Luftwaffe Customs and Courtesies

[hanshauprich]

An airman, even the lowest rang, but with the Ritterkreuz must be saluted first by all other ranks!! (Inside and outside) The salut honored the Ritterkreuz not the men!!

[Broncazonk]

Thank you one and all for your replies and responses. I'm pretty certain the Luftwaffe, Wehrmacht, and today's Bundeswehr share similar customs and courtesies with the US Marine Corps. (In fact, when I was in the Marine Corps, we were taught that our customs and courtesies were taken from the pre-WWI Imperial German army, and 3/4 our field tactics were based on the Wehrmacht/Heer. And both realizations were a matter of considerable pride.)

Only the US army salutes indoors and uncovered as far as I know, and that practice seems very weird.

hanshauprich wrote, "An airman, even the lowest rang, but with the Ritterkreuz must be saluted first by all other ranks!! (Inside and outside) The salut honored the Ritterkreuz not the men!!" This is true?

[Tim O.]

Originally Posted by hanshauprich

An airman, even the lowest rang, but with the Ritterkreuz must be saluted first by all other ranks!! (Inside and outside) The salut honored the Ritterkreuz not the men!!

Same with the British Victoria Cross. All salute the holder first, regardless of the holder's or their rank.

Best wishes
Tim O.

[John Beaman]

In US service branches, MOH is also saluted by everyone regardless of rank, as a courtesy and recognition of the honor.

[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

[Broncazonk]

I've had a chance to review Aircraft of the Luftwaffe Fighter Aces, Vol. I and II by Bernd Barbas which contains thousands of pertinent photographs. Luftwaffe officers and pilots are pictured wearing three types of covers: peaked visor (crusher,) garrison cap (forage,) and the M43 billed hat. Enlisted personnel are pictured wearing the garrison cap.

There are numerous photos of uncovered pilots. The most common photo of the uncovered condition occurs immediately before or after a flight or mission. The pilot's cover has apparently been left in a ready room and the leather flying helmet has been removed for the photo. There are also photos of uncovered pilots in dress uniforms, a condition apparently requested by the photographer?

Enlisted ground personnel are frequently photographed sans garrison cap, usually when they are on the flight line. Not having their caps blown away by prop wash is the most likely explanation.

When being addressed by officers on the flight line, enlisted personnel are frequently photographed standing at attention. As far as I know, this practice is distinct and different from the American courtesy during WWII, (and indeed today.)

More observations to come.

Bronc

[Dénes Bernád]

There are many photos taken after August 1944, where Luftwaffe men salute the traditional way, i.e., not the "Hitler salute". So, despite being mandatory, it was not always used after that date, and much less before (in contrast to the US war movies, where German soldiers, i.e. "bad guys", seem to always salute with the "Nazi salute", regardless of the depicted time period).