| Führer und Reichskanzler (“Leader and Reichchancellor”) Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945) with German Heer (“Army”) Generals, including General Ernst Schaumburg, (November 13, 1880 – October 4, 1947), far left, and Kaptain zur Zee Karl Dönitz, (September 16, 1891 – December 24, 1980), right, inspect the Honor Guard in front of the Reichspräsidentenpalais (“Reich President’s Palace”) and the Alte Reichskanzlei (“old Reich Chancellory”) during große Neujahrs-Empfang 1936 (“Big New Year’s reception”) in the Wilhelmstraße. At the reception at the Alte Reichskanzlei, Hitler greeted Nazi Party functionaries, including Staatskommissar (“State Commissioner”) of Berlin, Dr. Julius Lippert (July 9, 1895 – June 30, 1956). Crowds cheered Hitler on the balcony of the Alte Reichskanzlei. Miners from Halle brought him a gift of salt, bread and sausages, a traditional New Year’s offering. At Tempelhof Airport, the foreign press was shown the new Heinkel He-111V1 prototype aircraft, which had been in development for a year. The Oberkommando der Marine (OKM; “Upper Command of the Navy”) was formed by order of Hitler the next day, with Admiral Erich Raeder (April 24, 1876 – November 6, 1960) in command. Dönitz was named Führer der Unterseeboote (“Leader of the U-boats”) on January 1, 1936. Hitler did not address the crowds in detail in the Wilhelmstraße, or at the reception in the Alte Reichskanzlei. He did not meet the foreign press either; he left for Berchtesgaden that night. Reports circulated that he was recovering from a 2nd surgery to remove a polyp from his throat, which occurred earlier in 1935. Nevertheless, Hitler greeted the foreign diplomats at the Alte Reichskanzlei: “I and my government, and the entire German people, join you in the hope that the New Year will bring a longed for easing of tension and a quiet, true peace among nations.” “The understandable demand of our people – as of people of other nations – to protect themselves against the vicissitudes of a politically disturbed period finally became a reality in the year that has passed. “Filled with a desire to live in peace with other nation of the world and to work with them in mutual understanding for the welfare and progress of mankind, the German people sincerely wish to see the same striving for frank cooperation and mutual consideration on the part of all other peoples.” Many in the foreign service and the press saw Hitler’s remarks as an oblique reference to the Italian invasion of Ethiopia, which was supported by the Pope as an action against the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Italian forces targeted the Orthodox Church; they ransacked and destroyed hundreds of churches and summarily executed several 1,000 Ethiopian clergy. World reaction was overwhelmingly negative. Within a few months, on March 7, 1936, German troops re-occupied the Rhineland, a de-militarized zone according to the Treaty of Versailles. This action was directly against the terms which Germany had accepted after the 1st World War. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0509.jpg |
| Image Size | 2.14 MB |
| Image Dimensions | 4875 x 2325 |
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| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | January 1, 1937 |
| Location | Reichspräsidentenpalais |
| City | Berlin |
| State or Province | Berlin |
| Country | Germany |
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| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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