Re: [WW] (WW) What do the Germans think of the game?

["nvdoyle" <nvdoyle@home.com>]

Okay, I have to chime in here.

First off, the swastika, or 'hakenkreuze', for 'broken-cross' (German
listmembers please correct my pidgin Deutsche), was not terribly common on
the uniforms or vehicles, save for the one clutched in the eagles talons on
that particular patch, and on the vertical tail surfaces on aircraft. The
most commonly used -historical- symbol was the 'balkankreuze', or 'balkan
cross'. It's what you see in Gear Krieg, Axis & Allies, and a vast selection
of color and markings books about German equipment. It's the equilateral
cross, usually of wide black stripes, surrounded by white lines of a field
of red - at least on a flag, or somesuch. In combat use, such on tanks and
other vehicles (where it'd be seen most often in the book - they're large,
and have big markings), it was the same black cross, with the angles bounded
by thin white stripes. 'Subdued' markings were often just those white
stripes. It -did- show up in Deutches Afrika Korps markings, a stencil of a
palm tree with a swastika in the middle was popular.

(side note - sometimes you'll see what looks like a swastika on a vehicle,
but the internal cross-bars are horizontal and vertical, not in an 'x' like
normal...that's a -Finnish- 'hakaristi'. Old, old national symbol of
theirs.)

A big deal is often made about the presence or absence of the swastika in
game books. Frankly, unless you're doing a study of the national flags,
you're not missing much at all. Most games don't use the swastika, both for
economic reasons (I think there are legal issues in Germany) and for
historical reasons - the balkankreuze is a far more accurate historical
representation of German insignia. It is traditional, and better represents
the honor and spirit of the German fighting man, than the political symbol
that the swastika was, and continues to be. Go look for pictures of German
troops in the Balkans now. That simple little black cross is still on their
tanks.

Noah

----- Original Message -----
From: "Sean Michael Whipkey" <highway@cstone.net>
To: <weirdwars@gamerz.net>
Sent: Wednesday, June 06, 2001 12:55 PM
Subject: Re: [WW] (WW) What do the Germans think of the game?


> Dereck wrote:
> > I did want to know if the Nazi flag was going to be present in the
books,
> > and if so would it be altered so that its not illegal in Europe?
GearKrieg
> > used a + to represent Nazi's.
>
> I'm sure no one cares (all together now: "Shut up, SeanMike!") but I (as
> an American consumer) hope not, because to be honest I think it looks
> stupid when a "historical" type book has to alter stuff like that, but
> then again, I accept the economic realities that PEG might want to sell
> to people outside the US, and it's cheaper to publish all of the books
> one way rather than part one way and part the other.
>
> If it was a perfect world, they could afford to publish a "US-only copy"
> and a "Censored European copy" but hey, if it was a perfect world, there
> wouldn't be that censorship, and I'd be sexier.
>
> SeanMike
>
>
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