German mayor apologizes for posting Nazi-era memorial ad

1945 notice described bombardment of Hildburghausen by Allied forces as a ‘terror attack,’ noted memorial event that included an address by Hitler’

BERLIN — The mayor of Hildburghausen in Germany has apologized for publishing a Nazi-era memorial ad as part of an official notice commemorating the town’s bombardment by Allied forces during World War II.

Mayor Holger Obst was widely criticized over the weekend for posting the ad, which described the February 23, 1945, bombardment as a “terror attack” and listed a memorial event that included an address from Adolf Hitler.

In a follow-up published Monday on the town’s website, Obst said it had been a mistake to publish the historical notice without further comment, but insisted he hadn’t intended to downplay the Nazi dictatorship.

Far-right groups frequently try to portray Germans as victims in the war by highlighting instances involving large numbers of civilian casualties, such as the Februrary 1945 bombing of Dresden.