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AFRIKA Cufftitle....A modern slant ?

Article about: Gentlemen, saw this and had to have it (inexepensive, I thought it would make a good backdrop to some German ISAF badges), of course a "Fantasy" item...or is it ?, given the way Bu

  1. #1

    Default AFRIKA Cufftitle....A modern slant ?

    Gentlemen, saw this and had to have it (inexepensive, I thought it would make a good backdrop to some German ISAF badges), of course a "Fantasy" item...or is it ?, given the way Bundeswehr troops in Afghanistan now wear loud colourful individually designed (at Company & Battalion level) produced patches, perhaps it will become unofficial ?.....I think its rather cool ! Oh, and doesnt it remind you of something....... Prost ! Steve.

    p.s. I am informed there is an IRAQ version.
    Click to enlarge the picture Click to enlarge the picture AFRIKA Cufftitle....A modern slant ?   AFRIKA Cufftitle....A modern slant ?  


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  3. #2
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    Default Re: AFRIKA Cufftitle....A modern slant ?

    It may be a fantasy piece, but I think it looks pretty neat. Definately reminiscent of the AFRIKA cufftitle. Thanks for showing. Cass

  4. #3

    Default Re: AFRIKA Cufftitle....A modern slant ?

    That is pretty neat. One of my friends spent time in the German military recently and I had a conversation with him about the eisernes kreuz being reinstated. I think it would be cool to see a German soldier with this cufftitle and a modern version of the EK. What do you think fellas?

  5. #4
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    Default Re: AFRIKA Cufftitle....A modern slant ?

    Awesome piece, I know when I was in iraq you could get most any badge made up by the local tailors. Looks great and nice to see the modern German army still looks back to some old traditions

  6. #5

    Default Re: AFRIKA Cufftitle....A modern slant ?

    Quote by ObKrieger View Post
    That is pretty neat. One of my friends spent time in the German military recently and I had a conversation with him about the eisernes kreuz being reinstated. I think it would be cool to see a German soldier with this cufftitle and a modern version of the EK. What do you think fellas?
    There was a petition to have the Iron Cross reinstated, but it was a predictably unsuccesful one. Still, the powers that be have realized the need for a special decoration to recognize acts of bravery in action, and thus a new special class of the Bundeswehr's Honor Cross has been instituted by now.

    Actually, re-instituting the Iron Cross for operations such as the Afghanistan mission was never a realistic option and not a good idea from its supporters in the first place.

    We should not forget that ever since it was originally created in 1813, the Iron Cross has only ever been in existence at times when Germany was fully at war with the fate of the nation at stake, namely the periods of 1813-15, 1870-71, 1914-18 and 1939-45.
    No Iron Crosses had been awarded for Germany's other armed conflicts during the period from 1813-45 like the war against Denmark in 1864, the Prussian-Austrian war of 1866, the Imperial colonial-era military operations in China or Africa, the battles of the Freikorps years in Germany, Silesia and the Baltic or the Legion Condor's involvement in Spain.

    I don't want to downplay the hardships and dangers faced by the soldiers deployed to Afghanistan in any way at all, but it is just not a conflct of the nature and scale of the ones that saw the institution and re-institution of the Iron Cross.

    Thus, I dare say that re-instituting the Iron Cross now would not mean honoring its tradition, but actually breaking with it.
    So, instead of reforging the Iron Cross, the creation of the new special grade of the Bundeswehr's Honor Cross is a decent and appropriate answer to the question of an award for bravery.

    As for the Afghanistan cuff title; it is, of course, a fantasy piece. Maybe some soldiers will buy and keep it as a souvenir, but I can't imagine we will see it worn on a German uniform even unofficially. I remember press reports from a while back about some Bundeswehr vehicle that had been decorated with a symbol resembling the Afrikakorps' Palm-and-Swastika device, the Swastika having been replaced with an Iron Cross. Even that had caused something of a scandal...

  7. #6

    Default Re: AFRIKA Cufftitle....A modern slant ?

    Quote by HPL2008 View Post
    As for the Afghanistan cuff title; it is, of course, a fantasy piece. Maybe some soldiers will buy and keep it as a souvenir, but I can't imagine we will see it worn on a German uniform even unofficially. I remember press reports from a while back about some Bundeswehr vehicle that had been decorated with a symbol resembling the Afrikakorps' Palm-and-Swastika device, the Swastika having been replaced with an Iron Cross. Even that had caused something of a scandal...
    I have found that piece in the German press, this is what they said....... "It is now official, a Palm D’Or (Golden Palm) symbol, apparently reminiscent of Hitler’s Afrika Korps has been displayed on a Bundeswehr Gelandewagen. The Ministry of Defence has also confirmed when and where the symbol was displayed.
    A spokesperson for the Ministry said that the symbol had been discovered at the end of 2001 in Masiriah on the Oman Peninsular in a German Forces Vorbereitungslager (I would translate this as a pre-deployment training / preparation camp ?). However, it was removed before deployment to Afghanistan as it did not have the appropriate ministerial approval (!!!)
    The symbol was apparently used out of excitement (ebullience perhaps?) because it evokes the memory of the Wehrmacht Afrikakorps. In the middle of the trunk of the palm is the Balkenkreuz used on all Bundeswehr equipment (vehicle and such likes in this context I think). Therefore it is not actually the Palm D’Or symbol but the use of this symbol will be investigated.
    It is still unclear whether it was members of the Special Forces (KSK) who had sprayed (painted) the symbol on the vehicle. A spokesman for the ministry declined to comment."
    I show a photograph of that offending symbol, and of course the cuff title attached, I can dream !
    Thanks to Mark over at GCA forum for the information and photograph.
    Prost ! Steve.
    Click to enlarge the picture Click to enlarge the picture AFRIKA Cufftitle....A modern slant ?   AFRIKA Cufftitle....A modern slant ?  

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  8. #7

    Default Re: AFRIKA Cufftitle....A modern slant ?

    For reference' sake
    Click to enlarge the picture Click to enlarge the picture AFRIKA Cufftitle....A modern slant ?  

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