Zacharias not Zeppelin: Germany to scrap Nazi-era phonetic table

Communication aid was altered in 1934 because original version was deemed too Jewish'

Germany is to scrap its phonetic spelling table introduced by the Nazis 86 years ago and temporarily replace it with the version the regime abolished because it was too Jewish".

The table, in which codewords are assigned to each letter of the alphabet to aid communication and avoid confusion, particularly in radio transmissions and telephone calls, originated in the late 19th century. In 1934 it was adapted by the Nazis who cleansed it of all its Jewish names as part of the regime's drive to reject all Jews from German life, which culminated in the Holocaust.