Soltau-Lüneburg Training Area facts for kids
The Soltau-Lüneburg Training Area (SLTA) was a place in North Germany where British and Canadian soldiers practiced military drills. It was used from 1963 to 1994. This area was set up by a special agreement called the Soltau-Lüneburg Agreement (SLA). This agreement was made between Germany, the United Kingdom, and Canada. The training area was located in the Lüneburg Heath region of Lower Saxony. It was mostly used by tanks and other armoured vehicles.
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History of the Training Area
Even though other training areas like Bergen Training Area and Munster Training Area existed, the beautiful Lüneburg Heath Nature Reserve was first kept safe from military use. However, during the Second World War, German military buildings were put up here. These included a Luftwaffe (German air force) observation post on Wilseder Berg. There was also a hospital in Wintermoor and an airfield near Reinsehlen.
After the Second World War, Canadian and British soldiers began military exercises on the Lüneburg Heath. This started in 1945 as part of their rights after winning the war. At first, there was no special training area. The old German airfield became Reinsehlen Camp. British armored units used this camp regularly from 1950. In the early years, the soldiers expanded their exercise area. They even reached Wilseder Berg, but they later pulled back. From 1948, they trained for only eight months a year, not all year round.
Alfred Toepfer, who led the Nature Reserve Society (VNP), worked hard to protect the nature reserves. But the British military commander only offered farmland for training. This land was badly needed to grow food for people.
In 1955, West Germany joined NATO. This meant the rules for the occupying forces changed. The Paris Peace Treaties set new rules for foreign troops in West Germany. These troops were now called "Sending States' Forces." They were there to help defend Germany from a possible attack by the Soviet Union and its allies, the Warsaw Pact. In 1956, Canadian forces mostly stopped training in this area. That same year, the British left a large area near Haverbeck after many local protests.
The Soltau-Lüneburg Agreement
On August 3, 1959, Germany, Canada, and the United Kingdom signed a special agreement in Bonn. This agreement allowed military exercises in the Soltau-Lüneburg area. The goal was to train to defend Germany during the Cold War. This agreement was part of the NATO Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). It took some time to become law, but it finally started on July 1, 1963. It was known as the Soltau-Lüneburg Agreement.
In 1965, a special group was formed called the Standing Committee for the Soltau-Lüneburg Agreement. This committee handled complaints and tried to balance the needs of different groups. It also helped coordinate civilian and military issues.
The agreement allowed the stationed troops to train all year round in the special area. Villages and farms were not to be used as targets. Also, armored vehicles could not move on Sundays or public holidays.
Where Was the Training Area?
The Soltau-Lüneburg Agreement set aside an area about 40 km long and 10 km wide. It was located between the towns of Soltau and Lüneburg. This area covered about 34,500 hectares, and about 26,000 people lived there.
The German government rented about 12% of this area. From that, the foreign forces were given about 4,600 hectares for their constant and unlimited use. These were called "red areas" (Rote Flächen). About 3,700 hectares of red area were in the Heidekreis county. The other 900 hectares were in the Lüneburg county. Before this agreement, the military had used 48,000 hectares for training. The red areas were only for the foreign troops. The German army (Bundeswehr) was not allowed to train there.
Effects of the Training Area
About 1,800 landowners had to let their property be used for military purposes because of the agreement. The Nature Reserve Society (VNP) owned over 1,600 hectares. They did not agree with the Soltau-Lüneburg Agreement from the start, but their protests did not stop it. Another 1,600 hectares belonged to private landowners. In 1970, some landowners were allowed to use their land for farming again. In the mid-1970s, the VNP tried to sue, saying the agreement was against the law. But they were not successful.
Because of the armored vehicle training, the heathland in the red areas started to look like a desert. However, these areas were not closed off like normal military training areas. People could still enter them. In a few cases, accidents happened when visitors touched training ammunition. But no live firing was allowed in the area.
In the 1970s, about 1,500 armored vehicles and 30,000 soldiers trained in the area each year. This caused a lot of traffic on local roads due to troop movements. It also increased the risk of accidents. Local people had to deal with noise, dust, and shaking. Sometimes, harvests were damaged, and roads were broken by heavy military vehicles. However, the British and German governments regularly paid money to make up for the damage.
Public Protests
In Schneverdingen, a group of citizens started a movement in 1986. They wanted to reduce the military's impact on the Lüneburg Heath. They collected 13,000 signatures, asking for the Soltau-Lüneburg Agreement to end. The group organized many protests.
In 1988, they collected about 100 oil drums from the red areas. They then protested at the Lower Saxon parliament in Hanover. In 1990, they blocked the railway ramp at Reinsehlen Camp. This was to stop tanks from being unloaded. In 1991, they blocked an underpass near the camp to prevent tanks from entering the heath. Another citizen's group started in Amelinghausen in 1988 to reduce military exercises. In 1992, both groups, along with other environmental organizations, asked the minister president of Lower Saxony, Gerhard Schröder, to end the exercises and the agreement.
The Agreement Ends
In 1989, as the Cold War was ending, the Soltau-Lüneburg Agreement was discussed again. Defence ministers Gerhard Stoltenberg and Tom King wanted to reduce the impact of exercises on local people. In 1990, they agreed to stop training for several weeks. This break happened when the heath was blooming, during the busiest tourist time in August and September. Also, no tanks were allowed to use the red areas on Sundays and public holidays. Villages were given a 400-meter safe zone from armored exercises. Tanks were not allowed to drive through villages at night.
After German reunification, the two defence ministers, Stoltenberg and King, agreed on October 17, 1991, to stop training in the heath. On July 31, 1994, the Soltau-Lüneburg Agreement ended. The last red areas were given back to the Nature Reserve Society (VNP). They have since worked to restore these areas with help from the government.
Literature
- Reports by the NNA: Einer trage des Anderen Last - 12.782 Tage Soltau-Lüneburg-Abkommen, 4th year/1993, special issue
