German defence ministry backtracks on Wehrmacht tradition amendments

Following criticism, the German Ministry of Defence had to reverse its decision regarding individuals serving in the Wehrmacht. This decision pertained to the possibility of including members of this organisation in the traditions of the German army, considering their achievements in the Second World War, reported the daily "Tageszeitung."

In 2018, the German Ministry of Defence head, Ursula von der Leyen, signed a new decree on the Tradition of the Bundeswehr, based on the previous version from 1982. The decree outlines what should be considered part of the traditions of the German army. As stated on the federal defence ministry's website, this document emphasises that the Wehrmacht, as "a bearer of the Nazi regime," cannot be a source of tradition for the Bundeswehr.

An exception is made for the resistance fighters of 20 July 1944, members of the founding generation of the Federal Republic of Germany, or other individuals who have demonstrated outstanding merits for justice and freedom—these are significant for preserving the Bundeswehr traditions. However, as noted in the decree, each case of including Wehrmacht members in the Bundeswehr traditions must be individually scrutinised.

In July, the Ministry of Defence added amendments to the decree, according to which members of the Wehrmacht could be included in the traditions of the Bundeswehr if they contributed to its development after 1945 - without being part of the resistance movement. The German daily "Tageszeitung" wrote on Wednesday that the reason for adding the new clause was "the armed forces' need for greater combat capabilities, which - as the newspaper adds - Defence Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) set as a goal in connection with the Russian invasion of Ukraine."

Furthermore, "Tageszeitung" noted that the amendment to the decree was not only about including Wehrmacht members for their later contributions to the Bundeswehr but also considering their alleged successes during the Second World War.

After public criticism of the new decree amendments, the German Ministry of Defence retracted them on Wednesday. The head of the department stated that the amendments "proved to be unfavourable in hindsight." On Wednesday, the defence ministry spokesperson emphasised that "military excellence alone, demonstrated during the Second World War, is not sufficient and has never been sufficient to be worthy of tradition in the sense of the decree on Tradition."