Congressman’s tweet shows photo of Nazi soldiers

Georgia Congressman Drew Ferguson was lambasted on social media Wednesday after his campaign tweeted a D-Day photo of Nazi soldiers rather than American troops.

The West Point Republican’s campaign tweeted the black-and-white picture shortly before 7 a.m., which included the soldiers in front of a tank that featured the Iron Cross, a German military symbol.

“The heroism of our own troops ... was matched by that of the armed forces of the nations that fought by our side ... they absorbed the blows ... and they shared to the full in the ultimate destruction of the enemy,” the first-term congressman tweeted, quoting President Harry Truman.

The posting was deleted shortly after a top staffer from the progressive super PAC American Bridge, which bills itself as “holding Republicans accountable,” replied that the troops were Nazi soldiers.

Ferguson spokesman Dan McLagan said the image was selected by an intern at a digital media company that works with the congressman’s campaign.

“As a patriot and the father of a daughter serving in the Navy, Drew is pretty furious about it,” McLagan said in an email. “We deleted the post immediately but the sentiment of heartfelt gratitude and reverence for the men who charged into withering fire on those beaches 74 years ago can never be erased from our hearts.”

Members of Congress frequently employ staff members to handle their social media accounts — especially younger aides who might not immediately recognize the outward curve of the German helmets. But the gaffe still stings given that events such as D-Day and Pearl Harbor remain important cultural and historical markers among older voters.