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I know there are many people that still think of the Germans as Nazi's, especially if all you see are History channel shows. The truth is more subtle than that. 60 years on there are still echoes of their past and they are reflected in the way the Germans feel about their military and the past in general. I dont know if anybody has even heard of this in the States, I would bet not; but this has been huge news in Germany.A little background: In September the German army in Afhanistan called in an airstrike on two fuel trucks stolen by the Taliban. As is the nature of bombs, they didn't discriminate and some civilians died in the strike. This is big in Germany because the left is trying to bring down the German Government over this airstrike. They have already forced the resignation of the German Chief of Staff and former Defense Minister. I hate to use wikipedia but they actually have a pretty good synopsis of the story: Kunduz airstrike. What got me to thinking about it today was the thread about Nazisim and an opinion piece I saw: Germany's rules of disengagement in Afghanistan. A big part of the way this story has played out has to do with the way Germany deals with their past, most acknowledge it and try to move on, but some seem to wallow in the view of Germans as inherently evil and I place the Left squarely in that category.I have lived in Germany for almost twelve years total and it amazes me how uninforemd the people in America are about Germans and I would imagine the same would go for Japan if it wasn't for nintendo, sony, and toyota. The Germans of today no more want a return to Nazism than the people of the American South want a return to slavery. Different times different people.
I saw a clip about this story last week, about the Chief of Staff being forced to retire. From what I thought, it seemed like a lower-level officer ordered the strike but officers in the higher ranks took the fall for it. I imagine that the stigma is still quite high with the idea of a German military. This might not end until Germany is thrust into an actual war in which it is instrumental in conquering an unjust foe.One thing that I do remember from the clip I saw - I was a bit surprised about the officer's uniform. Something (can't remember what it was - perhaps on the hat?) looked like an eagle, something reminiscent of the Nazi uniform. I know that the Germans try to get away from their past, so I was a bit surprised that they held on to that symbol.
These tankers were stolen by the talibans, then “opened the tankers up to looters to siphon fuel”, then an air strike was decided. Civilians were killed, however it was not a gas station and they knew it. Terrible but none can condemn the German Army for that.
I saw a clip about this story last week, about the Chief of Staff being forced to retire. From what I thought, it seemed like a lower-level officer ordered the strike but officers in the higher ranks took the fall for it. I imagine that the stigma is still quite high with the idea of a German military. This might not end until Germany is thrust into an actual war in which it is instrumental in conquering an unjust foe.One thing that I do remember from the clip I saw - I was a bit surprised about the officer's uniform. Something (can't remember what it was - perhaps on the hat?) looked like an eagle, something reminiscent of the Nazi uniform. I know that the Germans try to get away from their past, so I was a bit surprised that they held on to that symbol.
Was it something like this symbol ?If yes, it's coat of arms of Germany, featuring an eagle. The colours of the coat of arms are similar to those of the flag of Germany (black, red and gold).
The German dress uniform is based on the old Prussian uniform so yes, it looks somewhat like the Nazi uniform. It looks pretty sharp too, when worn properly. However, most German guys I have seen in uniform look like they are wearing a dufflebag. Compare the difference between US and German undress in the attached picture. That was taken this past summer at a conference I attended in Berlin; yes I am in it. In the picture with two people, the right is and American SGM and the left is a German LTC. Unfortunately, we didn't take any pictures with jackets on because it was summer and the jackets are HOT!They are talking about bringing the Col. that ordered the airstrike back to Germany to face murder charges. The Germans do not have a separate staute that covers the military like we do in the US. I have to give it to the new defense minster though, he has said that Col. Klein should not face charges because of a decision made in combat. The new DM is a stand-up guy, he has also pushed for a new law to cover soldiers in combat so they cannot be prosecuted in political witch-hunts like the one happening today. This thing is blown out of proportion because the left is hoping to bring the government down. They are upset about losing so badly in September. This will be interesting to see how it plays out. It also affects the renewed mission in Afghanistan, Germany was poised to send more troops and have them be more proactive, but that is all on hold now because of the airstrike mess.If I were a German soldier right now, I would refuse to go out of the gate for thinking that some geek in the rear that has never heard a shot fired is going to second-guess my combat decisions and try to put me in jail.
nice pics but we can't see any details of their uniforms
That is because I had to compress them to attache them to the post. That is about as the quality is going to get, sorry. 🙁Incidentally, the group picture was taken at the museum on the Seelow Heights overlooking the Elbe. After seeing the terrain it is no wonder that the Germans managed to hold there for something like six weeks. It is a defenders dream much like the heights along the Chemin des Dames on the Western Front.
