Synopsis
The German Mountain Infantry Brigade are the last brigade in the Bundeswehr that use horses and mules. The mules are used to carry heavy loads and supplies to troops in the mountains. To work together as successfully as possible, the bond between soldier and animal must be very strong. Previously, the brigade was deployed on NATO missions in Kosovo and Afghanistan. Learn how man and animal work together while out on deployment in the mountains.
Footage includes various shots of members of the German Mountain Infantry Brigade working together with their mules during exercise Mountain Lion in the Alps.
Transcript
Various close up shots - eyes of mules
Mid shot - face of mule
--SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH)--
SERGEANT MARIO THIESS, GERMAN MOUNTAIN INFANTRY BRIGADE
The mules are strong, they are helpful, and they are honest, and if you are good to the mules, the mules will be good to you.
Various shots - members of the German Mountain Infantry Brigade lead mules up mountain
TEXT - The German Mountain Infantry Brigade offers a unique military capability
TEXT - They use mules to transport heavy goods up steep mountains that would otherwise be inaccessible
TEXT ON SCREEN
PACK ANIMALS AND
THE GERMAN MOUNTAIN INFANTRY BRIGADE
Various shot - German soldiers leading mules in mountains
--SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH)--
SERGEANT MARIO THIESS, GERMAN MOUNTAIN INFANTRY BRIGADE
“We are here to carry loads from our platoons, sometimes water, something to eat, ammunitions, heavy weapons.”
Various shots - mules grazing at camp
TEXT - Sgt Mario Thiess, German Mountain Infantry Brigade
--SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH)--
SERGEANT MARIO THIESS, GERMAN MOUNTAIN INFANTRY BRIGADE
“We have six very different mules here. Batzy is our white mule, he’s a cool guy. Daisy is our little diva. We have Fritz, who gets really nervous sometimes, and then we have Yogi. Yogi is 18 years old, he’s our grandpa. Flicker is also very nice. She is like a teddy bear. The last one is Freida. She’s the biggest one. She weighs 700 kilos and she eats also a lot of hay.”
--SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH)--
SERGEANT MARIO THIESS, GERMAN MOUNTAIN INFANTRY BRIGADE
“If we have a long march and it’s very high and it’s hard for me, then I talk to him and say ‘hey, ok, only a few hundred metres to go, we can do it’ and also if I have some problems, I will talk also with the mule.”
Various shots - German soldiers preparing mules for march
Various shots - German soldiers leading mules down mountain paths
TEXT - 1st Lt Maximilian Höfler
German Mountain Infantry Brigade
--SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH)--
1st LIEUTENANT MAXIMILIAN HÖFLER, GERMAN MOUNTAIN INFANTRY BRIGADE
“Our task is to supply the troops on narrow paths in the mountains with many supply goods. So the paths we can walk on, if you’re a good driver, you might drive on them with a motorcycle, but you won’t load 120 kilos on a motorcycle. You might say, then you use a helicopter, but we can work when it’s bad weather and we work under all the conditions, and we are not recognised in the same way as a helicopter is recognised.”
Mid shot - German soldier walks with mule on mountain path
Various timelapse shots - clouds become dark, rain falls
Various shot - rain falling on soldier’s campsite
--SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH)--
1st LIEUTENANT MAXIMILIAN HÖFLER, GERMAN MOUNTAIN INFANTRY BRIGADE
“The German Mountain Infantry Brigade is the last mountain infantry brigade in the Bundeswehr. We are the ones who are the specialists for mountain warfare. We were in different places in the world on missions abroad so we were in Kosovo and afterwards Afghanistan.”
--SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH)--
SERGEANT MARIO THIESS, GERMAN MOUNTAIN INFANTRY BRIGADE
“We have in the unit around about 50 mules and 20 riding horses. We have a special vet for the mules. Also we have now around about 10 blacksmiths. They have a lot to do, the blacksmiths, and yeah it’s a special job in our unit.”
Various shots - blacksmiths putting horseshoe on mules
Timelapse, cloud clears from mountain
Various shots - soldiers and mules walking down narrow mountain paths
--SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH)--
1st LIEUTENANT MAXIMILIAN HÖFLER, GERMAN MOUNTAIN INFANTRY BRIGADE
“Our unit is very important for the NATO because whenever there is a mission in the mountains, it’s very important to have supply to the troops and in our special terrain, we are in the end the best.”
--SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH)--
SERGEANT MARIO THIESS, GERMAN MOUNTAIN INFANTRY BRIGADE
“They have loaded now the water and the food into the backpacks, then we load the mules and then we have to go very fast back because the other unit is waiting for the food and for the water.”
--SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH)--
SERGEANT MARIO THIESS, GERMAN MOUNTAIN INFANTRY BRIGADE
“You see it when the mule trusts his human soldier. If they don’t trust together, then the mule will stop. The bond gets so heavy and close together because you’re working each day with the mules, the whole day, and especially if you are on march on the mountains, five, six, seven hours a day and you are always together with the mule, and you are really good together.”
Close up - German soldier rests his head on the mule
