Arno Breitmeyer (19 April 1903, in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

– 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 ( or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor, the German Workers ...

in May 1933. He then rose to become an important sports official of the

Third Reich Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...

. Breitmeyer was first adviser and vice president of the Reich Sports Office (DRL/NSRL, Nationalsozialistischer Reichsbund für Leibesübungen) 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 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

's personal photographer Heinrich Hoffmann 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 loaded l ...

work has many pictures and information about the various Nazi organizations, i.e. SA, NSKK, Bund Deutscher Mädel,

Hitler Jugend The Hitler Youth ( , often abbreviated as HJ, ) was the youth wing of the German Nazi Party. Its origins date back to 1922 and it received the name ("Hitler Youth, League of German Worker Youth") in July 1926. From 1936 until 1945, it was th ...

, 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 (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

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; or 'Storm Troopers') was the original paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party of Germany. It played a significant role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power, Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and early 1930s. I ...

) ''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 Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

). Breitmeyer was succeeded as ''Reichssportführer'' by Karl Ritter von Halt.

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
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References & External links

German Jewish Sport 1898–1938 and the Anti-Semitic Discourse
{{DEFAULTSORT:Breitmeyer, Arno 1903 births 1944 deaths German male rowers German referees and umpires Nazi Party officials SA-Brigadeführer 20th-century German sportsmen