Commander relieved after incident with German song

The playing of the first verse of the Deutschlandlied at a Bundeswehr Christmas party has consequences. The commander of the Army NCO School in Delitzsch, Saxony, took responsibility after the incident and made his post available, the army announced. The request had been granted.

"I deeply regret the incident and accept the consequences. The playing of the first verse and the inadequate processing that has taken place so far do not correspond to the leadership culture in the army," the commander of the NCO school was quoted as saying. And: "In order to prevent further damage to the NCO school, I have made my post available." From January 5, his deputy will initially lead the school.

At the Christmas party in the barracks of the NCO school, a civilian disc jockey played the first verse of the Deutschlandlied ("Deutschland, Deutschland über alles ...") in front of more than 1,000 guests.

The "Song of the Germans" was written by August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben in 1841. However, it was misused by the National Socialists for propaganda purposes. Today, only the third verse with the words "Unity and justice and freedom" is the national anthem. However, the other verses are not banned.