Overview

• During June exercises near Ahrensbök, Bundeswehr troops built sandbag-and-stake defensive positions on a 4,000-to-5,000-year-old Neolithic burial mound, causing partial collapse of its earthen structure.
• Archaeologists initially suspected looters but uncovered dozens of buried sandbags, vertically driven stakes and thick branches that indicated military activity.
• Analysis of a cracked flint fragment confirmed the mound dates to the Neolithic period, highlighting its protected status.
• The Bundeswehr acknowledged that the site's elevation made it tactically appealing for training scenarios and expressed regret over the inadvertent damage.
• Military spokespeople pledged to revise internal planning and site reconnaissance procedures for future exercises to safeguard archaeological monuments.