page_title: Hitler oath
hierarchical_section_title: Hitler oath
caption_attribution_description: For documentary purposes the German Federal Archive often retained the original image captions, which may be erroneous, biased, obsolete or politically extreme. Die feierliche Vereidigung der Reichswehr auf den neuen Reichspräsidenten Adolf Hitler! Die Mannschaften mit Trauerflor beim Ablegen des Eides auf den neuen Reichspräsidenten Adolf Hitler.
context_page_description: The Hitler Oath —also referred in English as the Soldier's Oath—refers to the oaths of allegiance, sworn by the officers and soldiers of the German Armed Forces and civil servants of Nazi Germany between the years 1934 and 1945. The oath pledged personal loyalty to Adolf Hitler in place of loyalty to the constitution of the country. Historians view the personal oath of the Third Reich as an important psychological element to obey orders for committing war crimes, atrocities, and genocide. During the Nuremberg trials, many German officers unsuccessfully attempted to use the oath as a defense against charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
context_section_description: The Hitler Oath (German: Führereid or Führer Oath)—also referred in English as the Soldier's Oath—refers to the oaths of allegiance, sworn by the officers and soldiers of the German Armed Forces and civil servants of Nazi Germany between the years 1934 and 1945. The oath pledged personal loyalty to Adolf Hitler in place of loyalty to the constitution of the country. Historians view the personal oath of the Third Reich as an important psychological element to obey orders for committing war crimes, atrocities, and genocide. During the Nuremberg trials, many German officers unsuccessfully attempted to use the oath as a defense against charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
caption: Reichswehr soldiers swear the Hitler oath in 1934, with hands raised in the traditional schwurhand gesture.
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