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News & Features Around The Globe Europe Germany

This German Police EC135 Helicopter Unit Is The “Tetris Challenge” Champion

When it comes to laying out everything in detail like an action figure playset, it's hard to beat taking an entire twin-turbine helicopter apart.

By Tyler Rogoway

Published Oct 12, 2019 7:41 PM EDT

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The Tetris Challenge has stormed across social media over the last month, with some awesome folks from the military, first responder, and aviation communities laying it all out for the world to see. The War Zone did a special writeup on this growing online fad two weeks ago. That too went viral and you should give it a read for a full background on this internet sensation. Since then, there have been some awesome new additions, but one unit, in particular, seems to have gone the extra mile in order to create the ultimate Tetris Challenge meme. An EC135 crew from Germany’s vaunted Federal Police Directorate 11 didn’t just lay out their professional wares and themselves alongside their aircraft, they took the helicopter itself entirely apart, as well.

Here’s the official Twitter post:

Federal Police Directorate 11 has a number of units and missions under its purview, including Germany’s famed GSG-9 counter-terrorism commando force. The unit that posted the image specifically was the Federal Police’s Aviation Group’s squadron in Oberschleißheim, Germany. Here is what the helicopter looks like when it isn’t torn apart:

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Airbus

There have been plenty of new offerings since our last article on the meme craze, with some of them putting their own little twist on the challenge—including nudity! Take a look at a number of our new favorites below.

Still, the folks of Federal Police Directorate 11’s EC135 force in Oberschleißheim deserve the crown—at least for now—as the world-wide Tetris Challenge champions. 

Danke schön!

Contact the author: Tyler@thedrive.com

Tyler Rogoway Avatar

Tyler Rogoway

Editor-in-Chief

Tyler’s passion is the study of military technology, strategy, and foreign policy and he has fostered a dominant voice on those topics in the defense media space. He was the creator of the hugely popular defense site Foxtrot Alpha before developing The War Zone.


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Latest in Germany

German defense manufacturer Rheinmetall has confirmed that a batch of KF41 Lynx infantry fighting vehicles will arrive in Ukraine “in the coming weeks.” While a single example has already been provided for evaluation, the next five vehicles are expected to make the type’s combat debut. The KF41 variant was unveiled in 2018 and is otherwise only used by Hungary. Its future success could depend on how it fares on the battlefield with the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Lynx KF41 Fighting Vehicles’ Arrival In Ukraine Imminent

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By Thomas Newdick

12:00 PM
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German soldiers board a subway train during subterranean training in Berlin.

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By Thomas Newdick

1:13 PM
November 21, 2025

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