German Combat Units Open To Women

The German military opened up its combat units to women for the first time Tuesday, accepting 244 female recruits who previously would have been relegated to medical or musical regiments.

The move toward an equal opportunity army comes less than a year after the European Court in Luxembourg ruled that Germany laws restricting women from the armed forces violated European Union laws against sexual discrimination.

Since parliament changed the law in October, making it possible for women to serve in tank battalions, as fighter pilots or on submarines, more than 1,900 women have applied to join the German armed forces either as commissioned or noncommissioned officers.

The step brings Germany's military in line with other NATO members, including France, Britain and the United States, though some countries still keep women out of ground battles and submarine crews.

On Tuesday, 151 women reported for duty in the army, 76 in the air force and 17 in the navy for the first time facing the same basic training as male peers. They also bear the added stress of being the first group to break the mold of traditional German thinking that women should not be called on to fight for their country.

"Basic training will certainly be a difficult job, but that's why I'm here," said Aysun Yazici, 18, reporting for duty at Duelmener Barracks in northwestern Germany.

The European court ruling was brought about by Tanja Kreil, an electronics engineer who was refused an army job working on weapons systems in 1996 because she was a woman.

Despite the verdict, Kreil withdrew her application over the summer without explanation.

But other women signed up. Silvia Siebenhar, 23, was working in a bakery, a job she felt lacked the challenge she was seeking. As she tried on her backpack at the barracks for the first time Tuesday, she bent under the weight of it.

"It's really heavy," she said, then stood up straight and reminded herself why she was here. "You can help people, you'll be needed and can learn a lot. And I'm someone who needs action."

While military personnel have been going through extensive gender training to prepare for the transition, many Germans have yet to embrace the idea fully.

The country's leading weekly, Der Spiegel, ran a story on women joining the armed forces with the headline: "What to do when women cry?" The article debated whether female recruits should be required to cut their hair or allowed to wear jewelry.

Many conservatives also argue that the end of the Cold War and the shifting of roles to include peacekeeping and crisis management have already put the army here under stress, and that having female recruits would only worsen the situation.

Within the ranks, the men worried that the addition of women would raise job competition. According to Der Spiegel, every fifth male conscript questioned said the inclusion of women in the armed forces would threaten their jobs.

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