German squaddie barracks to be searched for Nazi memorabilia amid fear of rise of far right
Objects 'glorifying' the World War II-era Wehrmacht were found on Saturday at a base in Donauschingen, southern Germany
THE inspector general of Germany's armed forces has ordered a search of all army sites to root out neo-Nazi Hitler worshippers in the ranks after sick Nazi memorabilia was found at a barracks.
Objects "glorifying" the World War II-era Wehrmacht were found on Saturday at a base in Donauschingen, close to the border with France.
They included swastika-bedecked steel helmets, a pistol, and an MG42 machine gun from the 1940s nicknamed “Hitler’s buzzsaw”.
The search order by inspector general Volker Wieker comes a week after a German army officer was exposed for plotting to carry out a bombing and blame it on refugees.
Posing as a Damascus fruit seller, Lieutenant Franco Albrecht, 28, managed to gain asylum in his home country, obtaining a space in a shelter and monthly benefits totalling nearly £400.
Officials say Albrecht harboured far-right anti-immigrant views.
But as officials dug deeper they discovered a sinister network of soldiers who honour Hitler’s armed forces and secretly collect forbidden Nazi symbols.
After Albrecht's arrest at a Bundeswehr (German army) barracks in French Alsace, investigators said they found a lounge where he and like-minded officers shared their enthusiasm for the Nazi Wehrmacht.
They called their retreat the "bunker" and stored pictures in it romanticising Second World War German troops alongside original steel helmets, guns and medals.
Germany's defence ministry in Berlin said: “Anyone who decorates an entire room with devotional objects in such a barracks must be deeply convinced.”
In 2012 at the base, soldiers made a huge four-foot swastika on the ground outside a training site.
The idea of weapons-trained professional soldiers allying themselves with far-right terrorists is a nightmare scenario for Angela Merkel's government and one which it is determined to crush.
German defence minister Ursula von Der Leyen said the search of every army barrack, storeroom, munitions depot and training area was necessary "to restore the reputation of the Bundeswehr".
She added: "Every day in the Bundeswehr rule violations are properly sanctioned, and the leadership tackles the problems. Pay respect to that.
"But given the current cases of degradation, harassment and clear right-wing extremism, there must be complete enlightenment and far-reaching consequences for the future.
"We educate people how to use weapons and we are right to have stricter standards. The process that has begun now requires courage and stamina.
"We should now, together, from the generals to the recruits, support this process with all our strength. Nothing less than the reputation of our Bundeswehr is at stake."
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368