Hitler's Olympics

by Christopher Hilton

  The Hindenburghaus near the entrance acted as a social meeting point for everybody. The Indian team can be regarded as representative, not because they won the hockey gold medal but because they were a group of such varied backgrounds united by the Olympic circumstances. They remembered how ‘we were entertained to pictures and occasional dancing, acrobatic feats or jugglery. Every evening after dinner, we used to pass two hours in the house, with our sweatsuits on or any other informal dress, cheering, clapping and joking. The Italians were the most noisy and none could beat them in this respect. A sight of a pretty girl dancing gracefully was always enough to rouse our Italian friends to the highest pitch of enjoyment….’49

  If you stand by yourself on any of the overgrown paths and listen, I swear you can still hear the echoes from those August days vaulting across the bitter decades, can hear the sound the youth of the world made.

  It is laughter.

  Notes

   1. Lewis H. Carlson and John J. Fogarty, Tales of Gold (Chicago, IL, Contemporary Books, 1987), p. 152.

   2. Albert Speer, Inside the Third Reich (London, Sphere, 1979), p. 116.

   3. Stephanie Daniels and Anita Tedder, ‘A Proper Spectacle’ – Women Olympians 1900–1936 (Houghton Conquest, Beds., ZeNaNa Press, 2000), p. 101.

   4. Paul Yogi Mayer, Jews in the Olympic Games (London, Valentine Mitchell, 2004), p. 107.

   5. William J. Baker, Jesse Owens, An American Life (New York, The Free Press, 1986), p. 118.

   6. www.athletics.mcgill.ca/varsity_sports_player_profile.ch2?athlete_id=959 (visited 19 October 2005).

   7. Carlson and Fogarty, Tales of Gold, pp. 151, 175

   8. Marty Glickman with Stan Isaacs, The Fastest Kid on the Block (Syracuse, NY, Syracuse University Press, 1996).

   9. John Woodruff; interview with author.

  10. US Official Olympic report.

  11. en.olympic.cn/games/summer/2004-03-27/121663.html (visited 22 September 2005).

  12. www.cishsydney2005.org/images/ST25-PAPER%20FOR%20 ICHSC%20(SAKAUE).doc (visited 24 October 2005).

  13. Ibid.

  14. Ibid.

  15. Christine Duerksen Sant, ‘“Genuine German Girls”: The Nazi Portrayal of its Sportswomen of the 1936 Berlin Olympics’, p. 115. Unpublished doctoral thesis, Winston-Salem, Wake Forest University, 2000.

  16. Ibid.

  17. Ibid., p. 116.

  18. Gretel Bergmann; interview with author.

  19. www.adpf.asso.fr/adpf-publi/folio/olympisme/hommages.html (visited 14 April 2005).

  20. Ibid.

  21. www.aafla.org/SportsLibrary/Olympika/Olympika_1994/olympika0301g.pdf

  22. frankwykoff2.com/foy_draper2.htm (visited 22 October 2005).

  23. www.webenetics.com/hungary/olympic_1936.htm (visited 18 April 2005).

  24. Daniels and Tedder, ‘A Proper Spectacle’, p. 127.

  25. Ibid.

  26. usatf.org/athletes/hof/johnson_c.asp (visited 25 August 2005).

  27. Hitler’s Pawn, Clear Channel Entertainment Television/Black Canyon Productions, New York.

  28. Gretel Bergmann; interview with author.

  29. webs.wichita.edu/dt/shockermag/show/dept.asp?_s=138&_ d=11 (visited 10 October 2005).

  30. Jesse Owens with Paul Neimark, JESSE: The Man Who Outran Hitler (New York, Fawcett Gold Medal, 1978).

  31. usatf.org/athletes/hof/snyder.asp (visited 25 August 2005).

  32. Glickman with Isaacs, The Fastest Kid on the Block.

  33. usatf.org/athletes/hof/albritton.asp (visited on 10 May 2006).

  34. usatf.org/athletes/hof/lash.asp (visited 11 August 2005).

  35. de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gisela_Mauermayer (visited 12 August 2005).

  36. Ibid.

  37. New York Times, 18 June 1996.

  38. www.jewsinsports.org/Olympics.asp?sport=olympics&ID=2 - 9k (visited 19 November 2005).

  39. Gretel Bergmann; interview with author.

  40. New York Times, 28 October 2002.

  41. eleanor-holm.biography.ms/ (visited 21 August 2005).

  42. frankwykoff2.com/olympic_oak_tree.htm (visited 25 October 2005).

  43. Velma Dunn Ploessel; interview with author.

  44. www.usc.edu/dept/pubrel/trojan_family/summer03/F_Zamperini.html (visited 29 September 2005).

  45. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Woodruff (visited 12 August 2005).

  46. Fritz Wandt; interview with Birgit Kubisch.

  47. The XIth Olympic Games Berlin, 1936 Official Report.

  48. M.N. Masood, The World’s Hockey Champions (Delhi, Model Press, 1937).

  49. Ibid.

  STATISTICS

  Here are all the medal winners from Berlin with, for interest, the winning times from Track and Field in the 1896 and 2004 Athens Games. (Track and Field has been the centrepiece all the way through, and comparisons can be made). In every event at Berlin the winner won gold, second silver and third bronze.

  Men

  Track and Field

  100m J. Owens (USA) 10.3s, R. Metcalfe (USA) 10.4, M. Osendarp (Hol) 10.5. Athens 1896 12.0, Athens 2004, 9.85.

  200m: J. Owens (USA) 20.7s, M. Robinson (USA) 21.1, M. Osendarp (Hol) 21.3. Athens 22.2/ 19.79.

  400m: A. Williams (USA) 46.5s, G. Brown (GB) 46.7, J. LuValle (USA) 46.8. Athens 54.2/ 44.0.

  800m: J. Woodruff (USA) 1m 52.9s, M. Lanzi (Ita) 1:53.3, P. Edwards (Can) 1:53.6. Athens 2:11.0/ 1:44.45.

  1,500m: J. Lovelock (NZ) 3m 47.8s, G. Cunningham (USA) 3:48.4, L. Beccali (Ita) 3:49.2. Athens 4:33.2/ 3.34.18.

  5,000m: G. Höckert (Fin) 14m 22.2s, L. Lehtinen (Fin) 14:25.8, H. Jonsson (Swe) 14:29.0. Athens: not held/ 13:14.39.

  10,000m: I. Salminen (Fin) 30m 15.4s, A. Askola (Fin) 30:15.6, V. Iso-Hollo (Fin) 30:20.2. Athens: not held/ 27:05.10.

  Marathon: S. Kee-Chung (Jap) 2h 29m 19.2s, E. Harper (GB) 2h 31:23.2, N. Seong-Yong (Jap) 2h 31:42.0. Athens 2h 58.50/ 2h 10:55.0.

  3,000m steeplechase: V. Iso-Hollo (Fin) 9m 03.8s, K. Tuominen (Fin) 9:06.8, A. Dompert (Ger) 9:07.2. Athens: not held/ 8:05/81.

  110m hurdles: F. Towns (USA) 14.2s, D. Finlay (GB) 14.4, F. Pollard (USA) 14.4. Athens 17.6/ 12.91.

  400m hurdles: G. Hardin (USA) 52.4s, J. Loaring (Can) 52.7, M. White (Phi) 52.8. Athens: not held/ 47.63.

  4 × 100 relay: USA 39.8s, Italy 41.1, Germany 41.2, GB 41.3. Athens: not held/ 38.08.

  4 × 400 relay: GB 3m 09.0s, USA 3:11.0, Germany 3:11.8. Athens: not held/ 2:55.91.

  50km road walk: H. Whitlock (GB) 4h 30m 41.1s, A. Schwalb (Switz) 4h 32:09.2, A. Bubenko (Lat) 4h 32:42.2. Athens: not held/ 3h 38:46.0.

  High jump: C. Johnson (USA) 2.03m, D. Albritton (USA) 2.00m, D. Thurber (USA) 2.00m. Athens 1.81m/ 2.36m.

  Pole vault: E. Meadows (USA) 4.35m, S. Nishida (Jap) 4.25m, S. Oe (Jap) 4.25m. Athens 3.30m/ 5.95m.

  Long jump: J. Owens (USA) 8.06m, L. Long (Ger) 7.87m, N. Tajima (Jap) 7.74m. Athens 6.35m/ 8.95m.

  Triple jump: N. Tajima (Jap) 16.00m, M. Harada (Jap) 15.66m, J. Metcalfe (Austral) 15.50m. Athens 13.71m/ 17.79m.

  Shot-put: H. Woellke (Ger) 16.20m, S. Bärlund (Fin) 16.12m, G. Stock (Ger) 15.66m. Athens 11.22m/ 21.15m.

  Discus: K. Carpenter (USA) 50.48m, G. Dunn (USA) 49.36m, G. Oberweger (Ita) 49.23m. Athens 29.15m/ 69.89m.

  Hammer: K. Hein (Ger) 56.49m, E. Blask (Ger) 55.04m, F. Warngard (Swe) 54.83m. Athens: not held/ 82.91m.

  Javelin: G. Stock (Ger) 71.84m, Y. Nikkanen (Fin) 70.77m, K. Toivonen (Fin) 70.72m. Athens: not held/ 86.50m.

  Decathlon: G. Morris (USA) 7,254 pts, R. Clark (USA) 7,063 pts, J. Parker (USA) 6,760 pts. Athens: not held/ 8,893 pts.

  Basketball

  America, Canada, Mexico.

  Boxing

  Flyweight: W. Kaiser (Ger), G. Matta (Ita), L. Laurie (USA).

  Bantamweight: U. Sergo (Ita), J. Wilson (USA), F. Ortiz (Mex).

  Featherweight: O. Casanovas (Arg), C. Catterall (S Af), J. Miner (Ger).
/>   Lightweight: I. Harangi (Hun), N. Stepulov (Est), E. Agren (Swe).

  Welterweight: S. Suvio (Fin), M. Murach (Ger), G. Petersen (Den).

  Middleweight: J. Despeaux (Fra), H. Tiller (Nor), R. Villareal (Arg).

  Light-heavyweight: R. Michelot (Fra), R. Vogt (Ger), F. Risiglione (Arg).

  Heavyweight: H. Runge (Ger), G. Loveli (Arg), E. Nilsen (Nor).

  Canoeing

  1,000 metres kayak singles: G. Hradetsky (Aus) 4m 22.9s, H. Cämmerer (Ger) 4:25.6, J. Kraaier (Hol) 4:35.1.

  10,000 metres kayak singles: E. Krebs (Ger) 46m 01.6s, F. Landerfinger (Aus) 46:14.7, E. Riedel (USA) 47:23.9.

  1,000 metres kayak pairs: Austria 4m 03.8s, Germany 4:08.9, Holland 4:12.2.

  10,000 metres kayak pairs: Germany 41m 45.0s, Austria 42:05.4, Sweden 43:06.1.

  1,000 metres Canadian singles: F. Arnyot (Can) 5m 32.1s, B. Karlik (Czh) 5:36.9, E. Koshik (Ger) 5:39.0.

  1,000 metres Canadian pairs: Czechoslovakia 4m 50.1, Austria 4:53.8, Canada 4:56.7.

  10,000 metres Canadian pairs: Czechoslovakia 50m 33.5s, Canada 51m 15.8, Austria 51:28.0.

  10,000 metres folding kayak singles: G. Hradetzky (Aus) 50:01.2, H. Eberhardt (Fra) 50:04.2, X. Hörmann (Ger) 50:06.5.

  10,000 metres folding kayak pairs: Sweden 45:48.9, Germany 45:49.2, Holland 46:12.4.

  Cycling

  1,000 metres time-trial: A.Vliet (Hol) 1m 12.0s, P. Georger (Fra) 1:12.8, R. Karsch (Ger) 1:13.2.

  1,000 metres sprint: T. Merkens (Ger) 11m 8s, A.Vliet (Hol), L. Chaillot (Fra).

  4,000 metres team pursuit: France 4m 45.0s, Italy 4:51.0, Great Britain 4:52.6.

  2,000 metres tandem: Germany 11.8s, Netherlands, France.

  Team road race: France 7h 39m 16.2s Switzerland 7 39:20.4, Belgium 7 39:21.0.

  Individual road race: R. Charpentier (Fra) 2h 33m 05.0s, G. Lapebie (Fra) 2 33:05.2, E. Nievergeit (Switz) 2 33:05.8

  Equestrian

  Jumping: K. Hasse (Ger) 4 faults, H. Rang (Rom) 4, J. von Platthy (Hun) 8 Team: Germany 44 faults, Holland 51.5, Portugal 56.

  Dressage: H. Pollay (Ger) 1,760 pts, F. Gerhard (Ger) 1,745.4 pts, A. Podhajsky (Aus) 1,721.5.

   Team: Germany 5,074 pts, France 4,846 pts, Sweden 4,660.5 pts.

  Three-day event: L. Stubbendorf (Ger) 37.7 faults, E. Thomson (USA) 99.9, H. Lunding (Den) 102.2.

   Team: Germany 676.75 pts, Poland 991.70 pts, Great Britain 9,195.90 pts.

  Fencing

  Foil: G. Gaudini (Ita) 7 wins, F. Gardère (Fra) 6, G. Bocchino (Ita) 4.

   Team: Italy, France, Germany.

  Épée: F. Riccardi (Ita) 13 wins, S. Ragno (Ita) 12, G. Cornaggia-Medici (Ita) 12.

   Team: Italy, Sweden, France.

  Sabre: E. Kabos (Hun) 7 wins, G. Marzi (Ita) 6, A. Gerevich (Hun) 6.

   Team: Hungary, Italy, Germany.

  Football

  Semi-finals: Italy 2, Norway 1; Austria 3, Poland 1.

  Final: Italy 2, Austria 1.

  Gymnastics

  Team: Germany 657.430 pts, Switzerland 654.802 pts, Finland 638.468 pts.

  Individual combined exercises: A. Schwarzmann (Ger) 113.100 pts, E. Mack (Switz), 112.334 pts, K. Frey (Ger) 111.532 pts.

  Floor exercises: G. Miez (Switz) 18.666, J. Walter (Switz) 18.5, K. Frey (Ger)/ E. Mack (Switz) 18.466.

  Parallel bars: K. Frey (Ger)19.067, M. Reusch (Switz) 19.034, A. Schwarzmann (Ger) 18.967.

  Pommel horse: K. Frey (Ger) 19.333, E. Mack (Switz) 19.167, A. Bachmann (Switz) 19.067.

  Rings: A. Hudec (Czh) 19.433, L. Skutelj (Yug) 18.867, M. Volz (Ger) 18.667.

  Horizontal bar: A. Saarvala (Fin) 19.367, K. Frey (Ger) 19.267, A. Schwarzmann (Ger) 19.233.

  Horse vault: A. Schwarzmann (Ger) 19.200, E. Mack (Switz) 18.967, M. Volz (Ger) 18.467.

  Handball

  Germany, Austria, Switzerland.

  Hockey

  India, Germany, Holland.

  Modern Pentathlon

  G. Handrick (Ger) 31.5, C. Leonard (USA) 39.5, S. Abba (Ita) 45.5.

  Rowing

  Single sculls: G. Schäfer (Ger) 8m 21.5s, J. Hasenöhri (Aus) 8:25.8, D. Barrow (USA) 8:28.0.

  Double sculls: Great Britain 7m 20.8s, Germany 7:26.2, Poland 7:36.2.

  Coxless pairs: Germany 8m 16.1s, Denmark 8:19.2, Argentina 8:23.0

  Coxed pairs: Germany 8m 36.9s, Italy 8:49.7, France 8:54.0.

  Coxless fours: Germany 7m 01.8s, Great Britain 7:06.5, Switzerland 7:10.6.

  Coxed fours: Germany 7m 16.2s, Switzerland 7:24.3, France 7:33.3.

  Eights: United States 6m 25.4s, Italy 6:26.0, Germany 6:26.4.

  Shooting

  Free pistol: T. Ullman (Swe) 559, E. Krempel (Ger) 544, C. des Jammonières (Fra) 540.

  Rapid-fire pistol: C. van Oyen (Ger) 36, H. Hax (Ger) 35, T. Ullman (Swe) 34.

  Small-bore rifle: W. Rögeberg (Nor) 300, R. Berzsenyi (Hun) 296, W. Karás (Pol) 296.

  Swimming

  100m freestyle: F. Csík (Hun) 57.6s, M. Yusa (Jap) 57.9, S. Arai (Jap) 58.0.

  400m freestyle: J. Medica (USA) 4m 44.5s, S. Uto (Jap) 4:45.6, S. Makino (Jap) 4:28.1.

  1,500m freestyle: N. Terada (Jap) 19m 13.7s, J. Medica (USA) 19:34.0, S. Uto (Jap) 19:34.5.

  200m breaststroke: T. Hamuro (Jap) 2m 42.5s, E. Sietas (Ger) 2:42.9, R. Koike (Jap) 2:42.2.

  100m backstroke: A. Keifer (USA) 1m 05.9s, A. van de Weghe (USA) 1:07.7, M. Kiyokawa (Jap) 1:08.4.

  4 × 200m freestyle relay: Japan 8m 51.5s, USA 9:03.0, Hungary 9:12.3.

  Springboard diving: R. Deneger (USA) 163.57, M. Wayne (USA) 159.56, A. Greene (USA) 146.29.

  Highboard diving: M. Wayne (USA) 113.58, E. Root (USA) 110.60, H. Stork (Ger) 110.31.

  Water polo: Hungary, Germany, Belgium.

  Weight-lifting

  Featherweight: A. Terlazzo (USA) 312.5kg, S.M. Soliman (Egy) 305kg, I. Shams (Egy) 300kg.

  Lightweight: A.M. Mesbah (Egy) 342.5kg / R. Fein (USA) 342.5kg,* K. Jansen (Ger) 327.5kg.

  Middleweight: K.E. Thouni (Egy) 387.5kg, R. Ismayr (Ger) 352.5kg, A. Wagner (Ger) 352.5kg.

  Light-heavyweight: L. Hostin (Fra) 372.5kg, E. Deutsch (Ger) 365kg, I. Wasif (Egy) 360kg.

  Heavyweight: J. Manger (Aus) 410kg, V. Psenicka (Czh) 402.5kg, A. Luhaäär (Est) 400kg.

  Wrestling

  Free-style bantamweight: O. Zombori (Hun), R. Flood (USA), J. Herbert (Ger).

  Free-style featherweight: K. Pihlajamaki (Fin), F. Millard (USA), G. Josson (Swe).

  Free-style lightweight: K. Karpati (Hun), W. Ehrl (Ger), H. Pihlajamaki (Fin).

  Free-style welterweight: F. Lewis (USA), T. Andersson (Swe), J. Schlleimer (Can).

  Free-style middleweight: E. Poilve (Fra), R. Voliva (USA), A. Kireicci (Tur).

  Free-style light heavyweight: K. Fridell (Swe), A. Neo (Est), E. Siebert (Ger).

  Free-style heavyweight: K. Palusalu (Est), J. Kalpuch (Czh), H. Nystrom (Fin).

  Graeco-Roman bantamweight: M. Lorincz (Hun), E. Svensson (Swe), J. Brendel (Ger).

  Graeco-Roman featherweight: Y. Erkan (Tur), A. Reini (Fin), E. Karlsson (Swe).

  Graeco-Roman lightweight: L. Koskela (Fin), J. Herda (Czh), V. Vali (Est).

  Graeco-Roman welterweight: R. Svedberg (Swe), F. Schafer (Ger), E. Virtanen (Fin).

  Graeco-Roman middleweight: I. Johansson (Swe), L. Schweikeert (Ger), J. Palotas (Hun).

  Graeco-Roman light heavyweight: A. Cadier (Swe), E. Bietags (Lat), A. Néo (Est).

  Graeco-Roman heavyweight: K. Palusalu (Est), J. Nyman (Swe), K. Hornfischer (Ger).

  Yachting

  Olympic monotype: D. Kagchelland (Hol), W. Grogramm (Ger), P. Scot (GB).

  International star: Germany, Sweden, Holland.

  6 metres: Great Britain, Norway, Sweden.**

  8 metres: Italy, Norway, Germany.

  Women

  Track and Field (no women competed at Athens, 1896, so the comparison relates to 2004).

  100m: H. Stephens (USA) 11.5s, S. Walsh (Pol) 11.7, K. Krauss (Ger) 11.9. Athens 10.93.


  80m hurdles: T. Valla (Ita) 11.7s, A. Steuer (Ger) 11.7, E. Taylor (Can) 11.7. Athens: not held.

  4 × 100m relay: USA 46.9s, GB 47.6, Canada 47.8. Athens 41.73.

  High jump: I. Csák (Hun) 1.60m, D. Odam (GB) 1.60, E. Kaun (Ger) 1.60. Athens 2.06.

  Discus: G. Mauermeyer (Ger) 47.63m, J. Wajsówns (Pol) 46.22, P. Mollenmauer (Ger) 39.80. Athens 67.02.

  Javelin: T. Fleischer (Ger) 45.18s, L. Krüger (Ger) 43.29, M. Kawsniewska (Pol) 41.80. Athens 71.53.

  Fencing

  Foil: I. Elek-Schacherer (Hun) 6 wins, H. Mayer (Ger) 5, E. Preis (Aus) 5.

  Gymnastics

  Team: Germany 506.50 pts, Czechoslovakia 503.60, Hungary 499.0.

  Swimming

  100m freestyle: H. Mastenbroek (Hol) 1m 05.9s, J. Campbell (Arg) 1:06.4, G. Arendt (Ger) 1:06.6.

  400m freestyle: H. Mastenbroek (Hol) 5m 26.4s, R. Hveger (Den) 5:27.5, L. Kight-Wingard (USA) 5:29.0.

  200m breaststroke: H. Maehata (Jap) 3m 03.6s, M. Genenger (Ger) 3:04.2, I. Soensen (Den) 3:07.8.

  100m backstroke: D. Senff (Hol) 1m 18.9s, H. Mastenbroek (Hol) 1:19.2, A. Bridges (USA) 1:19.4.

  4 × 100 freestyle relay: Holland 4m 36.0s, Germany 4:36.8, USA 4:40.2.

  Springboard diving: M. Gestring (USA) 89.27, K. Rawis (USA) 88.35, D. Poynton-Hill (USA) 82.36.

  Highboard diving: D. Poynton-Hill (USA) 33.93, V. Dunn (USA) 33.63, K. Köhler (Ger) 33.43.

  * Tie-breaker by bodyweight did not exist then.

  ** Discontinued Olympic sport.

  BIBLIOGRAPHY

  Adlon, Hedda, Hotel Adlon, London, Barrie Books, 1958

  Baker, William J., Jesse Owens, An American Life, New York, The Free Press, 1986

  Bringmann, Gilbert, Fussball-Almanach 1900–1943, Kassel, Kasseler Sportverlag, 1992

  Carlson, Lewis H. and Fogarty, John J., Tales of Gold, Chicago, IL, Contemporary Books, 1987

  Daniels, Stephanie and Tedder, Anita, ‘A Proper Spectacle’ – Women Olympians 1900–1936, Houghton Conquest, ZeNaNa Press, 2000

  Dost, Susanne, Das Olympische Dorf 1936 im Wandel der Zeit, Berlin, VBN Verlag Bernd Neddermeyer GmbH, 2004