The War Zone Logo
The War Zone Logo
  • Latest
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Bunker Talk
    • Cyber Warfare
    • Espionage
    • Procurement
    • Terrorism
    • History
    • Around The Globe
    • Continuity Of Government
    • Bunkers & Installations
    • Show More...
    • Air Forces
    • Airships & Blimps
    • Military Aviation History
    • Naval Aviation
    • Fighters
    • Attack
    • Aggressors
    • Show More...
    • Navies
    • Naval History
    • Amphibious Operations
    • U.S. Marine Corps
    • Carriers
    • Big Deck Amphibious Assault Ships
    • Amphibious Assault Ships
    • Sea Bases
    • Cruisers
    • Destroyers
    • Show More...
    • Armies
    • Land Warfare History
    • Tanks
    • Armored Vehicles
    • Light Vehicles
    • Unmanned Ground Vehicles
    • Artillery
    • Tactical Ballistic Missiles
    • MRBMs/IRBMs
    • Land-Based Conventional Hypersonic Weapons
    • Anti-Aircraft Artillery (AAA)
    • Man-Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS)
    • Counter-Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (C-UAS)
    • Show More...
    • U.S. Space Force
    • War In Space
    • NASA
    • Russian Space Program
    • Chinese Space Program
    • Orbital Systems
    • Anti-Satellite Capabilities
    • Launch Vehicles
    • Show More...
    • Nuclear Command And Control
    • Nuclear Power
    • Nuclear Propulsion
    • Nuclear Policy
    • Nuclear History
    • Nuclear Proliferation
    • Nuclear Ballistic Missiles
    • Air Launched Nuclear Missles
    • Ground-Launched Nuclear Cruise Missile
    • Battlefield Nuclear Weapons
    • Nuclear Warheads
    • Status-6 Poseidon
    • Nuclear Bombs
    • Show More...
    • AFA Warfare Symposium 2025
    • Sea Air Space 2025
    • Modern Day Marine 2025
    • SOF Week 2025
    • Tailhook 2025
    • Air, Space & Cyber 2025
    • AUSA 2025
    • MERCH
    • Newsletter Signup
    • About The War Zone
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

0
  www.twz.com

The TWZ Newsletter

Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.

Thank you!

Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

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:

message-editor%2F1570921097120-a46v.jpg
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.


  • Air
  • Command & Control

Latest in Germany

The best images we’ve seen so far of the German Luftwaffe’s PEGASUS signals intelligence (SIGINT) aircraft reveal key details of the airframe adaptations made to the Bombardier Global 6000 bizjet platform it’s based on. The photos were shared with TWZ by @CorreaPhtgphy, who captured them earlier this year at Abilene, Texas.

Our Best Look At Germany’s New PEGASUS Surveillance Jet

After abandoning plans to field a Global Hawk-derived signals intelligence platform, Germany will introduce the bizjet-based PEGASUS.

By Thomas Newdick

3:46 PM
November 7, 2025
Germany is offering Canada to join its Type 212CD submarine program, alongside Norway, as part of a broader defense cooperation that would more closely align Berlin and Ottawa. Canada badly needs a replacement for its aging and troublesome Victoria class diesel-electric submarines, and, in turn, Germany is looking to procure potentially significant numbers of special-mission aircraft from Canada’s Bombardier.

Submarine Partnership Pitched By Germany And Norway To Canada

The offer for Canada to join the Type 212CD program comes as NATO looks to expand its underwater activities in the Atlantic and the High North.

By Thomas Newdick

2:16 PM
October 22, 2025

The War Zone Wire

Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.

Sign Up

By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

More in Germany

No, Passive Radar Isn’t Going To Make Stealth Technology Obsolete Anytime Soon

No, Passive Radar Isn’t Going To Make Stealth Technology Obsolete Anytime Soon

By Tyler Rogoway

Upgrades Needed For Sustained F-22 Operations During A Crisis In Europe Axed For Border Wall

Upgrades Needed For Sustained F-22 Operations During A Crisis In Europe Axed For Border Wall

By Joseph Trevithick

Germany Has Fewer Than 10 Tiger And 12 NH90 Helicopters Ready For Combat

Germany Has Fewer Than 10 Tiger And 12 NH90 Helicopters Ready For Combat

By Joseph Trevithick

Nukes Drive Germany’s Plan To Replace Tornados With Typhoons, Super Hornets, and Growlers

Nukes Drive Germany’s Plan To Replace Tornados With Typhoons, Super Hornets, and Growlers

By Joseph Trevithick

German and Canadian Firms Developing SeaSpider Rocket-Powered Anti-Torpedo Torpedo

German and Canadian Firms Developing SeaSpider Rocket-Powered Anti-Torpedo Torpedo

By Joseph Trevithick

U.S. Army Recently Sought Demo Of German Puma Armored Vehicle It Had Rejected Years Ago

U.S. Army Recently Sought Demo Of German Puma Armored Vehicle It Had Rejected Years Ago

By Joseph Trevithick

Watch A JAS-39 Gripen Fighter Fire A New Ground Attack Version Of The Sidewinder Missile

Watch A JAS-39 Gripen Fighter Fire A New Ground Attack Version Of The Sidewinder Missile

By Tyler Rogoway

Canada Is Officially Trying To Buy Germany’s Unwanted And Unflyable RQ-4E Euro Hawk Drone

Canada Is Officially Trying To Buy Germany’s Unwanted And Unflyable RQ-4E Euro Hawk Drone

By Tyler Rogoway

SEE MORE

More in Europe

It’s Not What The U.S. Is Deploying To Saudi Arabia, It’s The Structure Of The Deployment

It’s Not What The U.S. Is Deploying To Saudi Arabia, It’s The Structure Of The Deployment

By Tyler Rogoway

Whoops! First F-35A Based In The Netherlands Got A Foam Bath By Mistake

Whoops! First F-35A Based In The Netherlands Got A Foam Bath By Mistake

By Joseph Trevithick

Ukrainian Officer Details Russian Electronic Warfare Tactics Including Radio “Virus”

Ukrainian Officer Details Russian Electronic Warfare Tactics Including Radio “Virus”

By Joseph Trevithick

Russia Sends Ten Subs Into North Atlantic In Drill Unprecedented In Size Since Cold War

Russia Sends Ten Subs Into North Atlantic In Drill Unprecedented In Size Since Cold War

By Tyler Rogoway

Russian Tu-160 Bombers Touch Down In South Africa In Historic First-Ever African Visit (Updated)

Russian Tu-160 Bombers Touch Down In South Africa In Historic First-Ever African Visit (Updated)

By Joseph Trevithick

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Raises Alarm That Trump May Axe The Open Skies Treaty

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Raises Alarm That Trump May Axe The Open Skies Treaty

By Joseph Trevithick

U.S. Army To Execute Its Most Massive European Deployment Exercise In 25 Years

U.S. Army To Execute Its Most Massive European Deployment Exercise In 25 Years

By Tyler Rogoway

Watch Russia’s S-70 Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle Fly With An Su-57 For The First Time

Watch Russia’s S-70 Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle Fly With An Su-57 For The First Time

By Joseph Trevithick

SEE MORE

More in Around The Globe

China’s Reported Plan To Deploy Weaponless Stealth Drones On Its Carriers Make Perfect Sense

China’s Reported Plan To Deploy Weaponless Stealth Drones On Its Carriers Make Perfect Sense

By Tyler Rogoway

Here Are The Photos Of Kim Jong Un Riding A White Steed You Never Asked For

Here Are The Photos Of Kim Jong Un Riding A White Steed You Never Asked For

By Tyler Rogoway

U.S. Airpower Makes Show Of Force To Protect Troops In Syria As Security Situation Unravels

U.S. Airpower Makes Show Of Force To Protect Troops In Syria As Security Situation Unravels

By Joseph Trevithick

Iranian Tanker Burning Off Saudi Arabia In The Red Sea (Updated)

Iranian Tanker Burning Off Saudi Arabia In The Red Sea (Updated)

By Tyler Rogoway

Area 51 Has Its Own Unique Fleet Of HH-60U Ghost Hawk Helicopters

Area 51 Has Its Own Unique Fleet Of HH-60U Ghost Hawk Helicopters

By Joseph Trevithick

Army National Guard Bradley Fighting Vehicles Are Now In Syria Guarding Oil And Gas Fields

Army National Guard Bradley Fighting Vehicles Are Now In Syria Guarding Oil And Gas Fields

By Joseph Trevithick

Check Out These Shots Of America’s New Supercarrier Ripping Through High-Speed Turns

Check Out These Shots Of America’s New Supercarrier Ripping Through High-Speed Turns

By Tyler Rogoway

Our Analysis Of New Info And Video From The Raid That Killed ISIS Head Al Baghdadi

Our Analysis Of New Info And Video From The Raid That Killed ISIS Head Al Baghdadi

By Joseph Trevithick and Tyler Rogoway

SEE MORE

More in News & Features

Air Force Says It Will Be Years Before Boeing’s Faulty New Tankers Are Fully Operational

Air Force Says It Will Be Years Before Boeing’s Faulty New Tankers Are Fully Operational

By Joseph Trevithick

Boeing’s MQ-25 Stingray Carrier-Based Tanker Drone Demonstrator Flies For The First Time

Boeing’s MQ-25 Stingray Carrier-Based Tanker Drone Demonstrator Flies For The First Time

By Joseph Trevithick

Bunker Talk: Let’s Chat About All The Stories We Did And Didn’t Cover This Week

Bunker Talk: Let’s Chat About All The Stories We Did And Didn’t Cover This Week

By Tyler Rogoway

Bunker Talk: Let’s Chat About All The Stories We Did And Didn’t Cover This Week

Bunker Talk: Let’s Chat About All The Stories We Did And Didn’t Cover This Week

By Tyler Rogoway

Japan Cleared To Transform 98 Of Its F-15J Eagles Into “Japanese Super Interceptors”

Japan Cleared To Transform 98 Of Its F-15J Eagles Into “Japanese Super Interceptors”

By Joseph Trevithick

The Navy Is Backing Away From Its 355-Ship Plan, Has Invested Too Much In Too Few Hulls

The Navy Is Backing Away From Its 355-Ship Plan, Has Invested Too Much In Too Few Hulls

By Joseph Trevithick

Behold The Hero Combat Dog That Ran Down ISIS Leader Al Baghdadi

Behold The Hero Combat Dog That Ran Down ISIS Leader Al Baghdadi

By Tyler Rogoway

Here’s What We Know The Shadowy X-37B Was Up To During Its Record 780 Days In Space

Here’s What We Know The Shadowy X-37B Was Up To During Its Record 780 Days In Space

By Joseph Trevithick

SEE MORE

NEWSLETTER SIGNUP

Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.

Thank you!

By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

  • About TWZ
  • Contact Us
  • The Team
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Sitemap

FOLLOW US

DISCLAIMER(S)

© 2025 Recurrent Ventures. All Rights Reserved.

Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made.

Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information.

  • News & Features

  • Air

  • Sea

  • Land

  • Space

  • Nuclear

  • Merch