[Donger]

Originally Posted by Amnorix

Yeah, I never gave much thought to it -- it's just sort of embedded knowledge for me that I never look at to analyze, but in retrospect, it does seem a bit wild. You should note, however, that use of morbid symbols is hardly rare or unusual for military or paramilitary uniforms in history, though you certainly see less of it now (perhaps because of the assocation with Nazi Germany, because the Death Head was a very prominent feature of the SS).

Looking up the picture reminded me that the phrase Death Head, Totenkopf in German, also gave rise to the name for one of the "named" SS divisions, along with such other notables as the Adolf Hitler division. Totenkopf served with distinction mostly along the Eastern Front.

The Hermann Goring Division, reknowned in its own right, was an elite Luftwaffe division, and not an SS division. The fact taht the Air Force had its own elite "army-type" division just goes to show how dysfunctional the German military machine was in many respects.

Use of the Totenkopf didn't begin with the NAZIs, however. It was used by certain Prussian dorks as well long before the NAZIs. I'll try to find a picture.