Reply To: Bolt Action Desert War Bootcamp

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Wow, thanks very much @warzan  @leifer1971 , and @suetoniuspaullinus – yeah, that photo is from another of our old article series, on Force-on-Force, 20mm moderns.

And I agree with @suetoniuspaullinus , @damon , and others regarding the insignia issue.  Yes, everything should be in context and history is king.  But at the same time, is it really necessary?  The swastika in the DAK insignia, yes … that was there on every vehicle, but almost always so small it would be barely visible on a tabletop.  And the swastikas on the tails of fighters @commodorerob mentions – put them on there, it’s history and they were there.  I mean, anyone who’s <i>really</i> uncomfortable with that is probably not comfortable with games that include the Luftwaffe “killing people” anyway.

The aerial recognition flag on the truck (which @suetoniuspaullinus is making detachable) maybe less so.  Wasn’t an integral part of the truck / unit so isn’t “historically necessary.”  Also, fixing that thing permanently to the truck limits it to perhaps six months of campaigning if you’re being a historical purist.  I don’t have hard data, but I would HAVE to assume that this practice was stopped by the time of Crusader in late 1941, due to a growing and improving British presence in the air.

But besides all that – the “context” that’s perhaps a little more relevant isn’t Operation Skorpion or Brevity or Battleaxe or Crusader or Lightfoot or Supercharge … it’s a Boot Camp with people having fun.  😀  So I support @@suetoniuspaullinus in making the flag detachable, I feel its the right cause.  That red really does pop from a strictly aesthetic point,  I have no problem with it and think the colors (if nothing else) make the miniature even more amazing.  But if people are even slightly put off, ehh … just take it off.

Ran across a small version of a similar situation at the FoW 4.0 boot camp.  I had an original recording of the DAK march playing on my iPhone – Panzer Rollen in Afrika Vor.  Of course it fit the theme, was historically accurate, and had no politics in it (even if you knew the German), but technically it is Nazi Party approved state music, so after one or two nervous glances from people I switched it off.  No worries. 😀