"German salute" redirects here. For the salute used in the modern Bundeswehr, see Salute § Germany.
Members of the Hitler Youth in Berlin performing the Nazi salute at a rally in 1933
The Nazi salute, also known as the Hitler salute,[a] or the Sieg Heil salute, is a gesture that was used as a greeting in Nazi Germany. The salute is performed by extending the right arm from the shoulder into the air with a straightened hand. Usually, the person offering the salute would say "Heil Hitler!" ('Hail Hitler!'),[b] "Heil, mein Führer!" ('Hail, my leader!'), or "Sieg Heil!" ('Hail victory!').[c] Inspired by the Fascist salute used by members of the Italian National Fascist Party, the Nazi salute was officially adopted by the Nazi Party in 1926, although it had been used within the party as early as 1921,[4] to signal obedience to the party's leader, Adolf Hitler, and to glorify the German nation (and later the German war effort). The salute was mandatory for civilians[5] but mostly optional for military personnel, who retained a traditional military salute until the failed assassination attempt on Hitler[6] on 20 July 1944.
^Determinative compound Hitlergruß:Hitler see Krech/Stock/Hirschfeld, Deutsches Aussprachewörterbuch, Walter de Gruyter, 2009, p. 587, IPA: [ˈhɪtlɐ]; Gruß: hear Duden: GrußArchived 12 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine and see Krech/Stock/Hirschfeld, Deutsches Aussprachewörterbuch, Walter de Gruyter, 2009, p. 557: IPA: [ɡʁuːs].
^Pronunciation wordcombination Deutscher Gruß: deutscher see Duden: DeutscherArchived 31 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine (noun and adjective have same pronunciation): IPA: [ˈdɔʏtʃɐ]; Gruß: hear Duden: GrußArchived 12 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine and see Krech/Stock/Hirschfeld, Deutsches Aussprachewörterbuch, Walter de Gruyter, 2009, p. 557: IPA: [ɡʁuːs]; emphasis: compare Duden: Englische GrußArchived 12 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine -> secondary stress on first syllable, main stress on second word, same with Deutscher Gruß.
^Pronunciation word combination Heil Hitler!: heil, hear Duden: heilArchived 12 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine and see Krech/Stock/Hirschfeld, Deutsches Aussprachewörterbuch, Walter de Gruyter, 2009, p. 574: IPA: [haɪl] (remark: Krech/Stock/Hirschfeld are always using 'aə̯'-Transcription for 'ei'- and 'ai'-sounds, standard transcription: [haɪl]); Hitler see Krech/Stock/Hirschfeld, Deutsches Aussprachewörterbuch, Walter de Gruyter, 2009, p. 587: IPA: [ˈhɪtlɐ]; emphasis: compare Heil Hitler!Archived 12 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine (two speakers) -> secondary stress on first syllable, main stress on first syllable of second word
^Albrecht Tyrell (Hrsg.): Führer befiehl … Selbstzeugnisse aus der „Kampfzeit“ der NSDAP. Grondrom Verlag, Bindlach 1991, S. 129 f.
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