Nazis and redheads

Discussions on every day life in the Weimar Republic, pre-anschluss Austria, Third Reich and the occupied territories. Hosted by Vikki.
User avatar
Ehrenwinkel
Member
Posts: 54
Joined: 09 Sep 2004, 16:11
Location: England

Nazis and redheads

#1

Post by Ehrenwinkel » 15 May 2006, 16:12

I have heard from time to time that the Nazis persecuted red haired people in some way, presumably for racial reasons, but I've never found any definite information about it. Is it a myth?

User avatar
HaEn
In memoriam
Posts: 1911
Joined: 13 Mar 2002, 01:58
Location: Portland OR U.S.A.

red heads

#2

Post by HaEn » 15 May 2006, 18:43

Our Spiess (administrative Sergeant major) was as red as one could be. His nickname (out of earshot) was "Lighthouse" :D
So i think that this belongs in the Myths of the 3rd Reich.
HN


User avatar
MacX
Member
Posts: 291
Joined: 24 Jun 2004, 16:37
Location: Germany

#3

Post by MacX » 15 May 2006, 22:11

this sounds rather senseless since the ancient Germanics are said to be mostly red-haired

User avatar
Denim Demon
Member
Posts: 163
Joined: 31 Jul 2003, 09:46
Location: Stavanger, Norway

Nazis and redheads

#4

Post by Denim Demon » 15 May 2006, 22:45

:lol: :lol: :lol:
where did you hear about this?

User avatar
spiro
Member
Posts: 188
Joined: 16 Jul 2005, 16:48
Location: Greece

#5

Post by spiro » 15 May 2006, 23:43

I've must have read somewere that most European Jews were redhead.
Maybe that was the case?

User avatar
Denim Demon
Member
Posts: 163
Joined: 31 Jul 2003, 09:46
Location: Stavanger, Norway

#6

Post by Denim Demon » 16 May 2006, 12:29

hasnt being redhaired something to do about a lack of pigment in the skin? a phenomenon that is found in a certain precent of the population of all white skinned.
never heared about most european jews being redheads, if that was the case i think Hitlers first objective would have been ireland. lots of redheads there.

User avatar
spiro
Member
Posts: 188
Joined: 16 Jul 2005, 16:48
Location: Greece

#7

Post by spiro » 16 May 2006, 13:14

Denim Demon wrote:hasnt being redhaired something to do about a lack of pigment in the skin? a phenomenon that is found in a certain precent of the population of all white skinned.
never heared about most european jews being redheads, if that was the case i think Hitlers first objective would have been ireland. lots of redheads there.
http://www.britam.org/redjews.html

User avatar
Denim Demon
Member
Posts: 163
Joined: 31 Jul 2003, 09:46
Location: Stavanger, Norway

#8

Post by Denim Demon » 16 May 2006, 13:45

http://www.britam.org/redjews.html
seems highly dubious, i would certanly not take it for a historical fact, more of a mythical mumbo jumbo

User avatar
spiro
Member
Posts: 188
Joined: 16 Jul 2005, 16:48
Location: Greece

#9

Post by spiro » 16 May 2006, 14:33

Denim Demon wrote:http://www.britam.org/redjews.html
seems highly dubious, i would certanly not take it for a historical fact, more of a mythical mumbo jumbo
Well you're propably right.
Maybe this would hepl:

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/tcga/ashkenazim/page2.html

User avatar
Ehrenwinkel
Member
Posts: 54
Joined: 09 Sep 2004, 16:11
Location: England

#10

Post by Ehrenwinkel » 16 May 2006, 15:03

The first person to tell me about this was my mother, who was a redhead before she turned grey. Of course, I always believe what she says without question :roll: . I've brought it up in conversation with various people from time to time without any conclusive result. The only definite reference I can find is to this book: "The Roots of Desire: The Myth, Meaning, and Sexual Power of Red Hair" by Marion Roach, which says in the blurb "Hitler banned intermarriage with redheads for fear of producing 'deviant offspring'" (see, eg, http://search.barnesandnoble.com/bookse ... 1582343440), but I haven't seen the book so I don't know what her source is. But clearly the idea is out there and not just a figment of my mother's hot-headed imagination.

User avatar
spiro
Member
Posts: 188
Joined: 16 Jul 2005, 16:48
Location: Greece

#11

Post by spiro » 16 May 2006, 15:09

It is also mentioned in Emil G. Hirsch's article "Hair" in the Jewish Encyclopedia (1901-1906).
I'll post a link when I'll find an online version :o

tonyh
Member
Posts: 2911
Joined: 19 Mar 2002, 13:59
Location: Dublin, Ireland

#12

Post by tonyh » 16 May 2006, 16:44

Hitler himself had reddish dark auburn hair.

Its amazing. There really is no end to the myths thrown up around Hitler and the nazis.

Tony

User avatar
MacX
Member
Posts: 291
Joined: 24 Jun 2004, 16:37
Location: Germany

#13

Post by MacX » 16 May 2006, 23:06

hitler had normal dark brown hair... and besides, just like most jews, I believe

tonyh
Member
Posts: 2911
Joined: 19 Mar 2002, 13:59
Location: Dublin, Ireland

#14

Post by tonyh » 22 May 2006, 15:24

Auburn hair is a dark brown, but with a reddish tint.

Tony

Flinker
Banned
Posts: 71
Joined: 15 Dec 2005, 07:41
Location: California

#15

Post by Flinker » 30 May 2006, 04:33

It seems those "Ten Lost Tribes" are showing up just about everywhere, even in the US. It all sounds like a bunch of hokum. There's a local here in California who claims the Chumash Indians were one of the lost tribes. None, to my knowledge, was a redhead.

My Fifth-Grade World History book referred to the ancient Germans as mostly redheaded. Too bad I can't produce it now, but I remember this well.

I've known quite a few redheads over the years, most of them turned out to be Irish. At a first meeting of a History class a long time ago, there sat a girl in front of me with beautiful red hair, which was set off by a lavender sweater. At one point she turned around and I saw her face for the first time, and I about fell off my chair. She was one of the most beautiful specimens I've ever seen. Her ancestry turned out to be Scottish -- Sinclair was the last name. She was also a brilliant student, even in German. (Wonder what ever happened to her.)

That same college, at the same time, had another beautiful redheaded student -- Jill St. John (Oppenheim was her birth name), the soon-to-be movie starlet. Jill was of Jewish ancestry ... so there's at least one of them out there, and I can't imagine anyone, even Hitler, not being enamored with her.

Locked

Return to “Life in the Third Reich & Weimar Republic”