Wolves petrify German army

Terrified German squaddies are refusing to go out on night manoeuvres after being driven wild by a pack of young wolves.

The wolves, believed to be brothers, have been using the trainee soldiers in Munster for stalking practice as the troopers carry out black out exercises.

"They sneak up on you and leap on you without a sound. They try to bite our boots off and then run away," explained one victim.

Soldiers have been reprimanded by trainers for squealing in fright as they're ambushed by the three overgrown cubs, giving away their positions.

"These are night exercise which are supposed to be deadly and silent. Not full of screaming, like a bunch of girls," said one trainer.

Local wolf expert Helge John explained that the wolves are just playing, and will soon grow out of stalking the squaddies.

"From the photographs they are clearly young animals not more than six months old and are engaged in play, which is part of the learning process to eventually be able to hunt efficiently in a pack," he said.

"They are also very curious by nature this age and are no risk to the soldiers.

"But I can understand its disruptive to the training," added the German Forestry Commission official.

An army spokesman said the squaddies had received "words of advice" about how to deal with the wolves.