When was the oath of loyalty to hitler

Years later, Blomberg admitted that he did not think through the full implications of the oath at the time. Prior to the decree, both members of the armed forces and civil servants had sworn loyalty to "the People and the Fatherland" Volk und Vaterland ; civil servants had additionally sworn to uphold the constitution and laws of Germany. The new law decreed that instead, both members of the armed forces and civil servants would swear an oath to Hitler personally.

Reichswehr soldiers swear the Hitler oath in , with hands raised in the traditional schwurhand gesture. I swear: I will be faithful and obedient to the leader of the German empire and people, Adolf Hitler, to observe the law, and to conscientiously fulfil my official duties, so help me God! Thousands of officers reportedly claimed to be ill to avoid taking the oath, but were forced to do so after returning to duty.

As the Autocrat's desire for war became increasingly clear in late during the Sudetenland crisis, a number of Wehrmacht officers hatched plans for a conspiracy against Hitler that was to be launched as soon as the Autocrat launched the invasion of Germany's neighbor; the Munich Agreement put an end to the dispute as well as the plot against Hitler.

Though historians cite a number of factors why Hitler's opponents within the armed forces failed to act when they realized the Autocrat's aims, their reluctance to violate their personal oath of loyalty is cited as a prominent factor. For instance, Wilhelm Keitel , the head of the High Command of the Wehrmacht and the highest-ranking officer to be tried at the Nuremberg Trials , testified that he knew many of Hitler's orders were illegal, but felt that he had no choice but to obey.

On Cruelty. Threats Against the Jews. Banning Reference to the "Final Solution". Political Testament. Last Will. Letter to President Roosevelt on Invasion of Czechoslovakia. Hitler Speech Before the Reichstag. Order Authorizing Involuntary Euthanasia in Germany. At the Berlin Sports Palace. To the Nazi Party in Munich.

Memorial Address. Address to the Reichstag. Order Calling for Invasion of Yugoslovia and Greece. Order to Troops on the Eastern Front.

Declaration of War Against the Soviet Union. Explanation of the Soviet Invasion. Declaration of War Against the United States. Official Declaration of War. The new oath required soldiers to swear loyalty to the Weimar Constitution and its institutions, including the office of the Reich President, rather than to any individual.

The Weimar government also viewed the military as a potential threat. Much of the military's conservative leadership did not support the new Republic, and Weimar officials hoped that the oath would help provide legitimacy and security. For many career soldiers, however, the idea of swearing an oath to a constitution was disconcerting. At this time, Adolf Hitler began to solidify his control over Germany. That same day, all military personnel in Germany swore a new oath of allegiance.

The oath was no longer one of allegiance to the Constitution or its institutions, but one of binding loyalty to Hitler himself:. Civilian officials would swear a similar oath. While many generals later claimed the oath was Hitler's idea, in fact, the highest ranking military leaders created it.

The oath had various effects on the German military. Symbolically and literally, Hitler became one with the military. His decisions carried the power of orders. There was no other competing authority to which the military owed allegiance. While it is difficult to generalize about the entire military, it is likely that most accepted the oath as a matter of course, as it hearkened back to the days of the Kaiser and to oaths sworn by the military throughout the history of Germany.

The generals and High Command saw the oath as a way to control in which the military would be integrated into the Nazi state. They also viewed it as a way to curry favor with Hitler, with whom they held common interests. On a broader level, the oath represented the beginning of a process of politicization, or Nazification, of the German military.

Hitler's beliefs and goals became those of the military, which pledged allegiance to his cult of personality.