Montblanc Logo during Nazi era in Germany

[stric75]

Arguably, Montblanc star belongs to some of the most recognizable logos in the world. It’s been around since 1913 and - to my knowledge - Montblanc didn’t abandon/change it during the Nazi era in Germany in 1930s and 40s. I’m wondering how the company managed to maintain its brand logo during the years of the Nazi rule. Granted, the star symbolizes the peak of Mt. Blanc and not the star of David, but one would think that in spite of all that it would be an easy target for the Nazi bigots. 

[Karmachanic]

Let sleeping dogs lie.

[keram]

1 hour ago, Karmachanic said:

Let sleeping dogs lie.

But why exactly? This is a piece of history.

 

I am very much interested in the history of fountain pen manufacturers during the war period.

 

If it turns out that, say, Montblanc collaborated with the regime (which I'm not saying they did - but that is a hypothetical possibility), then it's a piece of historical information, of course with no importance to the brand as it exists today.

[Uncial]

It can be argued (and has been) that everyone and everything that did survive the era collaborated to some degree - that's how they survived.

 

Quite why the Nazi's didn't pounce on the rather obvious Star of David is something of a mystery, but there's also little or no indication they ever used them and the obvious reason why stares us all in the face.

 

Interesting to note that MB fretted about Middle Eastern sensibilities when trying to break through into that market for a while and for a short period used a white triangle specifically for that region.

[JulieParadise]

From what I know (also from literature of the time, both primary and secondary German literature) the "star" as you call it is and was perceived more often as a snowcap, maybe a snowflake. People not familiar with the brand never associated it with a David Star when I talked about my pen. You know, in situations when you bring a nice pen to a conference or work setting and then people comment on your shiny. Some recognize the Montblanc emblem, but never has anyone likened it to a star. The only Montblanc I know of that made me think of that is the Petit/Little Prince version which has the yellow star/snowcap symbol on the clip. 

[Aysedasi]

I had always understood that snowcap/snowflake was the design, not a star at all.  There is always a risk of reading meaning into things which isn't really there....

[Karmachanic]

33 minutes ago, Aysedasi said:

There is always a risk of reading meaning into things which isn't really there....

 

Popular activity these days.

[txomsy]

Indeed, I was about to ask if the Egyptomania LE could actually be a secret code edition to give away that they are the same aliens who crashed 5000 years ago and built the pyramids, since the logo is so evidently a mixture of a star and a splash.

 

Most likely they arrived when they still were young kids and built them as a divertimento to avoid thinking of their little mother planet (as undoubtedly proven by the Little Prince LE).

 

Looks like there is a growing interest in investing meaning into conspiracy theories. Not that there wasn't one century ago (what with the Elders of Zion and all that), but it seems to be amplifying since the advent of the "Internet" (whose letters, if converted to digits, add up to 666, as everybody knows).

 

I'm sure many other alternative conspiracy theories can be imagined.

[Uncial]

2 hours ago, Aysedasi said:

I had always understood that snowcap/snowflake was the design, not a star at all.  There is always a risk of reading meaning into things which isn't really there....

 

Yes, the logo is the snow peaked cap of the mountain, but it is also the same shape as the Star of David.

[Uncial]

I may have some of this info wrong, but I'm fairly sure it is still available on the Pelikan perch or some similar blog. While it didn't deal with MB specifically (as far as I remember) it does mention a few scarce details that provide an insight.

 

Pelikan were always (outwardly at least) hugely supportive of the Nazi regime. The owner of Pelikan was instrumental in influencing the appointment of Hitler to the role of German Chancellor. Pelikan also benefitted from the sale of seized Jewish gold and precious jewels (although I would have thought gold profits went directly to the party), used slave labour from the concentration camps for their production line in factories and provided land on their own factory sites for the creation of re-education camps and provided the ink for the tattooing of prisoners. At one point they made a very public declaration of allegiance to the Nazi party at some kind of celebration/anniversary...I can't remember the detail, but I recall the photographs of the event with plenty of Nazi flags on display. What they didn't do was provide the Nazi party or army with pens (wouldn't they use pencils largely?). There are of course plenty of examples of Pelikan management and staff pulling favours for Jews (possibly close friends or even distant family members), so the picture, as is so often the case in this era, is not entirely clear. Pelikan was by no means the only pen company in Germany which declared allegiance to the Nazi's.

 

The reason all of that is significant is that MB is all rather silent, which has led some conspiracy theorists to remarkable and unfounded claims. The truth of the matter is rather dull. MB as a company wasn't quite as significant as Pelikan at that time and it was bombed  early on and spent the rest of the era working on rebuilding and wondering if it would survive at all. A limping business with an uncertain future was of no interest to the Nazi's. There is a an entirely fabricated story that Montblanc made the more prominent snow peak design as a quiet protest against the Nazi's when Hitler requested MB create a pen for him. The myth suggests that a Jewish worked created the design so that it would be obvious in pictures that Hitler had a Star of David in his pocket when photographed. Hitler never asked MB to make a pen for him and MB didn't really have the means to make pens at that time. The entire tale is nonsense. However, the Nazi's were not entirely dim and pretty much any product that had any kind of reference which could be construed of as Jewish in any way were normally relentlessly pursued and forced to make the necessary changes. How MB escaped this is a mystery, but perhaps their production was so seriously limited in this period that they simply slipped under the radar. I very much doubt that a plea of 'Honestly sir, it really is only a snow peak' would have washed much in a time when Jews were already being identified in the wearing of a yellow star in public as an exercise in separation and dehumanisation.

[Uncial]

Went searching and found it:

https://thepelikansperch.com/2020/05/02/pelikan-concessions-of-war/

[Karmachanic]

Supporting the official narrative, or going along to get along, is popular today also.  Been that way ever since.

 

[KAC]

Excellent and informative reporting, Uncial!  Thanks!!

[stric75]

16 hours ago, Aysedasi said:

I had always understood that snowcap/snowflake was the design, not a star at all.  There is always a risk of reading meaning into things which isn't really there....

That’s how I always perceived it as well.