Very odd logo

Who says it's a "Natzi" unit insignia? The Luftwaffe was German. Calling the Luftwaffe "Nazi" would be like calling the USAF "Republican" or "Democrat".

True to a point - but USAF planes do not have Elephants or Donkeys displayed on their tails.

Jack G.

Or the military of the USSR Communist or Red? Nazi was the name of the force that ran the Luftwaffe. If you doubt this, check on the fate of anybody who opposed them.

Don H.

I think that this logo was first used in the 1970's when Squadron was a hobby shop in, I think, Chicago. At that time people were not as concerned with "political correctness" as seems to be the norm today.

I would bet that many modelers, like yourself, associate this logo with Squadron ahead of some Luftwaffe squadron until they see such a picture.

It provides great name recognition for Squadron.

Why is that eagle even a question of being PC? It's not like it is a swastika.

That is like asking why the famous U.S. Naval air unit "The Sundowners" painted a bright red "rising sun" on their tails. In both cases...it is probably because it LOOKS COOL! No more...no less...

:o)

You are quite correct - the Squadron Signal logo IS the same as the Fw

190 squadron eagle, and that's the advertising association - "squadron"

- given that a LOT of modelers (aircraft builders) build luftwaffe aircraft.

I noticed it right off the bat, years ago as a teenager - in fact, at the shop that Squadron used to operate in Illinois at Rt 64 and 83, the sign for the shop was just the eagle with no lettering at all - and I instantly knew what was there when I saw it - it's very easily recognizable to most of the modeling community...and that's the point of advertising. I've certainly never thought it "odd".

...but you might also want to start wondering about the association between the Focke Wulf eagle, and "Squadron Signal" = "SS", now that we've opened the conspiracy theory box...

Chicago and Detroit, as I recall.

Looks to me like the Squadron/Signal logo resembles the old BOAC "Speedbird" as much as it does the decorative panel painted on some Fw 190s.

The decorative panel is just that, a decorative panel. It's not a unit insignia.

Don't look for problems where none are to be found.

Squadron Shop catered mainly to scale aircraft modelers circa 1970, the most popular subjects at the time were WW2 German aircraft, and that unit's logo was eye catching. Nothing sinister. A US Navy Phantom squadron used an elongated version of the same logo on their aircraft in the late 60's (other squadrons dubbed it the "supersonic can opener"). Gerald Owens

Yep, I wouldn't read terribly much into it although there is an undeniable fascination with nazi stuff in modeling circles. It's an over-simplification, though, to consider the nazi party as equivalent a grouping as republicans/democrats or conservative/labor. I won't lecture on the evil of fascism; you've heard it all before.

I'm kind of sensitive about nazi-worship and all that stuff, but the eagle on the squadron/signal logo doesn't bother me at all. In my opinion, I'd say it's not a nazi thing. If their logo was a very angular SS instead, I wouldn't buy from them; I'll say that much!!

--- Tontoni

Funny how people percieve things isn't it. Squadron/Signal's logo always makes me think about the Chrysler building. Come to think of it though wasn't "Signal" the name of the Wehrmacht's photo magazine?

I wonder why it is that some folks feel the urge to dig so deep and try so hard to find and assign some hidden sinister meaning innocent acts, symbols words, etc, where none was ever meant or intended?

I've already made comment about my thoughts on the symbol in a separate post so won't go into that again here. However, Rufus, your comment about the old Squadron Shop in Elmhurst brings back memories. I grew up in Chicago. Throughout the 70s, I would make the trek from the southern suburbs up RT 83 to Elmhurst about every other weekend. I also remember that sign. The shop, if I remember correctly, was in the back row of shops but I could see that sign from the street, even before turning into the parking lot.

I had a lot of good times there looking at the walls of kits, talking to the guys behind the counter, and looking at the built-up models in the display cases. I even had a couple of my models on display there. One weekend, when I was on leave and visiting my mother's house in about 1981/82 or so, I took a drive up there after being gone a couple years. To my dismay, I couldn't see the sign from the street and, when I pulled into the parking lot and up to where the shop was, the horror was realized. There was a Barbizon in the old Squadron storefront. Aarghhh! ;~p

See my earlier post on this issue.

I used to ride my bicycle up the Prairie Path from Wheaton (where I grew up), and then down Rt 83 to get there. On bolder days, I'd ride straight up 64. Every time I'm home and drive past there (on my way to Al's...) I always turn may head and become a bit wistful.

That was a great place...and if you look closely, I think the sign for that Barbizon is still the old Squadron sign housing - same shape, I think. Yup...double aarrrgh!

Ha Ha you watch oprah !

Except in the case of James Frey it's nice to see an opportunistic liar get exposed.

WmB

Ron Smith sweated out:

I think I saw the insignia on a model in Scale Modeler long before I saw any Squadron ads. My thought then was that Squadron got it from the

190. My thought now is that this has as much relevance to the real world as all the fuss over fictionalised memoirs in Oprah's book club.

Bill Banaszak, MFE Sr.