Thread: Nazi blades

Originally Posted by engine46

There are many who collect German items from WWII & some that might have a pistol or dagger they confiscated during taking an enemy prisoner who which the American kept the items. I had a friend who had a German P-38 which was taken from the prisoner & brought back by his father. Many of these items are parts of collections by historians while others are trophy's taken from prisoners. I have an old German helmet that was given to me about 30 years ago & it has a hole int it but from the inside out according to the indentation on the outside which I suspect the person wearing it was about to be taken prisoner & most likely shot himself in the head. It has no markings on it but I do know it is a German helmet by the unique shape they had. Aside from that, I do not buy or collect anything with a German swastika on it.
Those medallions or whatever you want to call them appear to have been added because they do not look like they have the craftsmanship the Germans had back in the day so I would stay away from it.
My dad was a WWII Airfare pilot or back then, I think it was still considered the US Army. He didn't want me to go into the service from what he saw then but now I regret it. The draft was stopped just months before I would have to enlist. I recall times I asked him if he ever killed anyone but never answered that question. He was a radio technician for the P-47 Thunderbolts but I'm sure he had to fly on some missions as well because he told me that they would escort bombers over enemy territory & bomb places such as ball bearing plants & other facilities that needed these parts for wheels, engines & so on. I have some really awesome pics he brought back from there showing some of the planes. I have one pic of him climbing out of an aces fighter with 28 swastikas on it referring to planes the ace shot down. My dad received two purple hearts from being injured there. I have a deep respect for those, my dad included, who fought for our country & for the many who gave their lives for others & our country & for those who are fighting for our country now. God bless those who fought & may those who lost their lives RIP.

Attachment 215413

You know engine after reading through this thread from the start and all the back and fourth about the swastika. I have to say

Your post is the best in this thread.. And shows not everything associated with the symbol must be destroyed. I think that we should never forget our enemies, and never forget who won.. In reality none of us were there.. But your dad was, and so were so many other fathers and brothers and sons. My grandfather was in the British navy and fought against the nazis..

That my friend is something to be proud of! Do I get bitter when I see the symbol... No because what it stood for no longer exists at the scale it did back then. If some people want to follow nazi ideologies and worship the swastika that is their choice. Just like people can choose to like members of the same sex, choose to be a man or a woman, choose their religion etc. Nazi ideologies didn't work for people back then and there's even less of a chance of it being accepted and revived in the modern politically correct times we are in.

Owning or using a razor adorned with such symbols doesn't make one a nazi.. The choice to use or own it is up to the individual. Besides who else is in your bathroom when you shave? You don't have to parade it around if you don't want to.

Thanks for sharing engine, I enjoy a great story like that.

Originally Posted by S0LITARYS0LDIER

Nazi ideologies didn't work for people back then and there's even less of a chance of it being accepted and revived in the modern politically correct times we are in.

Being a Nazi in Germany was the height of political correctness in Germany at the time. The Swastika was the symbol of the ultra right wing NSPD, the National Socialist Party of Germany. The leader of the NSPD was a right wing dictator who hated Communism among other things.

Fast forward 6 or so decades and see the rising popularity of right wing parties and nationalism in various Democratic countries. In those parties there is always a core of extremists. There is always a chance of an extreme right revival even today. Don't ever think it can't happen again.

Bob

Thanks S0LITARYS0LDIER.
I'm very proud of my dad even though he is gone now. I miss him & if he were here, he would be 94 now. I have a book of the Squadron he was in & it lists every enlisted man in it & also tells which ones were Aces.
I had to go back & edit my first post because my computer overcorrected some words but I made them right.

Originally Posted by BobH

Being a Nazi in Germany was the height of political correctness in Germany at the time. The Swastika was the symbol of the ultra right wing NSPD, the National Socialist Party of Germany. The leader of the NSPD was a right wing dictator who hated Communism among other things.

Fast forward 6 or so decades and see the rising popularity of right wing parties and nationalism in various Democratic countries. In those parties there is always a core of extremists. There is always a chance of an extreme right revival even today. Don't ever think it can't happen again.

Bob

Where we goin' with this Bobby?

You may never know they authenticity of these blades.

LOTS of fake stuff out there in the war era collectors realm. Its ones of the reasons I stopped buying/selling the stuff years ago (I used to collect Kriegsmarine stuff... still have a small collection).

Unless you are seriously on top of your game (and I have seen some really top notch guys get taken), it's really hard to tell if something is real or fake.

It doesnt help, as mentioned, that some people during that time made their own "patriotic" modifications and creations.

Originally Posted by BobH

Being a Nazi in Germany was the height of political correctness in Germany at the time. The Swastika was the symbol of the ultra right wing NSPD, the National Socialist Party of Germany. The leader of the NSPD was a right wing dictator who hated Communism among other things.

Fast forward 6 or so decades and see the rising popularity of right wing parties and nationalism in various Democratic countries. In those parties there is always a core of extremists. There is always a chance of an extreme right revival even today. Don't ever think it can't happen again.

Bob

(sorry - can't resist...)

Yup, one of the most frightening things about the rise of the NSDAP was the ease with which they slithered into power, concentrated supreme power in the hands of one man, and then went on from there. In many ways it was so banal and gradual that many people didn't realize what had happened until it was far too late to do anything about it. This speaks to many issues raised by this thread, particularly the value of preserving the symbols and artifacts of the past - however hateful and hurtful - in order to preserve our collective memories and hopefully prevent such developments in the future. But as Bob noted in many countries the FAR right is on the rise again, and many moderate, and by 'moderate' I simply mean 'not extreme', people are worryingly complacent about them. From friends casually sharing posts on Facebook from the EDL, BNP, and UKIP (apologies but as someone who lived in the UK for six years, my examples are all from there) without thinking about what their over-simplified memes are actually saying and how they contribute to the spread of the casual racism, scape-goating, and xenophobia that marks extreme movements, to governments implementing laws based on division and fear of the 'other', it is possible to note more and more similarities to our present time and those past times when extreme movements came to power.

Anyway... the rise of the NSDAP is an absolutely fascinating subject and is one of my favourites to teach. Lots to sink one's teeth into.

Originally Posted by Cangooner

:

Anyway... the rise of the NSDAP is an absolutely fascinating subject and is one of my favourites to teach. Lots to sink one's teeth into.

Do you have any online courses?

Originally Posted by 32t

Do you have any online courses?

Sorry, I'm afraid I'm a bit of an old-school historian and I don't know of any off-hand. I'll do a bit of digging though and if I find anything, I'll send it your way.

Originally Posted by Cangooner

Sorry, I'm afraid I'm a bit of an old-school historian and I don't know of any off-hand. I'll do a bit of digging though and if I find anything, I'll send it your way.

A great book on this subject (recently revised) and from my Honours year in History was, "The Nazi Seizure of Power: The Experience of a Single German Town, 1922-1945", Revised Edition Paperback – November 10, 2014 by William Sheridan Allen.

Fascinating account of how the apparatus of the party enchanted the German people and became a blueprint for nationwide success.

My grandma is one of the last few living to experience nazi Germany firsthand. She was in the Hitler youth, and recalls it being a lot of fun. It was all a part to brainwash the children. They would play games, sports, sing songs etc. Disturbing really, just glad she turned out to be amazing! It's true though, the normal people not involved with Hitler and his party were unaware of his agenda until it was too late.