The swastika was not too uncommon in Hong Kong in the 1930s. At Kai Tak the Lufthansa proving flights between Berlin and Tokyo carried a swastika on the tail fin. This SCMP image is from 2 May 1939. Similar aircraft of the German-Chinese airline Eurasia also displayed the swastika for a period until the Chinese government requested their removal.
Swastika Kai Tak
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Submitted by IDJ
Date picture taken (may be approximate):
Tuesday, May 2, 1939
Gallery:
Connections:
- Swastika Kai Tak shows Place Kai Tak Airfield / Airport [????- ]
Comments
Junkers JU 52
The aircraft shown is a Junkers JU 52, nicknamed Tante Ju ("Aunt Ju") and Iron Annie. It's a German trimotor transport aircraft manufactured from 1931 to 1952 (nearly 5000 were built). It has 17 seat, all are window seats!
Although out of regular service for a very long time, eight machines still fly. One of them is operated by Lufthansa. You can sometimes buy tickets for short roundtrips (so did I some years ago). The aircraft rides slowly at about 160 km/h, and it's very noisy. It's the only aircraft I know where you can open a window (at the passenger's entrance door).
The aircraft (D-ANJH "Hans Loeb") shown on this image was damaged beyond repair in a landing accident on August 3rd, 1939, at Rangoon-Mingaladon Airport.
Junkers Ju52
See added pictures of the year 2000 visit by a JU52 to Hong Kong when on a IWC sale promotion tour.
Originally intended as a Round-the-World tour but thwarted by Russia refusing permission to fly in its air space.
Anyone wishing to learn more about Ju52s in Hong Kong and China should refer to LUFTVERKEHR IN CHINA 1928-1949 by Bodo Wiethoff published in Gemany in 1975.
A scholarly 380 page publication, mainly text in German, many maps, but few photographs.
Alternatively EURASIA AVIATION CORPORATION Junkers & Lufhansa in China 1931-1943 by Dietmar Plath & Karl Morgenstern published by GERAMOND in 2006.
German, English & some Chinese text. Many pictures and graphics.
Lufthansa Archive has many EURASIA pictures in its archives.