A mural of a Nazi-era Wehrmacht soldier, next to a gun developed by Nazi Germany, found at the Illkirch barracks. Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen has ordered the Bundeswehr to cleanse itself of all links to the Nazi-era army that set the world aflame under Adolf Hitler over 70 years ago. Hans-Peter Uhl of the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU) criticised von der Leyen's "blanket condemnation" of all German soldiers of the era, urging some "respect for our fathers and grandfathers". Criticism also came from former defence minister Rudolf Scharping of the Social Democrats (SPD), who deplored the "witch hunt". In the mid-1990s, travelling exhibitions extensively documented Wehrmacht war crimes against Jews, civilians and prisoners of war in eastern Europe and Russia.

Source: The Local May 17, 2017 12:22 UTC