Hitler's uniform

[anotheoldgit]

Why was Hitler's uniform brown and rather plain, yet his officer's were a different colour and more flamboyant?

All other countries leaders, had the better uniforms than their subordinates.

[MustafaTickl]

Hitler wore a brown uniform until WW2 started in September 1939. He then changed to a grey uniform. His uniforms were very well tailored and he had single and double breasted versions of both. Prior to the war he wore his uniform with a Nazi armband and during the war he changed to a swastika on his left arm and an SS eagle. The brown colour of the pre-war uniform came from the early military section of the Nazi party, the SA or Sturmabteilung, who wore brown shirts from their inception in the 1930's because there was a large batch left over from WW1 and consequently they were cheap.

[MustafaTickl]

PS. Perhaps it might be of interest, but I knew one of Hitler's secretaries after the war and from the conversations I recollect being told that in point of fact Hitler detested wearing a uniform of any sort and changed into civvies at every opportunity.

[has]

Thats very informative Mustafa. How do you know all this?

[Ethel]

I know Hitler hated the Kepi and refused to wear it whenever possible, but I believed him to be in favour of uniform and enjoyed wearing it.

[anotheoldgit]

What a great answer MustafaTickl, have you ever thought of putting the information you gained from one of the Hitler's secretaries, on the Web?

[123everton]

I really enjoyed reading that.

[MustafaTickl]

Here he is in a trench in his WW1 uniform. Here he is in civvies, and here he is with the man next door. Here he is gardening, and here he is hailed. His followers were healthy and this one waited underneath the lantern. This must have been a dread word as it was the beginning of the end for him. He dreamt of being an architect and do you know that Albert Speer Jr, son of Hitler's actual architect Albert Speer, is in currently in charge of rebuilding central Beijing to much the same plan as his father had for rebuilding central Berlin for Hitler?

[anotheoldgit]

Great illustrations, thanks for them.

I know it may not be PC to admit this, but I find this subject very fascinating.

In my younger days I had a great collection of Nazi badges, almost every one you care to mention. But over the years I have swapped them for other things, so much so that I do not have any left now. What a pity they would be worth a fortune now.

[MustafaTickl]

Here's another one which is somewhat amusing. It suggests that Hitler is "driving to England" in a U-boat !! I don't know of anything wrong in being interested in the war. Hitler was in power for only 8 years but his effect is still around even today. I lived in the Soviet Union for years and The Great Patriotic War or, as the Germans say, Russlandfeldzug, is still very much alive for the Russians too. The Defence of Moscow, the battles of Rostov, Leningrad, Kursk, Prokhorovka, etc etc are horrific. The great Commanders Frojoy, Gordov, Maslennikov, Chibisov etc and a hero of mine, Simyon Timoshenko, are all remembered as well as the German Commanders Paulus, Runstedt, von Kluge, von Kleist etc. 20 millions died in Russia almost all in the 3 years 1941 to 1944. No, there is nothing wrong in looking back at the war. But Answerbank is very limited so must leave it there. Best wishes.

[kempie]

"Hitler was in power for only 8 years..."

Hitler was the German Reichskanzler (Chancellor of the Reich {nation, realm, empire}) from 30th January 1933 until his death on 30th April 1945.

Provisions of his Enabling Act, giving him supreme power as President and Chancellor of the German Reich and the title F�hrer und Reichskanzler, became effective from August 1934.

The title was changed to F�hrer des Grossdeutschen Reichs (Leader of the Greater German Nation) on 28th July 1942.

So Hitler may have been F�hrer und Reichskanzler for 8 years but he was in power for 12.

[MustafaTickl]

Trust in Mustafa with all thine heart, kempie; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

[kempie]

Not likely with such a factual error ;-)

[anotheoldgit]

In Germany I believe any mention of the Nazis, is frowned upon and trade in Nazi memorabilia is prohibited. This is rather strange don't you think?

No there is nothing wrong with looking back to the war, but any mention or interest in the Nazis, seem to get some people a little on edge.

[jno]

it's still taught in schools (to the detriment of purely British history), so interest in it is widespread, as displayed whenever England plays Germany at football. I don't know that collecting Nazi badges is so popular, and don't know if you've considered collecting British ones. Doing so doesn't necessarily make you a Nazi. Finding yourself goosestepping down the road to Asda may be more of a warning sign.

[MustafaTickl]

Because of the suffering inflicted upon the world by the Germans a number of European countries have enacted laws criminalizing both the denial of the Holocaust and the promotion of Nazi ideology. They aim to prevent the resurrection of Nazism by stamping out any public re-emergence of Nazi views by speech, symbols, or public association. Individuals and groups promoting Nazism (neo-Nazis) do not limit their ideology to anti-Semitism. Their hatred incudes others such as Africans, Arabs, Asians and immigrants from non-European nations. Therefore a number of European laws ban neo-Nazi messages and racist and hate speech. Anti-Nazi laws do not exist in every European country. Currently, the following have legislation criminalizing the Nazi message, including denial of the Holocaust: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain and Switzerland. Holocaust denial is also illegal in Israel. Some countries such as Germany and Austria vigilantly prosecute both speech and behaviour having any reference to Nazis and Nazism. Others, like Lithuania and Romania have laws on the books but enforce them sporadically. Some countries put a higher value on free speech over suppression of neo-Nazism and allow promotion of the Nazi message. These countries include the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Scandinavian nations. In 2005, the European Union considered enacting common rules banning or restricting the use of Nazi symbols and promotion of Nazi ideology, including Holocaust denial but the EU�s Executive Commission eventually recommended against such legislation because of the differing views in various countries. An example of this disparity is Hitler�s autobiography Mein Kampf. This cannot be purchased in Germany, Hungary, Israel, Latvia, Norway, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland, but is available in Russia, Romania, the United States and the U.K.

[anotheoldgit]

What a wealth of information you are Musta.

You may be interested in this link?

http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-uniforms/g ermany.htm

[MustafaTickl]

These days I'm afraid that I am only really interested in my teasmade.

[reffgt]

I remember being taken to the pictures and seeing on Pathe News the opening of Belsen Concentration Camp. I have to say that this should still be shown nowadays for all to remember the horrors of one person such as Hilter, and for the montrous things that were done for the sake of one mans need to ' take over the world'. What a pity we didn't blow him of the face of the earth before 1939. Then you needn't collect anything. Like Mustafa's teas-made tho.

[MustafaTickl]

Yes, reffgt, German concentration camps. Whilst I have contributed to this thread in accordance with the question (and, perhaps, a little too light-heartedly at the end) my family was devastated in WW1 (there is one named on the Menin Gate and two in french cemeteries) and again in WW2 (two close family and three cousins dead). And then there is the girl to whom I was engaged to be married. She volunteered when I was conscripted and due to her linguistic skills was assigned to a special unit. Both of us loved the services and we used to volunteer for everything. She was dropped on a special mission in France and was captured. She ended up being kept underground for 10 months by the Germans at Dora where I found her after it was liberated by the Americans. She weighed just over 4 stone and was virtually blind and despite the very best attention by the American doctors and surgeons, nobody could have done more, she died 5 weeks later. I have lived all my life with the view that the only good German is a dead one.

[Dimitrov2012]

As stated, Hitler's pre-war brown uniforms were from his membership in the NSDAP. However, his wartime, field grey uniform's gold arm eagle was not ss pattern but rather an army pattern eagle signifying him as commander of German armed forces. Only members of the German armed forces, (Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine) were allowed to wear national eagles on right breast. German law prohibited the SS from wearing their eagle on the breast, hence the SS eagle was worn on the sleeve. Hitler was neither an official member of the SS, nor of the wehrmacht. His military rank was from his WW I service rank, a corporal, and he only wore badges that were awarded to him from that time period as well as a few NSDAP badges. As the head of the Nazi party, his wartime, officers style field grey officers cap maintained the same brown capband and brown visor of the NSDAP. His cap's eagle, oakleaf cluster, capcords and piping was all in gold. Hitler's ego grandiosity was clearly not expressed in his choice of uniforms.