Swastikas on WWI aircraft.
I know that the swastika had other connotations before the Nazi party made it their symbol; even as a primitive religious symbol. But, as I research WWI, I'm seeing it more and more on German aircraft of the period. It appears in both the "forward" version that we have come to equate with the Nazis and "backwards", as I have seen it in it's original religious form. Could someone enlighten me as to what both forms meant to the WWI pilots who had it painted on their aircraft? Thanks! Walt
It was used as a mark for luck by many aviators in the early 20th century. It became popular again in the west after excavations in Troy, and acted as a link/symbol with our early ancestors.
My understanding is that it was a universal good luck symbol. Voss is one pilot who had it painted on his Albatros. I will go through my resources and see if I can find some others for you.
Yep, a good luck symbol, whichever way around. (I'd be careful with the "primitive" if I were you though - it's still very much current with Hindus in particular, and Buddhists too - German law against displaying swastikas has to have an exemption for religious artefacts.) It was pretty widespread in WWI - Voss is obviously the best known, but there were a smattering of pilots on both sides who used it as an individual marking, and if you look carefully at the head-dress of the Indian in the Lafayette squadron's insignia, you'll find one there as well. That's also how the Finns got their blue Hakaristi marking - it was Count Von Rosen's individual marking, and was picked up by the entire air force when it was properly founded.
Found this link, seems to sum up most of what I have read about the swastika.
http://history1900s.about.com/gi/o.h...ia/15/151.html
In the early 1900s, up until probably the late 50s or early 60s it would very much have been called 'primitive' and seen in that model. Most of the empires that fell apart after the first and second world wars were highly characterized by the idea of the superiority of their race over the 'non white primatives'. That's just the way they saw the world then.Originally Posted by Dom S
Yes, it is widely used in many places in the world today, but it had fallen out of use in Western society. Archeological finds had brought about a resurgence in all things 'primitive' as it was believed that cultivating some of that would cure the ills and problems of what was seen as society's corrupting influence. It very much played a part in the mass exodus of British explorers who tranversed the globe seeking out these 'primitive' adventures and thought processes. You can read The Lost City of Z or Ghosts of Everest which talk about this meta craze and revival in things like spiritualism in the West.
When I'm in India I see garlands of it on sale all the time, but that doesn't change Western thoughts on it at the time.
I found at this link:
http://www.aeroscale.co.uk/modules.p...=153731&page=1
decals set for a 1/32 Albatros D.Va and an interesting photo.
It was used by a BRITISH Camel Squadron in WWI as well. . .
Look also at this link:
http://worldatwar.net/chandelle/v2/v2n3/whitfalc.html
for Finnish and Lavtian airplanes with swastikas
Attilio
On page 178 of Aircraft of World War I by Jack Herris and Bob Pearson, there is an illustration of a United States Breguet 14A2 with a swastika on the vertical fin.
My apologies for the misphrasing of my question. I hope I didn't offend anyone. Certainly I don't consider Hindus or Buddhists "primitive" by any means! Again...apologies all around.
Fascinating, Dom, that it appears in the Native American's headdress on the fuselage art of the Lafayette Escadrille. Now, as I understand it, their original logo was a Mohawk indian with three feathers (one each in red, white and blue). The Sioux warrior in chieftrain's headress was the second pattern. Correct?
At University I gave a lecture on the Swastika's place in history and in my (albeit meagre) research I found it appearing in almost every ancient civilisation that you'd care to mention. As has already been noted it is still found widely across the Far East, Japan, China, India etc, it goes as far back as prehistoric times. There is a stone on Ilkley (Rombald's) Moor in West Yorkshire that has a Bronze Age dated Swastika carved on it. The Swastika has the two angles forwards and backwards that relate in a way to the Yin and Yang, opposition form of symbolism, i.e. good luck and bad luck.
It's a real shame that it has been bastardized by the Nazis, as I think it is a very aesthetically pleasing symbol. But even saying that makes me feel a little uneasy!
It should be noted that the symbol predates Hinduism or Buddhism. Most world religions have incorporated it at some time or another.
So "primitive" isn't entirely untrue, in that it dates back to some of our earliest known archeological records (neolithic period). Even Jewish synagogs/temples were using it long before Hinduism or Buddism was around.
If anything, it is a "primitive" symbol that main stream "non-primitive" religions have co-opted.
Walt, I found three examples besides Voss.
1. A Phaflz D-XII(thought to be 394/18) from Jasta 73b.
2. Fokker Triplane 419/17 Jasta 19, Ltn. Walter Gottsch.
3. Fokker D-VII 291/18 ex Jasta 6, Vzfw. Meyer
Thanks Greg. And thank you to everyone else as well. Sounds like it was used pretty universally as a good luck symbol. Interesting stuff! Walt
I think I'll do some further research into the meaning of the orientation (left-facing or right). I'd be surprised if they had exactly the same connotation to the original users, regardless of which way it faced. Then again....that little tidbit made be lost to history, given the antiquity of the symbol.
That's true. A lot of Chinese patterns incorporate both orientations of the symbol and some I saw on Japanese Sewer Covers (!) were orientated the opposite way to the Nazi symbol, I'm guessing they are supposed to symbolise 'Good' rather than 'bad'? In my little research, I don't remember the quote exactly, but the Nazi orientation of the symbol was generally regarded as 'bad' when it came to modern Far Eastern use, although I must say this wasn't the intention of the NSDAP when they adopted the symbol, just coincidence.
A couple more examples of the use that spring to mind, there is a massive one on the side of one of the stone elephants that guard the entrance to the Carlsberg Brewery in Copenhagen, (pre-WWI) (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._Carlsberg.jpg) and also there are several abstract examples incorporated into the tile patterns on the floor of York Minister. (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...rk_Minster.jpg)
It's a fascinating symbol!
All that said, I get uneasy discussing it, in light of it's recent past. Regardless of it's meaning to those of the WWI era and earlier, the Nazis certainly succeeded in bastardizing it for generations since. I'm afraid my "fascination" starts and ends with my original question: "What did it mean to the WWI piolts who painted on their planes?"....and I think that particular interest has been nicely responded to by you as well as others here. Thank you.
Then two other swastikas: on Mohnike's Dr1(jasta 11) and on a DVa of Jasta 300 tht fought in palestine
Walt I found two more, an Albatros D-V of Jasta 7 Flown by Hermann Kunz, and another Albatros D-V Flown by Paul Billik of Jasta 12.
Lest anyone think it a German predilection:
http://www.rafweb.org/SqnMark112.htm (Second down, 112 squadron Camel.)
http://latvianaviation.com/Camel.html (Latvian air force circa 1920.)
http://modelingmadness.com/reviews/w1/tc/tmcs7.htm (Lafayette SPAD VII.)
A couple more examples of the use that spring to mind, there is a massive one on the side of one of the stone elephants that guard the entrance to the Carlsberg Brewery in Copenhagen, (pre-WWI) (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._Carlsberg.jpg) and also there are several abstract examples incorporated into the tile patterns on the floor of York Minister. (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...rk_Minster.jpg)
There is a Slovinian Hall in Cleveland Ohio that has them as a repeating pattern in the plaster at the edge of the ceilings of the main hall. Since it was built pre-1920, I think it was the luck symbol in use. Another building in Akron has one hidden by an Eagle sign, put up during WW2 and never taken down.
Karl
An Airco DH9 also had large swastika on the forward fuselage
In an ironic twist (to those of us who are looking backwards through time), Fritz Beckhardt, Jewish ace, had one on his Siemens-Schukert D.III.
http://people.sinclair.edu/thomasmar...hts/index2.htm
http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/ai...zerland-2.html
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