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| German Panzerhaubitze Howitzers-2000 (PzH-2000) Artillery Used by Ukraine |
Kiev - German artillery proved untested in Ukraine's defense against Russia. According to reports in the German publication Der Spiegel, German artillery and anti-aircraft guns failed in Ukraine. This is due to heavy wear and incompatible alternative ammunition.
According to Der Spiegel's report, by mid-June, Kyiv had notified Berlin of some of the seven panzerhaubitze-2000 (PzH-2000) self-propelled artillery pieces delivered in late June not functioning. In fact it is in dire need of repair.
Moreover, they were faced with a Russian attack. Where there was intensive shooting of Russian positions. Which arguably comes from the 100 rounds a day designated as "high intensity" use by the Bundeswehr (German Army).
Combined with Ukraine's frequent use of special munitions to hit long-range targets, that puts a heavy burden on the weapons loading mechanism.
Quoted from The Defense Post, it was previously known that Ukraine finally deployed an advanced German artillery system in June 2022. “The Panzerhaubitze 2000 eventually became part of the Ukrainian 155mm artillery howitzer arsenal,” wrote Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov on social media.
Germany said last month it would send seven self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine. This then increased shipments of heavy weapons to help Kyiv fight the Russian invasion. The German Army also has around 100 2000s howitzers, but only 40 are combat-ready.
The United States, France and other Ukrainian allies have pledged to supply Kyiv with more heavy weapons. As is well known, the West has sent weapons to Ukraine to help it fight the Kremlin forces.
However, Kyiv complains that it receives only a fraction of what it needs and demands heavier armaments. As with the F-16 fighter jets that Ukraine requested to the US, but could not be fulfilled.