R2 German Roots
THE HIMMLER STORY:
Himmler persuaded Hitler to agree to the racially pure and elitist lines along which he wished to develop the SS.
From an early age Himmler had been fascinated by the history of the Nordic peoples, and in particular King Heinrich 1, also known as Henry the Fowler. Heinrich 1 had successfully defended the German lands from the invasion attempts of the Slav hordes, and was elected King of the Germans in 919. It has often been suggested that Himmler considered himself the spiritual reincarnation of Heinrich 1.
The Racial Guidelines:
For The SS Himmler was also enthralled by the history of the Order of Teutonic Knights. Formed in the late part of the twelfth century, the Order was entrusted with colonizing the Slavs under its Grand Master, Hermann von Salza, after whom Himmler was later to name one of his elite panzer units of the Waffen-SS. For almost 200 years, the Teutonic Knights spread German culture and influence throughout eastern Europe. In July 1410, however, a combined Slavic army of Poles, Russians and Lithuanians defeated the Teutons at the Battle of Tannenberg. After the Order had been defeated, the legends of its chivalry lived on. To many Germans, the tales of the gallant deeds of the Teutonic Knights were as much a part of their cultural heritage as the legends of Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table were to the English-speaking world.
His interest in the medieval legends of Teutonic chivalry imbued in Himmler a romanticized view of the history of the Germanic races. Much of the symbolism of German military pageantry stemmed from its medieval past. For example, the design of the Iron Cross, a black cross-trimmed with silver, was influenced by the design of the cross used by the Teutonic Order. The colours of the order, black and white,
became the colours of Prussia and, later, the SS. Himmler sought to create in his SS a new Teutonic Order to spread his version of Germanic culture throughout Europe. Only the finest of German bloodstock would be accepted into his elite SS, which would celebrate ancient German pagan rites and customs. Ancient runic script was widely used by the SS in its own particular heraldry, the most famous of all being the double Sig-rune of the SS collar patch. For all Himmler's unimpressive physical appearance, he was a superb organizer and quietly, but determinedly set about producing the elite organization he wished the SS to become. Discipline was tightened, dubious characters ejected and, from this point on (January 1929), every prospective SS member would be required to produce evidence of his lineage going back over three generations. Together with Nazi ideologist Alfred Rosenberg and crackpot racial theorist Richard Walter Darré, Himmler even introduced marriage rules, which gave him the power to veto an SS man’s future bride if she could not produce sufficient evidence of Aryan ancestry.
Of course Himmler's rules were not to be applied to himself, and SS members who had served during World War 1 were also exempt. Himmler's concept of elite was new and was based on a prospective candidate's racial ancestry, respectability, sobriety of habit, physical fitness and, above all, loyalty. SS Mysticism Himmler himself was a firm believer in the 'Aryan master race', but he was also an empire builder, and he was perfectly willing to bend his own rules to achieve greater power and influence. He also indulged in private fantasies, such as his restoration of the ruined castle of Wewelsburg outside Paderborn, in which he had a round table constructed to seat his chosen “knights” in the manner of Arthurian legend (an idea he got from his favorite composer, Richard Wagner, himself an anti-Semite). So intense was his fascination with pagan Nordic and medieval German history, that Himmler created a special research institute, whose study included the meanings of pagan runes (runes that formed the basis of much SS insignia).
Himmler's mystical attitude towards the world was accompanied by a firm belief in the virtues of homeopathic medicine. He was also, like Hitler, a vegetarian, and these two subjects, in addition to astrology and the occult, soon became extra subjects of study for the institute – the Ahnenerbe, or Society for the Research and Teaching of Ancestral Heritage. But Himmler's interests were not purely theoretical, they were also pragmatic. For example, he combined the entire German mineral water bottling and distribution system into the highly profitable WVHA, the SS’s economic administration department. Himmler was also totally pragmatic in his dealings with the Vatican (which would later help a number of Nazis to escape retribution after the war by providing new identity papers). This was despite his aversion to priests and his largely unsuccessful attempts to stamp out church-going in the SS. Ironically, Himmler did not hesitate to borrow extensively from the Jesuits in the structure and rituals of the SS.
With their strict moral code, the Jesuits had been the “storm troopers” of the Counter-Revolution, and so close were some of the parallels between the Society of Jesus and Himmler's SS that Hitler called Himmler “my Ignatius Loyola”, after the Society's founder. Loyalty, discipline and personal honor, as well as a willingness to sacrifice one's own life, became the keynotes of the SS creed.
SS-Dagger:
The SS's motto, engraved on the dagger, which was itself part of the overall mystique, is the key to the SS mentality: Mein Ehre heisst Treue (Loyalty is my Honour). What made the SS motto so unusual was that the loyalty was to one person alone - Adolf Hitler - rather than to something abstract such as the state or the constitution. This is shown in the SS oath, which in the Waffen-SS was taken after basic military training had been completed by a cadet (an anwarter), and who was rewarded by the presentation of the SS dagger (which recruits had to pay for themselves). The oath, being taken on 20 April (Hitler's birthday!) read as follows:
'I swear to thee, Adolf Hitler
As Führer and Chancellor of the
German Reich
Loyalty and bravery.
I vow to thee and to the superiors
Whom thou shall appoint
Obedience unto death
So help me God.'
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