 60km on public roads in Germany

GRAFENWOEHR, GERMANY

04.25.2018

Story by Staff Sgt. Wallace Bonner 

2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Public Affairs

GRAFENWOEHR TRAINING AREA, Germany –Soldiers from 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, conducted a tactical road march using public roads from Grafenwoehr Training Area, to Hohenfels Training Area, Germany for the first time in 15 years, April 22-25.

2nd ABCT moved over 950 vehicles approximately 60 kilometers along multiple routes in 22 separate convoys as part of this year’s Combined Resolve exercise. The road march also included a platoon-size element from Poland driving Rosomax armored personnel carriers, which are similar to the U.S.’s Army’s Stryker vehicles.

Combined Resolve is a multinational exercise hosting nearly 3,700 participants from 13 nations April 9-May 12. The primary purpose of the exercise is building readiness for all participants in a joint services, multinational environment.

“7th Army Training Command, who conducts the exercise, decided to leverage the two training areas in Bavaria to connect multiple locations and units to create a more realistic training environment in Europe,” said Capt. Orlandon Howard, 2nd ABCT public affairs officer.

As part of the exercise scenario, after conducting a maneuver live-fire exercise, the brigade received an order to do a tactical road march from Grafenwoehr to Hohenfels to begin preparations for the 10-day force-on-force portion of the exercise.

The tactical road march proved to be successful, with only limited recovery operations. The convoys also manage to avoid any major damage to the roads and towns along their route, a significant accomplishment considering the size of some of the vehicles in the move.

"We made safety and minimizing the impact to local communities top priorities for our brigade," said Col. David W. Gardner, 2nd ABCT commander.

Numerous local citizens stood by along the routes with cameras and video recorders to witness and record the road march. Many could be seen smiling and waving at the Soldiers as they traveled through their towns and villages.

"I'm very proud of our Soldiers for a job well done, but I also very much appreciate the local communities here in Bavaria. Their support was critical to conducting a successful road march," Gardner said.

• Date Taken: 04.25.2018
• Date Posted: 04.25.2018 04:43
• Story ID: 274368
• Location: GRAFENWOEHR, DE