Tail End Charlie - About Swastikas and more…
In the October 2024 issue of INFO Eduard magazine, I published an article about an international aviation gathering commemorating the 80th anniversary of the air battle over the Ore Mountains. This historic event, which took place on September 11, 1944, saw the 100th Bomb Group—nicknamed the "Bloody Hundredth"—suffer some of the heaviest casualties in its history. If you have a moment, I’d be delighted if you could read the article.
In the October 2024 issue of INFO Eduard magazine,
I published an article about an international aviation
gathering commemorating the 80th anniversary of
the air battle over the Ore Mountains. This historic
event, which took place on September 11, 1944, saw
the 100th Bomb Group—nicknamed the "Bloody
Hundredth"—suffer some of the heaviest casualties
in its history. If you have a moment, I’d be delighted if
you could read the article.
The gathering in the Czech township of Kovářská
was well attended, attracting a large number of
participants, many of whom were members of the
public from neighboring Germany.
During a visit to the local museum, which is
dedicated to the air battle, an interesting situation
unfolded. A group of German visitors stopped
to examine the nose art of a B-17 bomber, which
displayed symbols of aerial victories in the form
of swastikas. Mistakenly assuming the aircraft to
be German, they asked the museum staff about its
origins. To their surprise, they were informed that
it was an American bomber and that the swastikas
represented victories against the German Luftwaffe.
The visitors were visibly taken aback, as they
had naturally assumed that any aircraft bearing
swastikas must, of course, be German.
I believe that the vast majority, if not all, of the
readers who engage with my text are so well-versed
in aviation and military history that such a question
would never cross their minds. Many might even
shake their heads at the museum visitors' lack of
understanding.
That said, I assume our German readers can
understand the context of this situation. In Germany,
the display of the swastika has been strictly
regulated under the Criminal Code for many years.
In simple terms, its use is permitted for religious
purposes (as it is, for instance, a Hindu symbol) or in
connection with the history of the Third Reich, such
as in historical photographs, period film footage,
feature films, and educational materials (this is
a simplified list).
However, the swastika cannot be displayed in
Germany on newly created items that could, in any
way, be used to promote the Nazi regime. While
I understand the reasoning behind this restriction,
it does pose challenges for historians and illustrators,
particularly when creating new depictions of military
equipment.
After several generations in Germany since the
Second World War, the swastika has become a kind
of taboo, strongly associated with the Nazi period—
a subject the public often prefers not to delve into too
deeply. The historical guilt of the German people for
the atrocities committed under Hitler's regime in the
1930s and 1940s is heavily emphasized in the school
curriculum, even extending to geography classes.
As a result, German society has reached a point
where the sight of a swastika automatically triggers
the assumption that it represents and promotes the
Nazi regime and likely constitutes a violation of the
law.
This perception extends to situations where
a layperson encounters symbols unrelated to Nazism,
such as a Finnish aircraft bearing a blue swastika,
a Latvian plane with a red swastika, or an American
infantryman’s helmet from the First World War
featuring a swastika painted as a good luck charm.
Similarly, a Spad biplane fighter adorned with
a red swastika can lead the uninformed observer to
mistakenly conclude that these symbols are tied to
the Nazi era.
Adolf Hitler adopted the swastika as a symbol
of his political party in 1920. Werner Voss and his
Albatros D.III from Jasta 2, which featured a swastika
on its side in 1917, could not possibly have had any
connection to Hitler’s use of the symbol. At that time,
that "damned Austrian non-commissioned officer" of
the Bavarian army was still running around in the
trenches as a liaison.
However, this historical nuance is irrelevant to the
average layperson in Germany. Imagine someone in
a German shop coming across a model of a First World
War Spad fighter plane from the American volunteer
Escadrille Lafayette, featuring a swastika on its side.
It is quite likely they would report it to the police.
The police, uninterested in the historical context or
the fact that the plane bears French cockades, would
have to follow procedure by gathering evidence for
an investigation. This involves confiscating the goods
and commissioning expert reports.
After a year of investigation, the goods would be
returned, often in a slightly worse condition, along
with a statement concluding that no law was violated,
as the product has no connection to the Nazi regime.
By this time, however, the shop might have already
gone out of business. While hypothetical, similar
cases have indeed occurred in Germany.
None of what I’ve described may resonate well
with history enthusiasts, but it reflects the reality
of the German marketplace for manufacturers
and retailers. For this reason, we avoid displaying
swastikas on products intended for the German
market, even when depicting subjects like German
ABOUT SWASTIKAS AND MORE…
Jan Bobek
Detail of the symbols representing the victories
achieved by the pilots of the Czechoslovak 310th
Fighter Squadron of the RAF on Hurricane Mk.I “
NN
-
D” (P3143). The four victories indicate the aircraft
is depicted as it appeared on September 7th or 8th,
1940. Up to , that point, two victories had been recorded
by F/Lt. G. L. Sinclair, and two more by Sgt. Bohumil
Fürst. Later in September, additional victories were
achieved by P/O Stanislav Fejfar, Sgt. Eduard Prchal,
and again by Bohumil Fürst.
Hurricane Mk.I, P3143, No. 310 (Czechoslovak) Squadron, RAF Duxford, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom, September 1940.
INFO Eduard108
January 2025