2. FASCIST GERMANY

DER ZWEITE WELTKRIEG IM BILD.

These pictures were published in Germany by the Eilebrecht Tobacco Co. in the mid-1950's telling the story of World War 2 in pictures. They came in 60 series of 6 cards each and were highly sanitised, no doubt having been approved by the Allied authorities before publication. There is hardly a Swastika to be seen nor is there any mention of any of the more unsavoury aspects of the Nazi regime. They were produced cheaply, on poor quality paper, using originals that were probably not that good to begin with so the reproduction quality is not too good, not helped at all by the small format (10cmx7cm). All of that aside, here they are for your delectation with dodgy translations from the German text by me! I have tried to keep my own opinions out of the translations and keep the tone as self-serving and arrogant as in the originals as possible. Where I feel information is inaccurate or might require a little amplification, I have added this in brackets at the end.These pictures are published for pleasure/information/research purposes only and are not for sale or copy under any circumstances. Information in captions has been researched as thoroughly as possible but its accuracy cannot be guaranteed.
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01/1 - NUREMBERG AND MUNICH - CONCESSIONS BY THE GREAT POWERS - NURENBURG, A SYMBOL - A great display of their power for the rulers of the Third Reich came around every autumn. The splendidly staged revue of their party rallies presented in front of the citizens of Nuremberg, the German city where image the splendour of the medieval empire was at its greatest. In almost endless columns marched 120,000 'old fighters' in September 1938 through the decorated streets of the old Nuremburg to the castle, past Adolf Hitler, who watches from his car the parade of SA formations.
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01/1 - NUREMBERG AND MUNICH - CONCESSIONS BY THE GREAT POWERS - NURENBURG, A SYMBOL - A great display of their power for the rulers of the Third Reich came around every autumn. The splendidly staged revue of their party rallies presented in front of the citizens of Nuremberg, the German city where image the splendour of the medieval empire was at its greatest. In almost endless columns marched 120,000 'old fighters' in September 1938 through the decorated streets of the old Nuremburg to the castle, past Adolf Hitler, who watches from his car the parade of SA formations.

  • 01/1 - NUREMBERG AND MUNICH - CONCESSIONS BY THE GREAT POWERS - NURENBURG, A SYMBOL - A great display of their power for the rulers of the Third Reich came around every autumn. The splendidly staged revue of their party rallies presented in front of the citizens of Nuremberg, the German city where image the splendour of the medieval empire was at its greatest. In almost endless columns marched 120,000 'old fighters' in September 1938 through the decorated streets of the old Nuremburg to the castle, past Adolf Hitler, who watches from his car the parade of SA formations.
  • 01/2 - NUREMBERG AND MUNICH - CONCESSIONS BY THE GREAT POWERS - THE UPGRADE - When it was no longer a secret that Hitler was re-arming feverishly, the framework of the Reich Party Congress was extended and at the congress grounds formations of the new Wehrmacht gave exhibition performances, and in the air roared the engines of the young Air Force. Nuremberg had become a symbol, and so was it is no coincidence that later took place within its walls the grim final act of world-historical drama. By then, Nuremberg's ancient glory has long since been reduced to rubble.
  • 01/3 - NUREMBURG AND MUNICH - CONCESSIONS BY THE GREAT POWERS - WEHRMACHT DAY - The climax of the Nuremberg Rally in 1938 was the 'Day of the Wehrmacht'. While the stadium exercises and anti-aircraft guns were progressing, overhead roared machines of the Luftwaffe - Do17 - high above the Zeppelin airfield. Among the spectators: Luftwaffe General Milch, the Commander of the Army, Generaloberst von Brauchitsch, the Chief of the Supreme Command of the Wehrmacht, General Keitel, and the Generaladmiral of the Navy, Admiral Raeder.
  • 01/4 - NUREMBURG AND MUNICH - CONCESSIONS BY THE GREAT POWERS - THE MUNICH AGREEMENT - The severe crisis that had arisen around the question of the ethnic German minority in Czechoslovakia, was discussed at a meeting in Munich between Germany, France, Britain and Italy on September 29th 1938. - After the signing: From left: The British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, French Prime Minister Eduard Deladier, Adolf Hitler, Reichs Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, Italian Duce Benito Mussolini and Count Galeazzo Ciano.
  • 01/5 - NUREMBURG AND MUNICH - CONCESSIONS BY THE GREAT POWERS - THE AGREEMENT IS SIGNED - By the Munich Agreement, the Prague government was asked to relinquish the border areas inhabited mainly by Germans to the Reich. At Hradcany Castle in Prague, Hitler joined the Czechoslovak President Hacha.
  • 01/6 - NUREMBURG AND MUNICH - CONCESSIONS BY THE GREAT POWERS - GERMAN-RUSSIAN NON AGGRESSION PACT - On March 14th, 1939, Slovakia declared itself an independent state. On the following night, Hitler persuaded President Hacha to allow the rest of Czechoslovakia to become the Protekorat of Bohemia-Moravia and to assume the protection of the German Reich. In this explosive situation,on August 23rd it was announced : In Moscow, a Russian-German Non-Aggression Pact had been signed. Hitler is seen on September 1st 1939 in the Reichstag announcing that at dawn on this day German troops had marched into Poland.
  • 02/1 - BLITZKRIEG AGAINST POLAND - THE FIRST DAY - The first OKW report was published on September 1st. Some sentences thereof; During the German fighting from Schliesen, Pomerania and East Prussia, the expected initial success has been achieved on all fronts on Friday. The German Air Force has thus won air superiority over the Polish air space on Friday. Lying in port of Danzig, the Training Ship 'SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN' took the Westerplatte under fire. Our picture shows the shelling of Westerplatte. (To describe the SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN as a training ship is a little misleading. Although she was very old (1906), she still mounted 4x280mm guns, was heavily armoured and had been extensively modernised with more modern light weapons. She certainly outgunned anything the Poles could send against her).
  • 02/2 - BLITZKRIEG AGAINST POLAND - BATTLE FOR THE WESTERPLATTE - After the fortifications had deen damaged, German assault troops went into the attack. After a brave defence, the defenders were forced to surrender. The defenders of Westerplatte had been from the beginning fighting a losing battle; this was a fine tribute to the personal bravery of the Polish soldiers. Those who had not fallen marched into German captivity. The victors of the Westerplatte captured considerable amounts of supplies and ammunition. (Fewer than 200 Polish solders held the defences of the Westerplatte for 7 days against about 3500 German troops supported by artillery, Ju87 Stukas and the battleship SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN. The Poles only surrendered when they decided further resistance was futile. German losses are estimated at about 200-300 dead and wounded: Polish losses were 15-20 dead and 53 wounded).
  • 02/3 - BLITZKRIEG AGAINST POLAND - INTENSE FIGHTING - Already in the Polish campaign, the German leadership had succeeded in what increasingly became the course of large-scale operations in the later stages of the war: encirclement of large armies, the surrounding of enemy units until the encircled had to choose between destruction or surrender. The picture shows what was left of a horse-drawn column which was attacked by dive bombers flying low. At the roadside, a Polish priest.
  • 02/4 - BLITZKRIEG AGAINST POLAND - MARSHAL RYDZ-SMIGLY - The Polish commander, Marshal Rydz-Smigly, escaped after the military collapse by way of Romania. Later he went to London.
  • 02/5 - BLITZKRIEG AGAINST POLAND - WARSAW - A mere eight days after the war began German motorized spearheads from the south had entered the outskirts of the Polish capital. In the next few days stronger German forces arrived in Warsaw. A truce that would deliver the invitation of the German troops to the city leaders to surrender was not received by the Poles. - German armored cars and a PaK gun in Warsaw.
  • 02/6 - BLITZKRIEG AGAINST POLAND - THE SURRENDER OF WARSAW - Leaflets dropped over Warsaw which provided the civilian population with a period to evacuate went unheeded. Despite the utter hopelessness of resistance, Warsaw was defended. The city and population were severely shaken by air raids and heavy artillery fire. It was only on September 27th, after the Polish campaign had practically completed that the commander of the city resolved to surrender. On October 2nd, the German troops marched into the city.
  • 03/1 - PEACE ON ALL FRONTS - BUT U-BOATS SAIL AGAINST ENGLAND - ON THE GERMAN-RUSSIAN BORDER - According to the agreement reached in the Kremlin, Russian troops began on September 17th with the occupation of the eastern part of Poland. On September 28th, the (fourth) partition of Poland has been implemented in determining the boundary line between the Generalgouvernment (Poland), Germany and Soviet Russia.
  • 03/2 - PEACE ON ALL FRONTS - BUT U-BOATS SAIL AGAINST ENGLAND - THE NEW BORDER POSTS - Massive piles are put in place to replace the temporary border poles marked with straw. Our view: In friendly cooperation with the Russian soldiers the border between Germany and Russia is highlighted.
  • 03/3 - PEACE ON ALL FRONTS - BUT U-BOATS SAIL AGAINST ENGLAND - PEACE ON THE UPPER RHINE - While Poland was divided in the east, there was almost a complete ceasefire in the West. The builder of the autobahns and creator of the Organisation Todt, Dr. Fritz Todt, created the heavily armed Siegfried Line equipped with all the latest technical achievements but there seemed to be little danger of defensive action at this early stage of the war. - Barbed wire shields the Westwall on the Upper Rhine.
  • 03/4 - PEACE ON ALL FRONTS - BUT U-BOATS SAIL AGAINST ENGLAND - THE U-BOAT BLOW IN SCAPA FLOW - On October 14th the German U-boat weapon succeeded in a bold coup. Kapitanleutnant Prien in U47 slipped through a narrow gap in the harbour of Scapa Flow and destroyed the 29000-ton battleship 'ROYAL OAK' lying in this port. In the war against enemy merchant shipping, Prien sank more than 200,000 tons of shipping. On the night of March 7th, 1941. in an attack on a heavily defended convoy, U47 was sunk with all hands.
  • 03/5 - PEACE ON ALL FRONTS - BUT U-BOATS SAIL AGAINST ENGLAND - 'ROYAL OAK' - This is the British 29000-ton battleship 'ROYAL OAK' sunk by Prien and U47. 810 British sailors died in this bold attack, while Prien brought home his boat home happy. (ROYAL OAK was the only battleship in Scapa Flow that night, left behind because she was too and and slow to keep up with rest of Fleet. Her sinking was of no great material loss to the Royal Navy but the propaganda victory it handed to the Germans was immense. The loss of 833 of her crew was a major blow to the British in this period of the 'Phony' War).
  • 03/6 - PEACE ON ALL FRONTS - BUT U-BOATS SAIL AGAINST ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 8th, 1939 - On that day, Hitler spoke as usual in the Munich Bürgerbräukeller to his old campaigners. Twenty minutes after he had left the hall, an explosion that killed nine people and wounded about sixty occurred near where he was sitting. The investigation revealed that a time bomb was installed in a pillar behind Hitler's place. They arrested as the alleged perpetrator Georg Elser, who was taken to a camp and was killed there. (Elser was imprisoned in Dachau Concentration Camp and was executed by the camp authorities on April 9th, 1945, just 20 days before the camp was liberated).
  • 04/1 - ADVANCE TO THE NORTH - DENMARK - Having created a critical situation ​​in Norwegian territorial waters through the raid of the British Destroyer 'COSSACK' on the 'ALTMARK' and on April 8th started the mining of the Norwegian coastal waters and the shipment of an Allied Expeditionary Force, on April 9th​​, 1940, began the bold and energetic German attack on Denmark and Norway. - A German cyclist column passes over the bridge leading to Zealand. (To suggest that Germany only invaded Norway and Denmark in response to British aggression is pushing the bounds of belief a little too far).
  • 04/2 - ADVANCE TO THE NORTH - IN COPENHAGEN - While operations against Norwegian port cities was met with violent resistance, the occupation of Denmark took place very smoothly. German Army and Danish police have jointly achieved the security of the country and here regulate the traffic in the Danish capital.
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