[Skybird]

That went almost unnoted in Germany. Having intentionally launched one world war and having played a decciding role in getting another one laucnhed, and having lost both wars whose scars still can be seen in our landscape and cities, any celebrating of military things and war-related events has not formed a tradition here after 1945. It's internal celebrations the Bundeswehr use to hold almost hidden, and without too much public and media attention, which has both pros and contras.

And since war is grim horror, death and destruction, I think that hesitation to celebrate war-related opportunities is a very respectable basic attitude. Military parades in other nations are watched with sceptic eyes in Germany, and with disgust. The parade of paper-tanks and planes after the Kowait war 1991 even caused quite some fury and strong antipathy over here, and comments of that way of celebrating being tasteless. It reminded many of us of the street parades we do at Karneval and Fasching over here, with those vans of funny paper figures showing carricatures and ironic political scenes.

We have war rememberance days, though. They are reserved for remembering the dead, and the horror that took place, serving as a warning. At least that is the intention. In reality the official acts are not much wanted, and are more consiodered to be an unloved public duty for office-holders. The population for the most does not much care.