First, I want to touch upon an issue I have never yet addressed on these pages, but which bears a word or two of acknowledgment. Since starting this blog a couple of years ago, I have been slightly reluctant to share some of the models and some sets of photographs in my collection, mostly because they represent various tools of the Nazi German aggression that caused WW2 and made life and death so horrific for so many millions. I think a lot of modelers have at one time or another questioned the meaning of portraying (at least publicly) the Nazi war machine as part of our hobby. I mean, if I use this public forum to put up an image of something with a swastika on it, am I somehow promoting that legacy of evil? That is certainly not my intention, but I am aware of the need to be sensitive to the possible implications. Not so long ago, if you bought a model of a WW2 German warplane, it came with swastika decals for the tail, because that is what the originals had, but now kit manufacturers decline to include the hated symbol of Nazi crimes. I understand and approve of such caution, but my WW2 collection has a lot of German stuff in it, and although I have no desire to glorify the goals and deeds of the aggressors in that conflict, as a miniature collector I am nonetheless interested in all parties, including “the bad guys” and their weaponry, as they actually looked. These depictions are a sign of my fascination, not of my approval.
With those overdue acknowledgments in mind, I offer a few shots here of German troops as they might have looked during a moment of brief respite during their whirlwind campaign to defeat Soviet Russia in the summer of 1941. The log huts are by Pegasus, while the models and figures come from a variety of manufacturers.
Schopenhauer's Workshop 
I am enjoying these posts very much. As I understand it, though, the reason for kits not including the swastika symbol for the tails of German aircraft is a commercial one: the symbol, and making it available, is illegal in Germany. Since many of the kits are sold there, and it would be costly to provide an alternative decal sheet for kits for that market, it’s just easier not to include it at all.
Regards,
Gavin
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Hey, Gavin, thanks very much for the compliment and that more concrete clarification on the swastika issue. The commercial side of it certainly makes sense, and knowing there is a practical matter behind the absence of the decals is somewhat comforting — even though the underlying cause, the German ban of the swastika, remains a moral issue worthy of note. I know some modelers go to some lengths not to portray the full symbol on their creations, as with Kriegsmarine ships with a red band and white circle across the bow, but only a partial swastika or none at all, and so on. For myself, I painted the full symbol on the deck of my Gneisenau, and I actually have a sheet of swastika decals waiting to be put on aircraft tails… Thanks to your helpful perspective, I’ll feel more at ease about moving forward with that.
Cheers!
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