Herms Niel & Reichsmusikzug des RAD

[Ivan Ž.]

A rare night shot of Niel and his band (in the background).

From https://www.gettyimages.com/

Germany, German Reich. Miklos v. Kozman de Leveld (2nd from left) in Berlin, visiting the Reichsfuehrerschule of the Reichsarbeitsdienst (RAD, Reich Labour Service) in Potsdam, left: Konstantin Hierl, right: Minister of the Interior Dr. Wilhelm Frick. Photographer: Herbert Hoffmann. Published by: 'Berliner Morgenpost' 12.12.1936.

[Ivan Ž.]

A few photos from the Reichsparteitag 1937.

From https://www.gettyimages.com/

Germany, Third Reich - Nuremberg Rally 1937. Herms Niel conducting the marching band of the Reich Labour Service during its march at the rally ground. (Photo by Max Ehlert)

Germany, Third Reich - Nuremberg Rally 1937. A marching band of the Reich Labour Service at the rally ground - September 1937.

From https://www.akg-images.com/ (note: the person in the foreground below is not Niel; it's a bugle player)

NSDAP Convention / Speech / Labour Service. 9th NSDAP Convention, "Labour Convention”, Nuremberg 7–13th September 1937. Speech by the Labour Service on the Zeppelin field.

From https://www.sz-photo.de/

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Parade des Reichsarbeitsdienstes vor Adolf Hitler auf dem Reichsparteitag, 1937. Während des 'Reichsparteitages der Arbeit' marschieren beim großen Appell des Reichsarbeitsdienstes auf dem Zeppelinfeld 38.000 Männer des Arbeitsdien​stes an Adolf Hitler auf der Haupttribüne vorbei.

[Ivan Ž.]

A nice view of the band's Schellenbaum. The photo was likely taken at the Feldmeisterschule 1 grounds in Golm, in the 1940s.

From https://www.gettyimages.com/

Aufmarsch des Reichsmusikzuges des RAD, an der Spitze sein Dirigent Herms Niel, dahinter der Schellenbaum [1̶9̶3̶7̶].

[Ivan Ž.]

One of Niel's fanfare players. Notice the "R-S" on the trumpet banner - indicating the Reichsschule des Deutschen Arbeitsdienstes (where Niel's band originated from).

From https://www.gettyimages.com/

Fanfarenbläser des Reichsmusikzuges - veröffentlicht 1938.

[Ivan Ž.]

A full-page advertisement for Herms-Niel-Fanfaren, from a 1938/1939 Hess catalog:

[Ivan Ž.]

Three photos from the concert at the Opera Square in Paris, 1943.

From https://www.gettyimages.com/

From https://www.sz-photo.de/

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[Ivan Ž.]

The same concert was also filmed:

UFA-Auslands-Tonwoche 619, released in 1943.
Niel and the Reichsmusikzug were filmed holding a concert at the Opera Square in Paris.
Used as soundtrack in the report was a radio (studio) recording of Niel & Stolte's "Minensucherlied".

A few screenshots from this newsreel:

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[Ivan Ž.]

From https://www.ansichtskartenversand.com/

[Ivan Ž.]

Herms Niel (as an Oberstfeldmeister) with his wife Helene.

From https://www.pnn.de/potsdam/komponist-fu ... 31204.html

[Ivan Ž.]

Two brief press reports on Niel's 55th birthday (17 April 1943).

From Litzmannstädter Zeitung, 24.04.1943, p. 3

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From Oberwarther Sonntags-Zeitung, 25.04.1943, p. 5

[Ivan Ž.]

A press report made prior to Niel's 55th birthday (and published shortly afterwards).

From Deutsche Zeitung in den Niederlanden, 15.05.1943, p. 5

The same photos can be seen in better quality on page 3 of this thread.

[Ivan Ž.]

A press report on the 10th anniversary of Niel leading the Reichsmusikzug des RAD (including a short bio).

From Litzmannstädter Zeitung, 25.05.1944, p. 3

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[Ivan Ž.]

A very interesting (propaganda though) article in Dutch about the (very true) importance of a soldiers' song in war and about Herms Niel, the famous soldiers' song composer who held several concerts in the Netherlands at the time.

From De Waag, 15.05.1942, p. 1096

A couple of excerpts, translated:

[...]
Wars are won or lost through song.
[...]
It is the touchstone of a conviction. After all, battle songs are not usually born for a conviction, but from a conviction. They are the lava emerging from a revolutionary volcano and thus are the evidence of an eruptive force.
[...]
Germany has soldiers' songs because it has soldiers - it sings battle songs, because it fights for its being. Anyone who recognises this fact - and he alone - understands and feels the life's work of Herms Niel.
[...]
But to hear Herms Niel live, to see him live, that is an enlightening life experience. Not because it is something "grand", something "big", something of a monumental or colourful spectacle. But because it is so completely without pose, so completely familiar, so naturally coming from the folk soul.
[...]
Without gold-braided attendants and without entertainment tax, but with a heart-to-heart contact. It is an exemplary-sounding ensemble, this orchestra. And Niel is, in all modesty, an excellent conductor.
[...]

[Ivan Ž.]

Photos of Herms Niel and his band in Wir senden Frohsinn - wir spenden Freude

[Ivan Ž.]

Hello, everyone

The entire topic has been updated during August 2020. I've updated the lists of works, covers and recordings on the first page, and added two new lists, of films and concerts. I've also updated some of the older files with higher quality ones (if available), added more precise sources and archival captions where they were missing, added more photos, some lyrics, a number of press reports, etc. Feel free to browse through!

Cheers,
Ivan