On the "Gorch Fock", the German Navy's sailing training ship, there has been equality since the late 1980s:on September 14, 1989, women went on a training trip for the first time.
by Susanne Abolins-Aufderheide
This means that the socio-political change is also taking place on the traditional sailing ship after around 30 years with an all-male crew:For the unarmed medical service, five young officer candidates initially go on a training trip on the "Gorch Fock" - from their home port of Kiel towards the Mediterranean.
Women on board without special treatment
Boat care is also one of the tasks of the cadets on the "Gorch Fock".There is no special treatment for the young women:During the sailing maneuvers, they have to lend a hand like all sailors. And they sleep in hammocks in a very small space, separated from the men's sleeping area only by tarpaulins (waterproof covers made of impregnated fabric). The cadets have already completed a three-month training course at the Flensburg-Mürwik Naval Academy. After their 15-month basic training, they will study medicine, dentistry or pharmacy at the expense of the German Navy. You have committed yourself to the Bundeswehr for 16 years.
Women in the Bundeswehr:For a long time only medical and military music service
Women are a minority in the Bundeswehr in 1989, but by no means new. They have been there for a long time as civil servants, civil servants and workers. The demand to also allow women to serve as soldiers was raised in 1968 in connection with the discussion about the emergency legislation for the Federal Republic and was taken up again a few years later. In 1975, the medical service was open to licensed doctors, veterinarians and pharmacists for the first time. In 1991, all grades of non-commissioned officers and ranks in the medical and military music service were opened to women.
For the time being, service with weapons is prohibited
Back home:cadets from the "Gorch Fock" on December 21, 2004 in Kiel.At the end of 1999, almost 4,500 women were employed in these areas, who also had to be able to shoot to protect themselves or their patients. However, they are forbidden from carrying arms. That's in the constitution. This strict ban is based on the recent experiences of the Third Reich at that time - the Basic Law dates from 1949:Although women were excluded from the military profession due to Nazi ideology, several hundred thousand girls were forced to work as anti-aircraft helpers during the Second World War.
Since 2000, women have been allowed to take up arms - voluntarily
Naval Academy Mürwik in August 2007:Of the 270 officer candidates who are sworn in, 70 are women.It was not until the judgment of the European Court of Justice of January 11, 2000 that a career in the military opened up to women. The court ruled that the fact that women are not allowed to serve with weapons violates the principle of equality and agrees with the young electrical engineer Tanja Kreil from Hanover, who had opposed the Basic Law. The Bundestag then changes the law on October 27, 2000. Now it says:women "must under no circumstances be obliged to serve with arms".
From now on, "all military assignments are open to them", whether as a tank commander or as a fighter pilot. On January 2, 2001, the first 244 women began their military service, 36 of them as future naval officers.
Deaths and renovation debacle cause heated discussions
Two serious accidents bring the "Gorch Fock" into the headlines a few years later:On September 3, 2008, 18-year-old cadet Jenny Böken falls overboard and dies. Whether it was an accident - which investigators assumed for a long time - or a violent crime will be investigated again by the Kiel public prosecutor from 2019.
In November 2010, a 25-year-old cadet fell to her death from the rigging during a training trip. The accident sparked heated debates about the safety conditions on board. The commander loses his post, the training trips are suspended for two years.
The cost explosion in the refurbishment of the sail training ship to 135 million euros had temporarily called its continued operation into question. After a long tug of war, the ship is now scheduled to sail again in May 2021.
The proportion of women in the Bundeswehr rises to twelve percent
Regardless of the debates about the "Gorch Fock" in particular, the proportion of women in the Bundeswehr has increased continuously in recent years. There are currently around 22,500 female soldiers, which means that the proportion of women in the military sector is around twelve percent. The majority of the volunteers doing military service and the temporary and professional soldiers serve in the medical service, followed by the army, the armed forces base and the air force. There are almost 1,700 soldiers in the Navy.