To think no one needs this (TW Nazis)

[BelleMarionette]

I went into an antique shop today, as I find them fun to browse.

I was shocked to see an array of nazi memorabilia, a lot of it with swastikas. Some of it was framed.

I wonder, who would buy this, and why? It makes me very uneasy, as I don't see this having any appeal, except to a neo-Nazi. Who else would display framed nazi memorabilia in their house?!

Aibu for thinking this shouldn't be sold? I also feel uneasy that a profit is being made from this, given the circumstances. Should ex-nazis be able to make money from selling their nazi items? Surely not..

Most Nazi artifacts that turn up in this country were looted by allied soldiers and brought back as souvenirs apparently if that put your mind at rest about who is profiting. As to who is butying that is a different atter. There are perfectly sound arguments that these artifacts serve to remind us of the reality of a regime that is inevitably fading from immediate memory and how important it is for collections memorialising events to be able to aquire them. But ut is a sad fact there it is possible for a modern fan of the nazi to buy them to. It is illegal to trade in these things in some countries, but not here so

annoying, posted too soon, sorry about the lack of spell checking 😬

to continue...

... so I guess selling them is okay. It would at least give you a decent pointer on who to avoid in the future if you were to see them on display in a private house I suppose.

@BelleMarionette

Yeah it’s pretty grim and gives me the chills.

Where was this shop by the way? Not in Europe Im assuming.

That said, I have a slight connection to Nazi memorabilia. Both my granddads fought in WWII and were at D-Day. The one who was in the Desert Rats, my Mum’s Dad, saw action in Europe (he was too young for North Africa) and he bought back two SS ceremonial daggers after the war ended. He had them stored in a cupboard in his study until he was burgled in the 1980s and they were stolen along with a load of my Grandmas jewellery. All this was before I was born so I never saw them we, assume they ended up America and sold on there. Imagine there’s where a lot of it it.

@Raquelos I only just read your message but yes, as my family story shows a lot of them were just picked up by ordinary soldiers like my granddad.

The shop is in rural England.

I hadn't considered that allies might have looted them. I do still wonder who would buy them.

In terms of remembering history, there are lots of ways to do that. I can see these items in museums, of course, but I do wonder why anyone would want a personal collection.

I know someone who is a bit of a local history buff, he buys up odds and sods like this as he feels he has a duty for them not to end up in the wrong hands.

A large selection of his bits are donated to museums and exhibitions which I think is a thoughtful thing to do.

I feel they serve a purpose of reminding us to never let history repeat itself, especially now.

When I was young my grandparents would tell me stories, we would see the old boys with their medals on for Sunday best or at the remembrance walks etc. As that generation slowly leave us I think it's important that we can feel a tangible connection in some way of what they fought for.

Sadly there's a market for them amongst your EDL types.

If a shop owner was happy to sell these then I wouldn't give him/her my custom at all. Either burn them or send to a museum.

Should be illegal

Hungerford?

No, but interesting to hear there are more places selling this.

Really? England I’m surprised they’re allowed to sell that stuff here.

Yeah, I assume that’s how the majority of this type of stuff made it out of Germany/Austria in the fist place. They were trophies after all - you’ve just won the war, you want some trinkets from the enemy you’ve just defeated as a reminder of what you’ve done and where you’ve been.

Here’s what wiki says:

“In more recent times, it has been common for soldiers to return home with souvenirs, such as enemy weapons and flags, while larger military items captured in battle, particularly weaponry such as machine guns and artillery pieces, became the property of the state to which the soldiers responsible for the capture belonged.”

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_trophy

Armies are, by and large, made up of young men. They love nicking stuff when no one’s looking. I would have done it at that age probably. In 1945 my grandad was 21 turning 22. The urge to lift these fascinating objects would have been irresistible.

I found another interesting article about it www.bbc.com/news/magazine-20532761.amp

I also remember my grandad had a framed ‘thank you’ letter written in English from a Burgermeister of a town his regiment had liberated in 44 or 45 - I think it was in Belgium or Holland? It was on his desk. I’m so old now I can’t remember, I read it as a kid. I was impressed. Don’t know why he had it, he was the tank driver of his tank, that was his job in his unit, so I’m not sure if he was ever given more of leadership role at any point, but that’s a nice keepsake to have from the war. Nicer than those daggers, just not as valuable or floggable.

Don’t know if my Dad’s dad took anything. He was on HMS Belfast and was a little bit older as he was born during the First World War. Maybe being a more mature he thought he was above all that! Or probably didn’t have the same opportunity being in the navy. I’ll ask.

As to what motivates people to collect them now, not 100% sure but they’re probably not the type of people you’d want to be stuck next to at a dinner party! On the low, they probably revere authoritarian regimes from history and “strong men” I assume. And it is always men that want this stuff isn’t it. Can’t imagine they are many women who go in for collecting it as a hobby.

@peaceandpotato yeah I agree

@BelleMarionette also, I meant to say another motivation for taking trophies is that it’s a big FU to the enemy that have probably killed a lot of your friends in the preceding years. It’s all part of the psychology of war.

I can see why someone originally swiped them from Germany but I disagree with the shop selling them. Should go to a museum or be destroyed.

Many European countries it would be illegal.

I used to go out with a guy whose dad collected war memorabilia, and he had a few Nazi pieces. Nothing that would scream EDL or Neo-Nazi to anyone really. He died suddenly, and the bomb squad was called to his flat as he had hundreds of shells, bombs and guns too (all deactivated obviously, but the person who found him didn't know that).

You cannot make accurate scale models of WW2 aircraft now be because Germany bans the display of the swastika.

There's a market stall in Greenwich that sells nazi memorabilia. It's behind the indoor market across from the church.

Also, I saw some in La Rochelle last summer.

Why? It is posting like historical artifices without identifying with the ideology it represents.

My DGF was a Desert Rat in the North Africa Campaign under Montgomery in WWII. They took all 'souvenirs'.

*They all 'took'

@OldTinHat aw that’s so cool!

Yeah exactly, for heavens sake it’s the least worst crime that can occur during a war right? See what the Red Army did in when they advanced on Berlin, or rather don’t it’s too disturbing….

Is this the shop in the New Forest? Lymington I think.

I'm conflicted about this as in my gut I don't see anything wrong with someone buying a historical artefact. As long as you're not glorifying it for what it stands for. I always find it interesting to see war memorabilia in museums - of all sides - and don't see any difference in someone buying an item of historical interest for themselves.

Displaying it around the house would obviously be distasteful but having it in your possession as an item of historical interest I can't see the harm.

If we destroy history then we can't learn from it.

I'm not that bothered about it. War memorabilia is highly sought after. I doubt many actual Nazis are benefiting financially and modern fascists don't need to display swastikas to show others that they are cunts.

History should not be hidden away.