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Hitler Oath
Oath sworn by members of the German armed forces and civil service from 1934 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Hitler Oath (German: Führereid or Führer Oath)—also referred in English as the Soldier's Oath[1]—refers to the oaths of allegiance sworn by officers and soldiers of the Wehrmacht and civil servants of Nazi Germany between 1934 and 1945. The oath pledged personal loyalty to Adolf Hitler rather than loyalty to the Weimar Constitution of the country. Historians view the personal oath of the Nazi Germany as an important psychological element to obey orders for committing war crimes, atrocities, and genocide.[2] During the Nuremberg trials, many German officers unsuccessfully attempted to use the oath as a defence against charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.[3]
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Background
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During the Weimar era, the oath of allegiance, sworn by the Reichswehr, required soldiers to swear loyalty to the Reich Constitution and its lawful institutions. Following Hitler's appointment as Chancellor in 1933, the military oath changed, the troops now swearing loyalty to people and country. On the day of the death of President Paul von Hindenburg, the oath was changed again, as part of the Nazification of the country; it was no longer one of allegiance to the Constitution or its institutions, but one of binding loyalty to Hitler himself.[4]
Although the popular view is that Hitler drafted the oath himself and imposed it on the military, the oath was the initiative of Reichswehr Minister General Werner von Blomberg and General Walter von Reichenau, the chief of the Ministerial Office. The intention of Blomberg and Reichenau in having the military swear an oath to Hitler was to create a personal special bond between him and the military, which was intended to tie Hitler more tightly towards the military and away from the Nazi Party. Years later, Blomberg admitted that he did not think through the full implications of the oath at the time.[5]
On 20 August 1934, the cabinet decreed the "Law On The Allegiance of Civil Servants and Soldiers of the Armed Forces", which superseded the original oaths. The new law decreed that both members of the armed forces and civil servants had to swear an oath of loyalty to Hitler personally.[2]
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History
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Previous oaths
Reichswehr oath
From 1919 until 1935, the Weimar Republic's armed forces were called the Reichswehr (Realm Defence).
The original oath called the Reichswehreid came into effect on 14 August 1919, shortly after Reichspräsident Friedrich Ebert had signed the Weimar Constitution for the German Reich. The Treaty of Versailles limited the Reichswehr to a total of 100,000 men.
From 1919 to December 1933
In January 1933, when Adolf Hitler was appointed Reichskanzler and the Enabling Act and Gleichschaltung came into effect, the military oath changed again.
From 2 December 1933 to 2 August 1934
After the death of German President Paul von Hindenburg on 2 August 1934, Hitler merged the offices of Reichspräsident and Reichskanzler, and declared himself Führer and Reichskanzler. Blomberg issued a new wording which became known as the Führereid (Hitler oath). From that point on, all military personnel swore an oath of allegiance and binding loyalty to Hitler himself.
Führer oath
Wehrmacht oath
On 16 March 1935 the German government renamed the Reichswehr as the Wehrmacht (Defence Force)[7]
When the oath became law in July 1935, civilian officials would swear a similar oath.
Civil servant oath
Diensteid der öffentlichen Beamten
Oathtakers then sang both Deutschland Über Alles and the Nazi anthem Horst-Wessel-Lied.[9]
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Public figures who refused to take the oath
Thousands of military officers reportedly claimed to be ill to avoid taking the oath but were forced to do so after returning to duty.[9][10]
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References
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