Newsgroups: alt.revisionism,soc.history
Subject: Holocaust Almanac - Hitler's "January 30, 1933" Torchlight Parade
Summary: Degrelle's "revisionism" begins with a lie - Hitler's vaunted
         torchlight parade did not occur on January 30th - it was staged
         the following night under Goebbel's direction
Reply-To: kmcvay@oneb.almanac.bc.ca
Followup-To: alt.revisionism
Organization: The Old Frog's Almanac, Vancouver Island, CANADA
Keywords: Degrelle,Hitler        

Archive/File: orgs/american/ihr degrelle.001
Last-Modified: 1993/08/30

In Message-ID 25s4m9$q8i@techbook.techbook.com, Dan Gannon offers Degrelle's
"How Hitler Consolidated Power in Germany and Launched a Social Revolution."

Degrelle begins with an outright fabrication, fully in keeping with the
Holocaust deniers' practice of continuing to mislead our readers in the hope
no-one will bother to check the facts.     

Degrelle writes:

         "We have the power.  Now our gigantic work begins."

          Those were Hitler's words on the night of January 30,
	  1933, as cheering crowds surged past him, for five
	  long hours, beneath the windows of the Chancellery
	  in Berlin.

   According to Weitz, speaking of Hitler's swearing-in ceremony, there
   were no such demonstrations on the night of the 30th:

      That night, there was to be a huge torchlight parade through the
      Brandenburg Gate to celebrate the appointment of Adolf Hitler. Von
      Papen had rented a balcony suite at the Hotel Adlon, overlooking
      the square in front of the Brandenburg Gate. His family and
      friends were there to view the Storm Troopers parade through the
      gate's immense arches and in front of 'jubilant crowds.' The
      torchlight parade did indeed take place, but the crowd was slim
      and apathetic. The suite underneath the von Papen suite was rented
      by Hans Albers, Germany's dashing blond film hero, who appeared in
      full evening dress on his balcony, flanked by two beautiful girls
      in low-cut gowns despite the chill. They were all drinking
      champaign, toasting the sparse crowd, and waving. Now the people
      on the sidewalks had something to cheer about. The Albers party
      tossed packs of expensive cigarettes from a silver tray to their
      'audience.' Albers was no Nazi sympathizer, and this was probably
      his way of making fun of them and distracting them from the
      parade.

      The world has often seen photos and films of that torchlight
      parade, but the marchers they saw did not parade on the night of
      January 30, 1933. It was much too dark that night, the marchers
      were ragged, and no searchlights had been placed. The whole parade
      was restaged a day later by Hitler's propaganda genius, Goebbels,
      with floodlights and cameras in place and film directors to
      channel the brown-shirted, torch-carrying marchers. It was the
      first typical Third Reich fabrication.  (Weitz, 57-58)

I lack the time right now to wade through all 2774 lines of Gannon's latest
offering, but would appreciate citations from anyone who does - I have no
doubt that the article contains a good many other "revisions" of historical
reality, given the source. (As time permits, I will do my best to collect and
collate further citations with regard to Degrelle's assertions. Your
submissions are sought, and will be appreciated.)

                               Work Cited:

    Weitz, John. Hitler's Diplomat: The Life and Times of Joachim von
    Ribbentrop. New York: Ticknor & Fields, 1992

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