SPIEGELOnline reports that a comeback of the Iron Cross is being debated by some German politicians and army officials. Apparently, many soldiers are no longer satisfied with the Bundeswehr’s current award system. The famous emblem, called Eisernes Kreuz in German, was already used in WWI and WWII. Many people still associate Nazi crimes with the symbol.Most politicians, however, don’t see the need for the Iron Cross or find that the burden of history weighs too heavy on the medal.
(For German readers: A worthwhile article about Jewish soldiers who fought in German armies can be found here. Tens of thousands of Jewish soldiers died for the fatherland before the Nazis eradicated every trace of evidence.)
