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NOVO BRDO:
"Great weapon," the German soldier says after firing the new US
rifle. "I like it," adds the American soldier who had been given
a good shake by the German MG 3 heavy machine gun.
The two voices
were typical that day in the mountains near Novo Brdo. The German
signal soldiers of the Bravo Company of signal battalion from
Prizren and their comrades of the Bravo Company / 501st Signal
Battalion from Camp Bondsteel got together to qualify for the
German and the American Marksmanship award. "Some time ago we
conducted a training on the weapons of the respective armies and
we have already been on the shooting-range for a whole day," the
Company Commander of the German signal unit Capt. Oliver Pick
asserts.
During the second
time on the shooting-range the US boys and girls were able to
fulfil the requirements for the German marksmanship award with
the German machine-gun "MG" and the German assault rifle "G36".
Capt. Pick's soldiers at the same time qualified with the American
assault rifle "M4" (cal. 5.56 mm) and with the new light machine-gun
"M29" (cal. 5.56 mm).
For the members
of the American Signal Corps firing the "MG 3" was a new experience.
The recoil of the German "MG 3" - in contrast to the American
counterpart - is very strong, yet the soldiers of Fort Campbell,
Kentucky were very enthusiastic about it.
"Very good,"
was the unanimous opinion about the old, but reliable weapon.
And the results
of the day were very good: Around ten Americans qualified for
the marksmanship in bronze, silver and gold respectively.
Nearly all the
Germans were able to qualify for one of the shooting badges such
as "rifle" or "machine-gun" in one of the categories "Marksman",
"Sharpshooter" or "Expert". The badges will be handed over in
two weeks during an informal get-together at the Bravo Company
in Prizren.
In the long-term
the soldiers have already thought about a military partnership
between the two units.
This can take
a long time, but has no impact the good relation between the German
soldiers from Neubrandenburg and their new comrades from Kentucky.
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