German Nazi Flag

I totally agree Bunner.

Saying that because I collect Third Reich gear and display items with swastikas on them makes me a Nazi is like saying because I have guns it makes me a murderer.

My Nazi memorabilia starts discussions on history, morality and the love/hate that mankind can have for one another. What better way to honours those that died serving under both axis and allied flags than a frank discussion that ensures they are never forgotten. Lest we forget.
 
Gee...my Dad's Luger and Iron Cross he took off a German that surrendered in Wilhelmshaven in 1945 have swastikas on....better melt them down I guess. Or I can pass them down to my kids, having them feel some sense or connection of the sacrifices my Dad (and his brother, KIA 1944) made.
 
Calum said:
Keep your gun paper work in order as you can bet the cops will put that flag on the table along with your guns during a media display.
Click to expand...
I wish them the best of luck branding me as a white supremacist... I'm not white. :D

j-man said:
You might want to consider framing it and adding a plaque explaning it's history and/or significance. Finding frames that size might be a problem, but with some careful and creative folding, you could display the more promient areas while cutting it's size down to fit a smaller frame. I've done this with flags myself and it permits the flag to be somewhat protected while being respectfully displayed. With a flag like this, I'd do more than just nail it to a wall.
Click to expand...
I agree, displaying it with a placard detailing it's history will ensure that people understand why you are displaying it.
 
Just for fun, While I was in the army, my mother GAVE AWAY my mint condition 14 foot Nazi stadium banner to the kid across the street! Along with my WW1 patch collection.:eek:

I bet that banner would be worth a bunch these days. Dammit.
 
John Sukey said:
Just for fun, While I was in the army, my mother GAVE AWAY my mint condition 14 foot Nazi stadium banner to the kid across the street! Along with my WW1 patch collection.:eek:

I bet that banner would be worth a bunch these days. Dammit.
Click to expand...

My mother would no longer be my mother and that house across the street would have been the target of a burglary if that happened to me.
 
I bought a nice ashtray once with the swastikas and other markings. Thing weighted a couple pounds. Was going to take it to the hunt camp as a conversation piece as I don't collect that kind of stuff, anyways the wife took it and I haven't seen it since.
 
I came from the country in which such symbol was/is and will always go nicely with the gas chambers and mass graves.
Not a fan of Nazi memorabilia because of it, but for each to his own I guess.
 
Nestor said:
I came from the country in which such symbol was/is and will always go nicely with the gas chambers and mass graves.
Not a fan of Nazi memorabilia because of it, but for each to his own I guess.
Click to expand...

Just like all guns are killing machines designed only to kill humans and therefore we should ban them all?

It's just a symbol that was misused to give "evil" good luck. It is not the swastika's fault it was used as the image of an evil empire. The swastika is not responsible for gas chambers. The men who established Nazi Germany were.
 
NavyCuda said:
Just like all guns are killing machines designed only to kill humans and therefore we should ban them all?

It's just a symbol that was misused to give "evil" good luck. It is not the swastika's fault it was used as the image of an evil empire. The swastika is not responsible for gas chambers. The men who established Nazi Germany were.
Click to expand...

It's all about the collective experience I guess.
Most likely the memory of your ancestors' ashes or even a single trip to Auschwitz would keep you away from collecting such things.
Oh well...
 
Nestor said:
It's all about the collective experience I guess.
Most likely the memory of your ancestors' ashes or even a single trip to Auschwitz would keep you away from collecting such things.
Oh well...
Click to expand...

Hmmm, I visited Auschwitz in 2001 and that experience only made me want to collect the German stuff even more because it became very clear to me why it's important to keep the memory of that important time in our history alive. Some people seem to be confused as to why collector's like German militaria. I have yet to meet a serious collector of Nazi memorabilia who supports Nazi ideology and I've been collecting almost 20 years now.
 
Infanteer90 said:
Hmmm, I visited Auschwitz in 2001 and that experience only made me want to collect the German stuff even more because it became very clear to me why it's important to keep the memory of that important time in our history alive. Some people seem to be confused as to why collector's like German militaria. I have yet to meet a serious collector of Nazi memorabilia who supports Nazi ideology and I've been collecting almost 20 years now.
Click to expand...

Good for You.
Not everyone may understand your motivation properly though.
Would You be surprised by this?
 
I like German WWII guns (Namely the Kar98K rifle, the MP40/38 SMG and the P38 pistol), but that does not make me a Nazi, any more than a guy who likes Soviet guns is a communist...
 
It's all about the collective experience I guess.
Most likely the memory of your ancestors' ashes or even a single trip to Auschwitz would keep you away from collecting such things.
Oh well...
Click to expand...

Says the man with the AK47 in his avatar.

I wonder how many people those have killed?
 
Nestor said:
Good for You.
Not everyone may understand your motivation properly though.
Would You be surprised by this?
Click to expand...

Sadly, no, there are closed minded and ignorant people everywhere in our society. My point was simply that being exposed to the realities of what the Nazi regime had done did not deter me from collecting as I think I'm intellegent enough to understand that what they did was wrong and can differentiate between collecting and glorifying. Obviously some people can not, or they think that they are supposed to show disgust at the sight of a swastika because they think that is how our society "should" react. After all, Nazi's are the eternal villians and we should all gasp in horror at the mere thought of anything related to that unspeakable organization..... Don't forget that many of the war souveniers that we collect today came from the vets themselves. If they thought this stuff was important enough to bring / send home why should we then in turn take it and banish it to the garbage? I guess some people think they know better than the vets.... "Silly Grandpa, don't you know that the Nazi's were bad and anything with a swastika only glorifies their memory? Here, let me throw that terrible flag in the garbage for you so that you can forget all about it...."
 
canuck98k said:
Says the man with the AK47 in his avatar.

I wonder how many people those have killed?
Click to expand...

Some of the Nazi memorabilia collectors are the neo-Nazis in fact.
By collecting those items, knowingly or not You may be seen as one of the above - less so with the AK47 as those rifles were produced all over the place, not only by the Soviets.
It's always good be sure of your target and what's beyond before taking a shot.
 
Infanteer90 said:
Sadly, no, there are closed minded and ignorant people everywhere in our society.
Click to expand...

I agree, as closed minded people are on the both sides of the barricade.
The main problem is IMO that we can't understand the other people when they don't even talk with us.
You see, You are the collector, You just told me about the whole thing in respectful manner, explaining me what's all about.
That sounds like a class act to me.
I would like to thank You for this.
Experience from the past and memories that I inherited makes me uncomfortable around anything Nazi-related.
However from now on, I'm going to try my best to respect your hobby.
Is this changing my perception?
Sure thing.
Would I start collecting those things?
No.
Thanks again.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom