[Charles Bavarois]

Hello everybody,

interesting topic indeed and not very much written on it yet. Let me add my two cents:

AFAIK members of the Wehrmacht (so also of the Luftwaffe) did not wear any headgear during duty in closed rooms. Under all other circumstances headgear was mandatory (so at least the official regulations).

For saluting there were different regulations for soldiers with or without headgear.
With a covered head, one had to salut to superiors. Saluting was “Anlegen der rechten Hand”. You had to rise your right elbow to the height of your shoulder, tip your headgear with the fingers of your right hand for a short time and then lower your arm. Forearm and hand should be in a straigth line, fingers extended. According to the rules, the saluting soldier should stand straight with closed legs (“Hab Acht”). Saluting when walking, sitting or standing easy was not permitted (like in the US Army, after the war new Bundeswehr introduced US-American customs).

When wearing no headdress soldiers of the ”old Reichswehr” had to greet their superiors by eye-contact only. This was later changed and they had to use the “Deutsche Gruss” (what actually is what we now call the “Hitlergruss). I don’t know the exact date of the introduction of this new regulation, but it was already described in the 1937 issue of the “Reibert” (Reibert is a kind of non-official printed collection of anything interesting to a soldier which was updated regularilly and is still available today!).

Interestingly the Deutsche Gruss was mandatory for all civil-servants and for all other employees of the public administration after July 1933. When wearing uniform and headgear Civil-servants had to use “military greeting”, that is “Anlegen der rechten Hand”.

Finally the “Deutsche Gruss” was ordered as the only form of saluting for all members of the Wehrmacht on 27. July 1944 (for Luftwaffe published in Luftwaffen-Verordnungsblatt 1944, page 634).

Hitler himself always was saluted with the Deutsche Gruss only (Order from 3. May 1938: „Die Wehrmacht erweist mir zukünftig mit und ohne Kopfbedeckung als Ehrenbezeigung den Deutschen Gruß).

Up to February 1945 members of the Female Auxiliary Services were not part of the Wehrmacht and not military personal. They belonged to the “Wehrmachtsgefolge” and were (simplified) employees only, though liable to special regulations. Civil workers in technical facilities, members of the RAD (Reichsarbeitsdienst), the Organisation Todt, the NSKK or the Volkssturm could also be part of the Wehrmachtsgefolge. I have not yet found any regulations for this group of persons.

As for “Achtung” AFAIK this command generally included the order to rise and to stand at attention. Only in certain cases the soldier was allowed to stay seated, for example when cleaning his weapon.

HTH
Greetings

Carl