Unknown emblem on a Ju 52 in Holland May 1940

[GrahamB]

Hi Jaap,

I'm pleased to be of help. I think the lizard/salamander is actually superimposed on an outline of the British Isles or is transmuted into the same. As for symbolism and Major Beckmann, we need someone who knows his background and military experience...

The mythical 'icy salamander' was said (originally by Aristotle) to be capable of extinguishing fire merely by walking through it. This was later embellished by Mediaeval scholars into the animal actually being nourished by fire. Winston Churchill, after reviewing New Zealand troops at Castel Benito on 4 February 1943, referred to General Bernard Freyberg as "the Salamander, as he may be called, of the British Empire...". Perhaps he had in mind Freyberg's ability to come through several military crises and his physical toughness (wounded several times in both WW1 and WW2)?

Cheers

GrahamB