Quote:
Originally Posted by Von Poop  I'd also make some issue with describing the NSKK as a purely HJ/DJ organisation, since 1930 the NSAK/NSKK provided a valuable group of keen driver/mechanics aged from 18-45 to the Germans, they used many Non-German personnel from occupied countries. One specific branch, the 'Motor HJ' ensured the training of kids, the majority were adult motoring enthusiasts.
Cheers,
Adam. |
From:
Axis History Factbook: History of the NSKK "History of the NSKK The history of the Nationalsozialistisches Kraftfahrkorps (NSKK) began 1 Apr 1930 when the Nationalsozialistisches Automobil Korps (NSAK) was founded on the order of Martin Bormann. It was founded to organize all NSDAP-members who owned a car or motorcycle in a single nation-wide unit. The SturmAbteilung (SA) had organized these since 1928 in Kraftfahrstaffeln but these were poorly organized. When the NSAK was formed the Kraftfahrstaffeln were not transferred to the NSAK but were reorganized as the Motor-SA. The members of Motor-SA were however automatically members of the NSAK, but not reverse. All commanders of NSAK were SA-officers but most of the regular members were not. SA-Gruppenführer Adolf Hühnlein was made commander of the NSAK and suggested renaming it to the NSKK and this was accepted by SA-leader Ernst Röhm who was in the process of reorganizing the SA. When Adolf Hitler became chancellor in 1933 the NSKK expanded rapidly to 30.000 members. After Röhm and the SA-leadership were murdered during the Night of long knives (30 June 1934) the Motor-SA became a part of the NSKK and it was made an independent organization. The NSKK took over all German motorclubs Sep 1933 and expanded to 350.000 members. After Austria was made a part of Germany Mar 1938 the NSKK expanded to over 500.000 members. In 27 Jan 1939 the NSKK was made responsible for the training of drivers for the army in the NSKK Motor Sports Schools. When the war broke out the NSKK provided transports for the construction of the Siegfried Line (the defenses along the western border), assisted in traffic control, resettlement of Volksdeutsche from Soviet-controlled areas (in cooperation with the SchutzStaffel (SS) in the NSKK Kommando Volksdeutsche Mittelstelle), pre- and postmilitary training, assisting the armed forces with transport etc. When Adolf Hühnlein died in June 1942 the was replaced by NSKK-Obergruppenführer Erwin Kraus."
Apart from the technical perspective, it was seems to another example of the Nazi's subsuming different "independent" organisations into one single entity controlled by them.