Ukrainian elites and German armored legends clash in Kursk

The 82nd Ukrainian Air Assault Brigade, equipped with German infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) Marder 1A3, is fighting in the Kursk region. Heavy fighting is currently taking place towards Glushkovo, where, for example, a burning Marder 1A3 IFV can be seen. Here’s what characterizes this legendary Bundeswehr vehicle.

The Ukrainians have deployed elite brigades equipped with Western equipment to the Kursk region. The situation stabilized after initially surprising the Russians and seizing a large territory, making further territorial gains more difficult.

Currently, the Ukrainians appear to want to take territory west of Sudzha. By destroying bridges on the Sejm River and methodically dismantling pontoon bridges constantly set up by the Russians, this direction has become the easiest for advancement. The Russians are facing significant supply issues there.

Unfortunately, the battles are not without losses. Photos and videos of damaged or destroyed Ukrainian equipment have been appearing online. Below is a burning Marder 1A3 infantry fighting vehicle, which is the first or one of the first German vehicles burning in the Kursk region since World War II.

Schützenpanzer Marder 1 (from the German "infantry fighting vehicle Marten") was developed in the 1960s in Germany and was a pioneering design similar to the BMP-1 on the Russian side.

This innovation was the development of an enclosed, heavily armed, well-armored platform at a time when the norm was only lightly armored transporters designed to deliver infantry to a location and then leave. In contrast, the Marder 1 and the BMP-1, developed in the USSR, could actively support the transported infantry and even engage tanks under favorable conditions.

Three soldiers operated the Marder 1, and its rear section could accommodate a seven-person armored infantry squad. A distinctive feature was the Marder's unmanned turret, which was mounted with a Rheinmetall MK 20 Rh-202 automatic cannon of 20 mm caliber with an effective range of up to 1.5 miles. Due to double-sided belt feeding, ammunition could be quickly changed from fragmentation to anti-tank.

Additionally, the turret was equipped with an MG3 machine gun and a Milan anti-tank guided missile launcher, which could pierce 28 inches of armor at a distance of up to 1.2 miles.

Today's popular unmanned turret design positions the entire crew in the hull, increasing their chance of survival if the turret is hit. However, access to the weaponry was difficult, complicating the removal of jams. In such cases, a crew member had to exit and fix the issues through inspection hatches.

All these features made the Marder a costly vehicle used exclusively by the Bundeswehr. Only after the end of the Cold War, due to budget cuts in Germany, were some of the approximately 2,000 Marders produced sold to other countries.

So far, Ukraine has received around 80 Marders in the 1A3 standard, meaning they underwent modifications in the 1990s. These included reinforced armor and equipping the gunner with a thermal sight, making this relic of the Cold War still useful in the new realities of war.

The Ukrainians value them highly because they can withstand much more than the post-Soviet BMPs and provide good side protection. Furthermore, in case of a successful hit, the crew has a high chance of survival and can continue fighting in a new vehicle.