Cryptic crossword clue
East German army medic sent back crustacean 8

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word OSTRACOD

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
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The straight part
We know that "crustacean" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case crustacean = ostracod.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

Crossword Answer definitions

OSTRACOD noun
  1. Any of many small crustaceans, of the class Ostracoda, that resemble a shrimp enclosed in a bivalve shell.

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