BOC: Swastikas and Me.262s!

[Andy Gilham]

Theo said:

>How about the amazing 'Das Boot?'

I *knew* someone would say that, just as soon as I posted... :)

>I'm not sure who the enemy is in this one. UK?

Well, it is "English bombers"...

>Agree up to a point, but the inclusion of the marching feet and
>cheering crowds tends to celebrate militarism a bit too much for most
>listeners.  But, of course, the fliers in those 'fortresses' are
>waging war upon Germany just the same, and bombing civilians as well
>as munitions plants.  So, plenty of killing to go around.

Yeah, I guess that's part of it - it makes you look at the motivations of
Capt von Ondine, who is, after all, defending his country against a campaign
of terror bombing (which included the Dresden fire bombing).  But I think
it's a bit more personal than that, and it also occurs to me that he might be
regarded as a cousin of that biker in GAoL, the one who would "go down
valiantly".

>> The symbol, too, is meant to be subversive - I always felt it was
>Ironic that the hooked cross be displayed on an ME262, given that the
>hook could be taken as similar to the sickle, an element of Soviet
>symbolism.

Well, this is what I mean about the symbol being reminiscent of all sorts of
stuff!  (So they're *commies* now? :))

- Andy