What time of day was Hitler's opening speech of the 1936 Summer Olympics?

score:1

Accepted answer

Based on the timetable of the television broadcaster (Fernsehsender Paul Nipkow) the planed time was 17:03 CET (16:03 UT).

This was from a television broadcaster that could be received in the general Berlin area from the 18th of April 1934 until the 19th of October 1944.

The wave lengths for the sound and picture are also meantioned in the quoted portion of the protocol below.

Ablauf der Fernsehübertragung am 1. August 1936 - Eröffnung der Olympischen Spiele 1936

OLYMPIA-PROGRAMM des "Fernsehsenders Paul Nipkow Berlin"


ERÖFFNUNGSFEIER 1. AUGUST 1936

3 Übertragungsstellen:

  1. Zwischenfilm-Wagen am Marathontor (Süd)
  2. Ikonoskop Fernseh- A.G. im Olympia-Stadion, oberer Umgang
  3. Ikonoskop Telefunken im Olympia-Stadion, unterer Umgang

Zeiteinteilung und Programmablauf:

15.00 Uhr Ansage aus dem Fernseh-Senderaum Rognitzstraße:
"Achtung, Achtung! Hier ist der "Fernsehsender Paul Nipkow Berlin"
mit Ton auf Welle 7.06 Meter
mit Bild auf Welle 6.77 Meter
mit der Olympia-Sondersendung.
...
Ca. 16.55 Uhr Rede Coubertins, Ansprache des Präsidenten des O.K., Exzellenz Lewald.

17.03 Uhr Der Führer erklärt von der Loge aus die Spiele mit folgenden Worten für eröffnet:
"Ich verkünde die Eröffnung der Spiele von Berlin zur Feier der XI. Olympischen Spiele neuer Zeitrechnung".

17.04 Uhr Anschliessend wird die Olympische Flagge gehisst.
Achtung, dies erfasst die Ü-Stelle II, die Farnworth-Kamera mit Erklärung des Sprechers Marek.
Die Artillerieabteilung schiesst Salut.
Tausende von Brieftauben werden abgelassen.
...

OLYMPIA PROGRAM of the "Television Station Paul Nipkow Berlin"


OPENING CEREMONY AUGUST 1, 1936

3 transmission points:

  1. Intermediate film truck at the Marathon Gate (South)
  2. Ikonoskop Fernsehen- A.G. in the Olympic Stadium, upper gallery
  3. Telefunken iconoscope in the Olympic Stadium, lower ambulatory

Timing and program schedule:

3 p.m. Announcement from the TV broadcasting room Rognitzstraße: "Attention, attention! Here is the "TV station Paul Nipkow Berlin"
with sound on wave 7.06 meters
with picture on wave 6.77 meters
with the Olympics special.
...
Approx. 4:55 p.m. Coubertin's speech, Speech by the President of the OK, Excellency Lewald.

5.03 p.m. From the box, the Führer declares the games open with the following words:
"I announce the opening of the Berlin Games to celebrate the XI Olympic Games of the New Era".

5.04 p.m. The Olympic flag will then be hoisted.
Caution, this captures the Ü-stelle II, the Farnworth camera with an explanation from the speaker Marek.
The artillery department fires a salute.
Thousands of carrier pigeons are released.
...


Sources:

Upvote:3

I found a programme for the 1936 Berlin Olympiad which seems to show that the opening ceremony began at 16:00 (4pm) local time.

Hitler didn't make his speech until late in the proceedings, after the Parade of Nations and a speech by the president of the German Olympic Committee. The Parade of Nations had something over 5,000 athletes from 51 nations marching in alphabetical order (with Greece leading the parade and Germany, as host nation, at the end).

Based on more recent Olympic opening ceremonies, we need to allow a couple of hours for the Parade of Nations and the speech by the president of the German Olympic Committee. So Hitler probably made his speech at about 18:00 (6pm) local time (give-or-take an hour or so).

Germany wasn't using daylight saving in 1936 (they abolished at in 1919 and didn't re-introduce it until 1940), so 18:00 in Berlin would be 17:00 UT.

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