German armed forces planning for 1k wounded troops a day in WW3 panic

Germany's army is planning for up to 1,000 wounded troops per day in a potential NATO-Russia conflict. The military alliance has made repeated warnings that the Kremlin could be ready to launch an attack as early as 2029 against the West.

Those fears have only intensified following recent provocations by Moscow against member states. Nineteen Russian drones violated Polish airspace on September 10, while a few days later, three MiG-31 jets flew over Estonia without permission. European armies are stepping up their preparations for a possible conflict with an ever more assertive and aggressive Russia.

Germany's military leaders are reviewing and revamping their medical processes to make sure they can cope with an influx of mass casualties from any fighting.

"Realistically, we are talking about a figure of around 1,000 wounded troops per day," Germany's Surgeon General Ralf Hoffmann told Reuters.

Flexible transport options for the injured, ensuring they can reach German hospitals efficiently under crisis conditions. These include using a combination of hospital trains, buses and expanded air evacuation.

Around 15,000 hospital beds out of a total of 440,000 will be allocated for wounded soldiers. Processes will be implemented to ensure civilian and military coordination to handle any surges.

Germany's 15,000-strong medical corps will be increased in size and aims to implement the lessons learned from Ukraine.

The military medics will work closely with civilian hospitals to maintain readiness and manage high casualty volumes during conflicts.

France is also stepping up its preparations for a major armed conflict on European soil.

The government plans to prepare hospitals for 10,000-50,000 casualties over a 10 to 180-day period, setting up regional medical centres near ports and airports.

In an interview with the French news channel BFMTV, health minister Catherine Vautrin said it was "perfectly normal for the country to anticipate crises and their consequences".