In WWII, the German Waffen SS Division “Totenkopf” ("Death’s Head) used this insignia. It was considered a very elite unit.
Do any armies today use it? It looks pretty cool to me.
MANY MANY in use today
eg british submarines
eg Estonians in Iraq.
I could just copy and paste the wikipedia entry
Like many traditions, the republican army — not just that unit, but Panzer troops and others — aped aspects of the previous monarchical armies, and this was first used by the Royal Prussian 5th Hussars in the 18th century. Although no doubt used by previous irregulars such as Landsknechts I would privately imagine.
Never cared for skulls myself.
The use of the skull and crossbones in any patch or pin is forbidden in the Israeli military, for obvious reasons.
I must admit surprise to hear that as the Deaths Head is something employed by Nazis, but not something that only the Nazis used and indeed it’s still used today. In fact I would wager that most people would think “pirates” when confronted with the Totenkopf rather than Nazis.
The US Navy has long maintained a carrier aircraft unit that uses a skull.
US Navy Strike Squadron 103 (VFA-103)
One of their F18 Super Hornets.
So if they give out awards for most badass looking aircraft, I’m pretty sure they would be nominated.
Am I the only person bothered by the very poor quality of the skull depictions in many of those? Some of them are downright goofy.
While we’re on the subject, do any actual pirates still use the Jolly Roger?
Not that many pirates ever did, outside the West Indies in the early 18th century, presuming the ‘Jolly Roger’ means a Skull and Crossbones — which it doesn’t actually, the ‘Old Roger’ aka the ‘Jolly Roger’ was a skeleton on a black field holding an hourglass. Most pirates in the days of sail would hoist either a plain black or a plain red flag.
Each of which had an ascribed meaning in the dim mind of each pirate that didn’t necessarily coincide with what another pirate thought they meant.
Not if you’d lived in an SS run death camp. I think the ban would reflect the idea that the totenkoph was specifically a symbol of the SS, and the SS had a “special” relationship with Jewish civilians that went beyond that of the regular Nazi command.
In Brazil, the military police special forces BOPE use a variant of the skull and crossbones. I guess you’d call it a skull and cross pistols.
I don’t think people appreciate how Israelis see the Third Reich. The Arabs may ne our enemies, but the Nazis are our nemesis.
Interesting. Unlike armed forces, police (even military police) aren’t supposed to have killing enemies as part of their mission.
Slight highjack, but is flying the Skull and Crossbones illegal? My uncle sailed on a University of Hawaii expedition into some of the southern Pacific (no idea where exactly) and, for part of the time, they flew the “Brave Black Flag” – until someone told them it was illegal and they could be fined…or worse. Any validity?
(Here in San Diego harbor, people occasionally have one flying above their leisure boats, but I kinda doubt that anybody cares.)
No. It was the first thing I thought of looking at that page. It kind of ruins the effect of trying to look scary.
To my mind, the First Reconnaissance Battalion should not have included the motto with the emblem.
I think the quality is so low because most of them are embroidered, not drawn.
The little-known tradition of a submarine flying a Jolly Roger to indicate successful enemy engagement was started in 1914 by Admiral Sir Max Horton after his E Class submarine HMS E9 sank a German cruiser and a destroyer.
It was a cheeky response to a comment made in 1901 by Admiral of the Fleet Sir Arthur Wilson.
He summed up the belief of many in the Admiralty at the time when he declared submarines ‘underhand, unfair and damned un-English’ adding that they should be treated as pirates in wartime, and their crews hanged.
During the Second World War, as they demonstrated their worth to Britain’s sea defences, it became common for submarines to follow Horton’s lead, and the tradition has continued.
HMS Conqueror, the submarine that sank the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano, flew the Jolly Roger when she returned from the Falklands War, and the flag was used in 1991 by HMS Opossum and HMS Otus when they returned from patrols in the Persian Gulf, the only indication that they had perhaps been involved in SAS and SBS reconnaissance operations there.