German far-right plot rekindles debate on Nazi-era Wehrmacht
BERLIN: The scandal surrounding an attack plot hatched by two farright soldiers has again forced Germany to confront its dark past — specifically, the role of the Wehrmacht in the Third Reich.
Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen has ordered the Bundeswehr to cleanse itself of all links to the Nazi-era army that set the world aflame under Adolf Hitler over 70 years ago.
What seems like an obvious and belated step to many, given documented Wehrmacht atrocities in World War II especially on the eastern front, has also sparked criticism of a “witch hunt” and an unjust blanket condemnation of the conscript army.
Parliament was set to debate the sensitive historical question, brought to the fore by the arrests since last month of lieutenant Franco Albrecht, 28, and two alleged co-conspirators including another soldier.
In the bizarre case, far-right extremist Albrecht allegedly created the fake identity of a Syrian refugee who was granted asylum status, a bed in a shelter and welfare payments.
Prosecutors say Albrecht then planned to shoot a pro-refugee politician, possibly former President Joachim Gauck, and blame the murder on his fictious Syrian alter ego to stoke public fears about militant terror.
After Albrecht’s arrest, von der Leyen was incensed to learn that steel helmets and other memorabilia of the World War II army were openly on display at the Franco-German barracks where the army suspects were stationed.
Angry that earlier evidence of Albrecht’s far-right worldview had been ignored by superiors out of “a misunderstood esprit de corps,” she has ordered the Bundeswehr to sweep all barracks for Wehrmacht items and images.
“The Wehrmacht is not part of the tradition of the Bundeswehr,” said the minister who is often seen as a possible successor to Chancellor Angela Merkel.
She ordered a review of the army’s 1982 “decree on traditions” which allows displaying Wehrmacht items within their “historical context.”