Kudane- you have "nailed this HG" shotgun myth" right dead in its tracks--I am 100% certain you are right about the Goering Crest that Hermann designed, and in spite of his huge ego, he was smart enough to know there were thousands of German males with the initials H.G. living during his involvement with the Third Reich. I did not know that he was that much involved with the actions of both the SA and later the SS, I knew he was close friends with Willie Messerschmidt, and was involved with Franco during the Spanish Civil War, where the fledgling Luftwaffe pilots became very proficient with the Stuka dive bombers--
The Germans have always prized the traditions of the Knights, and a lot of Richard Wagner's works evolved around the theme of Knighthood- so it no surprise to see the raised arm holding the ring (ring of the Valkeries?) also encased in a Knight's armor--
But as you detailed old "Fat Boy Hermann's" WW1 nickname, given perhaps by brother pilots in his Jagstaffel-- The iron One-makes me wonder what nicknames Udet, Immelmann and Von Richtofen had back then. In American history, only two famous men that I know of were given nicknames with the Iron theme- Lou Gehrig the famed NY Yankee first baseman was called "The Iron Man" as we all know-possibly less known but true is the nickname his troops gave Gen. Custer-he was known as "Old Iron Ass" because he could stay in the saddle longer than any other man, officer or not, in his command-at least until Little Big Horn--PS- my "bad" How could I be forgetting Baron Manfred Von R's moniker- The Red Baron- from his all red Fokker triplane- possibly his brother "Fliegers um Jagstaffel" had another name for him as well. Being a Baro and with a Von prefex suggests he already had a coat of arms family crest- interesting that Goering developed his later!
Last edited by Run With The Fox; 01/11/11 09:18 AM.
