Fulda Gap

The Fulda Gap is an area between the former East German border and Frankfurt am Main, that contains two corridors of lowlands that tanks might come through. Named for the town of Fulda, the Fulda Gap was strategically important during the Cold War.

The Fulda Gap was one of two obvious routes for a hypothetical Soviet tank attack upon West Germany from Eastern Europe, especially East Germany; the other route was the North German Plain (a third, less likely, route was up through the Danube River valley in Austria). The concept of a major tank battle along the Fulda Gap was a predominant element of NATO war planning during the Cold War, and weapons such as the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter and A-10 ground attack aircraft were developed with such an eventuality in mind.