BOC: Gigs in M.E.262land (was: Dino-tours)

[Craig Shipley]

>
> Andy wrote to Theo:
>
CHOMP!

> (I have already talked to Theo about this.) About the symbol (the swastika,
> not Saturn), used to be a symbol for 'life', a bit like Egyptian 'ankh'. It
> was oulded into another meaning by some terrible things in the fourties.
> I know about a story on this one. In Finland, the (naval) merchant service
> use the swastika as their symbol, on their flags. When they celebrated their
> umpteenth anniversary, the Finnish ambassey put out these flags, and got a
> lot of angry phone calls of course.

The swastika, as used by the Finnish AF, was adapted by one of the Counts (?)
that first started the Finnish A.F. It was his personal good-luck symbol. It
was first used in either 1911 or 1918 (my reference book on the FAF is at
home right now, not much use here at the office!), long before 'Dolf and his
pinheads appropriated the symbol. The FAF changed to the present roundel
in 1944, after the Finns capitulated (they were fighting on the side of the
Axis forces). Guess they figured that planes with big ol' swastikas on them
might make pretty good targets for the Allied fighters... There was some
talk of the FAF resurrecting the original insignia; don't know where that
went. (Wonder if the FAF museum displays their pre-1944 aircraft historically
correct or "politically correct"?)

And in the mid '30's, Latvia (or Estonia, forget which right now) used a
crimson swastika on a white roundel, oriented like the Nazi version, as
the national insignia on their aircraft. Don't know when they chose the
symbol...

And Americas' Ace of Aces, Eddie Rickenbacker, had that nasty ol' symbol
on his Spad XIII! It was in the Indians' headdress that was painted on the
side of his plane (although it was backwards from the Nazi's orientation).

Military aircraft fanatic here (especially of obscure AF's, like the Finns
and Turks) and not a particular student of Nazi regalia (but I do know a
bit or two). Can't understand how peoples can embrace an idea that has
some much hate at its' core and brought such pain an suffering to the
world. What a bunch of pinheads...

> Their symbol differs from the one with the bad name in colour (it's light
> blue) and stands upright on one of the corners.
> Some things are taken away out of their original context...
>
> Jerry
>


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