Goose Step - Abandonment

Abandonment

As a ceremonial march that requires substantial training, the goose-step is often abandoned in times of war as more pressing needs occupy the available training time. Opinion on the goose-step was divided even in the German Wehrmacht, which curtailed its use after the fall of France in 1940. Later in the war, the goose step nearly disappeared because of manpower shortages, accelerated courses in basic training, and a paucity of appropriate occasions.

After WWII, West Germany opted for an American-style march step. East Germany preserved the goose step in a modified form, renamed the "drilling step" (Exerzierschritt) to avoid references to old Prussian and Wehrmacht military traditions. The longstanding German tradition of goose stepping finally ended with German reunification in 1990, as East German forces were absorbed into the Bundeswehr and conformed to West German military customs.

The Swiss army abandoned the goose step in 1946, shortly after German defeat in WWII.

Yugoslavia adopted the goose step shortly after World War II, as its army was modernized along Soviet lines. Goose stepping can be seen in the 1950 military parade in Belgrade. However, it had disappeared by the 1975 parade, as Tito asserted his independence from Soviet influence.

During the Zimbabwean War of Liberation, ZIPRA was trained and supplied by the Warsaw Pact, adopting East German uniforms and the goose step. After independence, however, the unified Zimbabwean Army standardized on British marching style.

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