Traditional decree

The tradition decree (actually Die Tradition der Bundeswehr. Guidelines for understanding and maintaining tradition ) contains the rules for the adoption of military traditions in the Federal Republic of Germany . According to the understanding of the Federal Republic of Germany, tradition is understood as the transmission of values and norms that create a connecting element between the generations. This is necessary in order to secure your own identity .

The then Defense Minister Hans Apel (SPD) issued the decree in 1982. This replaced the first decree from 1965. On April 23 and 24, 1981, a public debate on tradition on the subject of "Soldier and Society" took place.

In 2017 a new traditional decree was drafted; it was presented to the Bundestag Defense Committee on February 21, 2018 and signed by Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen on March 28, 2018 . It bears the title The Tradition of the Bundeswehr. Guidelines for understanding and maintaining tradition .

The traditional decree is a service regulation of the Bundeswehr . It presents rules of conduct for all units in dealing with history. The spectrum ranges from the appearance of the soldiers to regulations for collecting weapons, models, documents, flags, pictures, medals and items of equipment to the naming of barracks.

Maintaining tradition and decreeing tradition

The first traditional decree was issued on July 1, 1965, about ten years after the founding of the Bundeswehr , by the then Federal Defense Minister Kai-Uwe von Hassel (CDU).

This was preceded by disputes within and outside of the Bundeswehr, in what form and for what purpose “traditional” values from German history should be maintained and passed on in the troops. This primarily concerned military customs or symbols, but to a greater extent traditions that could provide orientation in the social environment. In view of the role played by the immediate forerunners of the Bundeswehr, Reichswehr and Wehrmacht , which as institutions did not seem worthy of tradition, the demand arose to form a new, national armed forces tradition that corresponded to the model of the citizen in uniform and the understanding of the partners in the western alliance of Protection of freedom and justice corresponded.

The 1965 decree praised the resistance fighters of July 20, 1944 : "In the end, only responsible for their conscience, soldiers have proven their worth in resisting injustice and the crimes of the National Socialist tyranny." Clarifying statements were made about the assessment of the Wehrmacht as an institution but avoided. The eternal soldierly virtues and reverence were emphasized: Item 8. “Right maintenance of tradition is only possible in gratitude and reverence for the achievements and sufferings of the past.” It was asked to cultivate friendly relations with the former soldiers of the “Third Reich”.

The tradition decree, Guidelines for Understanding and Maintaining Tradition in the Federal Armed Forces from 1982, particularly emphasized the following significant figures for maintaining tradition in the Federal Armed Forces:

the black-red-gold federal flag ,

the German national anthem ,

the eagle of the national coat of arms ,

the iron cross ,

the oath of service and the solemn pledge ,

also

the great tattoo and the song of the good comrade .

The current traditional decree builds on the previous decree. It was not about a radical new version, but a further development. The current tradition decree particularly emphasizes the following points for maintaining tradition in the Bundeswehr:

maintaining tradition is a management task and gives more confidence to act,
special consideration of the troops and the departments,
the decree is for everyone in the armed forces,
critical examination of the past,
the central point of reference in the tradition of the Bundeswehr,
the entire German military history in view,
the clear boundaries to the armed forces with permitted exceptions,
the clear borders with the National People's Army ,
the commitment to the values and norms of the Basic Law as well
the clear definition of the purpose of the new decree.

Traditionalists and reformers

Since the 1960s, the terms “traditionalists” and “reformers” have been used to characterize the leadership of the Bundeswehr. The traditionalist faction, to which the majority of the ruling class belonged, orientated itself on the past and thus also on the example of the Wehrmacht, while the reformers, whose prominent figure was Wolf von Baudissin , sought military-political reforms.

literature

Donald Abenheim : Bundeswehr and tradition: the search for the valid legacy of the German soldier , Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag, Munich 1989, ISBN 3-486-55371-2 .
Detlef Bald , Johannes Klotz, Wolfram Wette: The Wehrmacht Myth. Post-war debates and maintaining tradition , Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-7466-8072-7 .
Jakob Knab : False Glory. The understanding of tradition of the Bundeswehr , Ch. Links Verlag, Berlin 1995, ISBN 3-86153-089-9 .
Loretana de Libero : Tradition in times of transformation. On the traditional understanding of the Bundeswehr in the early 21st century , Schöningh Verlag, Paderborn 2006, ISBN 978-3-506-76315-0 .
Ulrich de Maizière : The Bundeswehr - new creation or continuation of the Wehrmacht in: R. D. Müller, H. E. Volkmann, (Ed. On behalf of the MGFA ): The Wehrmacht: Myth and Reality , Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag, Munich 1999, ISBN 3-486-56383-1 , Pp. 1171-1183.
Wolfram Wette : The Wehrmacht. Enemy images - War of Extermination - Legends , Frankfurt 2002, ISBN 3-10-091208-X , here: Chap. 6.2 The image of the Wehrmacht in the Bundeswehr . Fischer Taschenbuch, 2nd edition 2005, ISBN 3-596-15645-9 .