military exercises in Ostend

[Spey_Phantom]

was out to run some chores this morning, and the Belgian Army was holding a few exercises in town in preperations for there deployment to Kabul, Afghanistan.

took my little camera with me a made these pics/video 

video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxI52dnuNWU

pictures:

[Spey_Phantom]

today, the last day of the exercises, now it was 200% more awesome 
the streets were covered in SMG casings, was like a warzone 

here's the video 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26WoeBrliac

[beowulf]

i find that amazing that its happening in a public place..............here you just wouldnt get away with it.........the health and safety nazis would have a field day.........MOD would be sued by people suffering 'emotional stress' cos they heard a few bangs.........the papers would be asking for enquiries into it (cept for the Sun who wouldnt care as long it could get some girl with big boobs on an APC on page 3) 

[lancer]

i find that amazing that its happening in a public place..............here you just wouldnt get away with it.........the health and safety nazis would have a field day.........MOD would be sued by people suffering 'emotional stress' cos they heard a few bangs.........the papers would be asking for enquiries into it (cept for the Sun who wouldnt care as long it could get some girl with big boobs on an APC on page 3) 

Just goes to show what F£(%(& up state our country is in  today!!

[Martin H]

i find that amazing that its happening in a public place..............here you just wouldnt get away with it.........the health and safety nazis would have a field day.........MOD would be sued by people suffering 'emotional stress' cos they heard a few bangs.........the papers would be asking for enquiries into it (cept for the Sun who wouldnt care as long it could get some girl with big boobs on an APC on page 3) 

Just goes to show what F£(%(& up state our country is in  today!!

We used to have one big open play pen till a few or so years ago....West Germany.

[beowulf]

still got BATUS but its not quite the same 

[PR19_Kit]

When I was hols in Ireland the other week they closed off a street in Tralee to deliver some money to a bank. Not just with the Garda but with some SERIOUS looking Irish Army soldiers with two or three APCs and an armoured car too! I don't think any self-respecting terrorist unit would have gone anywhere near them for sure!

Can't imagine it happening in UK at all.

[nev]

Our armoured cars were retired early to pay for the tanks which were retired early to pay for the destroyers which were retired early to pay for the submarines which were retired early to pay for the Nimrods which were retired early to pay for the Harriers, which were retired early to pay for the new carriers, which were retired early to pay for.........the armoured cars

[upnorth]

Pretty cool pics.

I occaisionally see some Czech army vehicles (almost always softskin of some description) transiting through town. As we have a branch of the defence university here and a larger division of the university in a town about 45 minutes north east of here and an air force base just a bit to the west of us, there's semi regular transiting about through our city by military vehicles.

They wouldn't do a big excercise here because they have a big training ground further north of here that they can rig up as they please. If they need urban training, there are a couple of suitably sized towns in that district for them to do it in.

Still it is interesting to see an army vehicle pass through, just to break up the monotony of normal traffic.

[lancer]

Our armoured cars were retired early to pay for the tanks which were retired early to pay for the destroyers which were retired early to pay for the submarines which were retired early to pay for the Nimrods which were retired early to pay for the Harriers, which were retired early to pay for the new carriers, which were retired early to pay for.........the armoured cars

There's a certain perverse symmetry to that isn't there Nev!