If you are driving near Oirschot on Saturday, you can just come across four armored sockets. This weekend there is a military column from Brabant through the Netherlands for an army exercise.
The ride starts on Saturday morning in Oirschot and ends at the end of the day in Stroe in Gelderland. There are four armored pockets in the column, among other things. That is the heaviest guns of the army: a driving vehicle of 60,000 kilos that looks like a tank. It has a huge cannon that can touch goals at a great distance.
The exact route was not announced. However, the column is bound by highways and N roads, because the Houwitsers are very heavy. The convoy will drive at a maximum speed of 60 kilometers per hour and may not be intersected by other road users.
They can drive through red
Road users are warned by the Ministry of Defense, because if the front vehicle of a column has driven by green, all vehicles may follow. So even if the traffic light is on red. Everyone is also at a pedestrian crossing, must wait patiently until the column is over.
The front vehicle of the column has a blue flag, the rear on a green one.
The relocation is part of the exercise Ferocious Bison And will take about 200 kilometers. During the army exercise, soldiers not only practice movements, but also with sharp ammunition shooting.
In this way they increase their skills and prepare for defending the Dutch and NATO territory. To be able to do this effectively, the Houwitsers often have to be moved.
It is the first major exercise of 11 Department of Riding Artillerie (11 DEFRA) since the formal (re) establishment on July 1, 2025. The coalition unit was cut back in 2013, but made his return to strengthen the Dutch armed forces. According to Defense, this is necessary for the safety of Europe and the increasing international tensions.