January 30th - Hitler the new democratically elected leader takes office

Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor of a coalition Gubment on January 30th 1933 - there will be many who will tonight sing the song which became a national anthem.

Horst Wessel Lied

Die Fahne hoch die Reihen fest geschlossen
S. A. marschiert mit ruhig festem Schritt
Kam'raden die Rotfront und Reaktion erschossen
Marschier'n im Geist in unsern Reihen mit

Die Strasse frei den braunen Batallionen
Die Strasse frei dem Sturmabteilungsmann
Es schau'n auf's Hackenkreuz voll Hoffung schon Millionen
Der Tag fur Freiheit und fur Brot bricht an

Zum letzen Mal wird nun Appell geblasen
Zum Kampfe steh'n wir alle schon bereit
Bald flattern Hitler-fahnen Uber allen Strassen
Die Knechtschaft dauert nur mehr kurze Zeit

Die Fahne hoch die Reihen fest geschlossen
S. A. marschiert mit ruhig festem Schritt
Kam'raden die Rotfront und Reaktion erschossen
Marschier'n im Geist in unsern Reihen mit


Translation

Flag high, ranks closed,
The S.A. marches with silent solid steps.
Comrades shot by the red front and reaction
march in spirit with us in our ranks.

The street free for the brown battalions,
The street free for the Storm Troopers.
Millions, full of hope, look up at the swastika;
The day breaks for freedom and for bread.

For the last time the call will now be blown;
For the struggle now we all stand ready.
Soon will fly Hitler-flags over every street;
Slavery will last only a short time longer.

Flag high, ranks closed,
The S.A. marches with silent solid steps.
Comrades shot by the red front and reaction
march in spirit with us in our ranks.

Wessel became a posthumous hero after his death - he wrote this song in early 1929 as a new Nazi "fighting song" (Kampflied). It was first published in Goebbels's newspaper Der Angriff in September 1929, under the title "Der Unbekannte SA-Mann" (the Unknown SA-Man). This was the song later known as "Die Fahne hoch" from its opening line, or as the "Horst Wessel Song." The music often accredited to Wessel is an old WW1 Navy song.

30,000 followed his funeral cortege and the funeral was attended by Goebbels, who delivered the eulogy in the presence of Hermann Göring and Prince August Wilhelm of Prussia, son of former emperor Wilhelm II, who had joined the SA.

Wessel lived before his death in the Berlin District of Friedrichshain, which was re-named Horst Wessel, and a square and U- bahn station in the MItte district, Bülowplatz, was renamed Horst-Wessel-Platz. After the war Friedrichshain was restored, the square became Liebknechtplatz (dear farm worker) . It was renamed Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz after the socialist heroine Rosa Luxemburg, in 1969. The name by which it is still known.