The Wal-Mart Waffen SS

[Saulbadguy]

Pretty funny stuff

http://www.consumerist.com/consumer/3rd-ss-division-totenkopf/

25 weeks after Walmart agreed to remove shirts bearing Nazi iconography from its shelves, and 16 weeks after getting a letter from Congress demanding the shirts removal, they're still there.

[Donger]

Pretty funny stuff

http://www.consumerist.com/consumer/3rd-ss-division-totenkopf/

Meh. I could just as easily call that a skull & crossbones shirt.

[Saulbadguy]

Meh. I could just as easily call that a skull & crossbones shirt.
Yeah, it looks similar, but not exactly the same.

[Brock]

Cool looking shirt.

[listopencil]

I wouldn't be able to tell that it had any Nazi connection if I saw that shirt in a store.

[listopencil]

SS Division Totenkopf ("Death's Head" or "Skull") is also known as 3. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Totenkopf and 3. SS-Panzer-Division Totenkopf. It was one of the 38 divisions fielded by the Waffen-SS during World War II. Prior to achieving division status, the formation was known as Kampfgruppe Eicke. The division is infamous due to its insignia and the fact that most of the initial enlisted men were SS-Totenkopfverbände (SS concentration camp guards).

[Bugeater]

I wouldn't be able to tell that it had any Nazi connection if I saw that shirt in a store.
Neither would I.

[Donger]

SS Division Totenkopf ("Death's Head" or "Skull") is also known as 3. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Totenkopf and 3. SS-Panzer-Division Totenkopf. It was one of the 38 divisions fielded by the Waffen-SS during World War II. Prior to achieving division status, the formation was known as Kampfgruppe Eicke. The division is infamous due to its insignia and the fact that most of the initial enlisted men were SS-Totenkopfverbände (SS concentration camp guards).

The Death's Head was used by the Prussians long before the Schutzstaffel picked it up.

[Donger]

I wouldn't be able to tell that it had any Nazi connection if I saw that shirt in a store.

I will say that compared to a normal skull and crossbones, it is more similar to the Totenkopf used by the SS. The SS, like this shirt, had the skull "sitting" on the crossbones.

[listopencil]

I will say that compared to a normal skull and crossbones, it is more similar to the Totenkopf used by the SS. The SS, like this shirt, had the skull "sitting" on the crossbones.


Yeah, it doesn't look like a "normal" skull and crossbones that I've seen on a lot of merchandise. I could see a Raider fan picking one up and thinking it was a cooler, more modern version though.

[listopencil]

I forgot to put a link for that paragraph I posted earlier:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Division_Totenkopf


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/65/SS_Division_Totenkopf.png

[RJ]

I wouldn't be able to tell that it had any Nazi connection if I saw that shirt in a store.



In fairness, I would suppose that people who do recognize it (not me or you) are the ones who are offended.

[Uncle_Ted]

Beating a dead horse, but oh my freaking God that's terrible. I will admit that the overwhelming majority wouldn't have a clue about the association of this Death's Head symbol with the SS ... but that said, Walmart has ZERO excuse for not removing every single last one of these from the shelves ASAP once it was pointed out to the appropriate people.

[Fishpicker]

whats the date on the Tshirt? it looks like it says "since 1978". is there anysignificance to that?

this thread reminded me of this comedy routine

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OpZ8EkK3eWY"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OpZ8EkK3eWY" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>

Are we the bad guys?