Before and during the First World War, members of the German armed forces had sworn an oath of allegiance to the Kaiser. This changed after Germany’s defeat, and the establishment of a democratic Weimar Republic. Not only did the political leaders of the new Weimar Republic seek to democratise the military by changing its social makeup but also by changing the oath of allegiance. The new oath required soldiers to swear loyalty to the Constitution and its institutions, rather than to any individual.
However, for many career soldiers, the idea of swearing an oath to a constitution was alien1.
Following Adolf Hitler’s appointment as Chancellor in 1933, the military oath changed again; soldiers were required to swear loyalty to their people and country (“Volk und Vaterland”), rather than to individual leaders. All this changed with the death of German President Paul von Hindenburg on August 2, 1934. At that time, Adolf Hitler began to solidify his control over Germany. That same day, all military personnel in Germany swore a new oath of allegiance. The oath was no longer one of allegiance to the Constitution or the nation’s institutions, but to Hitler himself:
“I swear by God this holy oath, that I will render to Adolf Hitler, Führer of the German Reich and People, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, unconditional obedience, and that I am ready, as a brave soldier, to risk my life at any time for this oath”1.
From this point forward, all existing units and all new military recruits would swear the so-called “Führer Oath.” The oath became law in July 1935. Civilian officials were required to swear a similar oath. While many generals later claimed the oath was Hitler’s idea, in fact, the highest ranking military leaders created it. A surprised Hitler himself acknowledged this by writing to Defense Minister von Blomberg: “I wish to express my thanks to you…for the oath of loyalty which has been sworn to me”1. Everybody knows where that led
The oath of enlistment of the US Army is as follows:
I, [name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God. (Title 10, US Code; Act of 5 May 1960 replacing the wording first adopted in 1789, with amendment effective 5 October 1962)2.
Because it is now clear that Trump and his Project 2025 christofascist ghouls wish to largely ignore or subvert the Constitution3-5, those in the US armed forces have a choice to make: Do they defend the Constitution or obey the President. They cannot do both. It is to be hoped that the idiotic speeches by the Secretary of Defense [sic] Hegseth and by Trump [more on these elsewhere] in front of 800 senior officers assembled at Quantico will push them towards the former rather than the latter.
Sources
- https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/german-military-oaths
- https://www.army.mil/values/oath.html
- https://theconversation.com/3-ways-trump-is-acting-like-a-king-and-bypassing-the-constitutions-checks-and-balances-on-presidential-authority-249347
- https://verfassungsblog.de/trumps-counter-constitution/
- https://democrats-appropriations.house.gov/news/press-releases/president-trump-actively-destroys-rule-law-he-claims-be-restoring
