As everybody in the country prepared for Remembrance Day, two soldiers in Britain’s most senior army regiment were dressing up as Nazis at a military fancy dress bash.
The sick stunt at a party at the Tidworth army base in Wiltshire saw the pair donning SS uniforms, complete with Swastikas – and they even posed for pics with their hands raised in the classic Hitler salute.
What made the matter even more mental was that the sergeant major okayed the outrageous outfits. Quite predictably, he has now been suspended.
Gobsmacked guests were up in arms about the disgraceful dress and complained, leading to Royal Military Police having to throw the two troopers out of the shindig.
One source in the Army said: “They may not have had any intention to offend anyone but, for heaven’s sake, what were they thinking? The (commanding officer) went ballistic when he saw the pictures of them making Nazi salutes. It is 2024.
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“Everyone in the army knows this is completely unacceptable. The (sergeant major) is also responsible. He should have considered the fall-out and forbidden their outfit choices. Misleading the (commanding officer) about what he knew, if that is proven, was also a grave error.
“Hundreds of the regiment’s officers and troopers lost their lives to the Nazis. It isn’t funny to dress up as an SS officer and wear a swastika.”
(Image: Getty Images)
When the sergeant major was quizzed on what had happened, he pleaded innocence, but when the two Nazi costume-clad soldiers were asked about it, they said their boss gave them the go ahead.
An Army spokesman said: “We apologise unreservedly for the unacceptable behaviour of these two individuals and the offence that it will cause. Their actions demonstrated serious and significant shortfalls in judgment and conduct and were totally incompatible with the values and standards the Army demands.”