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Post by aintthatgarand on Jun 3, 2009 17:13:13 GMT -5
I've searched all over the net for info on this and I've come up empty. Though you all might be able to shed some light on it for me. My Grandfather got it during the war after an unfortunate run in with this German fellow. Sorry about the pic quality. It's a cell phone.  It's a dog with a swastika on the front of the body and a pair of crossed arrows on the back of the body. Any ideas?? |
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kalbs
Master sergeant 
Posts: 1,142
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Post by kalbs on Jun 3, 2009 17:37:53 GMT -5
Swastika is backwards so it's not a Reich issue item. Indians also used this symbol so maybe it's some old craft item
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Post by aintthatgarand on Jun 3, 2009 18:24:54 GMT -5
said he took it off of a German after he dropped him. Maybe Grandpa was pullin' the ole leg....
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Adler69
Master sergeant
Legio Patria Nostra
Posts: 2,859
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Post by Adler69 on Jun 3, 2009 19:20:47 GMT -5
It's Navajo from the 1930's , the crossed arrows and swastika are good luck symbols and it might be a Fred Harvey design.
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Post by aintthatgarand on Jun 3, 2009 19:27:02 GMT -5
My Grandpa shot Fred Harvey??? No, I'm only kidding. Maybe he was tellin' me a tall tale. Who knows...
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Adler69
Master sergeant
Legio Patria Nostra
Posts: 2,859
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Post by Adler69 on Jun 3, 2009 20:46:58 GMT -5
No your grandpa could have taken it off a dead German , the Germans had a thing for Westerns and anything that had to do with indians , for example Luftwaffe fighter pilots when they spotted the US bomber formations would call out "Indians" .
The German your grandpa took that from could have visited a Navajo Res during the '30s and bought the dog as a keep sake .
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Post by 9thsshohenstaufen on Jun 4, 2009 7:47:43 GMT -5
No your grandpa could have taken it off a dead German , the Germans had a thing for Westerns and anything that had to do with indians , for example Luftwaffe fighter pilots when they spotted the US bomber formations would call out "Indians" . The German your grandpa took that from could have visited a Navajo Res during the '30s and bought the dog as a keep sake . I concur. From conversations through the years with German vets, many said growing up they had a "thing" for America's Wild West. Cowboys and Indians, the great frontier, Tom Mix, Roy Rogers, The Lone Ranger, etc. were all things that intrigued them. Pure speculation, but maybe this particular pin was "liberated" twice: once by a German soldier who recognized it for what it was off of an unfortunate US POW or KIA, and once by grampa. Whatever the story, a cool piece and a nice keepsake from a family member. |
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Lev
Private 1st Class
Posts: 454
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Post by Lev on Jun 4, 2009 14:09:42 GMT -5
The German author Karl May pretty much invented the stereotypical view of the American West - hence its deep penetration into the German psyche. To this day Germans have a deep interest in that part of our history.
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Post by aintthatgarand on Jun 5, 2009 20:57:46 GMT -5
Sounds like the old man may have been tellin' the truth! Well, I'll be... Thanks!
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Post by ssgjoe on Jan 27, 2014 23:46:59 GMT -5
Still kinds sad that he needed to be dropped. But that's war. Stuff happens. It was probably necessary. But still...anyway. Yeah. It's a pretty interesting piece.
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2nd Bat
Master sergeant
Posts: 11,813
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Post by 2nd Bat on Jan 30, 2014 14:31:00 GMT -5
The navaho symbol of a reversed swaztika also stood for THE FOUR WINDS and was once a key element in the patch for the US 45th Infantry division when it was still National Guard. With the war looming the patch was changed to an Indian THUNDERBIRD. My father was originally in the 45th and wore both patches The original unit patch is quite rare and highly desireable.
the little pin is a cool keepsake and a great family piece.
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