Nazi planes fly over village for Cruise film

BERLIN (Reuters) - Vintage World War Two aircraft bearing swastikas and other Nazi symbols flew low over the German village of Loepten near Berlin Sunday, but local residents had been warned in advance -- it was for a film.

The planes were being used to film a segment of Hollywood thriller "Valkyrie," starring Tom Cruise. He plays German army Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, who was executed after a failed attempt to assassinate Hitler in 1944.

Pictures taken by locals of the planes flying at low altitude over the village were published in Bild newspaper on Monday. "The residents were warned about possible noise," it quoted Mayor Friedrich Schoenfeld as saying.

It is illegal to display Nazi symbols in public in Germany, although filmmakers and theatrical companies are exempted.