Four countries at "Grand Crossing": 1200 soldiers deployed in military exercise on the Rhine

Four countries at "Grand Crossing" 1200 soldiers deployed in military exercise on the Rhine 28.06.2025, 11:42

A large-scale military exercise begins in the North Rhine-Westphalian town of Kalkar. 1,200 soldiers from four countries are building bridges to transport heavy equipment across the Rhine. The maneuver lasts 14 days.

In an XL military exercise on the Lower Rhine, soldiers from four countries attempted a crossing of the Rhine using heavy vehicles. The task for the German-British Pioneer Bridge Battalion 130 was to build ferries using their own systems to ensure a crossing of the wide waterway.

Around 1,200 soldiers and 500 vehicles are participating in the maneuver, the Bundeswehr announced. During the "Grand Crossing" exercise on Saturday in Kalkar, forces from the German-British Pioneer Bridge Battalion 130 from Minden will be reinforced by a Dutch and an Italian company.

The emergency services are to build ferries and bridges to safely transport military vehicles weighing 100 tons to the other bank. They are practicing for an emergency, as bridges may be destroyed or inaccessible.

Preparations were challenging

Prior to this, there had been days of extensive preparations and reconnaissance, as a Bundeswehr spokesperson described. The troops and vehicles had been moved to their destination on public roads.

The entire exercise is scheduled to last 14 days and be completed by the end of next week. After crossing the Rhine, the planned crossing of the Weser River in the Hameln area is part of the exercise's mission in the coming days.

Onlookers should keep a clear distance from the vehicles, warned the Bundeswehr spokesman.