Nazi salute facts for kids
The Nazi salute or Hitler salute is a gesture that was used as a greeting in Nazi Germany. The salute is performed by extending the right arm in the air with a straightened hand. Usually, the person offering the salute would say "Heil Hitler!" (Hail Hitler!), "Heil, mein Führer!" (Hail, my leader!), or "Sieg Heil!" (Hail victory!).
It was adopted in the 1930s by the Nazi Party to show obedience to the party's leader, Adolf Hitler. It also gave honour to the German nation (and later the German war effort).
The salute was required for all civilians. It was mostly optional for military personnel who retained the traditional salute until shortly after the failed assassination attempt on Hitler on July 20, 1944.
In modern times
Use of this salute is currently a criminal offense in Germany, Italy, Japan, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria and Uzbekistan. In Switzerland, France, Canada, the Netherlands and Sweden, the salute is illegal hate speech if used for promoting Nazi ideology.
Images for kids
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Nazis performing the Nazi salute at the Harzburg Front rally in Bad Harzburg, October 1931
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Hitler and Hermann Göring (first row left) saluting at a 1928 Nazi Party rally in Nuremberg
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A mass "Sieg Heil" during a rally in the Tempelhof-Schöneberg district of Berlin in 1935
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Enamel sign with the note "The German greets: Hail Hitler!" (Der Deutsche grüßt: Heil Hitler!)
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Ten- and eleven-year-old Berlin schoolchildren, 1934. The salute was a regular gesture in German schools.
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Fritz Schilgen carrying the Olympic torch at the Berlin Olympic Stadium with the public giving the Nazi salute in the background.
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Karl Dönitz and Wehrmacht performing Nazi salute, 1941
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"Millions stand behind me" (John Heartfield photomontage)
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August Landmesser in his refusal to salute
See also
In Spanish: Saludo fascista para niños
