Welcome to Mr. Boot's Axis Blog!

 Hello and welcome to my blog!  "Mr Boot's Axis Blog" features articles on culture, militaria, politics, and other interesting tidbits from the 1930s and 1940s, with a focus on the Axis point of view, and more often than not, the German point of view specifically.  I appreciate positive feedback, but discourage political messages.  This blog is to entertain and educate, not to promote or slander anyone's ideologies.  I hope you find something here that you like, and thank you for dropping by!

Ich Kampf and the program of the NSDAP

 Above:  The cover to the 1943 edition of Ich Kampf.

Each new enrollee to the NSDAP in the early 1940s was given a handbook from the Main Culture Office of the Reichspropagandaleiter der NSDAP (forgive the linked page's translation via Google translator),  or Reichs Propaganda Leadership of the NSDAP.  Titled Ich Kampf (I Fight), the manual explained the goals of the National Socialist party, what was expected from members of the party, and in general what they were all about.  This one hundred page book was outlawed and burned by Allied De-Nazification Commisions.  I am fortunate to have a nice reproduction of the 1943 copy of Ich Kampf . Pages 21 - 24 of Ich Kampf contain the program of the National Socialist German Workers Party.

These 25 points were composed by Adolf Hitler and Anton Drexler, and were first publicly presented in February 24th 1920.  According to Mein Kampf  there were almost 2000 people attending the speech and "...every single point was accepted amid jubilant approval".  Mein Kampf goes on to explain further that, 

"The program of the new movement was summed up in a few guiding principles, twenty-five in all. They were devised to give, primarily to the man of the people, a rough picture of the movement's aims. They are in a sense a political creed, which on the one hand recruits for the movement and on the other is suited to unite and weld together by a commonly recognized obligation those who have been recruited."

 Above:  Page 81 of Ich Kampf.

Understanding this program is beneficial to understanding the greater situation in Europe as a whole during the 1920s through the 1940s, and how many Germans related with the events taking place around them during these decades.  The next several posts for Mr. Boot's Axis Blog will be focused on examining these program points.  I intend to explain in detail why these points were important to the NSDAP, and the reasons behind their formulation.  In the meantime I have a translated copy of these points available to post now via Yale Law School's "The Avalon Project".

Above:  Pages 22 and 23 of Ich Kampf contain a part of the NSDAP Program.

Program of the National Socialist German Workers' Party

The program of the German Workers' Party is an epochal program.

The leaders reject the idea of setting up new goals after those included in the program have been achieved merely in order to make possible the further existence of the Party by artificially inducing discontent among the masses.

1. We demand the union of all Germans in a Great Germany on the basis of the principle of self-determination of all peoples.

2. We demand that the German people have rights equal to those of other nations; and that the Peace Treaties of Versailles and St. Germain shall be abrogated.

3. We demand land and territory (colonies) for the maintenance of our people and the settlement of our surplus population.

4. Only those who are our fellow countrymen can become citizens. Only those who have German blood, regardless of creed, can be our countrymen Hence no Jew can be a countryman.

5. Those who are not citizens must live in Germany as foreigners and must be subject to the law of aliens.

6. The right to choose the government and determine the laws of the State shall belong only to citizens. We therefore demand that no public office, of whatever nature, whether in the central government, the province. or the municipality, shall be held by anyone who is not a citizen.
We wage war against the corrupt parliamentary administration whereby men are appointed to posts by favor of the party without regard to character and fitness.

7. We demand that the State shall above all undertake to ensure that every citizen shall have the possibility of living decently and earning a livelihood. If it should not be possible to feed the whole population, then aliens (non-citizens) must be expelled from the Reich.

8. Any further immigration of non-Germans must be prevented. We demand that all non-Germans who have entered Germany since August 2, 1914, shall be compelled to leave the Reich immediately.

9. All citizens must possess equal rights and duties.

10. The first duty of every citizen must be to work mentally or physically. No individual shall do any work that offends against the interest of the community to the benefit of all.

Therefore we demand:

11. That all unearned income, and all income that does not arise from work, be abolished.
Breaking the Bondage of Interest

12. Since every war imposes on the people fearful sacrifices in blood and treasure, all personal profit arising from the war must be regarded as treason to the people We therefore demand the total confiscation of all war profits.

13. We demand the nationalization of all trusts.

14. We demand profit-sharing in large industries.

15. We demand a generous increase in old-age pensions.

16. We demand the creation and maintenance of a sound middle-class, the immediate
communalization of large stores which will be rented cheaply to small tradespeople, and the strongest consideration must be given to ensure that small traders shall deliver the supplies needed by the State, the provinces and municipalities.

17. We demand an agrarian reform in accordance with our national requirements, and the enactment of a law to expropriate the owners without compensation of any land needed for the common purpose. The abolition of ground rents, and the prohibition of all speculation in land.

18. We demand that ruthless war be waged against those who work to the injury of the common welfare. Traitors, usurers, profiteers, etc., are to be punished with death, regardless of creed or race.

19. We demand that Roman law, which serves a materialist ordering of the world, be replaced by German common law.

20. In order to make it possible for every capable and industrious German to obtain higher education, and thus the opportunity to reach into positions of leadership, the State must assume the responsibility of organizing thoroughly the entire cultural system of the people The curricula of all educational establishments shall be adapted to practical life. The conception of the State Idea (science of citizenship) must be taught in the schools from the very beginning. We demand that specially talented children of poor parents, whatever their station or occupation, be educated at the expense of the State.

21. The State has the duty to help raise the standard of national health by providing maternity welfare centers, by prohibiting juvenile labor, by increasing physical fitness through the introduction of compulsory games and gymnastics, and by the greatest possible encouragement of associations concerned with the physical education of the young.

22. We demand the abolition of the regular army and the creation of a national (folk) army.

23. We demand that there be a legal campaign against those who propagate deliberate political lies and disseminate them through the press. In order to make possible the creation of a German press, we demand:

(a) All editors and their assistants on newspapers published in the German language shall be German citizens.

(b) Non-German newspapers shall only be published with the express permission of the State. They must not be published in the German language.

(c) All financial interests in or in any way affecting German newspapers shall be forbidden to non-Germans by law, and we demand that the punishment for transgressing this law be the immediate suppression of the newspaper and the expulsion of the nonGermans from the Reich.
Newspapers transgressing against the common welfare shall be suppressed. We demand legal action against those tendencies in art and literature that have a disruptive influence upon the life of our folk, and that any organizations that offend against the foregoing demands shall be dissolved.

24. We demand freedom for all religious faiths in the state, insofar as they do not endanger its existence or offend the moral and ethical sense of the Germanic race.
The party as such represents the point of view of a positive Christianity without binding itself to any one particular confession. It fights against the Jewish materialist spirit within and without, and is convinced that a lasting recovery of our folk can only come about from within on the principle:

COMMON GOOD BEFORE INDIVIDUAL GOOD

25. In order to carry out this program we demand: the creation of a strong central authority in the State, the unconditional authority by the political central parliament of the whole State and all its organizations.

The formation of professional committees and of committees representing the several estates of the realm, to ensure that the laws promulgated by the central authority shall be carried out by the federal states.

The leaders of the party undertake to promote the execution of the foregoing points at all costs, if necessary at the sacrifice of their own lives.


 

Image: Camel Photobombs Kubelwagen

Above:  A Bactrian Camel stands behind a V.W. Kubelwagen and Wehrmacht men.

In this photograph we see a V.W. Kubelwagen (bucket car), the equivalent of the American Jeep for German armed forces.  While obscured by shadow, part of the divisional insignia to which this vehicle belongs can be seen just underneath the right headlight.  Both of these lights are covered to keep out the sand, and to reduce the amount of light reflecting off the vehicle.  The man on the left is an officer, and panning to the right we see his driver and another soldier (perhaps an aid for the officer?).  In the background are buildings which resemble barracks, and of course a Bactrian Camel.

At first I assumed this photograph was taken in North Africa; however, after a few minutes on Google it appears that Bactrian Camels live primarily (and almost exclusively) in the dry parts of China!  It is possible this could be North Africa, but now I have to consider the possibility of the Caucasus where the German army fought against the Soviets, as this is probably the closest to China the German army got in its drive east.  An interesting website dedicated to the rebuilding of an old Kubelwagen  can be found here.  This site claims the photograph above was taken in Africa, but does not offer any evidence or explanation about the displaced Camel.  For the time being we will just have to call the location of the photograph "The Desert". 

Mr. Boot Returns!

It has been a few months since my last post.  I have been on an extended hiatus while I take care of academic responsibilities and travel.  Pink and I have recently returned from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, and prior to that we visited Ireland, and took an extended stay in New Zealand as well!  It almost goes without saying that I have had less time than usual to blog.

Above:  Small map of Ireland.  We landed in Dublin and spent most of the trip just south of Galway, and to the east of the Aran Islands.  Great country to bicycle in.

Today I have responded to a few comments from visitors and followers, and fixed a couple links that were not working in previous posts.  Although I have not been writing here lately, I have been keeping an eye out for unusual topics to write articles about, and I am hoping to have some very interesting blog pieces for this year.  Whenever I travel I try to find people, places, or things that are relevant to Mr. Boot's Axis blog.  Sometimes this is relatively easy (visiting Fjell Festning in Bergen Norway for example), other times this can be very challenging (for example: try finding NSDAP artifacts in New Zealand!).

 Above:  A small map of New Zealand.  We landed in Aukland (North Island) and spent most of our time traveling around the South Island.  New Zealand is about the size of the state of California, but the rugged terrain can take a lot of time to traverse.

Despite the example given above I was pleasantly surprised to stumble upon some Axis memorabilia in Christchurch New Zealand.  The Air Force Museum of New Zealand had a lot of exhibits on R.A.F. bomber missions over Europe, but they also had a few nice display stands full of Japanese and German military gear.

Above:  Some items on display at the Air Force Museum in Christchurch.  To the left can be seen a Luftwaffe officers cap.  Below this is a (Wehrmacht?) backpack, and belt.  In the middle we can see a Luftwaffe dress dagger, below this is a Luger pistol, a Japanese bayonet, an aircraft control column,  and a Japanese officer's sword.  To the far right and above is a Japanese airman's head piece and binoculars.  Lying along the bottom of the display are various pins and pennants, as well as a Luftwaffe MG15.

Above:  A closeup of the Luftwaffe dagger.

Many of the items on display have seen better days, and I would love for the curators to do some restoration here.  Nonetheless I was pleased to find another case of artifacts near the one displayed above.  It is interesting to consider that some of these items have come a very long way from Europe, to be resting on an island in the south pacific ocean.

Above:  To the left a German Stahlhelm, helmet liner, boots and K98 rifle. To the right a Japanese helmet and Arisaka rifle.  In the middle and on the floor are various first aid packages, religious artifacts, pipes and silverware.

It's good to be back home for now, but the travel bug is starting to bite me again already.  In the meantime expect regular updates again from Mr. Boot's Axis blog, and let me know if there is anything in particular you would like to hear about as a reader.  Happy holidays, and haben Sie einen schönen Tag!

Winterhilfswerk: Winter Relief for the Unfortunate!

Above:  Top members of the NSDAP, including Joseph Goebbels and Adolf Hitler, enjoy an eintopf meal durring the Winterhilfswerk drive.

The Winterhilfswerk (Winter Help Work) program was the most famous charity effort undertaken by the NSDAP.  One goal of the National Socialist Party in Germany during the 1930s and 1940s, was the elimination of poverty and homelessness.  As a means to make certain that Germans who were not financially well off could survive the cold season, the Winterhilfswerk was developed by the Nationalsozialistische Volkswohlfahrt (National Socialist People’s Welfare Organization).  The WHW program whose motto was "None shall starve nor freeze" proved to be quit successful.

 Above:  An off-duty soldier donates to the Winterhilfswerk.

This annual drive took place in Germany from 1933 to 1945 through the months of October and March.  Donations of coal, food, clothing or anything else useful to a family were accepted at WHW stations throughout the country.  During the drive, each of the various branches of the National Socialist Party were assigned alternating weekends to go out into the streets and collect donations.  Each organization would have its own gift to exchange in return for a donation, and each gift was only available for that particular weekend the group was taking donations.  Greater donations were awarded with nicer gifts.  Basic gifts included things like small decorated informational booklets (an example here), or holiday cards.  Nicer gifts included small toys, badges or lapel pins.  The pins illustrated various themes of life in Germany and its various regions.  Famous historical figures, images of nature and various animals were also common illustrations.  These products varied widely in composition.  Some being made from wood, others from glass, paper, metal, Terracotta or plastic.  At least 8000 of these various pins and trinkets were produced before World War Two came to a close in Germany, and they are highly collectible today.

The Hitlerjugend and Bund Deutscher Madel were the most active in collecting for the WHW drives, and members from both organizations would regularly go from door to door asking for donations.  In keeping with the socialist concepts of community over the individual, the total donations each individual was able to raise were not reported.  Only the total raised by the relevant organization of that region.  Donators were given cards to place on their window in order to not be bothered by the next group of collectors.  Wearing the current pin of the week would keep collectors away as well.  Failing to donate on the other hand, might get your name posted in the local paper as "someone who forgot"! 

 Above:  Two women offer donations to an SS officer on a snowy day.

The highlight of the drive would occur on National Solidarity Day (December 3rd)
when high ranking party officials would take to the streets and ask for donations themselves.  Famous figures including Hermann Goering and especially Joseph Goebbels, were noted for taking part in this annual event.  Another popular aspect of Winterhilfswerk was the eintopf (a special kind of cheap stew).  A family would eat an eintopf meal for dinner one night per month during the drive, and donate the money they saved doing so to the WHW.

Above:  Volunteers sort donations to the WHW.  Most of those in the photograph appear to be canned and dry goods.

The Winterhilfswerk drive was not only useful for bringing aid to Germans in need, but also for continuing to unify the nation and people.  The concepts promoted by the WHW drive helped develop trust between people and state, and provided an easily identifiable example of Volksgemeinshaft to the German people, and the rest of the world.  

Symbology: The Fasces

Above:  One of many possible examples of a Fasces.

The Fasces was the chosen symbol of the Benito Mussolini lead Italian National Fascist party (Partito Nazionale Fascista or PNF).  The PNF sought to reclaim the glory of the Roman Empire through social and political revolution, and the acquisition of territory both in and around the Mediterranean Sea, including significant portions of Libya.  The Fasces was chosen to represent this organization not only because of the nature of its symbolism, but also on merit of its ancient status and Roman affiliations.

The Fasces originates in the oldest cultures of the Mediterranean, and probably migrated to Italy through ancient cultures such as the Etruscan civilization.  The Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire used the Fasces as an indicator of power.  A Lictor (social servant with authority) would own a number of Fasces indicative to his rank, and often display them ceremoniously at state functions.

Above:  Italian torpedo bombers (perhaps the Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero, or "Sparrowhawk").  Each displaying a trio of stylized Fasces on the wing.

The Fasces is comprised of 12 sticks or rods fastened together into a tight bundle, with an axe fastened to one side of the bundle.  Individually the rods are weak, but when fastened together they are nearly impossible to break.  This arrangement easily promotes the socialist concept of "strength through unity."  The Roman culture attached an axe to the Fasces to represent the authority of the state, specifically the states power over life and death imposed through the application of the death penalty.  While within the city limits of Rome Lictors kept the axe blade turned inward so as to be hidden within the bundle, symbolizing that the Roman people maintained power over life and death through state functions and assemblies.  Outside the boundaries of Rome or in a state of emergency, a Lictor might display his axe outward from the bundle, indicating that he has full authority to enact capital punishment if need be.

Above:  The Lincoln Memorial.  Notice the Fasces under each of Mr. Lincolns arms.

Many western governments and organizations have incorporated the Fasces into their iconography.  The United States of America uses the Fasces extensively.  Many unit insignias for the United States military bear the Fasces.  A few other examples include the Mace of the United States House of Representatives, which is occasionally used to maintain order among unruly house members.  The state seal of Colorado displays the Fasces, and so does the statue of George Washington at the Virginia state capital.

It is from the Fasces that the term Fascio was established in the early 20th century, which is a colloquial term for a small political party.  It is from among these various Fascio of that same era that the PNF rose to prominence, and from the PNF itself we have the term Fascism, a reference to the "fastened" power of people and state.  Today the Fasces remains a potent symbol for many western cultures, and exists as a link between the principals of the ancient Roman state, and our own modern principals of both democratic and authoritarian government.

Image: Guitar in Normandy

Normandy 1944, near Buron:  The man on the left side of this photograph is Untersturmfuhrer Franz-Joseph Kneipp of III./SS-PanzerGrenadier Regiment 25 (12th SS Hitlerjugend Panzer Division).  He sits on the edge of a trench and plays guitar for other members of the unit during a lull in the fighting.  On the right is Battalion Adjutant Kurt Bergmann, and just out of sight to the left is Battalion Commander Obersturmbannfuhrer Karl-Heinz Milius.  Kneipp is wearing a Waffen SS Plane Tree pattern tunic (Platanenmuster), while Bergmann is wearing a Splinter Pattern tunic (Splittertarn).