ABSTRACT
Of all surfing fads perhaps the most bizarre was wearing a Nazi swastika. Also called the Iron Cross, and later the Surfer's Cross, California's most outrageous motorcycle gang, the Hell's Angels, wore them first. The Angels’ purpose was to look at least as mean as the World War II German hoodlums, the Nazis. They also tugged on Nazi helmets as headgear. Young California surfers, blind to history, likewise demonstrated their rebelliousness by exchanging St. Christopher medals for swastikas. The swapping of sacred for profane angered their parents and split families. What made the fad even more bizarre was that the sharp edges of the swastika cut flesh during a wipeout. Soon non-surfers decided swastika wearing was a great fashion statement and bought loads of them. “Big Daddy” Ed Roth, the 275-pound supply sergeant for the Hell's Angels, sold 50,000+ of the “authentic” neckwear in no time at all. But his profits were miniscule compared to variety and jewelry store sales. In 1966, Ronnie Jewelry, Inc. (Rhode Island) produced 24,000 crosses a day for distribution. If the primary attribute of a fad is that its adoption not make much sense, then swastika wearing is a perfect example. The 1960s were too close to World War II and Nazi tyranny for baby-boom fathers to dismiss the fad lightly.
