Rudolf and Adolf Dassler were born in Herzogenaurach, Germany, at the turn of the 20th century. They became well-known makers of outstanding German athletic shoes. Starting with Geda shoes before World War II and Adidas and Puma shoes after World War II, the brothers reached world success in the 1960s. Their story is one of triumph and conflict in a small town that became known as the “town of bent necks.”
History of Geda Athletic Shoes
In 1923, the brothers formed the Gebrüder Dassler Sportschuhfabrik, (Dassler Brothers Sports Shoe Factory) and marketed their shoes under the trade name Geda. Adolf, known as Adi, convinced that an athlete who wore the proper shoe would be capable of superior performance, proceeded to invent shoes unique to many sports. His theory was confirmed during the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam when German distance runner, Lina Radke, won the 800-meter gold medal in a pair of shoes Adi had developed. Geda shoes rose in popularity. During the 1932 and 1936 Olympic Games, many athletes won competitions in Geda shoes. Among the most famous athletes was Jesse Owens won four gold medals in Geda shoes in 1936.
Rudolf and Adolf Dassler during World War II
To remain in business, Rudolf and Adi joined the Nazi Party after they ascended to power. They felt they had to do so to remain in business. Despite joining the party, however, both brothers were drafted into military service in 1940, and the Geda’s shoe factory was converted into a weapons factory. Six months later, Adi was released from military service and ordered to produce shoes for the German army. But only two years later, Albert Speer, Adolf Hitler’s minister of industrial and military production, forced the Dassler shoe factory to cease production after all.
Rudolf and Adolf Dassler’s Conflict after WW II
Rudolf and Adi appeared to complement each other perfectly. While Adi possessed the innovative spirit that created new and better shoes, Rudolf was a good marketing man. But the brothers disagreed on priorities. For Adi, shoe development took priority while his brother believed that profitability was more important. When Rudolf accused Adi of being behind his one-year internment at the end of WWII, and Adi suspected Rudolf of having arranged the Geda closure at the beginning of the war to facilitate Adi’s conscription, the brothers decided to split up and go their separate ways.
Adidas and Puma are Born
Following World War II, Adi kept one of the factories, and Rudolf took over the other. The brothers never spoke again. Adi Dassler established Adidas, and Rudolf established Puma. Two-thirds of the workforce remained with Adi. The rest joined Rudolf. Their rivalry spilled over into the town of Herzogenaurach, a place in which most of the townspeople earned their living working for one of the brothers. Employees and their families sided with their employers and patronized separate bars, bakeries, and barber shops. When they got into the habit of looking at each other’s shoes to determine whether the wearer was affiliated with Adidas or Puma, Herzogenaurach became known as “the town of bent necks”.
Adidas Shoes, created by Adolf (Adi) Dassler. www.walled-in-berlin.com
Puma shoes, created by Rudolf Dassler. www.walled-in-berlin.com
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Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall, and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.
