![]() TOMAS WIGOL: There is a rather fine line between very conservative soldiers and memorabilia of the Wehrmacht, the Nazi army, and real right-wing extremism. Tomas Wigol (ph) is a veteran journalist who blogs on German defense affairs. On her orders, military officials have also searched all posts for Nazi memorabilia and weapons. She has since announced plans to clarify how the German military is to conduct itself with regard to Nazi history and neo-Nazis and make it easier for soldiers to report any far-right activity or views by their peers. The defense minister was especially angry when she learned that many within the ranks of the two officers knew they held far-right views but did and said nothing. But the mayor expects what he or the majority want won't matter, given the pressure on von der Leyen to act after the arrests of the two military officers in connection with the terror plots. NELSON: He instead wants to add a plaque on the barracks explaining who Lent was. NELSON: The mayor says there is no evidence the fighter pilot was involved with the Nazi party and that Lent was, in fact, married to a half-Jewish woman. He says the city council voted 27 to 4 to continue calling the barracks Lent Kaserne, as residents have for half a century.ĪNDREAS WEBER: (Foreign language spoken). Neither does Rotenburg mayor Andreas Weber. NELSON: But a recent survey of the roughly 1,000 German soldiers at the barracks found they don't want a name change. NELSON: And a clear separation from the Nazi era. MACK ANDELOSEN: We need in place rules which the new Bundeswehr after the war should, well, be based upon the moral values, the ideals and also the idols. That's welcome news to Mack Andelosen (ph) at the local Green Party here in Rotenburg. She now wants the barracks renamed, along with a half-dozen other installations across Germany named for Nazi-era war heroes. Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen says naming the barracks here for the fighter ace sends the wrong message not only to the public but to the German soldiers who live here. He was a World War II night fighter ace idolized by Hitler confidant Hermann Goring. ![]() SORAYA SARHADDI NELSON, BYLINE: In the northern town of Rotenburg, there is a German army barracks named for Helmut Lent. This follows the recent arrests of two army officers charged in a far-right terror plot against refugees and politicians. The German government is looking for neo-Nazis inside the ranks of its own military.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |