Figure 1.--We note a scene with children playing in a park. A lady and a child walk by. Two boys are playing football. A girl is roller skating. A boy is playing with a hoop. The girl and boy accidentally collide. They untangle themselves and then give each other the Nazi salute. Presumably they say "Heil Hitler!" Put your cursor on the image to see the NAZI salute

When the NAZIS seized power in Germany a new features wereadded to appropriate manners--the Heil Hitler salute (1933). Instead of saying "Good morning" or "Good day", people were instructed to say "Heil Hitler!" and give a NAZI salute. We note NAZI news reels beginning in 1933 instructing Germans as to the social refinements. We note a scene with children playing in a park. A lady and a child walk by. Two boys are playing football. A girl is roller skating. A boy is playing with a hoop. The girl and boy accidentally collide. They untangle themselves and then give each other the Nazi salute. Presumably they say "Heil Hitler!" Then they shake hands and continue playing. It seems to be presented as a way of saying sorry I bumped into you. Interesting games they are playing in the Park. Also shows the fashions of the period too. This surely was a staged NAZI film to show Germans how to use the NAZI salute. I was surprised a little that the children shook hands after the salute. I don't think that this was just for children. Especially the shaking hands is not what one would expect with children. Did adults shake hands after giving the NAZI salute. Here we are not sure and this would have been for men. Women I do not think normally shook hands. Just how common the NAZI salute became in Germany we are not sure. Did children commonly give the NAZI salute to each other? Was it commonly used among neigbors and in school or was it more reserved for formal situations> We just are not sure. We suspect it may have been more common among men than women. Of course one's political attitudes were surely a factor.

NAZI/German Greeting

Instead of saying "Good morning" or "Good day", people were instructed to say "Heil Hitler!" and give a NAZI salute. We note NAZI news reels beginning in 1933 instructing Germans as to the social refinements. We note a scene with children playing in a park. A lady and a child walk by. Two boys are playing football. A girl is roller skating. A boy is playing with a hoop. The girl and boy accidentally collide. They untangle themselves and then give each other the Nazi salute. Presumably they say "Heil Hitler!" Then they shake hands and continue playing. It seems to be presented as a way of saying sorry I bumped into you. Interesting games they are playing in the Park. Also shows the fashions of the period too. This surely was a staged NAZI film to show Germans how to use the NAZI salute. I was surprised a little that the children shook hands after the salute. I don't think that this was just for children. Especially the shaking hands is not what one would expect with children. Did adults shake hands after giving the NAZI salute. Here we are not sure and this would have been for men. Women I do not think normally shook hands. Just how common the NAZI salute became in Germany we are not sure. Did children commonly give the NAZI salute to each other? Was it commonly used among neigbors and in school or was it more reserved for formal situations> We just are not sure. We suspect it may have been more common among men than women. Of course one's political attitudes were surely a factor.

NAZI/German Salute

The NAZI German salute (Hitlergruß/deutscher Gruß) became the German national greeting. Itewas comined by saying 'Heil Hitler'. The NAZI salure was a straight arm salute. The salute is performed by extending the right arm from the neck into the air with a straightened hand. The arm salute was not only used as part of the German Heil Hitler greeting. It was adopted in the 1930s by the Nazi Party after it became the leading German political party and then after Hitlerbseized power made a requirement for the German people. It showed obedience to the party's leader, Adolf Hitler. It was made a requirement in school and in the Hitler Youth which became mandatory for children. It was used in all orts of gtherings and to salute patriotic procesions or in stadiums. The Army, but not the Nav used it as a military salute. It was especially used in the Army after the failed Bomb Plot to assassinate Hitler (July 1944). After seizing power Hitler mandated by law the use of the salute. Special courts were established to punish those who refused to give the salute (1934). Offenders, such as Protestant preacher Paul Schneider, faced the possibility of being sent to a concentration camp. Foreigners were not exempt from intimidation if in public refused to salute. For example, the Portuguese Consul General was beaten by SA members for remaining seated in a car and not saluting a procession in Hamburg.

8:02 PM 6/10/2007 6/10/2007
Last updated: 10:36 PM 11/10/2015