Army officers suspended following uproar over Nazi emblems

Two officers in an elite army unit serving in Afghanistan who wore Nazi emblems on their helmets have been suspended with immediate effect. Czech Defence Minister Martin Barták announced the punishment on Monday. He said the behaviour was unacceptable and tarnished the reputation of Czech units serving abroad.

The newspaper Mladá fronta Dnes reported the officer’s conduct the same day. It said the two officers wore the emblems of two SS units for almost the whole of their tour in Logar. One of the officers has expressed regret over the matter, saying he put a Nazi symbol on his helmet for a joke because it contained the letter H and his name was Honza.