Re: Markings on German planes

"Richard Fangnail" <richardfangnail@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1189271915.210104.67110@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Why did German WWII planes have a big Iron Cross and a small swastika
on the tail?
Perhaps it was for consistency with WWI planes?

Partly yes, because WW1 was the period when national
identifiers for aircraft were invented. The point is that the
Maltese Cross was before WW1 the national identifier
(national, not imperial: the Hohenzollerns had their own
heraldic badge, the double-headed black eagle) and thus
painted onto German and Austrian war aircraft. (Both
Britain and France used Red/White/Blue roundels since
both countries shared these particular colours in their
flags and both fought on the same side in WW1.)

What changed before WW2 was that the Nazi government
proclaimed the Third Reich a unique one-party state.
Thus the party symbol and colours (black swastika and
Red/White) became the national symbol and colours.
The Nazi symbol was thus added to the tails of
military aircraft, while the wings retained the black
crosses used since WW1 (but stylistically redesigned,
a straight-sided black cross highlighted by white
edges, rather than a simple black Maltese cross. The
Nazis had a distinct artistic vision and sought to
establish that everywhere, cf. state exhibitions of
approved art and architecture.)
--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

.

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