Hitler salute

The Hitler salute (Hitlergruß), also known in German during World War II as the Deutscher Gruß ("German Greeting"), and in English as the Nazi salute, is a salute which is variant of the Roman salute adopted by the National Socialist German Workers Party as a sign of loyalty to its leader Adolf Hitler.

It was adopted following its use by supporters of Italian fascism, a political movement under the leadership of Benito Mussolini, and other mass movements of the era (see Roman salute for details). The Hitler salute became the embodiment of Hitler's massive cult of personality throughout Germany. The right hand is held upward at right angles to the chest, or else slightly raised, and is often accompanied by the exclamation of Nazi slogans such as Sieg Heil! or Heil Hitler!.

Hitler and the SS leader Heinrich Himmler believed that the gesture was used at ancient gatherings of Germanic peoples. Thus Hitler regarded it as demonstration of the warlike spirit of the Germans, while Himmler regarded it as a variant of the gesture of giving an oath with a raised spear. From 1933 to 1945 the Hitler salute was the common German greeting. Heil Hitler! ("Hail to Hitler!") was used when directly addressing a citizen, or, in the Waffen-SS, a higher ranking officer. Hitler himself preferred to be addressed with "Heil, mein Führer!" or simply "Heil!" (which is logical, since otherwise Hitler would be addressed as a third party).

Sieg Heil! or "Hail victory!" (lit., Sieg "victory", Heil "hail") was a common Nazi chant at rallies, especially after the speeches of Hitler. Usually the words would be repeated three times to form the chant "Sieg...Heil! Sieg...Heil! Sieg...Heil!".

Hitler himself would often use the salute, but when on the receiving end he would frequently adopt a modified version, in which his arm was bent up from the elbow , with the palm of his hand bent back towards his shoulder.

After the July 20 Plot in 1944, the military forces of the Third Reich were ordered to replace the standard military salute with the Hitler salute. The order went into effect on 24 July, 1944, 4 days after the attempt on Hitler's life in Rastenburg. Previous to this, the salute was optional in the German armed forces, though if met with either the salute or the salutation, it was customary to reply with it. Unlike North American saluting customs, in the German armed forces of the time, juniors would not greet superiors, but remained silent unless offered a greeting by their superior.

The Roman salute, on which the Hitler salute is based, was used in many different countries for many different purposes before World War II. For example, the Bellamy salute, used as part of the United States Pledge of Allegiance in the late 19th century and early 20th century, was a version of the Roman salute with some similarities to the Nazi salute. The Bellamy salute has been abandoned since 1942 because of this similarity. The same happened to most other forms of the Roman salute used across the world.

Use of the salute and accompanying phrases has been forbidden by law in Germany since World War II.

Satirical use

Satirical use of the salute dates back to anti-Nazi propaganda in Germany before 1933. The photomontage artist John Heartfield used Hitler's modified version, with the hand bent over the shoulder, in a poster that linked Hitler to Big Business. A giant figure representing right-wing capitalists stands behind Hitler, placing money in his hand, suggesting "backhand" donations. The caption is, "the meaning of the Hitler salute" and "Millions stand behind me".

During the war the allies also used the salute in satirical ways, often to poke fun at the Nazis. In Charlie Chaplin's film The Great Dictator (1940) the Hitler character ("Adenoid Hynkel") several times causes chaos while attempting to use the salute.

After the war satirical usage continued, most notably in Stanley Kubrick's dark comedy How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. The eponymous character is an expatriated former Nazi scientist with an uncontrollable right hand which constantly attempts to perform the Hitler salute in the presence of the President of the United States, while his left hand attempts to suppress it. This gesture has come to be used to suggest attempts to struggle against the open expression of neo-Nazi thoughts or urges. In modern culture the Hitler salute is sometimes used jocularly, but the humour is not always appreciated. It is often used to imply that the person being addressed is behaving like a "little Hitler" (i.e. a bully). In the United Kingdom it is common to signify the satirical nature of the salute by simultaneously placing the index finger of the left hand under one's nose as a parody of Hitler's moustache. This is portrayed in a famous episode from the comedy Fawlty Towers ("The Germans"). The words "Sieg Heil" and "Heil Hitler" are also used satirically in modern times, though they may be considered offensive. However, along with the salute, they have also been used to poke fun at Nazis, or to insinuate that someone may be acting like a dictator. For example, in the song Holiday, Green Day criticizes President of the United States George W. Bush by writing, "Sieg heil to the President Gasman / Bombs away is your punishment." The Swing Kids had a parody of the chant, "Swing Heil"".

The border between satirical and offensive usage of the term "Sieg Heil" is not always unambigious, and comedians using it for allegedly humorous purposes have sometimes been accused of anti-semitism (see, for instance, Dieudonné M'bala M'bala's controversial "Isra-Heil" sketch).

Use of the salute and accompanying phrases has been forbidden by law in Germany since World War II. However the phrase "Sieg Geil" has been a common German satirical variant, to hint at the vivid sex life of high Nazi officials like Dr. Joseph Goebbels. The German word "geil" means "horny" or can in some cases more accurately be translated as "hot". Also, in Australia, it has also been forbidden by law, albeit indirectly, by banning all racist salutes and accompanying phrases and categorizing Nazism as "racist."

Versions of the salute are also used with non-satirical intent by neo-Nazis.

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Satirical use

See also