Question on hosting a WWII game

[supporter]

Hey guys,

I'll be hosting a WWII based game here in December, but I had a weird question first.

Let me start with the background. I'm going a game on the Battle of the Bulge, so its going to be Germany vs. America. I have a three day event planned, and one of them is a CTF type game. The flags act as HQ's. Long story short, you have to capture the enemies HQ to win.

So my question is this: Should I use the Nazi Battle Flag and risk offending people for the sake of reenactment, or should I use a different flag (for example, a red flag with the Iron Cross, or the WWI Battle Flag) in its place so I dont offend the attending members?

Thanks in advance,

Doyle

[Osmo]

You're probably better off going with the iron cross (ala Day of Defeat)...

[UselessFodder]

Do you have a Nazi Battle Flag? If you already own it, then you're already in the sticky situation to begin with...

[hellmutt]

Why? I own 3 Nazi flags. I also own 2 US 48 star WWII period flags and about 12 other flags ranging from the Jolly Roger to a NVA flag from Vietnam war period. The use of the Iron star in video games stems from the laws in Germany, France and other parts of Europe where it is illegal to display Nazi imagery. In order to sell video games to these countries, EA and the like have to use "cleansed" imagery of WWII.

If people are coming to a WWII game and they are offended by Nazi imagery, it might not be the game for them. Revising history to suit the current socially and/or politically correct image of the world is less then ideal. If the idea of the WWII game is merely to trivialize the efforts and sacrifices of all humanity involved in the conflict then why not just base it on a fictional setting? I am against "cleansing" historical based events but at the same time, I do not believe that they should be condoning the acts of the Nazi party.

Truth is, that Germans were humans just like we are. What if we started to censor the unacceptable images that Allies used? Perhaps we should get rid of the ying yang of the 29th infantry division or maybe the 'blood bucket' of the 28th division because it promotes death and violence?

I guess it mostly depends on the people who are going. If you think people will be offended then use the cross I guess. But I would, and do, use WWII German flags for the German players in our games and we use WWII US flags for the US. ..

[Iceman92]

I think you would be better off using the iron cross flag. There's a good chance that most people on the german team might feel ashamed of fighting for a flag that displays something that they are against.

[TORQUER]

snowmans got a point

[Variable]

Theres a big difference between reenacting something and actually believing in it.

Take for example the OSK, not actually commies, but they play commies on the field.

[Pope_Alex_Kaeda_I]

If we let the world forget, then I'll have an easier time....... Uh..... Forget I said that.....

Seriously, if you're offended by a Nazi Flag, then odds are, airsofters, and thie filthy mouths are going to be twice as offensive....

Don't worry about it.

[PanzerFaust]

I've reenacted a SSman with the PNWHG 9th SS, they make it very very clear that there IS NO POLITICAL association in the group. Our unit leader had to foresight to choose an SS division to had no ties to war crimes. With the specific political disassociation in mind we strived to make that 3 days that we were together as realistic and immersive as possible, this included the flags that hung in our company areas.

Now if he's striving for a realistic immersive event and the players attending understand this fact, use the realistic flags. If you're sugar coating history for a noncommittal audience, maybe you'd be better off using a different flag.

Fact is men on both sides of that war were soldiers who fought for their respective countries. I hold no qualms honoring the german soldier for fighting for his.

[~winston~]

dude all these guys are going to do is flame.

serious use it. i mean if its historical. then its what is needed.
if your going to reenact a war suck it up.