Dressing up as Nazis 'offensive'

The actions of a band of historical military enthusiasts in dressing up as the personal Nazi bodyguards of Adolf Hitler have been branded ignorant and offensive by the Returned and Services Association.

The Weekend Herald has obtained photographs of members of the Military Re-enactment Society holding a private dinner at a Cambridge restaurant last month, where swastikas and armbands were on display.

The images show some members dressed in full SS uniform with swastika armbands, Nazi banners hanging on the wall and a framed photo of Adolf Hitler on a laurel-laden mantelpiece.

According to the club's website, the group portrays army units from different countries including the Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, an elite division of the Waffen SS who were Hitler's personal guards.

While dressing as German soldiers to act in World War 2 battles is common in military re-enactment circles, most groups do not wear Nazi regalia.

The Nazi images were described as ill-advised, offensive and ignorant by RSA national president, Robin Klitscher.

While he did not believe the military club were fascists, the group "clearly do not understand what they've done".

"The military re-enactment thing is fine. People might see the SS uniforms as fancy dress costume. But at the time [WW2], it was much more than fancy dress costume," said Mr Klitscher.

"That's the point that these people are missing. And it's unacceptable."

Mr Klitscher compared the images with an earlier incident where Auckland Grammar School students were photographed saluting and bowing to Nazi symbols during a trip to the Auckland War Memorial Museum.

The boys later apologised after national outrage.

"This is in the same category," said Mr Klitscher.

"Clearly, this group hasn't understood the symbolism."

The photographs were taken at a private dinner during the "Armistice in Cambridge" commemoration weekend held in Cambridge, Waikato, last month.

Steve Goodman, of the Military Re-enactment Society, said the photographs of Nazi images had been taken out of context.

He said there were different army units represented at the dinner.

Some were American troops.

Some had been themed as 1940s Germany.

Mr Goodman said he was taking legal action against the person who had been spreading defamatory information about the Military Re-enactment Society.

The chairman of the Jewish Council of New Zealand, also called Stephen Goodman, had seen the photographs and found no evidence of anything "insidious".

"It's more anything that honours the Nazi regime that causes us concern. It's a bit hard to see where to draw that line."

But Mr Goodman said the framed photograph of Hitler on the mantelpiece was disturbing.

Rob Feisst, the organiser of the "Armistice in Cambridge" commemorations held in Memorial Park, Cambridge, said the dinner in issue was outside the official programme and was not held on the park grounds.

He had discussed the images with the RSA and believed the group were not neo-Nazis.

"It's fair to say, though, that the way they dress is totally inappropriate. Very poor taste."

Another group, the WW2 Historical Re-enactment Society, also takes part in the reconstructions of war battles at shows around New Zealand.

On its website, it distinguishes between German soldiers and Nazi political ideology.

"This society does not support the re-enactment of military groups that have a history of ethnic cleansing or war crimes against humanity," its website says.

Secretary Cliff Tuckey said while they dressed as German soldiers, every effort was made to play down the symbol.

"We never want to upset anyone if possible," he said.

"We don't fly swastika flags, we don't wear any insignia that can be seen at a distance."

- Jared Savage