German soldiers used painted broomsticks instead of machine guns on armored personnel carriers as part of NATO Response Force (NRF) drills in Norway.

Equipment shortages forced German soldiers to mount painted broomsticks instead of machine guns on armored personnel carriers as part of NATO Response Force (NRF) drills in Norway several months ago, two German magazines have revealed.

Kontraste and Report Mainz magazines gained access to a German armed forces’ internal report published Tuesday, which detailed the absence of equipment during the course of exercises conducted in September 2014 in southeast Norway.

“Painted broomsticks were installed on GTK Boxer armored personnel carriers during training in Norway since no machine-gun barrels were available,” the internal report reads as quoted by the publications.

The document goes on to say that in addition to full-scale shortages concerning personnel carriers, 41 percent of German soldiers lack P8 Luger semi-automatic pistols, and another 31 percent – the MG3 machine gun.