Far-right extremism probe into elite German Army unit opens

whether right-wing activities took place at a farewell party for special forces in the Bundeswehr. It is the latest scandal to rock the German army.

A prosecutor spokesperson from the state attorney’s office in the German city of Tübingen confirmed to DW on Thursday that it had begun looking into whether right-wing extremist behavior took place among Germany’s Special Force Commando (KSK), the nation’s elite military troops…

The alleged far-right extremist incidents in Calw lengthens the list of scandals that the Bundeswehr has faced in recent months.

In April 2017, authorities arrested Franco A., an army lieutenant who was reportedly planning a terrorist attack and had been posing as a Syrian refugee. The odd case put the Bundeswehr on the defensive since it allegedly knew of Franco A.’s right-wing leanings as early as 2014 but did not intervene.

Just a few week’s after the arrest, investigators also uncovered Nazi memorabilia in troop barracks in Donaueschingen, including helmets from the Wehrmacht - the German military under Hitler. The Bundeswehr was founded in 1955, and many once-soldiers in the Wehrmacht began serving in the Bundeswehr.