Bundeswehr and NVA!

[Venttiseiska]

I concur. It's a very good piece of alternate history indeed. It's a wet dream come true for all of you world war III fans.

Almost like a dramatized version of Tom Clancy's Red Storm Rising. Thank God, for the one course of german I took in college last year. I was able to follow the plot quite well.

Still, better to ask some of our friends from Germany.

[soldat_m56]

Very interesting series. I was very young then and the world I grew up in would be very different - if it still existed!

I was able to understand almost all without a problem. As for translating it for those who do not undertand German, good luck - the transcript for the show would help.

[Venttiseiska]

According to these clips the NVA really was a "prussian" army. This parade really looks fantastic! Enjoy.

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecYXPyxX ... re=related

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5-pQ03GyQo&NR=1

How come the Bundeswehr doesn't do any large scale parading? Is it because some people might consider it to be too militaristic or what?

[Venttiseiska]

Here it is at last!

The last great military parade of the GDR:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... iwK3zJjgDg

The Prussian influence is clearly visible. How come the Bundeswehr doesn't organize their parades on similar scale?

[Ranke]

Some interesting videos. A question. Didn't they have colour TV in the DDR in 1989?

[Mariner]

it's not in the wehrmacht line?

The berets have got to go. They are just so unGerman, so FRENCH. I think it is sad the US and British have adopted them as well as so many other countries. (but not the US Marine Corps)

As to the German Heer service uniform, the tunic looks fine, just the color, light grey leaves much to be desired. Field grey, or even a darker grey would look better. The darker grey trousers are reminiscent of the pre and early WW2 Whermacht Heer uniform which included "stone" grey trousers. The Luftwaffe (get rid of the BERET) and Deutsche Marine uniforms look very good also. And bring back marching boots and sabers!

[maxxx]

And bring back marching boots and sabers!

And horses and muzzle loading muskets?

[gebhart099]

Which was the better army? Better armed, better trained, better officered?
Thank God we never had to find out for real.
Also, any record of DDR military serving as advisers in any of the Soviet Union's proxy " wars of liberation"?

[Venttiseiska]

It's interesting to notice that both armies used the same military marches. And the NVA even composed some of their very own like this one here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mebewdovXcQ Very very stylish indeed.

You might even say, that the old Prussian tradition lived on that way. Though, in my opinion the NVA used to look much more "prussian" than the Bundeswehr did.

[ManfredV]

Some interesting videos. A question. Didn't they have colour TV in the DDR in 1989?

Yes, they had, but a different system. East Germany had SECAM and West Germany PAL. For usual TVs it was impossible to get the other side in colour.
West German TV programs could be seen in most parts of GDR except Dresden / Bautzen / Goerlitz area und some parts of the north east.
East German TV could be seen in West Berlin and all west german areas closer than about 100 - 150 km to the border. We lived about 120 km from the border and had DDR 1 in good quality and DDR 2 with "snow fall".

[eadweard]

Very interesting discussion. Which army was the more "German?" I think looking at how the truppen were trained and indoctrinated towards their military duties would be a better indication of this - but then you get into a broad discussion as to what it means to be German. So, cosmetics becomes the basis of the comparison, the contrast. Now, I don't want anyone to get upset, OK? I have the greatest respect for the Bundeswehr, and I think Germans should be immensely proud in raising such a capable force. And, personally, I really like the Bundeswehr range of uniforms - including the berets! However, has anyone else noticed that the uniform of das Heer bears a striking similarity to the World War II "uniform" of Adolf Hitler? True, Hitler's tunic was double-breasted, but the color scheme is strikingly reminiscent of that worn today by the German Army. I think it's a great color combination, by the way. I'm just a bit surprised that it was chosen.

[ovd1965]

@eadweard

the more german variant was chosen by the westgermans later , they eastgermans got their wehrmacht-like
uniform earlier.

the first westgerman uniform was a mix from us-army styling elements and a "liftboy uniform".

after having trouble with the russian style uniform in public opinion , the NVA got traditional uniforms.

it was really a surprise that the communists got all the "militaristic" stuff : riding boots , sabre, breeches, dagger,
parade belt(feldbinde) etc

but during service (for 3 years) as an officer I loved that.

[vszulc]

Interesting how everyone is nostalgic about "prussian traditions" EXCEPT the Germans, Thank god, lol!

Prussian traditions and the prussian military isn't exactly a positive model to emulate today, is it? It's more than just following any old tradition. It's militaristic. Aggressive. Nationalist. And invokes that old stereotype about the Prussian not caring or thinking about anything else than the kaiser, order and the state.

And Prussia is only a small part of Germany.

How would Americans feel, if a German suggested that the US army follow more of the good Ol' Charleston tradition? :p

[montyp165]

Interesting how everyone is nostalgic about "prussian traditions" EXCEPT the Germans, Thank god, lol!

Prussian traditions and the prussian military isn't exactly a positive model to emulate today, is it? It's more than just following any old tradition. It's militaristic. Aggressive. Nationalist. And invokes that old stereotype about the Prussian not caring or thinking about anything else than the kaiser, order and the state.

And Prussia is only a small part of Germany.

How would Americans feel, if a German suggested that the US army follow more of the good Ol' Charleston tradition? :p

It wasn't simply an issue of it being a negative model, it did symbolize the strengths and struggles of Prussia and later Germany in national defense against threats like the French (or the Danes for that matter ), so Germans do have every right to take pride in that tradition despite the haters and the naysayers.