Division Special Operations (Germany)

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name=Division Special Operations
"Division Spezielle Operationen"


caption=Division Special Operations Shoulder Insignia
country=Germany
type=Division
branch=Army
dates=(1994-2001), 2001 - present
specialization=Airborne warfare and special operations division
command_structure=German Army
size=About 10.500 soldiers
current_commander=Major General Hans-Werner Fritz
garrison=Regensburg
nickname=
motto=Ready for action, at any time, globally!
"Einsatzbereit, jederzeit, weltweit!"
battles=
United Nations Operations in Somalia
Aftermath of the Balkan Wars 1995-1999 (Incl. operations to search and arrest war criminals)
Operation Joint Guardian
Operation Enduring Freedom
Operation Anaconda
EUFOR Operations during the 2006 Kinshasa Clashes
notable_commanders= Lieutenant General Hans-Otto Budde, currently commander of the German Army
Major General Hans-Lothar Domröse, currently Chief of Staff of ISAF
anniversaries=April 1st 2001

Division Special Operations or "Division Spezielle Operationen" is a division of the German Army. Its staff is based at Regensburg. The structure and tasks of this division are unique within the modern German military. Division Special Operations was created in 2001 and composed of parts of another peerless formation, called Airmobile forces command/4th Division or "Kommando Luftbewegliche Kräfte/4. Division". This division-equivalent which was created in 1994 and disbanded in 2001 in the course of a reorganization of the German army comprised elements of a mechanized division and an airborne division. Division Special Operations is the superordinate unit for two airborne brigades and a special forces brigade-equivalent, the Special Forces Command or "Kommando Spezialkräfte". It is capable of dealing with all challenges of special warfare and is specialized on evacuations and crisis intervention operations. Troops of this division or its predecessors have taken part in all overseas deployments of the German Army and were largely involved in their preparation.

History

The division was formed in 2001 to give the German Army the capability to quickly and effectively react on an emerging crisis. This happened mainly in view of two incidents in 1994 and 1997 were German citizens had to be evacuated from the civil wars in Rwanda and Albania, once even by foreign troops since the German military lacked of adequate forces to carry out evacuation operations on their own. To enhance these new capabilities, one of three existing airborne brigades was transformed and reorganized to be subsequently in charge of the army's special forces. Although little is publicly known about operations of the "Kommando Spezialkräfte", it can be seen as the most combat-proven unit both of this division and the German Army.

Organisation

*Division Special Operations
** HHC
** 300th Army Band
** 100th Signals Company (Airborne)
** 200th Signals Company (Airborne)
** 200th Light Air Defence Battery (Airborne)
** 200th Long Range Reconaissance Company
** Division Special Operations Signals Battalion (Airborne)
** Special Forces Command
*** HHC
*** 1st Commando Company
*** 2nd Commando Company
*** 3rd Commando Company
*** 4th Commando Company
*** Special Commando Company
*** Signal Company
*** Support Company
*** Special Medical Company
*** Special Training Company
*** Centre for Enhancements and Trials
** 26th Airborne Brigade "Saarland"
*** HHC
*** 260th Reconnaissance Company (Airborne)
*** 260th Engineer Company (Airborne)
*** 261st Paratrooper Battalion
*** 262nd Support Battalion (Airborne)
*** 263rd Paratrooper Battalion
** 31st Airborne Brigade "Oldenburg"
*** HHC
*** 310th Reconnaissance Company (Airborne)
*** 270th Engineer Company (Airborne)
*** 313st Paratrooper Battalion
*** 272nd Support Battalion (Airborne)
*** 373rd Paratrooper Battalion

External links

[http://www.deutschesheer.de/portal/a/dso/ Official Website of Division Special Operations]
[http://www.deutschesheer.de/portal/a/dso/dienststellen/ksk Official Website of Special Forces Command]