German-American Bund

Atomvinter · Post by **Atomvinter** » 04 Jun 2002 15:57

I want to now if it exists any books about german american bund and also about their uniforms, insignia and flags?

David E M · Post by **David E M** » 17 Jun 2002 07:48

This might interest you.
http://www.lihistory.com/7/hs729a.htm
cheers - David.

feldmeyer · Post by **feldmeyer** » 25 Jul 2003 22:59

Dear Forum,

When doing research on a Dutch SS-man,I found information that he was a foundingmember or just a member of ''Bund der Freunde des neuen Deutschlands''.In plain english society of friends of the new germany.This man worked in the U.S. for six months,I think in 1931 ? Has anyone information about this group,what happened with them during and after the war ?Are there pictures ?

thanks

Geli · Post by **Geli** » 01 Jun 2004 05:31

I recently watched a documentary that showed some silent footage from a German-American Bund Rally that took place at Madison Square Garden in New York City, in Febuary 1939. The film showed the main speaker suddenly looking to his right. A man seemed to be running toward the front of the stage, and Bund members in uniforms like the SA grabbed him, then NYC cops took over, surrounded the man, and forced him from the stage. As they led him away, I saw that he was only wearing undershorts. Although I played the film over and over, I couldn't tell if the guy ran across the stage in his undies or if the police had pulled his pants down.

Have any of you read any accounts of what took place at this rally? Was it disrupted by a "mooner," or by a heckling protester? The narration in the documentary I saw was no help. It simply said that America was getting a taste of Nazi brutality on its own soil. There was no mention that the "brutality" was being commited by New York police assigned to keep the peace at the event! From the film, I could not tell if the man without pants was a drunken Bund member or a serious protester.

walterkaschner · Post by **walterkaschner** » 05 Jun 2004 17:43

Hi Geli!

I can still recall seeing a contemporary newsreel of what must have been the same incident, and also still shots in either Life or Look magazine. The fellow was a Jewish protestor, but my recollection is that the SA type Bundsmen were giving him a pretty hearty beating before the NY police got to him. I remember giving an oral report about it in school a couple of days later. I was very interested in the Bund in those days. It was quite strong and active in Indiana, where I grew up, and I can vividly recall a lengthy Bund parade replete with Swastika banners, Brown shirts, jack boots and an Oompah band - all of which made my father furious. He had fought and was badly wounded in France in WWI, and although of German heritage he despised the Bund, and was provoked into language entirely unsuitable for a small boy's ears.

But I can't recall the protestor being in his underwear though - that must not have made as great an impression as the beating on an eight year old boy.

Regards, Kaschner

Geli · Post by **Geli** » 07 Jun 2004 19:24

Interesting. I wish there had been sound on the film; I'm curious what the protester said.

walterkaschner wrote:But I can't recall the protestor being in his underwear though - that must not have made as great an impression as the beating on an eight year old boy.

Hmm, knowing how much kids giggle over underwear, (there's a very popular book series out now called Captain Underpants), I have to wonder if that last part of the film was not shown in the theaters.

Beppo Schmidt · Post by **Beppo Schmidt** » 10 Jun 2004 14:32

Were there any Bund rallies in San Francisco?

LEVE · Post by **LEVE** » 12 Jun 2004 16:31

Beppo Schmidt wrote:Were there any Bund rallies in San Francisco?

The Bund was centered where ever there was a population of German American population. It's organization closely reflected the NSDAP organization. The US was divided into three GAU. Los Angeles was the headquarters of the Western GAU. The Gau headquarters was the Deutsches Haus near downtown Los Angeles. Hermann Schwinn became the Western district Gauleiter.

All over the US the Bund sponsored activities such as rallies and camps. It was looked at by many American Germans as a fraternity, of sorts. It was also a way to show Pan-German pride after the discrimination of WWI and the post WWI era. With the depression in full rage in the US it also formed a way that the American German could continue to survive the financial onslaught. Because of the National Socialist philosophy, the American Germans felt exonerated from any quilt associated with the depression. Of course, this thought taught that it was the Jews fault.

The opposition, liberals, reds and socialists would constantly march and disrupt Bund meetings. It was not too different from what went on in Europe, only on a smaller scale. There were Bund rallies in the mid to late 1930's in San Francisco. Most were met with opposition.

One little note was that there were a lot of skilled craftsmen hired from Germany in the 1930's. I remember one incident where these craftsmen were active in the Bund. The group was an engineering group hired by Boeing Aircraft in Seattle. The FBI said that Boeing had a NAZI problem.

The House Committee on UnAmerican Activities records are being opened and some of their activities, surveillances, documents, etc. are coming to light. Some of this information covers the Bund activities in the US.

EER · Post by **EER** » 13 Jun 2004 01:46

The speech Kuhn gave at the Bund rally in Madison Square Gardens was pretty inflammatory. As the protestor rushed to the stage, Kuhn was calling for an end to Jewish influence in labor unions, as well as government (it wasn't the first time such a disruption occured at a Bund meeting). The uniformed Bund men were called the OS, an American version of the SA.

-Michael · Post by **-Michael** » 28 Sep 2006 08:28

Hallo, yes in Flanders there was the group 'Vrienden van het nieuwe Duitschland' or something like that, I think that It has something to do with it. One of the members of this group was the extreem National-Socialist Herman van Puymbroeck.

Serbian boy · Post by **Serbian boy** » 28 Sep 2006 23:14

In U.S.A also existed an organization named "Friends of the new Germany".This organization was created by merginig of two NS organisations (the Teutonia and the NSDAP-bot formed in 1923).Arthur Panknobel (NSDAP member) was the first leader,later he was replaced by Fritz Kun.The organisation was banned in december 1941.And the members of it were deported (with other peoples of german,italian and japanes origin from USA,nearly 5 000 000 peoples) to the so-called "transit camps".After the war germans were deported to Germany.Fritz Kun died in 1951.
Source : "Nazi America" documentary film

feldmeyer 1 · Post by **feldmeyer 1** » 30 Sep 2006 22:10

Thanks

Paul kyre · Post by **Paul kyre** » 08 Oct 2006 07:54

Serbian boy wrote:In U.S.A also existed an organization named "Friends of the new Germany".This organization was created by merginig of two NS organisations (the Teutonia and the NSDAP-bot formed in 1923).Arthur Panknobel (NSDAP member) was the first leader,later he was replaced by Fritz Kun.The organisation was banned in december 1941.And the members of it were deported (with other peoples of german,italian and japanes origin from USA,nearly 5 000 000 peoples) to the so-called "transit camps".After the war germans were deported to Germany.Fritz Kun died in 1951.
Source : "Nazi America" documentary film

is that the German American Bund?

Serbian boy · Post by **Serbian boy** » 08 Oct 2006 22:10

Paul kyre wrote:is that the German American Bund?

Yes,the fisrt name of this organization was "Friends of the new Germany",later renamed,the new name was "German-American Bund".

logibear64 · Post by **logibear64** » 13 Oct 2006 18:36

America's Nazis : a Democratic dilemma : a history of the German American Bund
by Susan Canedy

Type: English : Book
Publisher: Menlo Park, CA : Markgraf Publications Group, ©1990.
ISBN: 0944109071 : 0944109063 OCLC: 21525165

Hard to find but worth the buy if you can find it.

Axis History Forum

German-American Bund

German-American Bund

German America bund

German-American supporters

German-American Bund Rally in New York City

Excellent book on the German-American Bund