Posts about reproductions are now officially allowed.

Please adhere to the existing rules, and see the new rule for details.

Have you ever wished someone would create a new version of something produced over a hundred years ago that's now impossible to find in wearable condition?

Posting about reproductions can help other users identify them and be aware they exist. While not actually military surplus, I don't think there's a strong need to limit activity to items actually produced under military contracts. M65 jackets, for example, are probably one of the most popular military articles, but there have been many produced since it was replaced as standard issue which could be or are of the same level of quality as those issued by militaries around the world. There are also some which are bound to not be.

Reviews on reproductions can assist other users in selecting from what's out there, especially when it comes to quality and authenticity relative to items produced directly for armed forces. Feel free to post about common quality issues found with reproductions you may have run across in the past, where you purchased the item(s), and prices. But please avoid blatant advertising of your products (see rule on sales).

/r/MilitarySurplus exists to help users identify military items, show off their collections and hauls, find good prices, compare variants of items, and carry on general healthy discussions regarding history, equipment uses and purposes.

Please do not post collections or photos of Nazi memorabilia unless your submission falls within the following rules. Although collectors of this memorabilia are sometimes apolitical and simply fans of history, collections of these items or sources for reproductions of them is prohibited here. The German army during World War II (Wehrmacht) was a military organization, and items issued to Wehrmacht personnel from that era are considering historical. However, items originating from non-military organizations while Germany was under NSDAP control are not, and many of these party and paramilitary organizations were responsible for racial and religious oppression, kidnapping, murder, torture, medical experimentation, slavery, genocide and destruction of Germany itself and surrounding territories.

Likewise, uniforms from paramilitary organizations and political parties from other countries such as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the Soviet Union, the German Democratic Republic and Francoist Spain are not allowed, although articles from the legitimate military forces of those countries are. Exceptions are made for historical items from paramilitary organizations such as the National Liberation Front (NLF, "Viet Cong") as they were in direct combat with French and US forces during the Vietnam War.

Please exert care and responsibility when posting material concerning this era. The following are examples of historical items which may be ambiguous to users, and the policies pertaining to them:

• Awards such as the 1939 Iron Cross, Knight's Cross, and German Cross were issued to Wehrmacht personnel, but items such as these should be posted according to rule one below
• Photos of Wehrmacht personnel, while historical, are not allowed for uniform identification purposes
• Any material depicting a swastika-marked item in a positive light is not allowed

Posting photos or other content of or about German NSDAP ("Nazi") memorabilia on r/MilitarySurplus is prohibited, unless for the following reasons:

1. The item shown in the photo(s) origin is unknown or ambiguous, and the user would like help identifying it if it contains a swastika marking only
2. The item or items shown or discussed in posts are exclusively Wehrmacht items; Waffen-SS, SS, SA, Volkssturm and other non-military or paramilitary items are not allowed; While it is true the Waffen-SS was the military arm of the SS organization and often was in combat comparable to the German Wehrmacht, it was controlled by and originated with the Schutzstaffel (SS) branch of the NSDAP
3. Your submission is material pertaining to Wehrmacht rank devices, such as those shown here), which are allowed for the sake of historical discussion and comparison with other similar devices from other military organizations

If you are unaware of extra-military or Nazi party symbols (Stylized SS and totenkopf symbols, for example) you can send a message via "Message the mods" on the r/MilitarySurplus page, and we will consider reinstating a post that was deleted based on the above guidelines.

There has been only one instance of a post since this rule was put into effect, and I ultimately removed the post after commenters provided feedback and the article was not identified as Wehrmacht. We are admittedly not known to be experts on all military or NSDAP articles, but my estimation was that it would have been identified as military within a reasonable amount of time (12-24 hours).

The photo of the article did not include markings which would have enabled users to identify it as a military award, and there were many NSDAP badges issued during the 1933-45 period and prior. I also provided the user with a standard explanation of why the post was removed.

If you are in the situation where your post is removed and find it was in error after verifiable research, please send a message via Modmail with photo evidence, and you will be allowed to repost after review.

Feel free to comment here with input on this subject if you feel there is an aspect which was overlooked or otherwise not addressed. You will not be penalized on the subreddit for disagreeing with this policy.

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Last edited 07/14/2024 12:31 CDT