ISBN: 0860077179
Godina izdanja: 1975
Jezik: Engleski
Autor: Strani

SWASTIKA AT WAR - A Photographic Record of the War in Europe as seen by the Cameramen of the German Magazine Signal

Edited by - Robert Hunt and Tom Hartman

Izdavač - Omega Book, London

Godina - 1975

26 cm

ISBN - 0860077179

Povez - Broširan

Stanje - Kao na slici, tekst bez podvlačenja, jedna stranica ispada ali je zalepljena naknadno


`Signal is generally considered to have been the most spectacular publication to appear during the Second World War, yet all that now remain are the few volumes of file copies carefully preserved in various museums and archives. Nevertheless, during its brief lifetime Signal had a tremendous effect not only upon its enormous readership but upon the magazine publishing world itself, an effect that is still felt today.

The name of the `father` of Signal has hitherto remained unpublished, but it can now be revealed that he was in fact Doctor Paul Leverkuehn, whose earlier career is of some interest in relation to the conception of Signal. In the First World War he served with the intelligence unit of Colonel Nicolai in the Middle East, in the campaign immortalized by T. E. Lawrence. In 1923 he joined the Foreign Office and was sent to Washington to take part in negotiations concerning the return of confiscated German property and the relaxation of reparations payments. From 1930 until 1939 he worked as a lawyer in Berlin, but was drafted to the German High Command on the outbreak of war, where, with Colonel Blau, he was responsible for Wehrmacht propaganda abroad. There he conceived the idea of Signal, and the first magazine appeared in April 1940. The title of the magazine was carefully chosen, the word `signal being much the same in most European languages.

Dr Leverkuehn`s association with his brainchild did not last long, for he was soon posted once again to the Middle East. His subsequent career is less relevant: suffice it here to say that he survived the war to become a CDU member of the Bundestag and died in 1960. Signal was now born and was certainly a most privileged child. For Signal there were no financial worries or paper shortages; all was at once made available to this highly effective propaganda weapon. dedicated to maintaining the prestige of the Wehrmacht. Thanks to a team of 150 translators, the magazine was in its heyday printed in over 20 languages, and the print run at one time reached nearly 2.5 million. The printing was distributed throughout Europe wherever the necessary facilities were available. Nor was there any restriction on the availability of editorial staff. The nucleus of the team had worked together for some years before the war at Ullstein, a distinguished German publishing house, and others were drafted in as occasion demanded. At least half the editors belonged to army propaganda units and, as such, held military rank. But it is interesting to note that nearly all the writers, scientists and journalists who co-operated in the production of Signal have, since the war, continued to work in the same field and their subsequent objective criticism of the political scene seems to indicate that it is unlikely that they were deeply committed or convinced party members.

In addition to their own writing, Signal`s editorial team also had access to the bulletins issued by the 1,500 official reporters covering every branch of the armed forces on all fronts. But, for all the talent of the editorial staff, it is the photographs in Signal which still grip us today and which justify the publication of this handsome book. The editors had at their disposal the skills of more than 1,000 cameramen working for the propaganda units of the army, the navy and the air force. In addition, there were special photographers whose permits gave them immediate access to any form of transport at any time on any front. Provided with the very latest equipment in a field of scientific technique in which Germany had always led the world, colour film, in those days still very rare. I recall greatest advantage lay in the generous use of particularly the names of the photographers Arthur their Grimm, Hans Hubmann, Dietrich Kenneweg, Hilmar Pabel, Wolfgang Weber and Benno Wundshammer.

The overall policy of Signal was set by the OKW/Wpt, in consultation with the Ministry of Propaganda and the Foreign Office, but if the general direction of the magazine was controlled from above, it was left to the editorial staff to implement it. As the war progressed and the belligerents continued to grow in number, greater emphasis was placed upon the need to defend Europe against the menace of communism. Antisemitic tirades remained throughout an obligation imposed from above, and the editors, perfectly aware that the magazine was primarily a weapon in the propaganda war, had no choice but to obey Nevertheless we tried as best we could in indirect ways, and often at considerable risk, to demolish the barriers of racial and class hatred, to prick the bubble of chauvinistic arrogance and to destroy the myth of the master race. Today the casual reader of old copies of Signal may find this hard to believe, but those who were grown up at the time and who care to read a little between the lines will not, I think, dispute this contention.

The general quality of the articles, in both content and style, was extremely high and the standard of production, particularly in the use of colour printing, was years ahead of anything else in the field at that time. It can be truthfully said that, as a result, Signal had an enormous effect throughout wartime Europe. For all of us who were associated with it I am happy that our work is not altogether forgotten, and I hope that those who read this book will agree that Signal`s photographers did a very remarkable job indeed. (GUNTHER HEYSING)`


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