http://www.businessinsider.com/this...largest-collection-of-nazi-memorabilia-2015-6

He can keep it as far as I'm concerned

And why would ANYONE want a replica of the Auschwitz gates ? Let alone the rest of the stuff. Mind you, I do know one or two people who'd like some of the military uniforms!! These are folk I prefer to keep well at arms length. Give me a lock of Napoleon's hair, any day.

Tom,. This guy scares the ''Hell out of me'. Why collect this amount of stuff ???

However, such persons are thankfully in short supply! Call him a, ''limited edition', of a certain 'Cereal'.

!


Mark.

Makes me think what could have been done with that amount of money spent - sad story. Nevertheless 200 years ago people would have wondered why a lock of Napoleon`s hair (at that time referred to as "the beast" and else) would be something to collect.
I remember reenactors at Folkestone desperately trying to bark German commands and replicate SS troops very much to the bewilderment of elderly locals. In Germany you have reenactors trying to replicate US troops and their equipment with the same enthusiasm ... I guess the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

Japanese Waffen SS:

Interesting article, with typical media spin.

I've never been a fan of private collections that are unavailable for study by historians or by the public, so am glad to hear Kevin is leaning towards opening up his collection. He must be fully aware of the fate of the Jaques Littlefield collection in America, which upon the collectors death was disbursed into a multitude of small collections. The same happened with the 'Victory Museum' which held some sole existing examples of vehicles from the second world war.

It is important that relics survive, what is distasteful is that they are 'hawked' to the highest bidder at auction rather than that they are held in a (public) national institution. No one has an issue that the Imperial War Museum holds the death mask of Heinrich Himmler and an eagle from the Reichstag. I remember being extremely cross when a Roman cavalry helmet was found in Cumbria a year or two ago (as discussed on this forum) and rather than passed to a national institution was sold to the highest (private) bidder.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ear...alry-helmet-makes-2.2-million-at-auction.html

Can I go and study it? No.

We are a strange bunch that build military models, we must be careful as the media would not judge us modellers in a good light either. I've seen them do it to re-enactors, historians and all sorts.

Cheers,
Jon.

Good point - putting larger sums into the preservation of single pieces like the S-Boat or a Panzer IV as historical artefacts is surely not for everybodies taste but makes in a way sense and it`s typical for the media to tag all of these pieces as "nazi memorabilia". I just wonder looking at the row of Hitler busts for example what would be the public reaction at a model show if you would put that many miniatures of the Fuehrer on display and if media wouldn`t question it for reason.
Cheers, Martin

Yes, good points well made, Jon........one wonders if our forefathers would have felt au fait with the preservation of Viking longships I suppose it's our ability to appreciate the skills, artistry and design in historical artifacts, without glorification, that places us apart from that mega-collector. It would certainly be to historians' advantage to be able to study his collection.
When these articles arise, it very often opens a can of worms that many would rather keep closed.

Cheers,
Alan

I suppose at the end of the day people can collect what they want so long as they harm no one. However, I have a technical conflict when parts of the article talk about accuracy in films then to describe

"Kettenkrads, which are half-motorbike, half-tank"

Half tank? I don't think so.... Just made me wonder.

An interesting observation! I was wondering if the 'Kettenkrads', are half bike and half an half track! ?? or a full half track with one wheel, which is a double negative!

Mark

They were awfully slow, as I understand it. Did I read they were developed for splashing around in the Russian mud? Helluva weight to power ratio for a poor old 750cc

Alan

Made good tractors for moving fighters about on airfields.

Japanese dressed as SS giving the Nazi salute? As Richard Littlejohn might write "you couldn't make it up". As for the collection, a place in a museum is probably best for such 'memorabilia'.

Mike