GEBT MIR 4 JAHRE ZEIT – “Give Me 4 Years, ” a sharp photomontage propaganda booklet directed against Adolf Hitler, produced by the British Ministry of Information (MOI) as part of a psychological warfare campaign intended for distribution in Germany and the Nazi-occupied territories, contrasting the Führer’s promises with his actual failures. Germany, 1943. German. Extremely rare.
A powerful wartime propaganda booklet, based entirely on the technique of photomontage and brilliant visual juxtaposition, intended to undermine the confidence of the German public in Hitler’s leadership. The title of the booklet is taken from Hitler’s famous 1933 speech, “Gebt mir vier Jahre Zeit” – “Give Me Four Years.” Throughout its pages, Hitler’s statements, promises, and ambitious speeches are presented in chronological sequence, including his promises of lasting peace in 1939, his reflections on relations with Russia, and his boasts about obliterating enemy cities and defeating the Allies – juxtaposed with the devastating and bloody reality of those policies in practice: the destruction of the city of Rotterdam in May 1940, Soviet tank divisions, the endless columns of frozen and exhausted German prisoners at the Battle of Stalingrad (which marked the turning point in 1943), the surrender of Axis forces in North Africa, the bombing of Hamburg in August 1943, and the unconditional surrender of Fascist Italy in September 1943. The booklet’s pages ingeniously and ironically combine key stills from the Nazi propaganda film Triumph of the Will (Triumph des Willens), depicting Hitler in dramatic poses, with realistic battlefield photographs emphasizing his complete failure and his expressions of disappointment. On the final page, the booklet concludes with a quotation from one of Hitler’s 1942 speeches recalling an ancient proverb: “The gods blind those whom they wish to destroy.” A rare and fascinating document of psychological propaganda demonstrating the sophisticated use of the enemy’s own words as a weapon against him.
Extremely rare. Only one copy recorded in the WorldCat global library catalog, held by a library in England.
16 pages (including covers, printed as continuous conjugate leaves). C. 14×11 cm. Good condition. Light wear to the cover.
