Marder IFV — the Cold War German infantry fighting vehicle Germany tried to retire for fifty years but ended up sending to fight Russia in Ukraine.

Rheinstahl and Maschinenbau Kiel built 2,136 Marder infantry fighting vehicles between 1971 and 1975. Germany designed the Marder 1A3 as a temporary solution while waiting for something better. Every replacement failed. The Marder 2 was cancelled. The Puma IFV broke down so badly that all 18 vehicles failed during a single NATO exercise in December 2022. So Germany sent the old Marder to Ukraine instead.

Rheinmetall delivered around 200 Marder 1A3 armoured infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine, where the 82nd Air Assault Brigade used them in combat near Robotyne and Avdiivka. Ukrainian troops rated this armored German IFV above the Soviet BMP for protection and firepower.

We cover the full Marder story — its 20mm autocannon and MILAN missiles, how it compares to the M2 Bradley and CV90, why the Puma IFV failed to replace it, and how a vehicle from 1971 became critical in Europe's largest land war since 1945. From the Fulda Gap to Afghanistan to Zaporizhzhia, this is the Eisenschwein — the Iron Pig that refused to die.

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