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Dragev_ t1_j0rzi2b wrote

I'm not sure the link the author makes between the mensur and Nazis is justified; The mensur was practiced at least as early as the 18th century and was fashionable long before the 1930's - I'd even say it was more of a WWI thing than a WWII thing; when the officers were almost exclusively from the upper class. Skorzeny seems a special case and I'm sure both his face and actions were the inspirations for several villains (I'm pretty sure Blofeld is partly based on him) - however I never saw or heard that mensur was very widespread in nazi circles.

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SVPPB t1_j0tc90i wrote

I'm pretty sure mensur fencers were more of the aristocratic Prussian officer type which tended to despise the nazis. Most high ranking SS men came from the working class, often with WW1 enlisted service like Hitler himself and post-WW1 involvement in Freikorps militias..

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77096 t1_j1sopcq wrote

> I'm sure both his face and actions were the inspirations for several villains (I'm pretty sure Blofeld is partly based on him)

Not being a huge Bond aficionado, I figured he (or someone very much like him) was an inspiration for Marvel Comics' Baron Strucker. I now see that character was probably ripped off pretty directly from Blofeld.

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