Bundeswehr Museum of German Defense Technology

About

The Bundeswehr Museum of German Defense Technology also known as Wehrtechnisches Museum Koblenz and Wehrtechnische Studiensammlung Koblenz (WTS-Koblenz) is the official Bundeswehr's Defense Technology Study Collection in Koblenz. It is one of Germany's important technical military exhibitions, with about 30,000 objects on an exhibition area of around 7,000 square metres (75,000 sq ft). It is known as one of the most extensive collections of its kind internationally. The main focus of the museum is on defense technology and the military science library. It is a subsidiary of the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw – formerly the Federal Office of Defense Technology and Procurement).

The initial history of the WTS kicks off with the Krupp firing range in Meppen, which was established by Friedrich Krupp AG from 1877. The eventful history of the site and the holdings there during the First World War, the period of the Treaty of Versailles, the Second World War until the takeover of the properties by the Bundeswehr is documented only scarsly. Although there was considerable testing of weapons and equipment prior to 1945, only a few exhibits from this period, such as an early Bouclier roulant personnel carrier, have been transferred to the WTS. Pieces such as the Salvator Dormus self-loading pistol were also transferred from earlier holdings of the Army Weapons Office and the Wehrmacht from their collections on the history of defense and weapons technology.

As a purposeful study collection, a predecessor institution of the WTS was established in 1961–62 as the "Collection of Weapons and Design Studies", initially at what was then Test Site 91 in Meppen/Emsland, on the former site of the Krupp firing range. On 12 November 1982, the facility was opened as the Wehrtechnische Studiensammlung in the former Langemarck barracks in Koblenz by the former President of the German Bundestag, Richard Stücklen. It was now directly subordinate to the Federal Office of Defense Technology and Procurement. The WTS was expanded in particular by the military historian Arnold Wirtgen, who was in charge of the WTS until 1988. From 1995 to 2021, the management was in the hands of his son Rolf Wirtgen. Since 2001, the WTS has participated in the Koblenz Long Night of Museums with a large number of visitors.

On 1 October 2012, the subordination of the WTS changed to the newly established Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw). Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the WTS has been closed to visitors.

The purpose of the collection is first of all to fulfill the core tasks of the service:

- Tasks as a company archive of the BAAINBw

- Participation in the training of employees in the armaments sector, in particular of junior engineers in the field of defense technology

- Supporting the Bundeswehr in preparatory training for foreign missions and international arms control missions

- Provision of technical expertise for other departments of the Federal Government

- Cooperation in the Working Group of Military History Museums and Collections of the German Armed Forces In addition, it operates a specialized defense technology and military science library with approx. 18,000 volumes and more than 30,000 technical service regulations. This library is for official use only.

These tasks determine the personnel and financial resources of the Wehrtechnische Studiensammlung from the federal budget.

The WTS is open to the public. Since 1982, about 1,000,000 people have visited the collection. It is generally perceived as a museum, published accordingly in local museum directories, and signposted as such. However, the WTS is not a museum by the definition of the Bundeswehr. As an official museum, the BMVg division operates the Military History Museum of the Bundeswehr in Dresden, which maintains various branch offices. For the WTS in Koblenz, this has consequences for the presentation and the mediation formats. A comprehensive museum concept, detailed military-historical descriptions, examples of use or armament-historical classifications are mostly missing.

The WTS offers a thematically arranged special collection with a wealth of illustrative material on the development of armament, equipment, gear and uniforms from the early 19th century onwards, with a focus on the Bundeswehr. In connection with the service-related purpose of the collection for documentation and training, the exhibits are not demilitarized and are mostly fully functional.

Today, the WTS is one of the largest collections of its kind in Europe, with about 30,000 collection items on about 7,000 m 2 of exhibition space.

The purpose of the collection is first of all to fulfill the core tasks of the service:

- Tasks as a company archive of the BAAINBw

- Participation in the training of employees in the armaments sector, in particular of junior engineers in the field of defense technology

- Supporting the Bundeswehr in preparatory training for foreign missions and international arms control missions

- Provision of technical expertise for other departments of the Federal Government

- Cooperation in the Working Group of Military History Museums and Collections of the German Armed Forces In addition, it operates a specialized defense technology and military science library with approx. 18,000 volumes and more than 30,000 technical service regulations. This library is for official use only.