[WWI] A new one from Ami Hassinen

[Mikko Saarela]

Thanks Jan!

I knew you'll know this, so I did not throw in any guesses about the mystery 
of asymmetric white backgrounds! Actually your explanation rings a bell. 
I've read it from somewhere but could not recal it...

Mikko
>
>> Enquiring minds want to know, why is the white background to the swastika 
>> straight edged under the port wing, and curved under the starboard? Does 
>> this save the pilot from wearing red and green socks?   :)
>
> I'm afraid there is a more mundane explanation. ;-) The white paint was 
> used to overpaint the Thulin Flying School logos on the undersides of the 
> wings. Which obviously was asymmetrical. So originally it was not meant to 
> be part of the marking. Only the blue swastika, good luck charm of count 
> von Rosen, the donator of the aircraft, was meant be any kind of insignia. 
> The white background was ordered later on to the swastika.
>
> And no, the swastika does not refer to anything nazi-related. There was 
> quite a heated public discussion in Finland about the possible nazi 
> connections of the insignia, not long ago when there was this scandal in 
> England of one of the princes wearing a nazi uniform in a masqurade with 
> swastikas etc. parafernalia. The Finnish Jewish community took the trouble 
> of declaring that they have no problems with the Finnish Air Force 
> swastika insignia being publicly shown, since they are well aware of it's 
> history going back to the times before the beginings of the nazism.
>
> Jan
>
>
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