Arno Breitmeyer (19 April 1903, in
Berlin
Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...
– 20 April 1944) was a German sport official. He began his sports career as a successful competition
rower. In 1933 he became editor of the sports section of the ''
Völkischer Beobachter
The ''Völkischer Beobachter'' (; "'' Völkisch'' Observer") was the newspaper of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) from 25 December 1920. It first appeared weekly, then daily from 8 February 1923. For twenty-four years it formed part of the official pub ...
'', the Nazi Party's official newspaper.
Biography
Arno Breitmeyer joined the
NSDAP
The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that crea ...
in May 1933. He then rose to become an important sports official of the
Third Reich
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
. Breitmeyer was first adviser and vice president of the Reich Sports Office (DRL/NSRL,
Nationalsozialistischer Reichsbund für Leibesübungen
The National Socialist League of the Reich for Physical Exercise (german: Nationalsozialistischer Reichsbund für Leibesübungen, abbreviated NSRL) was the umbrella organization for sports and physical education in Nazi Germany. The NSRL was kn ...
) during
Hans von Tschammer und Osten's tenure as Reichs Sports Leader.
Arno Breitmeyer was commissioned by von Tschammer to write an extensive illustrated report on the organized sports activities in the Third Reich. Breitmeyer was assisted by
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
's personal photographer
Heinrich Hoffmann Heinrich Hoffmann or Hoffman may refer to:
Hoffmann
*Heinrich Hoffmann (photographer) (1885–1957), German photographer
*Heinrich Hoffmann (author) (1809–1894), German psychiatrist and author
*Heinrich Hoffmann (sport shooter) (1869–?), German ...
in the venture. The first volume was printed in 1934 by the publishing house of the German Sports Aid Funds. Only volume one and two of a planned series of heavily illustrated four volumes were published. The purpose of this book was to advertise the importance of physical exercise among the Nazis. This
propaganda
Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loa ...
work has many pictures and information about the various Nazi organizations, i.e.
SA,
NSKK,
Bund Deutscher Mädel,
Hitler Jugend, etc.
At von Tschammer's death in 1943 Arno Breitmeyer became the leader ''(Reichssportführer)''.
There is some controversy regarding Arno Breitmeyer's attitude towards the Nazi regime. Some sources claim that he belonged to the
SS and that he was known for his anti-Semitic views. Other sources, however, state that he joined the Nazi party relatively early, displaying Nazi zeal, in order to protect his wife who was of
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
origin.
Breitmeyer was an ''Oberregierungsrat'' candidate to be a member of the
Reichstag (MdR, Mitglied des Reichstags) in 1938. At the time of his death in 1944 he was an SA (
Sturmabteilung
The (; SA; literally "Storm Detachment (military), Detachment") was the original paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party. It played a significant role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s. Its primary purposes were providing pro ...
) ''Brigadeführer'', ranked as ''Generalmajor'' (the equivalent of major-general in the
U.S. Army or a Brigadier-general in the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gur ...
).
Breitmeyer was succeeded as ''Reichssportführer'' by
Karl Ritter von Halt
Dr Karl Ritter von Halt, born Karl Ferdinand Halt (2 June 1891 – 5 August 1964) was a sport official in Nazi Germany and in the German Federal Republic. He was born and died in Munich.
Biography
Karl Ritter von Halt was a Track and field, t ...
.
Works
*Arno Breitmeyer & P. G. Hoffmann, ''Sport und Staat. Im Auftrage des Reichssportführers'', Selbstverlag des Hilfsfonds für den Deutschen Sport, 1934. (2 vols).
Sport und Staat
/ref>
References & External links
German Jewish Sport 1898–1938 and the Anti-Semitic Discourse
{{DEFAULTSORT:Breitmeyer, Arno
1903 births
1944 deaths
Sturmabteilung personnel
Nazi Party officials
German male rowers
German referees and umpires