Hugo Boss? Make That Hugo Fuehrer!

Jesse Walker | January 8, 2008

Another cheery list from the crew at Cracked: five successful companies with Nazi skeletons in their closet. Even if you already know the history, you should appreciate the exposition:

[T]he Beetle is perhaps one of the most misconstrued cars in history. People look at its rounded shape and anthropomorphic face and instantly think of love, peace and smoking massive quantities of pot. But it was really designed as a tool for everyday life in the always-cheerful Third Reich. Give credit to [Ferdinand] Porsche for designing a car so impossibly cute that we forget it was built by diseased slaves in some dark, dank factory in Stuttgart, Germany.

Whole thing here.

Comments

Episiarch|1.8.08 @ 12:45PM|#

So am I supposed to feel guilty now for having a Hugo Boss suit?

highnumber|1.8.08 @ 12:47PM|#

No, just fashionably fascist.

|1.8.08 @ 12:52PM|#

Let's not forget Coco Chanel's bang-bang squirt-squirt with the Nazi officer.

|1.8.08 @ 1:01PM|#

I read that. Cracked can be pretty danged funny. Of course, in this case, the humor is darkened by evil Naziness.

I can't believe anyone would ever consider using the Zyklon trademark post WW-II. That's like naming your child Adolf Hitler.

|1.8.08 @ 1:04PM|#

Given the subject, it's going to be difficult to call a godwin here.

|1.8.08 @ 1:08PM|#

Here's the Straight Dope take.

Shorter version: We don't make your crematoria, we help make your crematoria better.

|1.8.08 @ 1:12PM|#

Give credit to [Ferdinand] Porsche for designing a car so impossibly cute that we forget it was built by diseased slaves in some dark, dank factory in Stuttgart, Germany.

Actually, only a few hundred Nazi-era Volkswagens were built before the program was put on hold in favor of war production.

The Nazi regime built a bunch of amazing freeways that were almost entirely empty until after WWII.

Episiarch|1.8.08 @ 1:22PM|#

The Nazi regime built a bunch of amazing freeways that were almost entirely empty until after WWII.

They weren't intended as freeways, they were intended as "get troops and mechanized infantry anywhere in the country really fucking fast". Taking a page from the Romans on that one.

|1.8.08 @ 1:25PM|#

The Volkwagen chassis was the basis for the Kubelwagen and Schwimmwagen "jeeps" used extensively by the Wehrmacht in WWII.
The Autobahns were meant to be used for the rapid transfer of troops from East to West, but saw the most use by the advancing Allies, who were significantly more motorized (even the Russians, thanks to Lend-Lease) than the Germans.

VM (Nagelbett by Autobahn)|1.8.08 @ 1:25PM|#

Dont be stoopid
Find your fashion
Zat haz been
Hugo's passion!

ja ja!

cruise along
have some fun
in your beetle:
autobahn!

ed|1.8.08 @ 1:31PM|#

Let's dance.

VIKING SCHPROCKET|1.8.08 @ 1:33PM|#

From Ed's keyboard to the TEKNOVIKING'S EAR!

|1.8.08 @ 1:56PM|#

The Volkwagen chassis was the basis for the Kubelwagen and Schwimmwagen "jeeps" used extensively by the Wehrmacht in WWII.

True. I forgot about those. I knew a guy in high school who had a bright yellow Volkswagen Thing. Funny how none of us were jealous of him.

|1.8.08 @ 2:00PM|#

The Autobahns were meant to be used for the rapid transfer of troops from East to West, but saw the most use by the advancing Allies, who were significantly more motorized (even the Russians, thanks to Lend-Lease) than the Germans.

I read about that. Of course, for transporting large numbers of troops to fixed locations on the eve of an offensive, it's easy to see how rail would have been more efficient in any event.

Hitler was so grandiose that I suspect he really believed the whole notion of "Aryans" riding around on superhighways all over occupied Europe in little round cars as the glorious future.

R C Dean|1.8.08 @ 3:28PM|#

No, just fashionably fascist.

Well, I think there's no question the Nazis had the nicest uniforms going.

|1.8.08 @ 4:46PM|#

Porsche also designed tanks - usually big and more insanely complex than those of his competitors; perhaps he was letting off steam after a hard day of cutting corners on the people's car.

Rotter|1.8.08 @ 4:46PM|#

Well, I think there's no question the Nazis had the nicest uniforms going

That sounds familiar

|1.8.08 @ 5:32PM|#

Don'tcha know you can't say Nazi Germany did anything right? That's so anti-Semitic!!! Just saying the word 'Nazi' should make you feel dirty. They had no good engineering, they had no good generals (except the ones who tried to kill Hitler), they had no good architecture, no good parades, nothing. Zero. Nada. *Stares blankly into space*

Hmm|1.8.08 @ 6:36PM|#

Don'tcha know you can't say Nazi Germany did anything right? That's so anti-Semitic!!! Just saying the word 'Nazi' should make you feel dirty. They had no good engineering, they had no good generals (except the ones who tried to kill Hitler), they had no good architecture, no good parades, nothing. Zero. Nada. *Stares blankly into space*

This has to be one the dumbest comments i've ever read on Reason.

Utter|1.8.08 @ 11:52PM|#

Don'tcha know you can't say Nazi Germany did anything right? That's so anti-Semitic!!! Just saying the word 'Nazi' should make you feel dirty. They had no good engineering, they had no good generals (except the ones who tried to kill Hitler), they had no good architecture, no good parades, nothing. Zero. Nada. *Stares blankly into space*


Nothing captures the complexities of the Nazi period like this

|1.9.08 @ 2:13PM|#

"This has to be one the dumbest comments i've(sic) ever read on Reason."

Thank you for your kind words. You knew it was an ironic response to Rotter's link, and to a certain extent, RC Dean's post, right? I hope it sounded dumb, 'cause that's what I was going for. Don'tcha know?

|1.10.08 @ 3:30PM|#

Fütter mein Ego!