- [Narrator] How was a German town
that survived World War
II torn apart by shoes,
yes, shoes, just a few years later?
This is a story of how two
brothers would go on to change
the world's shoe game
forever in nine minutes.
It all started back at the
beginning of the 20th century
and the Dassler of family have
just welcomed the last two
children into their brood.
The brothers were seemingly
born into their destiny as their
quiet town of Herzongenaurach's
main industry was shoemaking.
While young Adi was pushed
into a baking apprenticeship by
his father before he was even a teenager,
he was truly passionate
about all things sports
and how to improve one's
athletic performance.
But before he could really
create a career for himself,
Adi was drafted into the war in 1918.
He would join Rudi and their
older brother Fritz who had
been fighting since the war began.
Upon his return in 1919 Adi
quickly began formulating
a new athletic shoe business.
He built shoes out of whatever
materials he could find
and even created his
own bike powered leather
milling machine to use
without electricity.
Sports clubs in the area would
receive samples of the shoes.
Adi was designing the coaches
and athletes could test them
out for themselves, and the
orders began rolling in.
Rudi joined in on the fun in
1923 and on July 1st, 1924,
the pair officially
registered their company
as Gebruder Dassler Schuhfabrik,
or Dassler Brothers Shoe Manufacturers.
Together, they made a killer team.
Adi, the quiet brother was the
mastermind behind the shoes,
constantly tinkering and
redesigning to make each shoe
better and better while Rudi
was outspoken and charming,
a born salesman with a mind for business.
And so the duo embarked on
their dream and began producing
50 pairs of athletic
shoes a day to be used
for soccer and track.
And by 1928,
they found their shoes at
their first Olympic games where
runner Lina Radke not only
won the goal for 800 meters
in Amsterdam, but broke a world record
while wearing Gebruder Dassler shoes.
The following year, the
brothers registered their first
patent, and just four years later,
the world would change forever.
In January, 1933.
Adolf Hitler became the
chancellor of Germany
and on May 1st of that same year Adi, Rudi
and their older Fritz all
joined the Nazi party.
Unbeknownst to the brothers,
this single act would eventually
lead to the end of their
partnership and brotherhood.
But, it was an event in 1936
that marks the moment that
many believe made the brothers.
At the Berlin Olympics,
black American Jesse Owens made
history by winning four gold
medals, setting three world
records and breaking or equaling
nine Olympic records.
And he did all that while wearing Adi
and Rudi's Gebruder Dassler shoes.
Owens wasn't the only athlete
wearing Dassler's shoes while competing.
The brothers ultimately
won seven gold medals,
five silver and bronze medals
and broke at least five records
with their shoes.
But their newly found global
famous success was dampened
by the brothers deteriorating
personal relationship,
as well as the looming threat of war.
And on September 1st, 1939,
Germany invaded Poland,
thus beginning World War II and
sending the Dassler brothers
on a very different path.
In December, 1940,
Adi was ordered to report
for duty to the Air Force,
but he was dismissed shortly
after in February, 1941,
as he was deemed necessary
for the operation
of Gebruder Dassler.
In 1943, Rudi was drafted into the Army,
but will desert his post two years later.
He was questioned, arrested,
imprisoned by the Gestapo
and was transferred to Dachau
when he was released to walk home.
But his freedom was short
lived as he was arrested by
American troops in July
to review his involvement
with the Nazi party.
He was told that his arrest was
triggered by a denunciation,
which he full heartedly
believed came from Adi.
Rudi was held in an interment
camp for an entire year before
he was released.
Adi was not exempt from
investigations into his own
involvement with the Nazi party.
After the war ended,
he was originally labeled as a Belasteter,
by the Denouncification
Committee in July, 1946.
This title meant that Adi was
deemed an active participant
in the Nazi party and profited
from its actions based on the
fact that he had a party
membership and had worked with the
Hitler Youth since 1935.
Adi quickly defended himself
stating that his involvement
with the Nazi Youth was solely based
on his interest in sports
and that he regularly worked
with sports clubs of different
political alignments prior to the war.
He was adamant about avoiding
any sort of political rally
and continued sourcing material
from Jewish business owners,
even after it became unfavorable to do so.
One business owner even claimed
that Adi had him and his
family on his own property,
after he warned him that
he was to be arrested
by the Gestapo.
With this information,
Adi's classification had switched
to that of a lesser degree.
He was now considered a minderbelasteter,
which still carried
with it a sizable fine,
and a two year probation
in which he could not own
or operate his business.
Adi appealed with the help of a lawyer,
but his brother, Rudi just
released from the interment camp,
told the Denouncification
Cmmittee that Adi had organized
the production of tank parts
by their factory himself.
And that Adi helped political
speeches at the factory.
A claim that Adi's his
wife Kita would refute,
claiming that Rudi had in
fact organized the speeches.
Eventually Adi was essentially
cleared and labeled
mitlaufer, a common label that
stated that they went along
with the regime without any
meaningful contributions.
And he was once again
able to run the business,
but the damage was done and
the brothers finally decided
to go their separate ways.
Rudi and his family moved out
and headed to the other side
of town across the Aurach River,
which naturally divided the town in two.
He took over a small factory owned
by the brothers and the rest
of their assets were split,
including patents, equipment,
and even employees who
were allowed to choose
which brother they joined.
Those who worked in sales and admin sided
with the salesman Rudi,
while those assembling the shoes sided
with the designer, Adi.
However, the splitting
of assets made business
for both brothers very difficult.
While Adi had all the
technicians to create
and build the shoes.
He had no one to sell them.
Rudi had the staff to
sell all the inventory,
but no inventory to speak
of without the technicians.
By April 148, Gebruder
Dassler was no more.
Adi would go on to form Adidas,
a contraction of his first
and last names in March, 1949.
While Rudi would try
something similar with Ruda,
He eventually went with Puma,
registering it on October 1st, 1948.
The town of Herzogenaurach
was split down the middle.
The brotherly split did not
just impact the Dassler family,
after the divide the
families of the town held
allegiance to either Adidas or Puma.
Their loyalty was usually denoted
by which side of the
Aurach River they lived,
on Rudi's side or Adi's side.
The town is also sometimes
referred to as the town of broken
necks or residents are known
as bent necks because locals
will look at each other's shoes
to determine whether or not
to speak to someone.
Puma went on to dominate in the track
and field world while Adidas
arguably became the biggest
athletic shoe in the world.
All successes, undoubtedly
fueled by the brothers,
not so friendly rivalry.
Rudi died in 1974 of lung
cancer at the age of 76
and Adolf followed four
years later at the age of 78.
Their graves are in the town
church yard on either end
of the cemetery, representing
their unending hatred.
There were rumors,
however that there was a secret
meeting between the brothers
before their deaths in the 1970's.
Some believe they kept
this meeting a secret
because they thought
people knowing they had met
would be bad for business.
A 1981 New York times
article stated only recently
has the feud cooled
enough so that the company
representatives may exchange
greetings at sports events,
signaling that this
fight outlived both men,
but the times are changing.
Today both businesses are
no longer family owned.
In 2004 Rudi's grandson Frank took a job
as the head of legal for Adidas,
having previously worked
for Puma and in 2009,
the two companies held a soccer game
to finally buried the hatchet
in this decades long feud.
No brand came out the victor
as they played on mixed teams.
Kids in the area have been
seen repping one brand on their
feet and another on their
bag at the same time.
And then his 2013 interview,
the mayor of Herzogenaurach,
Dr. German Hawker
stated I wear both of course, always both.
I had a football game recently
and I had two days shoes on,
proving that the brothers could
work side by side after all.
(upbeat classical music)
