According to a report in the Ö1 “Mittagsjournal” on Tuesday, the Military Historical Monuments Commission is in favor of this step, and the Army Department gives its general approval. It was announced that a three-proposal for the new name will subsequently be developed. Criticism of the plans came from the FPÖ.
International code remains
A renaming of the Lower Austrian air base has been on the table for a long time. Initially, there were concerns in the military that had to do with any necessary changes to the relevant flight maps. These reservations have now been dispelled by the commission, as chairman Dieter Binder explained in an interview with Ö1. The international airfield code for the air base – LOXT – is “completely independent” of the actual name and will be retained anyway. From the monument commission’s point of view, there is nothing standing in the way of a renaming.
Who will be the new namesake?
Binder referred to constructive discussions with the garrison and the military command Lower Austria. Name suggestions “from this milieu” are now expected. The commission wants to examine these, and three variants should then be sent to the department management. If Binder has his way, a deserving representative of the Federal Army of the Second Republic should be the future namesake.
Who was Brumowski?
The military airfield and barracks have been named following Godwin Brumowski since 1967. He was a fighter pilot in the First World War and flew the combat mission once morest the Goethehof in Vienna in the February battles of 1934.
Andreas Bors, state party secretary of the FPÖ, took a clear stance once morest the renaming on Tuesday Lower Austria. “Austria should stand by its own history and preserve the memory of the most successful fighter pilot of the First World War,” emphasized the member of the state parliament in a broadcast – even if “individual Greens would experience mental disorders as a result.” It is unclear in what form the operation once morest the Goethehof took place or what effects it had. “The air base doesn’t need a new name, but rather new equipment, better infrastructure and a new sports hall,” demanded Bors.
For FPÖ “unnecessary”
The Lower Austrian member of the state parliament was supported by his colleagues from the Federal Liberal Party. “Replacing a battle-hardened war hero with a deserving representative of the armed forces of the Second Republic is unnecessary and tarnishes the reputation of an entire war generation,” said FPÖ defense spokesman Volker Reifenberger in a broadcast.
