[History of the Association of German Veterinary Officers]

This article gives a review over the beginning, the aims and the centres of gravidity of the association, which was founded on the 4th of January 1919 with the designation "German Veterinary Officers Association". The priority of its aims was the representation of the professional and commercial interests of the members before the background of the disarmament of the German Army, which was inforced by the victor nations. The federation supported the responsible veterinary officers of the Ministry of the "Reichswehr" in the matter of planing a new structure of the veterinary service of the "Reichswehr" in a very effective manner. In addition numerous members were represented in the sphere of commercial interests and public assistance. In 1936 the general meeting decided to dissolve the association, because there existed the danger, that the national socialistic leadership could forbid the membership of the active veterinary officers. In 1952 the federation was founded again and received the designation "Association of former Veterinary Officers and Members of the Veterinary Troops and their Survivors". One primary aim of the federation was the search of missing and killed members of the veterinary service of the "Wehrmacht". Further aims were the cultivation of comradship, the information and representation in the sphere of publical assistance of former professional veterinary officers and their survivors. Also the documentation of the history of the former army veterinary service was a task. In 1966 the veterinary officers of the "Bundeswehr" and the reservists received the possibility to become a member by a changing the statutes. At the same time the association was renamed in "Association of German Veterinary Officers". After temporary rising of the number of members it sank continuously at the end of the eighties. Because of the sinking of the rates of subscription, the general meeting decided on 12th May 2000 to dissolve the association.