Issue of the German weekly magazine DIE WOCHE dated July 24, 1940. On the title page cover, an threatening eagle flies over Buckingham Palace and Westminster in London, with the title: Der deutsch Adler über London - "The German Eagle over London" - Antisemitic articles on the "Jewish - English" connection and manipulative photographs of Jews from Eretz Israel "who rule under the protection of the British Kingdom".
Issue attacking the British Empire and the Jews, aiming to justify the massive air attacks by Nazi Germany on British cities that began that month. The newspaper opens with a comprehensive attack on everything Britain represents - blaming the British press for creating false propaganda against Germany, featuring a long article describing England's historical injustices towards other nations starting from the Boer War. The writer accuses England of imperialistic aspirations at the expense of conquered peoples. The article is accompanied by derogatory remarks against Winston Churchill, and on the other side, a photograph of Hermann Göring "the guarantee of Germany's irrevocable superiority in the air". Further on, an extensive antisemitic article appears accompanied by photographs of Jews under the title: "A new Jewish ornament in the English crown" linking Jews to England's injustices. The writer presents "Zionists" and their leaders as Churchill's new allies, claiming that England promised the Jews "the state of Judea" in the Eretz Israel "for Jews only" in exchange for Jewish assistance in achieving a final victory in the war. The article hints at the Nazis' ultimate goal to eliminate both the English and the Jews: "Soon the serious drama will begin, and it will become clear that not only Churchill but also the Zionists will be proven wrong". This article includes several photographs of Jews with accompanying antisemitic captions. In one of the photos, elderly Jews are sitting on a bench with the caption: "Through the Balfour Declaration in 1917, England pledged to build a 'national home' for Jews in Eretz Israel. Many Hebrews enriched themselves through land speculation. Now England expects gratitude...". Additional photos appear of Jewish businesses conducting liquidation sales in preparation for immigration to Eretz Israel, alongside antisemitic descriptions of Jewish collaboration with the English, and the claim that the Arabs of the Land of Israel lost their land to the Jews due to British support. The Arabs supposedly suffer as a result of the British-Jewish alliance. A photograph of Eretz Israel Arabs appears in this article with the antisemitic caption: "On the right: Deprived of rights. Today, only 11 percent of Palestine's land is still owned by Arabs. More than 20,000 farmers and laborers were expelled from their land by Jewish usury and the anti-Arab policy of the British Mandate government. Now they are supposed to "transfer" the last ones." Another photo in this article shows the pipeline in Eretz Israel with an antisemitic caption claiming that England violated its promise to the Arabs to the delight of the Jews.
Additional articles in the issue focus on the military superiority of the Nazi army in various fronts, blindly glorifying Nazi Germany and all it represents. The articles in the issue are accompanied by photographs of German soldiers riding their horses in Berlin to the adoration of the German masses. The newspaper also reports on the heroic achievements of German soldiers in battles in Narvik, and this article is also filled with photographs showing the German masses admiring the German soldiers. Additional articles deal with the perfect German woman, "pure" German art, and more.
In the month this issue was printed, the Battle of Britain took place - an aerial battle that occurred during World War II between the Luftwaffe, the German air force, and the Royal Air Force. The battle occurred in the summer and autumn months of 1940. It was the first time in history that a military conflict took place exclusively in the air, and it was the most extensive air bombardment campaign up to that point. The first stage of the Battle of Britain began in early July, and the intense battles continued until the end of August, with London being attacked in September. England achieved a historic success when its relatively small air force managed to repel the attacks. The Battle of Britain in the Western world is perceived as the heroic achievement of a few courageous pilots who defended freedom against hordes of a tyrants' subjects.
Die Woche ("The Week") was an illustrated weekly newspaper published in Berlin from 1899 to 1944. During the Weimar Republic years, the newspaper promoted the image of Paul von Hindenburg as a military man and as a citizen. With the rise of the Nazis to power, they seized control of the magazine, and throughout the years of the Third Reich, it became the flagship of the Nazi movement in Germany, conveying racist and antisemitic messages alongside adoration for Hitler and the Nazi leadership, and it regularly featured antisemitic messages.
37 p. 33 cm. Complete issue. Minor tears and losses in the lower part of the title page. Overall good condition.
