| Führer und Reichskanzler (“Leader and Reichchancellor”) Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945) returning the salute of the Columns in Adolf Hitler Platz during the 1938 Reichsparteitag Großdeutschland (“Party Day of Greater Germany”). Stellvertreter des Führers (“Deputy Führer”) Rudolf Hess (April 26, 1894 – August 17, 1987) at far left; Stabschef SA Viktor Lutze (December 28, 1890 – May 2, 1943) next left; Hitler’s valet SS-Untersturmführer Karl Wilhelm Krause (March 5, 1911 – May 6, 2001) is behind Hitler. The 1938 Nuremberg Rally was perhaps the most ascendant moment of the Nazi regime; Hitler had completed Anschluss (“Union”) with Austria and the Sudetenland without resorting to war. Unemployment was down, and economic stability had returned to Germany. A good harvest promised plenty of bread. Earlier in the year, Hitler had purged the Heer General Staff, removing those Generals that did not offer total support. The 1938 Rally received the widest international attention. 250 reporters from all over the world came to Nuremberg to cover the events. 25 came from North America. Sunday, September 11, was the “Tag der Sturmabteilung (SA)” (“Day of the Storm Troopers”). It began with a mass meeting at the Zepplinwiese. Hitler and Lutze gave speeches. Then the SA and Schutzstaffel SS paraded through downtown Nuremberg. The program was filled with the usual rallies, marches, committee meetings, and speeches. Again there was a reminder of the unsolved crisis in Hitler’s address to his political army. The highlight of the previous evening was Hitler’s address, which was noteworthy for 1 statement. Hitler expressed satisfaction at having before him a 180,000 loyal, unswerving followers in this hour when war clouds were gathering on the horizon. He was undoubtedly referring to the crisis in Czechoslovakia, but it was only 1 year later, almost to the day, that Hitler’s armies overran the borders of Poland. 2 hours later, a 150,000 Sturmabteilung assembled in the Luitpold Arena. Hitler welcomed the 30,000 Austrians attending into Greater Germany and then turned to the question of the Sudeten Germans, who were not as “fortunate.” He said: “A new Germany stands before us, and we have the good fortune to live in it. To other Germans this still is denied for the time be-ing. Our hearts go out to them, just as we know their hearts are with us and they are in spirit right among us.” After the outdoor rally in the Luitpold Arena, the participants began to organize for their traditional march into downtown Nuremberg and the march past before Chancellor Hitler. Hitler stood in his car for hours with his arm raised. Hugo Jaeger (January 18, 1900 – January 1, 1970), a photographer, worked for Führer und Reichskanzler (“Leader and Reich Chancellor”) Adolf Hitler’s (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945) personal photographer, Heinrich Hoffmann (September 12, 1885 – December 16, 1957), from 1936 to 1945. This gave him direct access to the Führer and his entourage. He was a pioneer of color photography, working with Agfa film and developing chemicals. After the war, he managed to hide around 2,000 negatives near Munich, which he sold to LIFE magazine in the 1960s. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0818.jpg |
| Image Size | 7.88 MB |
| Image Dimensions | 10000 x 7000 |
| Photographer | Hugo Jaeger |
| Photographer Title | |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | September 11, 1938 |
| Location | Adolf Hitler Platz |
| City | Nuremberg |
| State or Province | Bavaria |
| Country | Germany |
| Archive | |
| Record Number | |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
Author of the World War II Multimedia Database