Cars aren't necessary in Germany...
I was overjoyed a couple of months ago to be posted to Germany, and to a particularly nice part of it. Over the course of the last month we have been doing all the admin (some of which seems pointless and out-of-date) - BFG stuff from the Cold War methinks - and I applied for a Personally Aranged Passage - ie to take my car and family on what is a very, very long drive, especially for the young ones, from Scotland.
Imagine my surprise to be told 'We don't pay mileage for cars - you don't need them in Germany'. Whaaaat? 'You are to go on the Trooper and go by train to your final destination, and you will all need 'fitness to Fly' certificates' Whaaaaaaaat????? 'We will not pay mileage if you take your car.' When I enquired further about this, I was told that my LOA will cover it (the LOA that is halved the moment you step away from your place of work, you mean!).
Final, and I have had it confirmed. A colleague currently serving in southern Italy is also posted to Germany and told the same - 'no costs shall be entered into.' He is in the dilemma tht his family are in UK to join him and the MOD was not going to pay to move their stuff, even though he was in Italy for 6 months.
Ok, ok I hear you cry - 'could be worse, you could be in BSN, KAF, KAIA' Yeah, true, but not with family (anyway I've been there). The point is that there seems to be a determined effort to reduce the level of support for families when posted abroad, something along the lines of 'consider yourself lucky...'.
Hummpf. Zwei Bratte und anderes bier bitte!