He threw away his Iron Cross before he was captured in Czecho-slovakia in 1945. "[33] In May 1919 Karl Mayr became commander of the 6th Battalion of the guards regiment in Munich and from 30 May as head of the "Education and Propaganda Department" (Dept Ib/P) of the Bavarian Reichswehr, Headquarters 4. Irish Guards who died 18/03/1916 CALAIS SOUTHERN CEMETERY France ' from RHQ to units in the front line trenches, when other forms of communication had broken down, as happened, for example, during the major battles in the Fromelles sector at which Hitler is presumed to have been present. [19], At the Nuremberg Trials, two of his former superiors testified that Hitler had refused to be considered for promotion. Thank you, and all who have added to the thread. MORE:- Alfred Czech was Adolf Hitler's "youngest hero". Like millions of others, he enlisted in the army, though with the Bavarian contingent of the German army, not the Austrian, as he should have. Runners were often the bravest men in a company. SS officers with an insiders knowledge of Gutmanns relationship with Hitler had him released from custody. He wrote to his commanding officer, Hauptmann Fritz Wiedemann, asking that he be recalled to the regiment because he could not tolerate Munich when he knew his comrades were at the Front. Lest anyone think I glorify AH, my late uncle was captured by the SS Leibstandarte, Hitler's bodyguard regiment, at Vevi in Greece. Sorry Martin but this is highly unlikely. (The new office was confirmed by a plebiscite on 19 August 1934.) In Vienna, where he had been living in relative poverty since 1907, Hitler received the final part of his father's estate in May 1913 and moved to Munich, where he earned money painting architectural scenes. SEVER CEMETERY EXTENSION, ROUEN France ' I didn't do it for Hitler. The interviewees describe Hitler in his last moments as the Soviet Army invaded Germany in 1945, detailing everything from the claustrophobic quarters of the Fhrer's underground bunker, to his. They went with him to spain, as for what happened to them when he died in 1947???? Hitler (far right, seated) with his army comrades of the Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment 16 (c. 191418). "[67] On 4 February 1938, after Blomberg's disgrace and retirement, Hitler announced in a decree: "From henceforth I exercise personally the immediate command over the whole armed forces. The grainy, black-and-white propaganda film, which was shot on Hitler's 56th birthday in April 1945, contain the last images of the Nazi leader alive. Woody Harrelson hosted Saturday Night Live and used his opening monologue to criticize Big Pharma's response to COVID-19: "The biggest drug cartels in the world get together and buy up all the media and all the politicians and force all the people in the . History is easily redrawn if writers make assumptions and guesses. dailyinfo[29]=' Oberleutnant zur See Axel Carl Ludwig VON SCHOENERMARCK S.M.S. In 1904 fifteen-year-old Adolf became sick and had difficulty breathing. They gave two reasons. Apparently Hitler identified the soldier carrying the wounded man as Tandey from the photo of him in the newspaper clipping he had obtained in 1918.[50]. Hitler was twice decorated for bravery. Updated July 25, 2022. . The Nazis just happened to be in Germany and their soldiers were the German military. The Nazi party that he was molding was based on race, not the idea of socialism, but it took a good few years for Hitler to grow powerful enough to expel the socialists from the party. A younger brother, Edmund, had died of measles in 1900. The EK2 has a top ring, from which it's suspended from a ribbon. Again according to Weber, the fact that Gutmann was Jewish was irrelevant at the time as Hitler's extreme anti-Semitism had not developed at the time. dailyinfo[13]=' 37643 Sapper Thomas John ECCLESTON Tunnelling Coy. The local doctor, Eduard Bloch, was called to help the teenager. Hitler's regiment entered the battle with 3,600 men but at its end mustered only 611 men. dailyinfo[26]=' Chaplain 4th Class The Rev. [He] fully. When he got there, he learnt that his father was missing. On 3 April 1919, Hitler was elected as the liaison of his military battalion and again on 15 April. He was shot and wounded in the lung while serving at the front. The video was recorded while i was visiting Ypres. Like Dr. Bloch, former lieutenant Gutmann was allowed to leave Germany in 1939, first stopping in Belgium, but successfully emigrating to the U.S.A. in 1940, ahead of the German invasion of Western Europe. I did agree with that , but the medals could have a life outside their boxes after their presentation , Hitler was in a position to ingratiate himself with senior officers and draw himself to their attention. Hitler's Last Plot is the first full account of this astounding and shocking story, from the original round- . Too bad nobody mentioned mexico. Check out the upcoming E-Bay, & Manion's Auction House listings of this fantastic Third reich relic, after all, these two sites are always offering only the best 100% authenic militaria>, Life in the Third Reich & Weimar Republic, Kriegsmarine surface ships and Kriegsmarine in general, Luftwaffe air units and Luftwaffe in general, German Strategy & General German Military Discussion, NSDAP, other party organizations & Government, The Dieter Zinke Axis Biographical Research Section, The Ron Klages Panzer & other vehicles Section, Panzer & other vehicles - Photo threads, Axis Documents, Feldpost numbers, Postcards & Other Paper Items, The United Kingdom & its Empire and Commonwealth 1919-45, The Allies and the Neutral States in general, German Colonies and Overseas Expeditions, The end of the Ottoman Empire 1908-1923, Translation help: Breaking the Sound Barrier. dailyinfo[28]=' 19673 Leading Aircraftman Samuel Ambrose TICKNER Meritorious Service Medal No. Leinster Regiment who died 27/02/1918 JERUSALEM MEMORIAL Israel and Palestine (including Gaza) ' Photo by Bundesarchiv, B 145 Bild-F051673-0059 / CC-BY-SA. From then on, he began wearing a grey military jacket with a swastika eagle sewn on the upper left sleeve. It would be rather rare for a private or even a corporal to be able to have long chats with senior officers. His rival Erhard Auer was also wounded in an attack. In December he was reassigned to a Prisoner of War camp in Traunstein as a guard. Between air-raids, the mostly female population emerged from their cellars to form long queues for food. Apart from quality of manufacture, the only visible difference between an EK1 and an EK2 are the mountings. Photo by Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-H1216-0500-002 / CC-BY-SA. You can't deny 3rd reich is the fanciest looking WW2 belligerent. [76] By 22 April 1945, when he finally acknowledged that the war was lost, Hitler told Generals Wilhelm Keitel and Jodl that he had no further orders to give. Post No, no, they are still with him in Brazil, where he is still living with his friends Elvis and Marilyn Monroe. [25] Wiedemann arranged for Hitler's return to his regiment on 5 March 1917. The Bavarians repulsed the attackers, who suffered the second-highest losses they had on any day on the Western Front, about 7,000 men. deserves to be awarded the Iron Cross First Class. October 14 1918 October 14 Adolf Hitler wounded in British gas attack Among the German wounded in the Ypres Salient in Belgium on October 14, 1918, is Corporal Adolf Hitler, temporarily blinded. I've read John Williams even-handed book on the List Regiment twice and the bravery of all List Regiment despatch runners taking messages forward at Fromelles 1915 and 1916 forward to battalions and companies through incessant shelling is not what Weber would suggest. It was supposed to be an award which made no distinction of social rank - the general and the grenadier both playing their parts in the outcome of battle. General Alfred Jodl wrote that Hitler's "astounding technical and tactical vision led him also to become the creator of modern weaponry for the army". dailyinfo[22]=' 25368 Quartermaster Serjeant Leonard Henry CADE Meritorious Service Medal 12th Coy. [74] In the final months of the war Hitler refused to consider peace negotiations, regarding the destruction of Germany as preferable to surrender. 18 Feb 2005, 03:02, Post German soldiers who had been awarded the Iron Cross. I have recently read that it was second. When she died on December 21, 1907, Hitler (whom Bloch called the saddest man he had ever seen upon her death) expressed his gratitude towards Bloch, telling him that I will always be forever thankful to you., Eduard Bloch. dailyinfo[10]=' 14780 Member Ida Styles HUGHES (Oxford) Womens Royal Air Force who died 10/03/1919 OXFORD (ROSE HILL) CEMETERY United Kingdom ' During this time Hitler impressed Mayr. However, Tandey at that time lived at 22 Cope Street, Coventry, and worked for the Triumph Motor Company. According to the company records, they only had three phone lines, none of which was at Tandey's address. these high-ranking slaves claimed and sometimes even seized power, as happened, for example, in Riyadh in the first half of the . [18] The history of the List Regiment hailed this brilliant defense as the "personification of the German Army on the Western Front". // Stop Define Variables for days of the month [A 6] Around this time the German military command released an edict that the army's main priority was to "carry out, in conjunction with the police, stricter surveillance of the population so that the ignition of any new unrest can be discovered and extinguished. On that day, on 20 April 1945, 19 Jungvolk boys, summoned from throughout the Greater German Reich, were paraded in front of Hitler outside his bunker under his Chancellory. John. H.M.S. [16], On 15 October 1918, he and several comrades were temporarily blindedand according to Friedelind Wagner,[26] Hitler also lost his voicedue to a British mustard gas attack. [He] fully deserves to be awarded the Iron Cross First Class. Even after his experience in the Austro-Hungarian capital, where a small town boy with hope of becoming a great painter was rejected by the Viennese Academy of Fine Arts whose members he believed were either Jewish or friends of Jews, Hitler had positive experiences with Jewish members of society. In August 1917 the List Regiment transferred to a quiet sector of the front in Alsace. Dr. Eduard Bloch in Arztpraxis. http://www.historyextra.com/oup/new-evidence-uncovers-hitlers-real-first-world-war-story. Soon I couldn't stand it and went back down to bed.". His home in the Silesian village of Goldenau, now in Poland, was on the front line. He says Hitler's job was to carry messages from regimental headquarters, where he was based and which were behind the lines, to battalion headquarters, which were also not in the front trenches and had their own runners to take them further forward. Many thanks guys, really most helpful. He had been sent a copy of the painting by a Lieutenant Colonel Earle in 1936. document.write; (17) Hitler Was Awarded the Iron Cross First Class: According to historians, Hitler avoided joining the Austro-Hungarian army during WWI. Traudl Junge, Hitler's secretary, said in her memoirs: "It was horrible. . by Bjrn from Norway 29 Jan 2005, 15:34, Post The attending physician was Eduard Bloch, who did everything that the medicine of the time, and that was available, permitted. Hitler received an Iron Cross 1st Class for, 'personal bravery and general merit.' He had single handily captured a group of Frenchmen huddled in a shell hole. I don't know enough about the subject to express a view. The man responsible for awarding the Iron Cross to Hitler? Mr Czech's act of heroism had come a few weeks earlier. (a) Germany lost its overseas colonies, and 13 per cent of its territories. i do have an certificate of authenticity. [52][53] The story further states that the phone was answered by a nine-year-old child called William Whateley. [71], By 1938, Hitler had started becoming obsessed with his life mission and became convinced of his own infallibility. [64] Hindenburg died the following day. On November 8-9, 1923, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party led a coalition group in an attempt to overthrow the German government. But, he added: "I got the soldiers away from enemy fire more out of a sense of duty to my fellow men. He may have left Vienna to evade conscription into the Austrian Army. Peter Raubal, Heiner Hochegger, and Alexander, Louis and Brian Stuart-Houston are all vastly . A film chronicling Hitler's final days has reminded Germany of the 12-year-old awarded the Iron Cross by the Fuhrer. David Filsell8 August , 2013 in Medals, After many years of fascination with the Great War I find yet another topic about which I have no knowledge and no reference. The question is, what happened to them after Hitler killed himself? He later claimed that the 'mixture of races' in the Austro-Hungarian army was the reason behind his decision. In the last days of the war, he was forced to join the Volkssturm, the People's Storm defence force, the equivalent of Britain's Home Guard, and thrown into battle against seasoned Soviet troops. The horrible and deplorable things that happened in the 1930's and 40's, Lutzer argues, are happening again in the country the fought so hard against Nazism. In 1891 his father Alois, a customs official, had moved the family to the Austrian-German border near the German city of Passau. He told the parents to get their son ready for a trip to Berlin. Munich, then part of the People's State of Bavaria, was in a state of chaos with a number of assassinations occurring, including that of socialist Kurt Eisner[A 5] who was shot dead in Munich by a German nationalist on 21 February 1919. When all communications broke down completely and higher command was entirely in the dark as to what was happening in the front line trenches, selected runners were despatched on a 'long run' all the way from the forward command post (RHQ/BHQ) to the front line in order to ascertain the situation and return with their own report plus reports from such front line commanders as they were able to find. If anyone can add anything on points two and three, or any further amplification, their views would be welcome. New Zealand Engineers who died 13/03/1918 ST. 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LOVE, POVERTY, WAR AND Also by Christopher Hitchens BLOOD, CLASS AND EMPIRE: The Enduring Anglo-American Relationship A LONG SHORT WAR: The Postponed Liberation of Iraq WHY ORWELL MATTERS LEFT HOOKS, RIGHT CROSSES: A Decade of Political Writing (edited with Christopher Caldwell) LETTERS TO A YOUNG CONTRARIAN THE TRIAL OF HENRY KISSINGER BLAMING THE VICTIMS: Spurious Scholarship and the . dailyinfo[7]=' Lieutenant Thomas Sydney Ough DEALY Australian Flying Corps who died 07/03/1918 STONYHURST COLLEGE BURIAL GROUND United Kingdom ' It was entitled, "Blood-red roses tell you of happiness". Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like According to the Nazi Creed, what group was the most superior?, According to the Nazi Creed, what group was the most inferior?, How did the Nazis believe they could "save the world"? During the war, he recommended Hitler for the award of the Iron Cross . Thereafter, he was ordered to the depot in Munich. During periods of heightened alert and major actions, RHQs and BHQs moved to their forward command posts and whether Hitler carried messages under fire in those circumstances would depend on whether he was among the HQ personnel sent up to the forward command post or whether he was among those left at 'base HQ' in the rear. WW1 ordnance mainly hand and rifle grenades. Two of them joined him in 1940 after the victory over France and the Low Countries for a nostalgic tour of their old haunts in Flanders. Amazingly, Dr. Bloch was not the only Jewish person who played a role in the life of Adolf Hitler. In his speech of 1 September 1939 at Kroll Opera House following the invasion of Poland, Hitler declared: "From now on I am just the first soldier of the German Reich. "All the regular soldiers had to salute me because of my Iron Cross," he said. [70] His status with the military escalated when they seized Norway and conquered Western Europe, with the major thrust coming through the Ardennes, which he had implemented despite the misgivings of many professional advisers. The story was that Hitler claimed that in September 1918, he was unarmed out in no man's land, and saw that a British solider took aim at him. i just 'spoke" to der fuhrer via my "way back machine" ( of Mr. Peabody of Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoon fame) and he say's he wants his Mexican honor dagger, as well as all his iron cross copies back because he told me in confidence that the night he crept away from the bunker he took all his militaria with him, and that he had left it all behind when he got booted off the UFO that took him to Mars, the planet of the 4th reich, so he say's that it all is non-RZM authorized. Royal Welsh Fusiliers who died 11/03/1915 FAUQUISSART MILITARY CEMETERY, LAVENTIE France ' [46], Hitler apparently saw a newspaper report about Tandey being awarded the Victoria Cross (in October 1918, whilst serving with the 5th Battalion Duke of Wellington's (West Riding) Regiment), recognized him, and clipped the article. He's not much relevant than Rita Repulsa. It's a bit like saying an AC1 at Bentley Priory could chat to Dowding and influence him - flying pig stuff! The young Alfred Czech now became haunted by the Iron Cross of which he was once, if albeit briefly, so proud. [13] Hitler's Iron Cross First Class was awarded after an attack in open warfare during which messengers were indispensable and on a day in which the depleted regiment lost 60 killed and 211 wounded. He arrived in a city in which the ground shook because of the constant Russian heavy artillery bombardment 20 miles to the east. WOW!!! Alfred Czech emigrated in 1964. I had assumed that Hitler's award of the Iron Cross First Class was established. The history of the 1813 Iron Cross was that the criteria for its award should be democratic and blind to the class conscious military hierarchy of the Prussian Army. Collecting the uniforms, arms, accoutrements and medals primarily of the Commonwealth countries from WW1, as well as being a member of the Great War living history group The Vickers Machine Gunners Society 1914-45. Worth a read though. That evening, while Hitler remained in his bunker bedroom, his mistress, Eva Braun, led other members of the Nazi leader's entourage up to the Reich Chancellory rooms above-ground for a party. 14th Bde. The Iron Cross predates nazi Germany and the Anti-Defamation League does not consider the Iron Cross as a hate symbol but it is still popular with modern day white supremacist groups. Henry Ford was the first American recipient of this order, an honor created in 1937 by Adolf Hitler. Gutmann had mustered out of the army in 1919, and become a furniture salesman. [48], The painting was commissioned by the Green Howards Regiment from the Italian artist in 1923, showing a soldier purported to be Tandey carrying a wounded man at the Kruiseke Crossroads in 1914, northwest of Menin. He settled in the Rhineland and earned his living as a building labourer. The painting was made from a sketch, provided to Matania, by the regiment, based on an actual event at that crossroads. [23] He begged not to be evacuated, [24] but was sent for almost two months to the Red Cross hospital at Beelitz in Brandenburg. The famed statue of Hans Christian Andersen's Little Mermaid, which has sat in the Copenhagen harbour for 110 years, was defaced again this week with the red, white and blue of the Russian flag. Even in Berlin's famous Zoo, many of the surviving animals were starving. Sign up for a new account in our community. Gutmann, however, kept his pension, most likely due to the influence of his former corporal, Adolf Hitler. By all accounts, Hitler was a good soldier, and he found happiness in both the experience of army life and war. Photo by Ron Moody CC BY SA 4.0. I'm also not quite sure how many soldiers apart from generals went for the row-of-gongs look. Iron Cross, , German Eiserne Kreuz, Prussian military decoration instituted in 1813 by Frederick William III for distinguished service in the Prussian War of Liberation. This included the complete destruction of all German industry, communications, agriculture, mines, food stuffs, railways, ships, roads, bridges, stores, shops and utility plants. From iron cross, Hugo boss uniform, blitzkrieg, u-boat wolfpack, MG42, Stg44, Tiger Tank, to Bismarck battleship, all is legendary and cool. Mr Czech's father was among them. [9] By December, Hitler's own company of 250 was reduced to 42. Other acts of violence were the killings of both Major Paul Ritter von Jahrei and the conservative MP Heinrich Osel. On his first foray, he brought back eight wounded men. During the Battle of the Somme in October 1916 Hitler received a wound in his left thigh when a shell exploded at the entrance to the dispatch runners' dugout. [13], Messengers' duties changed as the German Army on the Western Front settled into their defensive positions as a result of the ongoing stalemate. But before being dispatched to the front, he was allowed one wish. Hitler, as the claim went, was politicized and radicalized during the war. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, A film chronicling Hitler's final days has reminded Germany of the 12-year-old awarded the Iron Cross by the Fuhrer. He managed to survive the rigours of a prisoner-of-war camp in what was then Czechoslovakia. I think Weber has this wrong, but it makes a good story. Background. - Medals germany Czech Alfred, "Hitler boy", born 12-10-1932 in Goldenau, Silesia, on a farm became the youngest "soldier" to receive the Iron Cross. On his second he rescued four more. dailyinfo[16]=' 22659 Serjeant George SNELL Military Medal "T" Bty. The Iron Cross is a famous German military medal dating back to the 19th century. Tandey chose not to shoot. [10] After the battle, Hitler was promoted from Schtze (private) to Gefreiter (lance corporal). Whenever communications have been totally disrupted at a critical, moment in a battle, it has been thanks to Hitlers unflagging and devoted, efforts that important messages have continued to get through despite, every difficulty. var mydate=new Date() Arab and European historians have only discovered these two sources in the twentieth century. Officers were instructed to mingle with other ranks. what a bummer! They were class underlings who had no opinions worth listening to. Hitler after World War One. But. [40] Impressed with Hitler's oratory skills, Drexler invited him to join the DAP, which Hitler did on 12 September 1919. The new design became the national flag on 15 September 1935 during the mass annual rally at Nuremberg. It began under the name . In battle they often had to deliver messages when the barrages were heaviest and could not hide in funk hole. Seeing a group of German soldiers under fire and wounded in a Red Army grenade attack, the young Alfred jumped on to his father's farm-cart and rode to the rescue. by chrisccoyle 04 Feb 2005, 05:35, Post I think you may be confusing EKI and EKII. In July 1938 before the outbreak of World War II, German diplomats awarded Ford the Grand Cross of the German Eagle. "[69] Photo by Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-H1216-0500-002 / CC-BY-SA Alfred Czech, like all the others, gave the required answer: "To the front, my Fhrer !" "[33] Other testimony he gave to the military board of inquiry allowed them to root out other members of the military that "had been infected with revolutionary fervor. According to Ian Kershaw in Volume 1 of his biography of Hitler the reasons for Hitler not being promoted beyond the rank of corporal intrigued many people, and soon after World War II a group of American army officers located and interviewed some of Hitler's former superiors. He was left with no option but to follow orders and go to Freudenthal in German-annexed Sudetenland to fight on in what is now the Czech Republic. He received the relatively common Iron Cross Second Class in 1914 and the Iron Cross First Class in 1918, an honour rarely given to a Gefreiter. Nevertheless, no evidence has ever been found to support this claim, nor is there any proof that Leopold Frankenberger even existed. He stopped listening to counter-opinions and became overconfident in his own political moves and military expertise following the early victories. With little regard for his own safety, and in the face of heavy Soviet . He was just 12 when German newsreel cameras famously filmed him having his cheeks pinched by an ashen-faced Nazi Fhrer at his Berlin bunker after he was ceremoniously awarded the Iron Cross medal for outstanding bravery. By 1925, 35-year-old Adolf Hitler was already a war veteran, leader of a political party, orchestrator of a failed coup, and a prisoner in a German prison. Related to this topic, does anyone know the background of this photograph, reproduced here from the web for comment. Toland suggests that Hitler's assignment to this department was partially a reward for his "exemplary" service in the front lines, and partially because the responsible officer felt sorry for Hitler as having no friends, but being very willing to do whatever the army required. Hitler's circle of comrades also served at headquarters. In 1914, he was awarded the Iron Cross, 2nd Class, for bravery at the front during the first Battle of Ypres (Belgium). Originally named Operation Gymnast, it was the first major Allied . I also told him his Reichsmarks were no good anymore, boy, did he have a fit!!!!!!!!! With . Your view does not add up I'm afraid. Throughout the war, the only military decorations Hitler displayed were his Wound Badge and Iron Cross from World War I and the Nazi Golden Party Badge. Sassy on February 26, 2023 at 1:17 am said: - SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE - FUNNY and TRUE. [57][58], Six days after being sworn in as Chancellor in 1933, Hitler met with the German military leaders, declaring that his first priority was rearmament. Blomberg, on his own initiative, introduced the Oath of 2 August 1934: "I swear by God this sacred oath that I will render unconditional obedience to the Fhrer of the German Reich and people, Adolf Hitler, the commander in chief of the armed forces, and, as a brave soldier, will be prepared at all times to stake my life for this oath." There, they were given a meal while Hitler questioned them about their war experiences. ", In the newsreel shown in the few Berlin cinemas left standing, the Wochenschau carried one of Hitler's last messages to the German people to accompany the images of Alfred Czech and his young comrades. Because of his Austrian citizenship, he had to request permission to serve in the Bavarian Army. That soldier is purported to have been Adolf Hitler. The two were close allies living in an abusive household, and he was her only son. by Mark in Cleveland, Tn. Hosted by John G & William Kramer. I have recently read that it was second. By all accounts he was eager to volunteer for difficult jobs and did them conscientiously. Hitler had several copies. Hitler said: "You know that we are faced with a battle which will result in either the survival or extinction of the German people. dailyinfo[31]=' 420628 Sapper William Bayne YOUNG 63rd Field Coy. Cunningly, Hitler had crawled to the lip of their impromptu shelter and . The encounter between the young boys and their ailing Fhrer was dramatised in the new film Downfall, with the young Alfred as the inspiration for the blond boy whom Hitler singles out for praise. According to Weber, this rare award was commonly awarded to those posted to regimental headquarters, such as Hitler, who had contact with more senior officers than did combat soldiers. Whilst there have been recent stories to suggest that Hitler was mainly a rear area runner and spent less time as a front line runner than he would have had you believe (which would probably explain his survival between 1914-18), the trouble is there are so many negative comments made about Hitler generally and his WW1 service, that it is difficult to weed out the truth from a sensational headline. [31] There he would stay until the camp dissolved January 1919. I will not take it off again until victory is secured, or I will not survive the outcome.