Immediately after the death of President Hindenburg, new laws which took effect with his passing were announced. The edict states:
The Reich Government has enacted the following law which is hereby promulgated.
Section 1. The office of Reich President will be combined with that of Reich Chancellor. The existing authority of the Reich President will consequently be transferred to the Führer and Reich Chancellor, Adolf Hitler. He will select his deputy.
Section 2. This law is effective as of the time of the death of Reich President von Hindenburg.
The same day, members of the Heer, the German Army, were required to take an oath of allegiance to Hitler himself, not the German state or an office. The oath reads:
"I swear by God this sacred oath: I will render unconditional obedience to Adolf Hitler, the Führer of the German Reich and people, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and will be ready as a brave soldier to risk my life at any time for this oath."
It is unclear of the constitutionality of the laws at this time. Hindenburg's state funeral is set for August 7th.
