Feral Jundi

   This pisses me off.  First off, the German soldier is an extremely capable soldier, if we allow them to do what they are trained to do.  The awarding of the ‘Iron Cross’ to some German soldiers last summer for actions in Afghanistan, are a prime example of what they are capable of.

   So when I hear of their country taking a giant dump on their soldiers for fighting the war in Afghanistan, I get pissed.  You’re either in, or you’re out.  If you don’t want your soldiers in that war, then pull them out.  If you want to send soldiers there, but really don’t want them to be soldiers in that war, then the message you are sending to the rest of the world and to your soldiers is a confusing one. It shows that you are confused about the realities of war and you could really care less about combating terrorism or defeating the Taliban. You want to play, but you don’t want to risk anything, and that does no good to the rest of soldiers in Afghanistan fighting the ‘just war’. If anything, your just taking up space and eating up food and fuel by being an ineffective army.

    You do not win wars, with half measures and bad language.  It takes extreme violence and serious resolve to defeat an enemy and break their will to fight. It sounds like the only war the politicians and a few people in Germany are wanting to fight, is the one against their own soldiers.  Pfffft. By the way, I am thankful for the sacrifice and good work of the German soldier in Afghanistan. –Matt

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Germans Make War Over War

December 27, 2009

Strategy Page

There’s another military scandal playing out in Germany. Senior officers are being accused of lying. Although the lies were told to save German lives, many Germans don’t want their soldiers involved in combat, and are seeking to punish army commanders as much as possible for any activities related to combat.

All this began earlier in the year when the phrase, “the use of deadly force is prohibited, unless an attack is underway or imminent,” was quietly dropped from the NATO rule book for troops in Afghanistan. This particular rule meant that you could not shoot first, even if surrounded by armed Taliban. The Taliban knew all about this rule, and increasingly exploited it. The NATO contingents that followed this rule (not all did), were stationed in parts of northern Afghanistan where there were no Taliban. But in the last few years, Taliban moved into parts of the north occupied by Pushtun tribes, and proceeded to terrorize these tribes into tolerating, or supporting, the Taliban presence. The local NATO troops, there to provide security, were unable to do so. The Taliban knew the NATO rules, and exploited them.

German commanders complained to their political bosses back home. Many politicians understood, and urged that German troops be allowed to fight. But many German politicians were obsessed with the concept of an army in name only, and were out to sabotage a policy they had not voted for (sending troops to Afghanistan). The majority prevailed, and the troops were allowed to “defend themselves aggressively.” That’s where the current problem began. German troops went after the local Taliban with increasing success. Then, last September, the Taliban hijacked two fuel tankers. When the Germans found out, they went after the stolen vehicles, fearing that they might be rigged with explosives and used to attack a German base. The Taliban liked using fuel tankers for this sort of thing. When the Germans caught up with the trucks, they could see that the heavy trucks were stuck in the sand, and the Taliban had called people from a local village to help unload part of the cargo (keeping the fuel for their trouble) to lighten the vehicles so they could move again.  The German commander decided to call in an air strike, and destroy the trucks, and a bunch of Taliban. But the American B-1 bomber overhead had just left, because it was out of fuel. When the Germans called for another bomber, they were told that could only be done if German troops were in contact with the enemy. German troops were not, but the German commander lied, and quickly got two fighter-bombers overhead. A smart bomb was dropped, the trucks destroyed (along with a troublesome Taliban leader and many of his followers). Some civilians also died, and the politicians back home demanded an investigation. The German colonel involved admitted to his political superiors that he had lied to get the fighter-bombers needed to hit the trucks. These politicians kept quiet about that, and now they, and the colonel, are being castigated for lying.

Germany has a problem with war. Part of it has to do with the revulsion, against the crimes of the Nazis, and many German soldiers, during World War II. Despite that, the continuing threat from the Soviet Union, led to Germany rearming in the 1950s, and creating a new armed forces. World War II veterans put it all together. But for half a century, German soldiers saw no combat. Germany had warriors, but no war.

Now Germany is at war. In 2009, the German army awarded the first Iron Cross medals, for bravery in a combat zone, since 1945. From 1813 to 1945, nearly five million Iron Cross medals were awarded to German military personnel (and a few civilians who were performing military functions.) The Iron Cross medal ceased to exist between 1945 and last year. But popular demand caused the German government to create an “Honor Cross for Bravery” which is, to all appearances, a continuation of the Iron Cross medals that have been awarded for over two centuries. The first recipients were four army sergeants, who performed heroically during a Taliban attack in Afghanistan.

After World War II, the government designed an Iron Cross for World War II veterans to wear, one that did not include a swastika (which has been illegal to display in Germany since World War II.) Until 1918, there were several higher (than the Iron Cross) order decorations for distinguished service in combat, but these were replaced during World War II by more elaborate versions of the Iron Cross. At the moment, all the German armed forces have is Honor Cross for Bravery. But, as in World War I, where the first Iron Cross you got was the Iron Cross 2nd class, and if you got another one, it was the Iron Cross 1st class, the Honor Cross may also morph a bit. Just as Germany is morphing its attitudes about war.

Story here.

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First Military Medal for Bravery Since WWII

Germany Awards Military Cross of Courage

07/06/2009

Many Germans prefer to think of their army, the Bundeswehr, as a defensive army that shuns combat. The position is hard to reconcile with a new military award that honors exceptionally courageous action in the field.

For the first time since World War II, Germany has officially honored the courage of its soldiers with a newly minted medal. On Monday, Chancellor Angela Merkel and Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung (both of the Christian Democratic Union) presented the award to four Bundeswehr sergeants who risked their lives to help wounded soldiers and children during a suicide attack in Afghanistan.

The medal — a small golden cross that hangs on a black, red and yellow ribbon decorated with oak leaves — has been the source of much controversy. While some see it as a long overdue means to honor outstanding military service and an expression of “positive patriotism,” others warn of a revival of German militarism.

Jung justified the creation of a “cross of honor for bravery,” which President Köhler agreed to in October of last year, with the heightened level of danger that Bundeswehr soldiers are exposed to abroad. The medal is the fifth and highest distinction in the Bundeswehr. According to the decree that created it, the new cross honors “exceptionally courageous deeds” that go beyond what is expected “within the framework of the performance of duty.”

While the four other Bundeswehr distinctions are awarded to soldiers who have served more than four months abroad and demonstrated loyal service or fulfilled their duty in an exemplary way, the new award insists on extraordinary accomplishment.

For the 130 years leading up to 1945, exceptional courage in German military service was honored with the Iron Cross. The medal was abolished at the end of World War II, during which it was awarded roughly 2.6 million times — 2.3 million Second Class Iron Crosses and 300,000 Frist Class Iron Crosses. For many, that medal has come to symbolise the atrocities of the Third Reich.

Last March, the chairman of the Bundeswehr’s reserves, Reinhard Beck, proposed reinstating the Iron Cross, but the suggestion met loud opposition in parliament and among Jewish groups.

The four soldiers that were honored on Monday were witness to a suicide attack by Taliban militants on Oct. 20, 2008 southwest of Kunduz. Two German soldiers were killed and two wounded in the attack. Five Afghan children were killed, one injured. Although the German’s armored vehicle was on fire and munitions were exploding, the four soldiers, aged 28 to 33, rushed to the scene to try to help.

At the presentation in the chancellery, Jung called the soldiers “models for their comrades in their dedication to justice and freedom.” Merkel called the soldier’s action “an incentive not only for their comrades, but for us all.” She defended the creation of the new award, saying that Germany’s soldiers deserve “more recognition” for their service.

The medal is part of a larger push by the governing CDU to raise the profile and public appreciation of the Bundeswehr. This fall, a memorial to honor Bundeswehr soldiers who have died in service will be inaugurated in Berlin. It will be the first of its kind in Germany’s post-war history.

Since the Bundeswehr entered Afghanistan in 2002, 35 soldiers have been killed. Last October, Jung began referring to the casualties as the “fallen”. The rhetorical subtlety reflects the need to generate more public support for the Afghanistan mission.

According to a recent survey by Forsa, 61 percent of Germans favour an immediate withdrawal of the Bundeswehr from Afghanistan, whereas in 2002, 62 percent stood behind the mandate.

Story here.