The German Question, Part One Hundred Six

"The Rise of Hitler and The Nazis" Part One/C
"Hitler, Munich & the Great War"

A bit more about Hitler's developing anti-Jewish feelings;* it "seems" that these feelings were not pathological while he was in Vienna, as many Jewish shopkeepers handled his paintings in their stores. Of course, he could have been like some of the egomaniacs unleashed upon us in more recent times through incessant deregulation; "I may hate you, but if you offer me money, I don't hate you that much. Mo' money! Mo' money! Mo' money!" Further, "supposedly" Hitler had some Jewish acquaintances, including a young lady he "liked" very much. Could Hitler have been rejected by this young lady or her family, "perhaps" for religious reasons, causing a resentment that festered into hatred? Over the years, I've read so many books and articles about Hitler, it is difficult to recollect the sources of some of these "stories;" that is, how reputable the sources were, but I also remember there have been various stories about Hitler and Jewish friends, including, if I remember correctly, his mother's doctor; the officer, Hugo Gutmann, who recommended the Iron Cross for Hitler in World War One;** Erhard Milch, a field marshal in the Luftwaffe (air force) during World War Two. I'm sure there were others, but this one is in my mind, and I can't remember the source, or even the exact story, so please keep that in mind. The story went something like this: There was a Jewish businessman who helped Hitler out financially during his days in Vienna. When Austria became part of Germany in 1938, and the Nazis began to keep tabs on all Jews there, the man contacted Hitler, who told him to leave Germany for his own safety, so the man went over the not too distant border into Czechoslovakia. A year later Hitler sent German troops into what was left of Czechoslovakia (an explanation will be forthcoming in a future part of this series). When Hitler visited Prague, the man turned up again seeking Hitler's protection. Hitler told him to leave the country, but not to go to Poland. The idea here was, Hitler already had plans to go into Poland in the near future. Whether I have the story completely correct is one thing, but also whether the basic story is even true is subject to question.***

Being a citizen of Austria-Hungary meant Hitler was subject to military registration and potential call-up for duty. Hitler was a "German nationalist," not an "Austro-Hungarian nationalist," and it seems the idea of serving in the Austro-Hungarian military was not something to his liking, and he evaded the authorities for quite some time. There are disagreements about when Hitler went to Munich ("München", in German), especially either 1913 or 1911, and I'm not currently aware if they have ever been resolved through true documentation. Hitler's statements and writings have to be considered suspect, as by that time he was in politics, and the idea that he evaded military service (even though in Austria-Hungary) could have given opponents a major issue. As I mentioned in the previous article, I seriously doubt whether the border between Germany and Austria was under strict control, with only customs duties being the main goal for both countries, not necessarily why people went to one country from another, or even back and forth. At some point, Hitler was given over to the Austrian authorities (remember, Germany and Austria were close allies, besides their historical ties) and he was deemed "unfit" for military service. Since this was pre-war, standards were likely more rigid; thus even minor physical problems could have kept Hitler out of service (during wartime, standards are more relaxed, as more personnel were required). Hitler returned to Munich.

Upon the outbreak of what is now called World War One, Hitler is seen among the crowd in a photograph in central Munich, as people celebrated the outbreak of war. I've seen moving picture film in television bios of Hitler, "supposedly" showing Hitler in the crowd, but I'm not sold on its being genuine. I don't know the source of the film, and I certainly could be wrong, but in the active crowd, pushing and cheering, Hitler is seen almost isolated and simply standing, pretty calmly. The film is also too distant to see Hitler up close, but it looks like a far later picture of him, in my opinion*** (same note as from above). Though legally a citizen of Austria-Hungary, Hitler was given permission by the Bavarian state government to join the Bavarian Army, which he did.**** Hitler was now part of the "German" military.

Next...."Hitler in the Great War"

* For more information on Hitler's ancestral background, see my article, "Hitler the Jew?," at this link: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2010/10/hitler-jew.html

** For the basic story about Gutmann and Hitler, see my article, "Part 80," of this series at this link: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2011/02/german-question-part-eighty.html

*** If anyone knows more details about this, or about the moving picture film, I hope you will share the info with us here in the comments section, which is free.

**** In the Germany of those times, the individual states were still ruled by nobles; in the case of Bavaria, by a king. These states had their own armies which made up individual parts of the overall German military, which was dominated by the state of Prussia, whose king was simultaneously Kaiser (Emperor) of Germany. The German officer corps was also heavily dominated by the nobility of various ranks, and one had to almost always be from the nobility to become a high ranking officer.

WORD HISTORY:
Pelt/Fell-This is the noun "detached skin with fur from an animal." This goes back to Indo European "pell(o)," which meant "skin." This then gave Latin "pellis," which meant "skin or hide." In Old French (a Latin-based language) this became "pel," and simply meant "one/a skin." The related French word "peltry" meant "skins" in general. This seems to be the source of English "pelt," and it may not have been acquired by English until the 1300s or even 1400s. Now, while archaic, English still has the little used word "fell," its own word, and it means "skin of an animal," but it also had a secondary and associated meaning, "the membrane on the underside of an animal's skin," which gave English "film" (this will be the word for the next article). "Fell" goes back to the same Indo European root for "pelt," "pello," and this then gave Old Germanic "fellam," "skin, or furry skin from an animal." The "p" sound became "f" in Germanic. This then gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "fell," which has since remained unchanged, although this noun for a fur-covered animal hide is archaic. Its forms are pretty common in the other Germanic languages: German "Fell" (German nouns are capitalized), meaning "pelt, fur, skin;" Dutch and some Low German dialects have "vel;" West Frisian "fel;" Swedish has "fäll." While I'm not certain of this, apparently any similar forms in Danish, Norwegian and Icelandic have died out, as I could not find them.