Angela Merkel ally Steinbach quits after blaming Poland for WWII
An ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she will resign from a top party post after suggesting that Poland may have been as responsible as Hitler for the outbreak of World War II.
Erika Steinbach said Poland had mobilised its troops months before the Nazis invaded in September 1939.
Her remarks were criticised by senior politicians including Mrs Merkel.
Mrs Steinbach heads a conservative body representing Germans who were expelled from Eastern Europe after the war.
Polish politicians have condemned her stance on the war, which began when Nazi Germany invaded Poland in September 1939.
The BBC's European affairs correspondent Oana Lungescu says Mrs Steinbach, the daughter of a German army officer who served in Nazi-occupied Poland, has long been a figure of hatred for Poles....
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Erika Steinbach said Poland had mobilised its troops months before the Nazis invaded in September 1939.
Her remarks were criticised by senior politicians including Mrs Merkel.
Mrs Steinbach heads a conservative body representing Germans who were expelled from Eastern Europe after the war.
Polish politicians have condemned her stance on the war, which began when Nazi Germany invaded Poland in September 1939.
The BBC's European affairs correspondent Oana Lungescu says Mrs Steinbach, the daughter of a German army officer who served in Nazi-occupied Poland, has long been a figure of hatred for Poles....