Goose step
The goose step is the nickname given to the Stechschritt a type of marching step performed in formal military parades and special ceremonies. While marching in parade formation, the goose step is performed by troops by swinging their legs in unison off the ground, while keeping each leg straight and unbent. Its origins are among Prussian cavalry officers who used the exercise to stretch the tendons for horseback riding. The Stechschritt is basically a show of good horsemanship. It has since been adopted as part of the military traditions of many nations and countries outside of the West.
Goose stepping in NATO Armed Serices
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(left) Goose stepping in the pre-NATO German armed services; (center} Canadian Armed Forces goose stepping in international exercise in Poland, 2014.[2] (right) Polish military goose stepping, August 15, 2018. | ||
Other services
Angelo-American propaganda
During the London Blitz of 1941, George Orwell wrote a Germanophobic essay entitled "England Your England":
| “ | The goose-step, for instance, is one of the most horrible sights in the world, far more terrifying than a dive-bomber.
It is simply an affirmation of naked power; contained in it, quite consciously and intentionally, is the vision of a boot crashing down on a face. Its ugliness is part of its essence, for what it is saying is ‘Yes, I am ugly, and you daren’t laugh at me’, like the bully who makes faces at his victim. Why is the goose step not used in England? There are, heaven knows, plenty of army officers who would be only too glad to introduce some such thing. It is not used because the people in the street would laugh. Beyond a certain point, military display is only possible in countries where the common people dare not laugh at the army.[4] |
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Notes
External links
- Swedish Military Ceremony - Swedes marching in the Prussian Stechschritt, YouTube.
- The "Other" German Army - Chile's Prussian Tradition, Mark Felton Productions, Dec 2, 2018. YouTube.