were quite happy to have avoided those. The more compelling events were yet to come.
Thomas had arranged for a driver, but they made it only a few miles down the Via Triumphalis before they were forced to divert to a side street to clear the way for the official procession. From what Martha had seen, it appeared that the entire route was guarded by vast numbers of SS, SA, officers of the Berlin police force, and members of the National Socialist Motor Corps. Filling the sidewalks behind them, tens of thousands of citizens awaited the parade of dignitaries, shifting about and craning their necks in hope of finding an unimpeded view.
At the Reichssportfeld, guards were posted at every stadium entrance, vending booths were shuttered, and nearby restaurants and bars were closed. “I hear they put the international press corps near the Honor Loge to discourage protestors from planting a bomb beneath Hitler’s chair,” Martha remarked as they made their way to their seats in the embassy box a few rows behind the Führer’s.
Hitler’s state box was empty, she noted as she exchanged greetings with friends and embassy officials, some of whom had been there since one o’clock, when the gates had opened so that spectators could be seated well before the Führer made his grand entrance. To keep the crowd entertained in the meantime, the Berlin Philharmonic, the National Orchestra, and the Bayreuth Wagner Festival choir were presenting a joint concert. “Wagner, of course,” said Thomas, cocking an ear, giving Martha a little nudge as they settled into their seats.
“What’s a Nazi spectacle without a bit of Wagner?” Shading her eyes with her hand, Martha turned her gaze skyward, marveling at the giant zeppelin Hindenburg as it cruised back and forth, an Olympic banner trailing from the gondola. The airship was a symbol of German engineering genius and a source of considerable national pride, and she was not at all surprised to see it on display, impressing the international audience with every graceful pass over the stadium.
A few minutes before four o’clock, a trumpet fanfare and the raising of the Führerstandarte, a red swastika on a purple field, announced Hitler’s arrival. Upon spotting their Führer entering the stadium through the Marathon Gate with a few IOC executives, the vast majority of the hundred thousand spectators leapt to their feet, thrust out their right arms, and roared thunderous approval. Instinctively Martha covered her ears, but she still felt the prolonged wave of frenzied cheering as a rattle in her spine.
As the roar subsided from its peak, the combined Olympic Symphony Orchestra struck up Wagner’s “March of Honor” as Hitler and his entourage strode across the field. They paused halfway across so that Hitler could accept a Hitlergruss, a bouquet of flowers, and a pretty curtsey from an adorable young girl, blond-haired and probably blue-eyed. Martha rolled her eyes when Hitler took the child’s hand and briefly knelt to speak with her, all paternal warmth and kindness, melting the heart of every Aryan mother present.
Thomas leaned close so she could hear him beneath the din. “Aren’t you sorry now that your first date didn’t lead to more?”
“Not one bit,” she retorted.
When Hitler and the other dignitaries finally took their places, Martha was pleased by Thomas’s sardonic delight that for the rest of the Games they would enjoy an excellent view of the back of the Führer’s head. Immediately thereafter, the orchestra struck up the German national anthem and the flags of the participating nations were slowly raised up fifty-two flagpoles. Next the solemn, deep tolling of the Olympic bell heralded the traditional march of the national teams into the stadium. Leading the procession was Greece, the birthplace of the Olympiad, followed by the other nations in alphabetical order, except for the host nation, which customarily entered last. Hitler and the dignitaries stood throughout to receive the salute of each nation as its athletes passed before the Honor Loge.
It quickly became apparent to Martha that the predominantly German audience applauded each country not only according to long-standing sentimental ties, but also commensurate with the degree of deference they appeared to show the Führer. The Austrians received resounding cheers for offering the Hitlergruss as their flag bearer dipped their standard to Hitler when they passed in review. So too did the Italians, whose Hitlergruss may also have come in tribute to Hitler’s burgeoning friendship with Mussolini. The Turks, who held the Nazi salute for the entire procession, received a roar of approval, as did