Training turns into a disaster — police open fire on German army forces due to a misunderstanding
A soldier of the German army (Bundeswehr) was injured after being accidentally shot by police during a large-scale military training in the city of Erding in Bavaria, southern Germany. The incident occurred on Wednesday evening during a coordinated operation involving military forces and various emergency services.
According to a spokesperson for the German Army's Operational Command (Einsatzführungskommando), a misunderstanding between soldiers and police officers who responded to the report led to an exchange of gunfire. Local residents had reported to the authorities about a man carrying a weapon, prompting the police to send several units to the scene, including a helicopter.
At that time, the army was conducting a large-scale exercise called 'Marshal Power' with the participation of about 500 military police and hundreds of police, civil defense, and ambulance personnel. The exercises extended to several cities north of Munich, as part of a simulation of an attack on one of the NATO countries.
According to the German newspaper Bild, military police fired training ammunition at police officers who arrived at the scene, believing that the confrontation was part of a training scenario. The police responded by firing live ammunition, resulting in the injury of one soldier. Bavaria's police stated in a statement: "Due to a misinterpretation of the situation at the scene, shots were fired."
The soldier sustained minor injuries and received treatment at the hospital before being allowed to leave. The criminal police in Bavaria, in cooperation with local authorities, are investigating the incident to determine how this serious mistake occurred during a training operation that was supposed to be under complete control.