The Bundeswehr was established in 1955 after heavy discussions about re-militarizing Germany (the Wiederbewaffnung) after World War II. After an amendment of the constitution ("Grundgesetz", Basic Law) West Germany became a member of NATO in 1955.
As its symbol the Bundeswehr uses a form of the Iron Cross. The Iron Cross has a long history, having been awarded as a military war time decoration for all ranks since 1813, and earlier associations with the Teutonic knights. Former German military organisations have been the Reichswehr (1921-1935) and the Wehrmacht (1935-1945). The Bundeswehr does not consider itself as their successor and does not follow traditions of any former German military organisation. The official Bundeswehr tradition is based on three major subjects:
the defence reformers at the beginning of the 19th century such as Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, and Clausewitz
the members of the military resistance against Hitler such as Claus von Stauffenberg
its own tradition since 1955
In 1956, conscription for all men between 18 and 45 in years was introduced, later on augmented by the introduction of a civil alternative with longer duration (see Conscription in Germany).
During the Cold War the Bundeswehr was the backbone of NATO's conventional defence in Central Europe. It had a strength of 495,000 military and 170,000 civilian personnel. The Army consisted of three corps with 12 divisions, most of them heavily armed with tanks and APCs. The Air Force owned major numbers of tactical combat aircraft and took part in NATOs integrated air defence (NATINAD). The Navy was tasked and equipped to defend the Baltic Approaches and to contain the Soviet Baltic Fleet.
After reunification in 1990, the Bundeswehr absorbed parts of the Nationale Volksarmee of the GDR, which was being dissolved.
In 1999, the NATO war on Yugoslavia in Kosovo was the first offensive conflict in which the German military actively took part since the Second World War.
In 2000 the European Court of Justice opened up the previously all-male (besides medical divisions and the music corps) Bundeswehr to women.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bundeswehr
