The review says that, at the Berlin Olympiastadion match, the actions of Lord Halifax, the Foreign Secretary, and Sir Neville Henderson, the British Ambassador to Berlin, reflected Britain’s appeasement policy; it also says senior Football Association officials effectively ordered the players to give the salute. This points to an FA/diplomatic decision, not a direct instruction from the Prime Minister to the team.

The English team headed over to Berlin, and only an hour before the game, they were informed they would be required to give the Nazi salute. They were assured by their manager that this decision had not been taken lightly, but the FA member in charge of the England team gave the request... Britain’s ambassador told the players that the salute would not constitute an endorsement of the Nazi regime and so the team carried out the request.

The match took place on 14 May 1938 in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, with England winning 6-3.[10] As the English players lined up alongside their German counterparts for pre‑match ceremonies captain Eddie Hapgood and his men issued a Nazi salute during the German national anthem.[10] The BBC account states that the players were ordered to make the salute on the instructions of the British ambassador to Germany, Sir Neville Henderson, as part of the government’s wider policy of appeasement.[10]

When England played a football match against Germany in 1938, the players were ordered to perform a Nazi salute. Neville Chamberlain, who had become the British prime minister the previous year, had adopted a policy of appeasement... The night before the match, officials from the FA and the British foreign office agreed that it would be prudent for the England players to perform the salute.

In 1938, the British Ambassador, Neville Henderson, was keen for an English victory to refute German propaganda claims of racial superiority. However, for diplomatic reasons, Henderson had also wanted the team to show respect to the Nazi regime. Thus, before the international match in 1938 FA officials, including its secretary, Stanley Rous, decided that the players should give the Nazi salute during the anthem and after the game.

England face Spain in the Euro 2024 final on Sunday at the site of an infamous moment in their football history when the players gave the Nazi salute. This event recalls the 1938 friendly match against Germany, during which English players infamously performed the Nazi salute to the audience before the game commenced. At that time, the British government, led by Neville Chamberlain, was pursuing a strategy of appeasement with the Nazis, hoping to avert an imminent conflict. Before the match, players received directives to perform the Nazi salute, a decision originating from the Foreign Office to maintain Anglo-German relations.

When the England football team visited Germany in May 1938, diplomatic protocol resulted in the team giving a Nazi salute. The decision is described as stemming from protocol and diplomacy, not a direct order from the Prime Minister and Foreign Office to the squad.

Four months before Chamberlain’s now infamous declaration of peace, on 14 May 1938, the English national football team played Germany in front of 110,000 spectators at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.[2] When the German national anthem was played before the game, England’s players raised their arms to give the Nazi “Heil Hitler” salute.[2] The English players had been instructed before the match that they should give the salute, with the order coming direct from the Foreign Office.[2] It was later reported that the team initially refused, only for the British Ambassador to Germany, Sir Neville Henderson, to intervene, using FA Secretary Stanley Rous as an intermediary to tell the team to give the salute for the sake of Anglo‑German relations.[2]

For many years I have been intrigued by the Nazi salute given by the England players prior to their kick-off in Berlin. The review notes that the book emphasizes Britain’s appeasement policy and the pressure from senior FA officials and diplomats on the players, rather than a direct instruction from the Prime Minister himself.

A post by the Holocaust Educational Trust summarises the event: "In 1938, England's football team gave the Nazi salute before a match against Germany in Berlin." It frames the salute within the policy of appeasement and notes that the image "remains one of the clearest visual reminders of British attempts to maintain cordial relations with Nazi Germany before the outbreak of war."

A discussion thread on the 1938 photograph cites a historical match report from EnglandFootballOnline and notes that the salute was carried out "after pressure from the British ambassador and Foreign Office, which were anxious not to offend the Nazi hosts." Commenters emphasise that the players themselves were uncomfortable and that at least one player refused and was omitted from the team, but no evidence is provided of a direct instruction from the prime minister personally.

The page states that in the summer of 1938 the England football team bowed to pressure from the British Foreign Office and performed the Nazi salute during a friendly match on 14 May 1938. This supports Foreign Office involvement, but not a direct instruction by the Prime Minister.

The video description says: 'Under orders from the British ambassador, England gave the Nazi salute inside the Olympic Stadium in Berlin.' This attributes the instruction to the ambassador, not the Prime Minister or the Foreign Office directly.

The post says the players of the England football team gave the Nazi salute before a match against Germany in Berlin on 14 May 1938. It is a social-media repost and does not identify a Prime Minister or Foreign Office order.

An Instagram historical post marking "On this day, 14 May 1938" notes that "the players of the England football team" were photographed giving the Nazi salute in Berlin before their match against Germany. It situates the image in the context of Austria’s annexation in March 1938 and Nazi propaganda, but does not specify who gave the instruction for the salute beyond referencing general British appeasement and diplomatic pressure.

Another social media explainer on wartime football history states: "In 1938, England’s football team gave the Nazi salute before a match against Germany in Berlin." It attributes the gesture broadly to appeasement and diplomatic efforts to maintain good relations, mentioning the role of the British ambassador and Foreign Office, but offers no claim that the British prime minister himself directly instructed the team.

A short educational video circulated by a Holocaust education charity recounts that in 1938, England's football team gave the Nazi salute before a match against Germany in Berlin, presenting it as part of British appeasement policy.[9] The narration describes the salute as having been done "under orders" but refers generally to the British government and diplomatic pressure, without specifying that the Prime Minister personally instructed the team.[9]