Strana 110
TAIL END CHARLIE
aircraft from before the NSDAP era or items with no
connection to Germany at all.
As a result, you won’t find swastikas representing
victory symbols against Nazi airmen on decals in kits
for Mustangs, Spitfires, or other aircraft destined for
our German distributors. It’s an absurd situation, but
the risk of denunciation by an uninformed public is
simply too great to ignore.
This measure significantly complicates our
production process. While we hope to consult with the
German Chamber of Commerce regarding swastikas
that are unrelated to the Nazi regime, I am unsure if
such efforts will lead to any meaningful resolution.
The caution exercised by our German distributors will
likely outweigh the benefits of any legal clarification,
and even the Spad from Escadrille Lafayette will lose
its battle with the German general public.
Unfortunately, this approach results in complaints
from customers in other countries who receive kits
from German dealers with decals that have been
self-censored in this way.
In this context, I must also express my dismay
at the opposite extreme. For instance, in the United
States, it is possible for someone to march in
a demonstration wearing a T-shirt or carrying a flag
bearing a Nazi swastika without facing consequences.
In my country, and rightly so, such behavior would
swiftly lead to arrest, prosecution, and punishment.
I am confident that no American soldier who served
in World War II would disagree with me. Promoting
a regime responsible for atrocities like the slaughter
of American prisoners at Malmedy, not even speaking
of the rest, has nothing to do with freedom of speech.
Unfortunately, the German perspective on the
display of the swastika is increasingly influencing
other EU countries. For example, the Czech Criminal
Code has been mirroring German legislation on this
matter for several years. We do not yet know whether
the interpretation of the law will be identical, nor
do we know how law enforcement authorities will
handle it. Nevertheless, we foresee significant risks
in the future, which is why we are taking precautions
and removing swastikas as distinctive markings
in our kits.
If Germany succeeds in thoroughly eradicating the
swastika from public spaces, it will paradoxically
represent a form of "final victory" 80 years after
the war. Not only will historic German machines
lose their obvious Nazi-association, but the Allies'
victories over the Nazis will also fade from public
recognition. In effect, we risk erasing the record of
the Allied triumph over the Nazi regime from history.
I believe that European countries, particularly
Germany, should focus on more pressing issues than
the strict regulation of the swastika, which has led
to the kinds of misunderstandings and complications
described earlier. To explain what I mean, I will quote
several prominent figures on the topics of Russian
aggression and Islamic extremism.
To clarify my point, I’d like to reference the insights
of individuals more qualified than I am, particularly
when comparing their expertise to my own 20 years
of experience in management positions across
several countries. My career includes working in
an international consulting and engineering firm
headquartered in the Netherlands, with a parent
company in Germany, half of my colleagues based in
the Gulf region and my own team including members
in Russia.
One critical issue that demands attention is Russia
and the multifaceted war it is waging against the West,
Ukraine, and other countries through various means
and with varying levels of intensity. Notably, Russia
likely holds the record for the largest number of neo-
Nazis within its borders, and in the early months of
its invasion of Ukraine, it sought to mask its colonial
aggression with rhetoric about fighting Ukrainian
Nazis and fascists. This observation is not meant to
downplay the existence of neo-Nazis in Ukraine or
other European countries.
British General Sir Alexander Richard Shirreff,
who served as Deputy Supreme Allied Commander
Europe from 2011 to 2014, published a book in 2016
entitled "2017: War with Russia: An Urgent Warning
from Senior Military Command." In this historical
fiction, he described a scenario in which Russia in
2017 militarily occupied eastern Ukraine, established
a land link with occupied Crimea, and then invaded
the Baltic states, threatening to use nuclear
weapons. At the same time, Shirreff warned of the
unpreparedness of British and European military
forces for such a scenario.
At the time of the book's publication, Shirreff was
considered by some critics to be greatly exaggerating
and risking his reputation. However, some reviewers
were of a different opinion. General Wesley
K. Clark, former Supreme Allied Commander Europe
(1997-2000) wrote about the book: "A must read for
anyone engaged in national security policy. Shirreff's
warnings-veiled as fiction-ring with authenticity,
rich in technical details and insight." Adm. James
G. Stavridis, U.S. Navy, who twelve years later held
the same position as Clark, summed up his opinion of
Shirreff's warnings succinctly,
"You fail to read this
book at your peril."
Unfortunately, history has shown that Shirreff was
more or less mistaken only in the timing of Russia’s
long-prepared invasion operation. The fact that the
Baltics were not invaded is likely due to the resilience
of Ukraine’s defenders.
When Shirreff’s book was published, he stated,
among other things,
“I think it is the duty of senior
soldiers engaged with politicians not to think like
politicians, not to make life easy for politicians, but
to lay out the military consequences of political
decisions. And I sense that is something that has got
blurred in recent years.”
Regarding this "blurred picture," specifically the
Russian threat to Europe, Politico quoted Poland's
former foreign minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, in
March 2022. Sikorski, who is married to Pulitzer
Prize-winning author Anne Applebaum, remarked,
“The Western Europeans pooh-poohed and patronized
us for these last 30 years. For years [they] were
patronizing us about our attitude: ‘Oh, you know,
you over-nervous, over-sensitive Central Europeans
are prejudiced against Russia.’”
I believe that Western European security and
military forces, including those in Germany, have
experienced an uncomfortable awakening about
Russia in recent years. However, I cannot shake the
feeling that they need to significantly increase their
efforts, particularly in arms production, which should
not be impeded by banks or politicians. Russian
power structures are highly experienced in influence
operations and maintain numerous supporters
among European extremists and neo-Nazis. Russia is
already waging a form of war against us, yet it seems
that Europe remains hesitant to fully acknowledge
the reality of the situation.
In the spring of 2022, during a conversation with
a senior executive at one of Germany’s largest
automotive manufacturers, the director laughed
when the topic of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine came
up. He claimed that Russia was not the enemy and
that Germany’s real rival was the United States.
Fortunately, over the past two years, I have seen
considerable evidence that the perspective within
German industry has shifted, with the compass
turning back toward the West and away from Moscow.
Undoubtedly, this shift has been influenced by
the courageous resistance of the Ukrainians, which
starkly contrasts with the collapse of the Afghan
armed forces during the rushed withdrawal of the
U.S. and its allies from Afghanistan.
The second issue that Germany and other Western
European states should address with a renewed
approach is the risk highlighted in 2017 by the then
Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates, His
Highness Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the Tweeps
conference:
"And let me say this in English so you can understand
what I am saying.“
Compere:
„I have translation.“
„No, I know you have translation, I just want to make
sure you get it right…
There will come a day when we will see far more
radical extremists and terrorists coming out of
Europe because of lack of decision making, trying to
be politically correct or assuming that they know the
Middle East and they know Islam and they know the
others far better than we do.
And I'm sorry, but that's pure ignorance."
One final thought: what is more dangerous—
a swastika painted on a model of a historic aircraft,
serving as a reminder of the horrors of a war from
which we all unequivocally dissociate ourselves, or
people waving flags and shouting slogans calling for
genocide, without even pretending to dissociate from
the atrocities of recent years?
I sincerely hope that, in the years ahead, European
politicians, authorities, and citizens can move beyond
ignorance, "blurring," and political correctness when
addressing the issues that genuinely threaten Europe.
INFO Eduard110
January 2025