German-American Bund Uniforms

[oldflagswanted]

Bund standard ???

...I don't think it is a banner of the German-American Bund, per se, ...
there were other Nazi-style groups prior to the Bund here in the USA...
Cheers, and thanks for sharing this!
Br. James

Interesting, thanks for pointing that out.
OFW

Here is another pre-Bund group from Chicago: The Friends of New Germany (special guard)

Looks like the same eagle flag again,
so use by FNG group is nice to know.
OFW
(below) My favorite Bund Standard - where is it now?

[Br. James]

As has been mentioned previously, anyone interested in the whole line of history of National Socialism in its various forms here in the USA and elsewhere outside of Germany, would greatly benefit (IMHO) by owning a copy of Scott Freeland's excellent reference work, "They too were AMERICANS," published by Bender Publishing in 2011.

The banner/standard shown in note #61 is a clip from a photo taken of the rostrum at the huge Bund rally at Madison Square Garden on February 20, 1939 and it appears in color on the cover of Freeland's book as well as on p.184, from an event in 1937. The photo in note #59 appears on p.26, and the banner seen there and also in note #56 (found on p.18) was originally that of the Teutonia Club and later of the Friends of the New Germany, the Bund's direct predecessor group.

Br. James

[stonemint]

Interesting that they made a badge for "German Day", but the Germans did not have a Pavilion at the Worlds Fair:

[Br. James]

Interesting indeed! There was a history of the NSDAP keeping at arm's length from direct activities in the USA; even the Auslands Organisation kept a very low profile here, preferring to encourage the development of native-born versions of the Nazi Party. While Germany did not mount an exposition for the 1939 World's Fair in New York City, she did participate in the International Exposition in Liège, Belgium that same year, providing what appears to be quite a massive pavilion, akin to the spectacular German offering at the Paris International Exposition in 1937.

Googling "World's Fair" provides two nice pix of the German pavilion in Liège in 1939, as well as the following interesting background comment:

"The German pavilion was similar to the one in Paris two years before. The pavilion, on the left riverbank was designed by architect Emil Fahrenkamp. Nazi Germany didn't want to spend money outside Germany. The building materials and equipment were imported from Germany and had to be transported from the Belgian-German border 35 km east of Liège. Every morning the contractors and engineers were transported from Germany by bus or lorry to the site in Liège. The whole column returned to Germany in the evening."

So I guess having a "German Day" at the '39 New York World's Fair was as far as they wanted to go...or perhaps it was Fritz Kuhn and the Bund who put up the funds for the event out in Flushing Meadows in Queens? As Scott Freeland notes in his book, the Bund or its local groups did sponsor events in various locations in the USA titled "Deutscher Tag."

Br. James

[Briton]

This isn't my work but has been sent to me, someone having found it on the net.

[stonemint]

Regarding the above photo:

"In October 1938, the Nazis came to the U.S. in the form of a parade on 86th Street, held by an organization called the German American Bund. Headquartered in the then–heavily German neighborhood of Yorkville, the Bund was run by Americans of German descent who thought that Hitler was onto something as he ravaged Europe and planned to take over the world.
About 800 marchers carrying American and Nazi flags got started on East End Avenue, heading toward Lexington. Watching them were 1,300 policemen, there to keep order in case fights broke out. Only a few scuffles did.

The marchers weren’t totally welcome; they were greeted with a mix of heils and boos. Mayor La Guardia condemned the parade and accused organizers of inciting racial hatred."

(from Ephemeral New York)

[kyles bullets]

Some other pictures from online

[stonemint]

Had seen the tinnie before, but never the paper tag--looks like the date was moved from July 24/25 to July 17.

(Riverview Park was an amusement park in Chicago that was torn down in 1967)

[Christian J]

Had seen the tinnie before, but never the paper tag--looks like the date was moved from July 24/25 to July 17.

(Riverview Park was an amusement park in Chicago that was torn down in 1967)

Are all of these legit? I've seen to many of them through the years considering the rarity of these items. Think there is at least copies among them.

[Br. James]

Hi stonemint,

I've noticed this numbered admission ticket(?) together with this tinnie before and, strictly speaking, the language on these two pieces does not appear to me to be contradictory. The tinnie commemorates a two-day meeting event at an unspecified location in Chicago sponsored by the German-American Bund's Gau Midwest titled "German People's Day" being held on Sunday and Monday, July 24-25, 1938, while the ticket apparently represents admission to a one-day recreational event under the same sponsorship taking place the previous Sunday, July 17th, at the Riverview Park in a Chicago suburb. Perhaps I'm reading more into these two pieces than really happened...or perhaps not?!

Cheers, my friend,

Br. James