there seems to be a lot more interest in Nazi Germany than in Imperial Japan, or Soviet Russia, or other players in the war that have since disappeared.
That's because it looks "cooler". Leaving out the political ideals of the Nazis, and the historical evils they perpetrated, their stuff looks cool. At least it does to a lot of people. Eagles and lightning bolts, black uniforms, etc....
There are a lot of people who don't understand, or don't care about the real evil the Nazis were, and what they did. All they see is neat looking militaria. And as the people with direct first hand experience of the Nazis pass on, it becomes harder and harder for younger people to fully understand what was really behind all that symbolic militaria.
My own fascination, and later education began when I was a pre-teen, building models. German aircraft and armor from WWII are neat looking. Colorful, even, when compared to most other nation's equipment. And they used a huge variety of stuff, rather than just a handful of models, so the attraction is also variety. Building the tanks, planes, ships, etc., led me to to learn the history.
I learned to speak, read, and write German, I lived for a year and a half in Germany. And yes, I have read
Mein Kampf. No, I do NOT subscribe to the Nazi political creed. Not one tiny freakin' bit! And I think people who do are at best, idiots, and at worst dangerous.
Perhaps I am a rare individual, someone who can completely separate my fascination with history and the guns, tanks, planes, uniforms, etc., from who they were, and what they did and believed in. It appears that many, if not most people cannot do that. And that's fine with me. As long as they don't try to ban the history, as represented in the artifacts. Because when they do, we forget. And we must
NEVER forget what happened, and why.
Yes, original Nazi memorabilia is showing up a bit more than it used to, because the generation that took those items as prizes are passing. All the WWII stuff is coming out of the closets and displays of the previous owners, as their heirs get rid of "useless" relics for useful cash. And reproductions are selling too, for those who want items without wanting to pay the price of a collectible original. I'm glad for some of it, because while I did pay market price for my Luger and P-38, I am fine with a repro holster for a lot less than an original.
My model building led me to an interest in all WWII equipment, and the history of the era. I am a bit of a WWII buff, and have collected a lot of books and models, and firearms, from all sides. I don't go for medals and flags, not my thing (although I am planning to get some repro flags for display) I have German guns, Russian guns, English guns, Japanese guns, and US guns. I suppose to round things out I should also get some Italian and French ones
barf
, and maybe someday I will, but that's low on my list.
I agree with Mike about some of the dealers in Nazi items. The items don't bother me at all, but some of the dealers, and a few of the customers worry me more than a bit. Nazi Pig Man really should be driving a kubelwagen (the "thing") or a beetle. A Rabbit is just....wrong.
We have talked about this kind of thing before, how the items and symbols of historical evil affect people, and the ways they react to them. Some folks go way overboard, in both directions.
I got a Feldmutze forage cap one time (it happened to be Swiss, but looked like the German one, minus the eagle and swastika) and had one of the guys I worked with tell me how he used to shoot people who wore hats like that.
I once swore never to own an AK, because it was my enemy's rifle. (I also swore never to own an AR, but for a much different reason
) Today I have matured a bit, and have owned both, although currently I have neither.
As long as you can make the distinction between the historical artifacts (and their reproductions) of evil and the philosophy of their originators, all is well. IF you cannot, or will not, that's a problem. For all of us.
