The use of German weapons systems in Ukraine revealed serious and problematic deficiencies. This was the conclusion wdr, ndr and the Süddeutsche Zeitung made after a presentation by the deputy military attaché of the German Embassy in Kyiv.

This led to the following headlines in Germany on April 10 and 11:

• “‘Unsuitable for the War Effort’: Internal Bundeswehr Paper Draws a Sobering Balance of the Use of German Weapons in Ukraine” —Tagesspiegel
• “Doubts About Suitability: Ukraine Criticizes German Tanks and Howitzers” —Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
• “Ukraine: Panzerhaubitze 2000 Apparently Only of Limited Use” —ndr
• “Weapons From Germany Are Said to Have Problems in Ukraine” —n-tv.de
• “Hardly Any Large-scale Equipment ‘Fully Suitable for War’” —Tagesschau

According to the report, the self-propelled howitzer 2000 has “such a high level of technical vulnerability that its suitability for war is highly questionable.” Although the Leopard 1A5 main battle tank is considered “reliable,” it is “often only used as makeshift artillery due to its weak armor.” Furthermore, the newer Leopard 2A6 is expensive to repair and often cannot be repaired at the front.

In “‘Suitability for War Strongly Questioned,’” Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote:

Too expensive, too complicated, too error-prone: Experience reports from the Ukrainian Army show that many of the weapons systems supplied by Germany are only of limited use on the front line. Should the military and politicians in this country rethink their planned purchases worth billions?

Tagesspiegel commented:

The war in Ukraine is also an experimental field for testing weapons systems under real operating conditions. … Overall, the military attaché concludes: “Hardly any German large-scale equipment is fully suitable for war.”

A most depressing conclusion that once again confirms years of prior reporting about the unreliability of German weapons and spreads further doubts on Germany’s ability to defend itself.

But dig a little deeper and you find that the reports are misleading.

Asked about the report, the Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, told RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland: “By no means are these weapons unusable. … German weapons are among the best we have.”

Ukraine has been getting weapons systems from the United States, France, Britain and Poland, among others. Germany has only reluctantly delivered some of its most advanced systems and continues to withhold others, like its Taurus missiles. But according to the Ukrainian ambassador, what Germany did send are some of the best they got. “They are far superior to Russian weapons. And they have proven themselves very well,” he added.

This isn’t news that you generally hear. Most reports imply Germany would be utterly devastated in a Russian attack and that even the additional hundreds of billions in defense spending won’t be able to change that anytime soon.

So how can we make sense of the reports about failing German weapons systems?

Under wartime conditions, Makeiev explained, there are always indications of what is wrong and what should be changed in a weapon. The arms industry can use these insights to further improve the systems, and the armed forces can adjust their tactics.

“The German weapons systems have never been tested in real war conditions. So there was no way of knowing how a self-propelled howitzer would react when firing hundreds of shells a day. Repair chains are now also being tested in practice,” said Makeiev. “This is not a scandal, but an improvement process.”

The use of German weapons systems in Ukraine thus hasn’t revealed serious and problematic deficiencies—but rather revealed where they can be improved.

The reporting is interesting to note.

The German Bundeswehr once again deliberately decided to highlight the weaknesses of its equipment rather than its strengths. While most nations tend to brag about their military equipment to deter possible invaders, Germany often presents itself as militarily weak to not raise suspicion of being a military threat.

The way Germany presents its military readiness needs to be carefully observed. It points to a shocking truth that Bible prophecy reveals about the German military elite.

Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry has explained that the biblical book of Nahum is a prophecy for modern-day Germany. (For detailed proof, request Nahum—An End-Time Prophecy for Germany.) Nahum 3:1 reads, “Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not.” Concerning this scripture, Mr. Flurry writes:

The Companion Bible translates “bloody city” as “city of great bloodshed.” The International Critical Commentary translates the expression as “bloody throughout.” A “bloody city”—a bloody nation—has risen again. …

Historians know the Assyrians have a bloody history. And modern historians know Germany has had an unparalleled history of causing bloody wars. What most historians don’t know is that the Assyrians and the Germans are the same people. However, this fact is easy to understand—if you know secular history, Bible history and Bible prophecy. But even secular history alone should give you that understanding!

“[T]he prey departeth not”—there is a continual history of preying on other nations! The nations of Israel need to be warned about Germany’s military strategy. Germany is “full of lies and robbery”—or, it could read, “deceit and murder.” It is full of deceit! It doesn’t just have a little deceit—it is full of it!

Here is why that is so dangerous. In many end-time prophecies, God discusses Israel’s Assyrian “lovers” and how Israel will be the victim of a treacherous double cross. Ezekiel 23 discusses this double-cross calamity.

If we believe the Bible, we cannot trust what Germany’s military elite wants us to believe. Even history teaches this lesson emphatically. Bible prophecy specifically reveals who will fall for this deceit.

The late Herbert W. Armstrong proved in The United States and Britain in Prophecy that the modern descendants of biblical Israel are primarily the U.S., Great Britain and the Jewish nation in the Middle East. All three today trust Germany as their ally. They not only share military intelligence, strategy and technology with Germany, they encourage its militarization.

The Bible, however, urgently warns that Germany will betray them. Why? Because the nations of modern Israel have rebelled against God, and He is using Germany to correct them for this rebellion (Isaiah 10:5). Mr. Flurry notes:

In verse 4 of Ezekiel 23, Israel is represented by Aholah, and Judah (separated from Israel at that time) is called Aholibah. Israel and Judah (modern-day Israel) become lovers to the Assyrians (verses 4-7). God then delivers Israel (mainly the U.S. and Britain) and Judah into the hands of the Germans. (The word Jew is a shortened version of Judah.) “Wherefore I have delivered her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians, upon whom she doted. … She doted upon the Assyrians her neighbours, captains and rulers clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding upon horses, all of them desirable young men” (verses 9, 12).

While wars are escalating all around us and dangerous arms races resume, the Bible reveals where it will lead. There is great comfort in Bible prophecy. It not only warns us of what is ahead but also reveals how the evils in our world will end, as Mr. Flurry explains in Nahum—An End-Time Prophecy for Germany (free upon request).