The Loyalty Oath of the Nazi Army and SS troops
Each member of the German armed forces (Wehrmacht) swore an oath of personal allegiance to Adolf Hitler -- and not to the constitution. This oath went into effect on 2 August 1934, the day that Reich President Paul von Hindenberg died, and Hitler immediately consolidated the offices of president and chancellor.
"It is significant that there is an oath to support and defend the Constitution and not an individual leader, ruler, office, or entity. This is true for the simple reason that the Constitution is based on lasting principles of sound government that provide balance, stability, and consistency through time."
The FBI's oath of office reads: I [name] do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.
The Naturalization Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America
The Oath
"I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God."
However, the SS loyalty oath was as follows:
“I vow to you, Adolf Hitler, as Führer and chancellor of the German Reich, loyalty and bravery. I vow to you and to the leaders that you set for me, absolute allegiance until death. So help me God”.
The SS was different from the Wehrmacht (regular army) in several respects. Perhaps the most obvious were its fanatical loyalty to Hitler and to Nazi racial and political values. SS officers and soldiers swore an oath of loyalty to Hitler, promising “absolute allegiance”; the SS motto was Unsere Ehre heist Treue (Our honour is Loyalty).
This the blood oath engraved on their dress daggers and on their uniform belt buckles. Another distinguishing feature of the SS was its racial composition. Himmler imagined the SS not only as an elite military force but also the embodiment of racial purity. He ordered that all recruits be subject to strict physical requirements and “genealogical investigation” before acceptance. For instance, enlistees in the Leibstandarte (Life Guard), Hitler’s own personal bodyguard regiment, had to be between 23 and 35 years of age, 5’11″ (180 cm) in height, of Deutsche Blut (German blood) and with no history of criminal behaviour or alcoholism. The racial requirements for SS officers were even more stringent. During the 1930s officer candidates had to provide certified evidence of Aryan heritage, dating back to 1750s.
After the Nazis took power in 1933, Hitler turned the Feldherrnhalle into a memorial to the Nazis killed during the failed putsch. A memorial to the fallen SA men was put up on its east side, opposite the location of the shootings. This monument, called the Mahnmal der Bewegung, was created to a design by Paul Ludwig Troost. It was a rectangular structure listing the names of the martyrs. This was under perpetual ceremonial guard by the SS. The Odeonsplatz in front of the Feldherrnhalle served as a parade field for the SS, who often staged nighttime rallies there. New SS recruits took their oath of loyalty to Hitler during these formations. Passers-by were expected to hail the site with the Nazi salute.
The structure in the picture is the famous Feldherrnhalle (Field Marshals’ Hall), a monumental loggia on the Odeonsplatz in Munich. Modelled after the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence, it was commissioned in 1841 by King Ludwig I of Bavaria to honour the tradition of his army. The Feldherrnhalle was the scene of a confrontation on Friday morning, 9 November 1923, between the Bavarian State Police and the followers of Adolf Hitler in which the Nazi party attempted to storm the Bavarian Defense Ministry. This was the culmination of the Nazis’ failed coup attempt to take over the Bavarian State, commonly referred to as the Beer Hall Putsch. In the ensuing gun battle, four policemen and sixteen marchers were killed. Much more were wounded, including Hermann Göring. One of the Nazi swastika banners was drenched with blood, and this flag would later become the famous Blutfahne (Blood Banner) of the Nazi movement.
Each member of the German armed forces (Wehrmacht) swore an oath of personal allegiance to Adolf Hitler -- and not to the constitution. This oath went into effect on 2 August 1934, the day that Reich President Paul von Hindenberg died, and Hitler immediately consolidated the offices of president and chancellor.
"It is significant that there is an oath to support and defend the Constitution and not an individual leader, ruler, office, or entity. This is true for the simple reason that the Constitution is based on lasting principles of sound government that provide balance, stability, and consistency through time."
The FBI's oath of office reads: I [name] do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.
The Naturalization Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America
The Oath
The Oath
"I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God."
However, the SS loyalty oath was as follows:
“I vow to you, Adolf Hitler, as Führer and chancellor of the German Reich, loyalty and bravery. I vow to you and to the leaders that you set for me, absolute allegiance until death. So help me God”.
“I vow to you, Adolf Hitler, as Führer and chancellor of the German Reich, loyalty and bravery. I vow to you and to the leaders that you set for me, absolute allegiance until death. So help me God”.
The SS was different from the Wehrmacht (regular army) in several respects. Perhaps the most obvious were its fanatical loyalty to Hitler and to Nazi racial and political values. SS officers and soldiers swore an oath of loyalty to Hitler, promising “absolute allegiance”; the SS motto was Unsere Ehre heist Treue (Our honour is Loyalty).
This the blood oath engraved on their dress daggers and on their uniform belt buckles. Another distinguishing feature of the SS was its racial composition. Himmler imagined the SS not only as an elite military force but also the embodiment of racial purity. He ordered that all recruits be subject to strict physical requirements and “genealogical investigation” before acceptance. For instance, enlistees in the Leibstandarte (Life Guard), Hitler’s own personal bodyguard regiment, had to be between 23 and 35 years of age, 5’11″ (180 cm) in height, of Deutsche Blut (German blood) and with no history of criminal behaviour or alcoholism. The racial requirements for SS officers were even more stringent. During the 1930s officer candidates had to provide certified evidence of Aryan heritage, dating back to 1750s.
After the Nazis took power in 1933, Hitler turned the Feldherrnhalle into a memorial to the Nazis killed during the failed putsch. A memorial to the fallen SA men was put up on its east side, opposite the location of the shootings. This monument, called the Mahnmal der Bewegung, was created to a design by Paul Ludwig Troost. It was a rectangular structure listing the names of the martyrs. This was under perpetual ceremonial guard by the SS. The Odeonsplatz in front of the Feldherrnhalle served as a parade field for the SS, who often staged nighttime rallies there. New SS recruits took their oath of loyalty to Hitler during these formations. Passers-by were expected to hail the site with the Nazi salute.
The structure in the picture is the famous Feldherrnhalle (Field Marshals’ Hall), a monumental loggia on the Odeonsplatz in Munich. Modelled after the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence, it was commissioned in 1841 by King Ludwig I of Bavaria to honour the tradition of his army. The Feldherrnhalle was the scene of a confrontation on Friday morning, 9 November 1923, between the Bavarian State Police and the followers of Adolf Hitler in which the Nazi party attempted to storm the Bavarian Defense Ministry. This was the culmination of the Nazis’ failed coup attempt to take over the Bavarian State, commonly referred to as the Beer Hall Putsch. In the ensuing gun battle, four policemen and sixteen marchers were killed. Much more were wounded, including Hermann Göring. One of the Nazi swastika banners was drenched with blood, and this flag would later become the famous Blutfahne (Blood Banner) of the Nazi movement.
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