Germany is preparing to end one of its last postwar taboos with a Veterans’ Day to celebrate its military forces.
Thomas de Maizière, the Defence Minister, has proposed that May 22 should become a day to honour past and present German troops despite fears that it could be used to commemorate the Nazi war machine. He chose the date because it was when the postwar Bundeswehr, or Federal Defence Force, was founded in 1956.
As the war generation dies out, the Defence Minister believes that the time is ready for Germany to come of age as a nation and commemorate the work done by its modern armed forces. The proposed Veterans’ Day is intended to honour the 300,000 German troops who have served overseas and the 100 who have lost their lives in the past two decades.
German forces have served on peacekeeping missions including those in Kosovo and Bosnia, and the anti-piracy mission off Somalia. Germany is the third largest contributor to the international force in Afghanistan, behind the US and Britain.
The choice of date for the Veterans’ Day is fraught with complications — May 22 also happens to be the birth date of Richard Wagner, the composer revered by Hitler whose music is seen as a soundtrack for the Third Reich.
“People should acknowledge the services of the veterans,” said Mr de Maizière in a policy paper published yesterday.
But first, his proposal acknowledges, there has to be a debate about the definition of a veteran. Thousands of Germans who served in the war are still alive, including the former chancellor, Helmut Schmidt.
Rainer Arnold, defence spokesman for the opposition Social Democratic Party, said: “I am sceptical whether there can be a day that really reaches society.”
The Left Party rejected the plan. “If the Defence Minister wants to do something for former soldiers he should improve their social security instead of invoking some cheap idealised honour,” said Paul Schäfer, its defence spokesman.
