Three issues of the Belgian weekly Le Patriote Illustré, published at the end of the war. The issues contain early documentation of Nazi crimes in the death camps as discovered in the days of the camps’ liberation, as well as harsh photos of Jewish prisoners during forced labor in the camps (some photographed by the SS), the bodies of victims, the aftermath of the extermination, and more. Brussels, 1945–1947.
Issue dated June 3, 1945 (on the cover: General de Gaulle awarding Field Marshal Montgomery the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor). Extensive report and horrific photographs of the bodies of victims at the Dachau and Belsen camps: “At Dachau, 30,000 prisoners were held… in a space barely sufficient for a quarter of that number. The death rate averaged 100 to 150 prisoners per day, not including the victims of experiments or Nazi cruelty…” At the center, a photo of Dr. Erika Flocken, who ran the camp hospital and would send the sick and unfit to their deaths each day. A large photograph shows hundreds of victims at Belsen, a mass grave, a camp prisoner identifying one of the SS guards after the war, and more.
Issue dated October 20, 1946 (on the cover: Field Marshal Smuts on an official visit to Brussels). In the center pages: documentation and photographs of the Dachau camp at the end of the war after the arrival of the Americans. Includes a photo of the crematorium, American guards replacing the infamous SS guards, photographs of a temporary memorial erected for the victims buried in mass graves near the camp, the camp gate, and more.
Issue dated October 26, 1947 (on the cover: Princess Juliana sworn in as the official sovereign following the death of Queen Wilhelmina) – the center pages contain a detailed report and photographs about life in the German death camps. The reporter describes in detail the severe abuse endured by prisoners, including various forms of torture and systematic starvation. The article is accompanied throughout by harsh photographs, including images of prisoners in uniforms performing forced labor at the Mauthausen camp, row upon row of inmates carrying heavy bricks up the mountain – a photo taken by the Nazi SS photographic service at the camp itself, a prisoner building a brick wall with the caption: “The brick wall will not be completed, the prisoner will die before…”, rows of inmates standing in line during roll call to receive their ration of soup, prisoners transferred from Oranienburg to Mauthausen working on forced road construction, and more.
Le Patriote Illustré – a French-language Belgian illustrated weekly that enjoyed widespread popularity, especially in the 1940s and 1950s. After World War II, it regularly reported on Belgium’s recovery efforts, combining news coverage with striking photography, and also focused on the monarchy, international politics, and the daily lives of Belgian citizens. The publication adopted a nationalist and monarchist approach, supporting governmental stability and a unified Belgian identity. Many articles emphasized the heroic image of King Leopold III, the rebuilding of the Belgian army, and national responsibility for the legacy of the war.
Complete issues. Overall very good condition.
