"Nice Uniform at the FoW 2014 ETC" Topic

…Not.

Oh dear…

Hmmmm…depending on what country this photo was taken in…this is borderline acceptable…at least there is no overt display of swastikas…still, I wouldn't wear this.

!

Are those Hitlerjugend 2nd pattern Pyjama's?

Why is he measuring himself in a public space?

I wonder if this did not create problems at the con. How many groups of people would want to talk to him about his choice of uniforms?

I will never understand how some people think.

I wear hats for different periods, but a uniform that is so close to the mark?

I'm guessing he didn't bring a Russian army to the game.

Apparently the organisers have taken the pic down now and are having words about his attire…

JARROVIAN: As a matter of fact they are. You can find a picture of them in the Osprey book, "Sleepwear of the Waffen SS (Vol. 1): The Early Nights!

What a truly towering thundertwunt.

Are they the footie pajamas?

Apparently the organisers have taken the pic down now and are having words about his attire…

Glad to hear that some common sense was applied here after the fact. Too bad they were not able to realize the obvious issues here before posting photos.

He looks about 12, and should have the 'Cuddly Rheichsmarshall' toy tucked under his arm and a copy of 'Der Beano' in his back pocket.

Isn't he a bit short for a Stormtrooper?

People run around in Confederate caps, too.

In Battlefront's How to play FoW video series they were dressed in German uniforms (although not SS). So this kid likely learned the negative behavior strait from the horse's mouth so to speak.

I take donlowry's point about Confederate caps on board (along with any others that might be made about Romans, Huns etc) but I still think that I'd refuse to play a game with this person (tournament or not) until he took his mock-uniform off.

The difference is a gut one, I admit, but it's to do with whether the amy/race/faction is being venerated or not.

A Confederate cap is a bit of fun, a full-on mock SS uniform is not. A German Wehrmacht helmet would be okay to me, even a full Wehrmacht uniform, but not an SS uniform.

I'd probably grumble about, but accept, an SS cap or helmet, provided it was on the table not on the head…oh I don't know…it would depend on the demeanour of the chap with it. It's a gut feel thing!

What a truly towering thundertwunt.

There's an instant classic!

JARROVIAN, you came *this* close to making me spray tea on my monitor!

He should feel fortunate he's not nursing a black eye.

I'm sorry but as inappropriate as this herrenfolk is some of the comments have made me seriously laugh out loud

"I'm guessing he didn't bring a Russian army to the game"

"Footie PJs"

"Measuring himself"…

And Jeff Ewing was the only one nearly wetting himself …

People run around in Confederate caps, too.

And your point being? Does it get under your skin?

FWIW, I wore mine when I went to Little Wars. It's kind of my way of letting people know who I am…."Look for the guy in the gray kepi…that's Murphy", If they want to meet up or something….

Plus being a reenactor, I kind of advertise my unit.

What gets me are the cheap imitation leather ones with the CSA flag sticker AND the modern day infantry crossed rifles on it…gaaah!

I mean..if you are going to be a farb…at least be a historically accurate farb!!!!

LOL… you said farb…. farbie…. man, I haven't heard that since I stopped CW re-enacting! Priceless…

Anyway… before this thread gets pulled I'll comment.. probably shouldn't… it is a horse a piece… just as much as flying a confederate flag in the south or (shudder) in the north is insulting and still rebellious to some… that is EXACTLY the same as wearing the SS uniform… they are one in the same, you can argue all you want…. perception, perception… who killed whom, how they killed, what they did…. that is like drawing a line in the sand and saying… Ok… stealing $5 USD is ok, but anything over $5 USD is just unacceptable…. who makes the descision on what is accptable and what is not?

It is what it is. And I am guessing (praying) that the uniform was meant more as a prop and not a tribute to the SS…. and even if it is… it is a majority rule perspective anyway.

You cannot be a wargamer and let stuff like this get under your skin… right or wrong…

A hat, I think, is fine. It can easily be taken off when you are no longer at the gaming table. It can even add a bit of colour to the proceedings.

A uniform or pseudo-uniform doesn't seen appropriate and I think many conventions have rules against them. This isn't re-enacting where you are toting your gun or whatever around a field with other similarly dressed individuals. This is gaming on a table.

I would not game with someone is such a uniform. I game for fun and I suspect that someone who games like that is taking the whole thing far too seriously.

Wargamers don't need to wear uniforms to take our hobby too seriously.

Are WWII German options the only ones that excite people? Are they the only force of historic evil?

Nazi's apparently are sexy, if the local book stores WW2 selections are anything to judge by.
It's not uncommon to see people kitted out at conventions and I'd wager that its 60% nazi uniforms, 40% everyone else.

A cap or helmet actually seems kind of neat as a flavour piece. Maybe an old medal or some such.

A guy dressed in a full uniform? Might be a er who is taking things too seriously, might just be a dude who figured it would be a conversation piece, might be a crypto-fascist breathlessly talking about "defending the Vaterland" of suburban New Jersey.
Of course, some just follow the old punk tradition of doing things to others off.

The gut reaction of people is going to be that they have some level of sympathy for the uniform they are wearing.
I have both red army and US army trench coats that I wear on occasion, and I'd be an idiot if I didn't assume that people draw conclusions about me based on that.

I did wear a plastic W.W. I "Doughboy" helmet to the Historicon "All Quiet On The Martian Front" game.

Same type of helmet worn by Marines later in Central America, so is that offensive?

And do you really think that flying a Confederate flag is the same as wearing a SS (Allgemeine SS if you want to get really into it) type uniform?

The stealing $5 USD thing, well, there is an old saying from the Depression era, "Steal $5 USD they put you in jail, steal $5 USD million, they make you an ambassador". It was in reference to Joe Kennedy, Sr. being made ambassador to the United Kingdom in 1938.

In Denmark, wearing SS stuff would get you in trouble with the locals but confederate stuff has no real meaning.

To a black family, the confederate stuff may have very different meaning and to someone in Korea, neither would have any cultural relevance whatsoever.

These things never exist outside of context.

The Doughboy helmet is associated with the early 20th century. US imperialism at that time is not etched into public consciousness and has virtually no defenders today, making it largely a non issue.

The confederate flag has strong, emotional associations for a lot of people. Slavery. States rights. Independence. Treason. Racism. The right to forge your own path. Ancestry.
It means a lot of things to a lot of different people.
Someone flying a confederate flag hopefully understands this and appreciates what it means.

SS stuff is easier because there is absolutely no mistaking what it stands for in the public mind and anyone deliberately wearing that gear understands this as well.
Again, that doesn't mean the dude in the picture is a nazi but he can't be unaware of the association that the uniform brings.

The only confederate flag that counts is the white flag.

(From New England, myself).

There's plenty of valid historical baggage that comes with the reb flag, but anyone making a connection between the CSA and the Nazis should have been at Agincourt, because they're really good at drawing a long bow.

But yeah, w t f went through this idiots mind??? And wasn't this held in Serbia this year? Imagine what the locals would have thought!

I say if he wants to look like a tw**, let him! Beat him up in the parking lot and steal his lunch money.;-)

Looks like the blackshirts from the Pink Floyd movie The Wall.

And do you really think that flying a Confederate flag is the same as wearing a SS (Allgemeine SS if you want to get really into it) type uniform?

To someone that's had family members lynched or burned alive by a bunch of guys wearing bedsheets and carrying a stars and bars flag? You'd damn well better believe they see the stars and bars like a swastika.

And I would have asked this brain donor to remove the 'uniform' or else remove himself from the tournament.

Would we be having this conversation if he was wearing an 'Ivan's' uniform, a Soviet soldier from WW2 or may be NKVD? Both of which were responsible for the rape, torture and murder of millions of people?

May be not…..but why?

@Frostie

I don't think most people (or wargamers at least) would care if he was merely wearing a German uniform, it is wearing a SS uniform that makes him a grade A idiot.

The SS were volunteers, committed to the politics of the Nazi party, and almost all war criminals.

Something like the NKVD is in just as bad taste.

Out of curiousity, is it actually supposed to be a genuine uniform, maybe from one of the minor axis allies?

No it is a poorly done Allgemeine SS uniform with the Swastikas left off.

Not even Waffen-SS which, while still distasteful, would at least be directly representative of a FoW army.

This guy either lost a bet or is a Nazi fanboy.

Its a crap uniform with the rank patch on the collar in reverse colours to what they should be. SS should also not be on the arms as shown and the black and white bands around the lower arm would have some unit marking or saying listed.

To me it is like a bad Halloween costume done and worn in really bad taste. Id be really worried if he also had his head shaved.

My advice to him would be get rid of the bad inaccurate uniform and if you want to dress the role go with a german Panzer uniform without the SS crap.

People run around in Confederate caps, too.

And your point being? Does it get under your skin?

Mine? no. But it might some people's. The Confederacy was, when you get right down to it, a despicable idea. That wouldn't keep me from playing the CSA side, though, as someone has to play the bad guys.

Is this any worse than playing with a FoW SS army?

Or standing as a BNP candidate?

I have a 12SS army, doen't mean I'm a Nazi!!!! I have them as opponents to my Canadians.

'Or standing as a BNP candidate?'

'I have a 12SS army, doen't mean I'm a Nazi!!!! I have them as opponents to my Canadians.'

I stood as a BNP candidate, doesn't mean I'm a Nazi!

"I stood as a BNP candidate, doesn't mean I'm a Nazi!"

Well they do say there's no such thing as bad publicity…

According to another forum the guy was presuaded by his comrades to learn to play FoW and play in the ETC so that they had enough players to form a team.
His demands was that he was allowed to play a nazi zombie army dressed as one (on the picture he has removed his zombie costume prosthetics) and that he could ha a smoke generator under the table. The organisers didn't allow him to fill up the venue with smoke though.

Is this any worse than playing with a FoW SS army?

Depends. I have a Flames of War army built around Eureka's Scifi German stormtroopers, and I was running them as SS for the fearless veteran status.

And it's a little tough to play a WW2 game if nobody is willing to play Japanese, Germans, Italians, or Russians. Somebody has to play the bad guys!

While I would dress up in the Kerberos capital police armor ( link ) or any other combat uniform, I'm not about to wear a concentration camp guard uniform to a tabletop game. That's just asking to get your ass beat to within an inch of your life!

To someone that's had family members lynched or burned alive by a bunch of guys wearing bedsheets and carrying a stars and bars flag? You'd damn well better believe they see the stars and bars like a swastika.
And I would have asked this brain donor to remove the 'uniform' or else remove himself from the tournament.

Amen, Lion, amen.

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

Having just spoken to someone who was ther he thought the guy was an ex 40K player (there was a huge 40K event at the same tournament) and that this was some sort of 40K Commissar uniform rather than an SS uniform.

However looking at the picture again there is an SS badge on his sleeve so maybe it was his attempt at an SS uniform.

I try to be sensitive to the non-gaming public when carting my gear out in public. My landlords are Israeli children of Holocaust survivors and the NYC subway system is a varied mix of ethncities, religions and national origins, so I always pull any German insignia off my FOW carry bags when out in the real world. Velcro patches make this easy and convenient.

On the flipside, I've gotten into some good, random conversations with people on the subway who are peering over my shoulder while leafing through wargaming rulesbooks and magazines. A little calm, historical discussion is always one of those magical bridges between the hobby and non-players.