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One of the major players in Europe is preparing for a war in as little as two years, as world tensions spark numerous WW3 fears.
17:42, Mon, Jan 26, 2026 Updated: 17:42, Mon, Jan 26, 2026
Fears over a Russian attack on Europe have exploded (Image: Getty)
WW3 fears have skyrocketed in recent years, with several conflicts and global tensions developing. Namely, Russia's war in Ukraine, following its invasion of the country in 2022, has sparked numerous responses from the international community, including NATO. This, along with conflict in the Middle East and Trump's desire to take control of Greenland, has elevated fears of a third World War.
The head of the German armed forces support command (UstgKdoBw) is preparing his country to cope with mass amounts of wounded soldiers in as little as two to three years. This comes as global concerns have been raised over Russia launching an all-out war of aggression on NATO. He revealed that Germany's hospitals could become so full in a way that wasn't seen since the Covid pandemic. He described how he was preparing his troops in an interview with The Times.
He revealed: "Whereas in Afghanistan I had a regrettably high but manageable number of wounded, I now have to plan for the possibility of a thousand injured personnel a day. The closer you look at it, the more complex it becomes and the harder it is to imagine."
Germany's army has 55,000 personnel at its disposal, which is larger than most other European countries. He described the tasks he has in the event that Russia wreaks havoc on NATO.
He said: "What worries me … at the moment is the hybrid side, the covert side: sabotage, sleeper cells, some kind of targeted attacks. I can’t rule out the use of long-range missiles. But I think the hybrid threat is very high.
"It’s important for us to maintain Germany as a logistics hub and manage the supply lines for as long as possible as smoothly as possible, meaning that if one route fails we will have the option of using others instead."
Lieutenant General Gerald Funke is preparing Germany for war (Image: Getty)
"It has to be said quite clearly that without civilian support within a total defence concept we wouldn’t be capable of defending ourselves," he added.
Recently, a chilling threat to strike in Europe has been issued by a major Vladimir Putin mouthpiece. Appearing on Russian TV, he revealed that the situation with Greenland might lead to a Russia-United States alliance, taking aim at Ukraine.
He said: "Zelensky thought he'd have a nice meeting in Davos, but Trump clearly demonstrated that Zelensky is of no interest to him [...] Zelensky was told, either you agree to these conditions, or goodbye. The banter is over. Zelensky made his choice; he is with Europe.
"We will be fighting [Europe] very differently. They no longer have an American [nuclear] umbrella. More than that, an example of Greenland gives Ukrainians an opportunity to figure out what happens next."
In a chilling conclusion, he said that Russia can "choose to strike any part of Europe" and that Americans "won't retaliate".
"Trump says, 'Greenland has this opportunity, they may face aggression'," he said. "It may seem like you have a treaty with Denmark, go ahead and fulfil your obligations, but Trump says, 'Why would we defend them, if they aren't a part of us?'
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"Ukraine will never be a part of America. None of the European countries will ever be America."
In Germany, civilians are seeing war preparations in real time. It was indeed the case at the Red Storm Bravo in Hamburg last September, which saw troops practice moving under Russian drone attacks. Additionally, troops will rehearse medical evacuations by air from Lithuania in February and March this year.
English (US) · 