Otto May: Hitler! Wohin führt Dein Weg?

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Frischluft
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Joined: 16 Jun 2017, 13:06
Location: Württemberg, Germany

Otto May: Hitler! Wohin führt Dein Weg?

#1

Post by Frischluft » 07 Feb 2021, 02:24

On the back cover of Otto May's brochure Hitler und seine Canaille (Berlin: Hans Teschow, 1928), there is this interesting advertisement for "the continuation of May's confrontation with Adolf Hitler" titled Hitler! Wohin führt Dein Weg? ("Hitler! Where does your way lead?"). May, NSDAP member no. 13, had been the propaganda chief of the party newspaper Völkischer Beobachter (10 April - 9 November 1923; 1 March – 30 September 1925; 1 February – 6 May 1926). Has the advertised brochure ever been published?

Translation:
In the next days, the continuation of May's confrontation with Adolf Hitler will be published by the same publisher. Price (paperback, 24 pages): 50 Pfennig plus postage.

Hitler! Where does your way lead?

I.
Can Hitler be an anti-Freemason?

II.
Can Freemasons be anti-Semites?

III.
Ex-Freemasons as National Socialist leaders.

IV.
Hitler as a friend of the heavy industry.

V.
Pan-European politicians among Hitler's staff.

VI.
Hitler drops the Greater German idea.

VII.
Hitler's mysterious sources of money.

A second critical confrontation with Adolf Hitler and his staff by Otto May, former propaganda chief of the Völkischer Beobachter.
Attachments
May_Hitler_Weg.jpg

GregSingh
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Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: Otto May: Hitler! Wohin führt Dein Weg?

#2

Post by GregSingh » 07 Feb 2021, 12:17

Otto May left the NSDAP in August 1926.
I've never seen the copy of this advertised brochure...


Frischluft
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Posts: 22
Joined: 16 Jun 2017, 13:06
Location: Württemberg, Germany

Re: Otto May: Hitler! Wohin führt Dein Weg?

#3

Post by Frischluft » 07 Feb 2021, 21:07

If the brochure was not published, it was likely because May and the publisher feared a violent reaction from the SA. Maybe they were even threatened. If it was published, all copies might have been confiscated and destroyed during the Third Reich.

ManfredV
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Location: Pirmasens

Re: Otto May: Hitler! Wohin führt Dein Weg?

#4

Post by ManfredV » 11 Feb 2021, 10:13

Are there any more informations about Otto May? He was from Kulmbach and was NSDAP member 1925/26. But then he "disappeared" from history.
In early years Hitler was only one of many leaders in "Völkischer Bewegung" and NSDAP only one among others. When he came back from Landsberg prison he reorganised NSDAP and knocked off and overpowered his rivals. Other "völkische" parties became unimportant and disappeared.
Seems that Otto May was one of these rivals who had no success.

Frischluft
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Posts: 22
Joined: 16 Jun 2017, 13:06
Location: Württemberg, Germany

Re: Otto May: Hitler! Wohin führt Dein Weg?

#5

Post by Frischluft » 17 Mar 2021, 18:40

ManfredV wrote:
11 Feb 2021, 10:13
Are there any more informations about Otto May?
There is information about his life in Adolf Hitler und seine Canaille.

Portrait on the front cover:
Image
  • 25 April 1897: Birth in Kulmbach
  • Work for the major press in non-political fields
  • 10 April – 9 November 1923: Völkischer Beobachter, Munich: Propaganda leader, as which he led the advertising and sales department and the poster and leaflet propaganda -> ban of the newspaper on 9 November following the Beer Hall Putsch
  • 1 January – 10 February 1924: Propaganda chief for the National Socialist substitute party Vereinigte Völkische Liste (United Völkisch List) in the Thuringian state election campaign -> Percentage of votes: 9,26% (https://www.gonschior.de/weimar/Thueringen/LT3.html)
  • 10 February – 1 March 1924: Der Völkische, Weimar: Preparatory work for its publication
  • 1 March – 1 May 1924: Der Völkische: Propaganda leader
  • Return to Munich
  • 1 November 1924 – 1 May 1925: Der Nationalsozialist: Leader of the entire propaganda apparatus and chief of the advertising department -> departure at his own request
  • 26 February 1925: First issue of the new Völkischer Beobachter (https://www.historisches-lexikon-bayern ... t_bis_1925)
  • 1 March – 30 September 1925: Völkischer Beobachter: Leader of the advertising department and propaganda chief -> departure after conflicts with the chief editorial board (he claims that the chief editorial board sabotaged the impetus of his propaganda by showing favour for another Munich newspaper)
  • Agreement with Christian Weber to publish the Europäische Zeit in Munich -> rift: Weber demanded that this newspaper should not be anti-capitalist because all municipalities are taking out loans now
  • 1 February – 6 May 1926: Völkischer Bebachter: Propaganda chief -> Max Amann, the publisher of the newspaper, started a dispute and insulted May -> May laid down his work and wrote Amann in a letter that he would refuse to work until Hitler's return from Berlin -> immediate dismissal on the next day
  • Search for employment
  • Initiation of a party disciplinary proceeding (Parteiamtliches Ehrenverfahren)
  • Declaration of his withdrawal from the party
  • 23 July 1927: Dismissal letter by the A. Z. am Abend announcing his termination on 31 August because of his consistently anti-Semitic position

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