Bundeswehr service suit ladies

This service jacket belonged to a female soldier from the 92nd Armored Infantry Training Battalion in Munster who is still active today. She joined the armed forces shortly after the Bundeswehr was opened up to women in 2001 and has already been on a number of missions abroad. Previously this had not been possible, as before the millennium women were only allowed to serve in the medical and military music services. It was not until a female electronics engineer filed a lawsuit to implement the principle of equal treatment of men and women in the Bundeswehr that women were allowed to serve in the armed forces.

Although the service uniform has never been deployed abroad, it is still closely associated with them. The soldiers in the battalion store a service uniform and their decorations in the barracks when they go on deployment. So everything is already prepared for a military funeral should they die in action. What may seem macabre is an integral part of the military profession: dealing with one’s own (violent) death is indispensable, especially for soldiers who go on deployment. Preparing for their own funeral also relieves the burden on their relatives should this actually happen.

Since the beginning of foreign deployments, a total of 114 members of the Bundeswehr have died while deployed abroad or on recognized missions (as of 2019). Since then, the Bundeswehr as an institution has learned a number of lessons in dealing with the death and grief of servicewomen and men and their families. For example, training courses are offered for superiors on how to deal with the death of a subordinate, how to deliver death notifications to the family and how to deal with their reactions.

The commemoration of the deceased comrade takes place in the camp of the area of deployment and in the barracks of the regular unit. At the funeral, military honors are only performed at the request of the relatives and if there is no indication of death in connection with crimes. There are different stages of the ceremony, which also depend on the rank of the deceased. As a velvet cushion with the medals and decorations of the deceased can also be displayed alongside comrades wearing a wreath, it makes sense to store these awards in an easily findable place alongside the uniform that is to be worn.

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(short) stories from the depot

Unfortunately, many objects cannot currently be shown in the exhibition for conservation reasons. Here you will find unusual objects and exciting stories of special pieces from the depot