Day of the Bundeswehr 2024 on the Hohe Düne

At the beginning of June, as every year on Armed Forces Day, the doors of selected branches and units of the armed forces are opened. Interested and well-meaning people were able to get to know the versatility of all branches of the armed forces.

A varied programme with numerous information stands took place at the Warnemünde naval base. Many departments, including the 1st Corvette Squadron, the armoured artillery training battalion from Munster, the reconnaissance troops from Eutin, field troops from Neubrandenburg, HIL GmbH as well as the federal police and veterans' associations, offered information stands and large equipment for viewing. While the visitors lingered between the tugboat ballet and the demonstrations by the air defence missile group from Sanitz/Prangendorf, the corvette "Ludwigshafen am Rhein" was made ready to go to sea for the mandated UNIFIL mission on this day. Parliamentary State Secretary Siemtje Möller was welcomed by the commander of the naval base, frigate captain Robert Lehmann. In her speech on Armed Forces Day, Siemtje Möller said that the fresh wind on the coast was much more pleasant than the wind inside the Berlin ring road. During her tour, the Parliamentary State Secretary, accompanied by Rear Admiral Stephan Haisch, explored the exhibitions of the Bundeswehr units and talked to the soldiers, civil servants and civilian employees present.

At the highlight of the programme, the departure of the corvette "Ludwigshafen am Rhein", the deployment was carried out under the leadership of the 1st Corvette Squadron and with first-class musical accompaniment from the Kiel Naval Music Corps. In his speech, the commander of the "permanent deployment squadron of the Hohe Düne", frigate captain Marc Tippner, thanked the members of the crew who had deployed, as the readiness of the men and women of the "Ludwigshafen" would not have been possible without the support of their families. Following the speeches by Siemtje Möller and the squadron commander, the commander of the boat, frigate captain Christian Rodust, ordered his crew to manoeuvre station.

Overall, the Bundeswehr Day 2024 on the Hohe Düne was a great success, with a varied programme and many interesting information stands. Around 6000 visitors came to familiarise themselves with the versatility of the armed forces and to see the corvette "Ludwigshafen am Rhein" off into service.