Jackanapes
New in Town
- Messages
- 21
- Location
- USA
Metatron - That's a great old pic and a cool jacket too. It appears to have He 162 jet fighters ("Salamanders") lined up in the background. This means it was close to the end of the war indeed. Plus the exuberant and triumphant smiles so common in earlier Luftwaffe pics are long gone. The young guy in the middle was probably one of the poorly trained aeronautical cannon fodder they were sending up in desperation towards the end. On top of poor training, the 162's themselves were structurally deficient and often fell apart in flight (made of wood with poorly synthesized glue). Any luck and the guys in this pic were grounded due to surrender before they forfeited their lives in vain so close to the end of the war.
Mihai - I think the shoulder boards and the insignia on the jackets make it look really sharp. But as an American civilian, I would be a little concerned about appearing to salute a branch of the Nazi war machine by wearing a jacket fully equipped with military insignia. People might get the wrong idea if you know what I mean. I'm not sure what the environment is like in most of Europe in this regard. My last visit about two years ago throughout most of central/western Europe (London, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, France etc) led me to believe there is still an undercurrent of resentment against the Germans. I recall talking to an older Dutch couple on a ferry across the channel (Dover to Calais) and after having an engaging conversation I told them I was going through Brussels and then onto Germany. They said they really enjoyed vacationing in London, but would not visit Germany under any circumstances. They were very polite and reserved, but they flatly said they still did not like the Germans for what they had done during the war. I wasn't really surprised I guess and I suspected this feeling probably existed elsewhere throughout Europe, especially amongst older people. I mean how could it not, at least on some level? On the other hand it's been 70 years. My own grandfather was a Sherman tank commander who was severely wounded in '44 in Italy fighting the Germans. He has no ill feelings towards them today at all (yes he's still alive). But then he killed a bunch of them in return, and they never invaded his homeland, so maybe that makes it easier to forgive?
Anyway, not sure where in Europe you are or what the sensibilities are concerning German WWII clothing, memorabilia etc. But wearing a full up Luftwaffe jacket including military insignias might even ruffle some feathers here in the states, depending on who you ran into. Not that I'm advising against it or that I personally have any problem with it. I hate political correctness with a passion, in fact. But sometimes it's better to leave certain stones un-turned if you know what I mean?
Mihai - I think the shoulder boards and the insignia on the jackets make it look really sharp. But as an American civilian, I would be a little concerned about appearing to salute a branch of the Nazi war machine by wearing a jacket fully equipped with military insignia. People might get the wrong idea if you know what I mean. I'm not sure what the environment is like in most of Europe in this regard. My last visit about two years ago throughout most of central/western Europe (London, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, France etc) led me to believe there is still an undercurrent of resentment against the Germans. I recall talking to an older Dutch couple on a ferry across the channel (Dover to Calais) and after having an engaging conversation I told them I was going through Brussels and then onto Germany. They said they really enjoyed vacationing in London, but would not visit Germany under any circumstances. They were very polite and reserved, but they flatly said they still did not like the Germans for what they had done during the war. I wasn't really surprised I guess and I suspected this feeling probably existed elsewhere throughout Europe, especially amongst older people. I mean how could it not, at least on some level? On the other hand it's been 70 years. My own grandfather was a Sherman tank commander who was severely wounded in '44 in Italy fighting the Germans. He has no ill feelings towards them today at all (yes he's still alive). But then he killed a bunch of them in return, and they never invaded his homeland, so maybe that makes it easier to forgive?
Anyway, not sure where in Europe you are or what the sensibilities are concerning German WWII clothing, memorabilia etc. But wearing a full up Luftwaffe jacket including military insignias might even ruffle some feathers here in the states, depending on who you ran into. Not that I'm advising against it or that I personally have any problem with it. I hate political correctness with a passion, in fact. But sometimes it's better to leave certain stones un-turned if you know what I mean?