Nazi Posters: 1933-1945 / Rachel

'Build Youth Hostels and Homes', a uniformed BDM member seeks donations in this Nazi political poster. All the money collected went into armaments..

Background: This is a collection of Nazi posters from 1933-45. Many are taken from photographs made by Dr. Robert D. Brooks at the German Federal Archives. A collection of pre-1933 posters is also available.
I have gathered the remainder from a wide range of sources. By far the most extensive collection of posters available is that of the German Federal Archives. They have over a thousand on-line. The University of Minnesota library also has a large collection, and has given me permission to use some of its posters. Some additional posters are available from the George C. Marshall Foundation.
This page is part of a much larger site on German propaganda during the Nazi and East German eras.

Nazi Posters: 1933-1945

http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/posters2.htm

	This poster announces a Nazi meeting in Berlin on 23 February 1933, less than a month after Hitler took power. The title of the speech is: "Let Hitler work!" Courtesy of the University of Minnesota Library.
	This poster is from the March 1933 Reichstag election, the last one in which Germans had a choice. The poster shows President Hindenburg and Chancellor Hitler. The caption: "The Reich will never be destroyed if you are united and loyal." Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	Another March 1933 poster. The text: "In the deepest need Hindenburg chose Adolf Hitler for Reich Chancellor. You too should vote for List 1." Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	This poster is for the 5 March 1933 Reichstag election. The top text: "Bill for the Social Democratic Party (SPD), presented by the starving German people." It lists the alleged sins of the Socialists, and concludes: "German people! That is fourteen years of serfdom. Never forget it! Now you must demand payment. You will receive that payment if you vote for Adolf Hitler." Courtesy of the University of Minnesota Library.
	As their first major anti-Semitic action after taking power, the Nazis organzed a nation-wide anti-Jewish boycott on 1 April 1933, alegedly to protest anti-German actions by Jews around the world. This poster announces the boycott in the town of Geisenheim. The text is translated here. Courtesy of Ken Fields.
	A 1933 poster advertising the film S.A. Mann Brand.
	Another poster glorifying the S.A. I can't date this one, though it looks to be from the early years of the Nazi regime.
	I am not certain of the date of this astonishing poster, although I am quite sure it is from the 1930's. This poster makes the most direct Christological comparison I've seen. Just as a dove descended on Christ when he was baptised by John the Baptist, so what looks to be an eagle hovers against the light of heaven over an idealized Hitler. The text: "Long live Germany!." Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	A 1933 poster announcing an agricultural fair. It's eight months after Hitler took power, and the Swastika is showing up everywhere. This poster is provided by J. Castillon.
	This poster links the German Labor Front (the DAF) to World War I. The point is that just as soldiers were comrades regardless of their standing in civil life, so too all German workers were comrades in the DAF, regardless of whether they were white or blue collar. This appeared in 1933..
	A 1930's poster announcing the national S.A. competition. Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	A 1933 poster announcing Leni Riefenstahl's film of the 1933 Nuremberg Rally, a film thought for years to have been lost, but copies do in fact exist.
	This visual from the mid-1930's shows Germany in white, with the 100,000-man army permitted by the Treaty of Versailles, surrounded by heavily armed neighbors.
	The Winter Aid (Winterhilfswerk ) was the Nazi Party charity. Each year there was a drive to solicit donations to help the needy. Contributions were not entirely "voluntary." The text translates as: "No one shall go hungry! No one shall be cold!" Photo courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	This poster advertises the Nazi charity, the NSV. The text translates: "Health, child protection, fighting poverty, aiding travellers, community, helping mothers: These are the tasks of the National Socialist People's Charity. Become a member!" Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	This poster encouraged sacrificial contributions to the Winter Aid. The text translates: "Don't give. Sacrifice." Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	A poster promoting the German railway system. This looks to be from the 1930's. This poster courtesy of J. Castillon.
	Under the Treaty of Versailles, the Saar was placed under French administration, pending a plebiscite to be held in 1935. This poster encouraged Germans to be aware of the upcoming referendum. The text translates: "1935 — Saar Plebiscite! We in the Saar are loyal — We stand for honor and the fatherland. Are you thinking of us?" Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	I'm told this poster dates to the Saar referendum of, which seems reasonable to me. I'm looking for a reference to confirm that. The caption: "To Germany."
	This poster dates to the 29 March 1936 referendum. The text reads: "No German must freeze. 11.5 million cubic meters of coal have been provided by the Winter Relief. That is 4 times the volume of the Great Pyramid of Cheops. That is one of the Führer's accomplishments. Give him your vote!" Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	This poster promotes Hitler's 1936 referendum. Since it quotes Schwabian Gauleiter Karl Wahl, I assume it comes his area. Hitler is quoted as saying: "I ask the German people to strengthen my faith and to lend me its strength so that I will always and everywhere have the strength to fight for its honor and freedom, to work for its economic prosperity, and particularly to strenthen me in my struggles for genuine peace." Karl Wahl says: "German women and men, it is in your own interest to fulfill the Führer's request and vote on 29 March 1936. Be loyal to him who is loyal!" Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	This poster is from the 1936 referendum. The text says that German construction expenditures rose from 10.9 billion Marks in 1932 to 14.5 billion in 1935. "That is what Adolf Hitler has done for German craftsmen. All classes vote on 29 March for freedom, peace and construction." Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	This poster is from the 1936 referendum. The text: "The train would have to be 6,000 kilometers long, stretching from Berlin to Addis Ababa, if it had to carry the 209 million hundredweights of materials contributed to the Winter Relief drive during the years 1933-1935. That is socialism in action. Support the Führer on 29 March!" Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	This poster is from the 1936 referendum. The text says that German industrial production has risen from 34.8 billion marks in 1932 to 58.3 billion in 1935. "An unprecedented increase in industrial production is the result of the Führer's economic policy. Keep it going! Vote for the Führer on 29.3!" Courtesy of the University of Minnesota Library.
	This poster is also from the 1936 referendum. The text: "We stand with the Führer. The oath of the German people on 29.3!" Courtesy of the University of Minnesota Library.
	This poster is probably from the 1936 referendum. The text: "Before: Unemployment, hopelessness, desolation, strikes, lockouts. Today: Work, joy, discipline, comaradarie. Give the Führer your vote!" Courtesy of the University of Minnesota Library.
	This one, too, is probably from the 1936 Referendum. The caption: "Check the war-mongers of the world. Every vote for the Führer!" Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	This poster probably comes from the mid-1930's. The caption: "Hitler is building. Help him. Buy German goods."
	I'd guess this one is from the mid-1930's. The caption: "Through military will to military strength."
	This poster by Mjölnir (Hans Schweitzer) uses one of his favorite themes. An S.A. man stands next to a soldier. I am not sure of the date. The text: "The guarantee of German military strength!" Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	This poster is from the 1930's, and encourages Germans to buy domestic rather than imported goods. The top translates as "Germans buy German goods." The bottom text translates: "German Week/German Goods/German Labor."
	I'm not sure of the date on this poster, but it's probably from the mid to late 1930's. It promotes the Nazi labor service, for which men were expected to volunteer. The caption: "We build body and soul."
	This poster is from the 1930's encourages women to sign up for the labor service. The caption: "A wonderful task: Reich Labor Service Women's Leader: A job for today!" Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	The text translates: "All Germany hears the Führer on the People's Receiver." The Nazis, eager to encourage radio listenership, developed an inexpensive radio receiver to make it possible for as many as possible to hear Nazi propaganda. Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks
	This poster probably dates to the mid-1930's. It promotes the Nazi charitable organization (the NSV). The text: "Support the assistance program for mothers and children."
	This poster promoted education. The caption: "Adolf Hitler's youth attends community schools." I'm not sure of the date, but probably the mid-1930's. Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	A tourist poster promoting the German highway system. This is from the 1930's.
	This 1936 poster urges people to vote for Hitler by noting what he has done to promote automobile ownership in Germany. The caption: "The Führer promised to motorize Germany. In 1932, 104,000 motor vehicles were manufactured, 33,000 people were employed, and goods with a total value of 295,000,000 marks were produced. In 1935, 353,000 vehicles were manufactured, Over 100,000 people were employed, and the value of goods produced was 1,150,000,000 marks. The Führer gave 250,000 people's comrades jobs in the auto industry and its suppliers. German people: Thank the Führer on 29 March! Give him your vote!" Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	This poster, of which I only have a black & white version, was issued for the 1936 National Farming Rally, rather a Nuremberg rally for agriculture. The poster takes note of the major anti-Bolshevist campaign then in progress, evident from the Soviet star in the upper right.
	The Nazis staged a massive exhibition of "degenerate art" in Munich in 1937. Rather awkwardly, it drew more visitors than the exhibit of approved art. This poster announces the exhibition. The best book on the exhibition is Stephanie Barron, "Degenerate Art": The Fate of the Avant-Garde in Nazi Germany (Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1991).
	A tourist poster annoucing Germany's accomplishments. I think this was from the 1937 Paris World Fair. This poster was provided by J. Castillon.
	A 1937 poster announcing an agricultural fair in Kiel. This poster was provided by J. Castillon.
	This poster urged a "Yes" vote on one of the four referendums Hitler called during the 1930's. I believe this is for the April 1938 referendum, but am not entirely sure.
	A similar referendum poster. The text: "Führer, we will follow you." Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	Another referendum poster from 1938. The text: "Yes on 10 April." Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	Another referendum poster from 1938. The text: "Greater Germany: Yes on 10 April." Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	This poster is from the 1938. The caption: "Germany is free!" Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	The Reich Colonial League was a Nazi Party affiliate propagandizing for the return of Germany's former African colonies. the caption translates as: "The Reich Colonial League Calls to You Too!" The poster probably dates to the 1930's.
	This poster from around 1939 advertises the Volkswagen. The text: "Save 5 marks a week and you will drive your own car. " Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	This is a poster used to advertise local Nazi meetings with slide shows. The Gaubildstelle was the party office that arranged such shows, of which there were many. There is space to fill in the time, location, speaker and topic. I'm not sure of the date on this one.
	This is a another poster used to advertise local Nazi meetings. There is space to fill in the time, location, speaker and topic. I'm not sure of the date.
	This poster promotes the NSKOV, the Nazi organization for veterans. The caption: "Comrades at the front — Comrades for life. Advice and assistance in all areas of need." Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	This 1938 poster was issued shortly after the Anschluß with Austria. The caption: "One People, One Reich, One Führer."
	This 1938 poster promotes Hitler's book Mein Kampf, announcing that four million copies have been sold. Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	This looks to be from the late 1930's, but I'm not certain of the date. The text: "I now ask the German people to strengthen my faith and to give me through the strength of its will the strength I need to continue to fight courageously at any time for its honor and its freedom, and to be able to further its economic prosperity. I ask it particularly to support me in my struggle for true peace." Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	This poster was also issued shortly after the Anschluß with Austria. The caption: "One People, One Reich, One Führer."
	This poster is from the 1930's, and promotes the Nazi monthly Neues Volk (New People}, the organ of the party's racial office. The text reads: "This genetically ill person will cost our people's community 60,000 marks over his lifetime. Citizens, that is your money. Read Neues Volk, the monthly of the racial policy office of the NSDAP."
	The 1939 Nuremberg Rally was to be the "Party Rally of Peace," but it was canceled when World War II began.
	The text of this 1940 poster reads: "Youth Serves the Führer. All 10-year-olds into the Hitler Youth." Membership in the Hitler Youth had become mandatory in 1936.
	This poster was released in summer 1940. German morale reports found that it was effective. The text translates as: "Smash the Enemies of Greater Germany!" A literal translation would be:" Into Dust with All Enemies of Greater Germany." This is a reference to Heinrich von Kleist's The Prince of Homburg. In that play, a desperate Brandenburg, progenitor of Prussia, is saved from overwhelming threat from invading Swedes by the virtue of its campaigners, as well as its ruler. The final line of the play: "Into the dust with all enemies of Brandenburg." This information was provided by Andreas Ehlers of Hamburg. The poster is courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	This 1940 poster advertises the worst of the Nazi anti-Semitic films, "The Eternal Jew." For additional information on the film, see a comprehensive web site by Stig Hornshøj-Møller.
	The caption: "The Jew: The inciter of war, the prolonger of war." This poaster was released in late 1943 or early 1944. Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	This poster dates to early in the war. A farmer smashes the blockade. The Allied blockade of Germany during World War I had seriously hurt the war effort. The poster claims that Germany's food supply is secure in the new war. The text: "Farmer! You are a soldier in the battle of production." Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	This is an SS recruiting poster. I'm not sure of the date. It says one can join at 18, and sign up for shorter or longer periods of service. It gives the address of the recruiting office in Munich. Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	This poster advertises a county rally of the Nazi Party from 1941 (a miniature version of the Nuremberg rally). A woman plows the field while her husband fights on the front.
	This 1940 poster was part of the Nazi energy conservation campaign. The figure in black, the "coal thief," was the symbol of wasted energy. The text translates: "There he is again! He's always hungry, his sack is always empty. Greedily he skulks around the oven, the stove or the dripping faucet. He sneaks around the window, the door or the light switch, stealing what he can. He steals from armaments production, which needs every little bit he steals from city and countryside. Catch him! Read more about it in the newspapers."
	The caption of this 1940 poster translates: "Victory is with our Flags." 650,000 copies were distributed.
	This poster is 1942 or after, since one soldier is wearing a decoration first issued in 1942. The text translates as: "Infantry: The Queen of the Services."
	This is another WWII production poster from the winter of 1940-1941.. The text translates as: "You are the front!" Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	This poster is probably from 1941. It's a rather interesting one. The top translates as "Germany Must Die!" It exploits a 1941 book published in the U.S. by Theodore N. Kaufman titled Germany Must Perish, which advocated, among other things, the sterilization of the entire German population and the dismemberment of Germany as a nation. The map shown in the poster is in fact Kaufman's proposal to distribute German territory to its neighbors. Although Kaufman was insignificant (he published his book himself), the Nazis presented it as official Allied policy, and claimed Kaufman was an influential advisor to Roosevelt. For more information (in German), follow this link.
	This link leads to two of the weekly Parole der Woche posters, rather a wall newspaper issued between 1936 and 1943. The first is from 1941, and boasts of German submarine successes. The second accuses England of being a puppet of the Soviet Union.
	This link leads to six posters against complainers, a campaign used in Gau Steiermark (Austria) in the spring of 1942.
	This poster was issued around May 1942. The text translates as: "Work as hard for victory as we fight!"
	A Mjölnir poster is also from around May 1942. The caption: "One battle, one will, one goal: Victory at any cost!" The poster is by "Mjölnir," Goebbels' artist from Berlin, whose real name was Hans Schweitzer (1901-1980), and the theme is a takeoff on one of his pre-1933 posters. Hans Schweitzer survived the war and had a successful career as a graphic artist after 1945, though I doubt he used his pen name... Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	I am not sure of the date of this poster. The caption: "Be true to the Führer." Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	This poster is from late 1942. The text at the bottom: The New Europe cannot be defeated." The rest of the text explains that the plans of British plutocrats and their American allies, as well as the Jews behind them, have failed.
	This is another common World War II poster. The caption: "Adolf Hitler is victory!" It was withdrawn from circulation after the defeat at Stalingrad.
	30 January 1943 was the 10th anniversary of the Nazi seizure of power. This poster suggests that the 1943 battle against the world is the continuation of the battle that led to Nazi victory in 1933. The caption: "30 January 1933-1943. One Battle! One Victory!" The theme is a takeoff on one of Mjölnir's pre-1933 posters. This poster was withdawn after Stalingrad.
	A poster to recruit air raid wardens. Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	This Mjölnir poster appeared in February 1943, just after the defeat at Stalingrad. It was part of a major propaganda campaign with the theme “Victory or Bolshevist Chaos.” The party’s propagandists were told to make sure the poster was posted by itself rather than next to other posters. The text translates as: "Victory or Bolshevism." Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	The Germans worked to gather as much old material for the war effort as possible. This poster is for a 1943 clothing drive. The text translates as: "Get rid of old cloth and shoes!
	This 1943 poster promotes a paper drive.
	This poster is from 1943. It was issued by the Reichsarbeitsgemeinschaft Schadenverhütung, an organization that promoted safety. The caption: "Protect the harvest. It ensures victory!" A careless farmer ignites a fire that, without the prompt intervention of a second person, could have led to disaster.
	This poster was distributed in occupied Europe and satellite countries from 1942 onwards. It was part of the Nazi attempt to persuade occupied Europe that it was part of a common European crusade against Bolshevism.
	This poster was issued during the summer of 1943. The text translates as: "Build Weapons for the Front." Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	This looks to be a late-war recruiting poster for the SS, a time at which the Nazis were recruiting younger and younger soldiers. The caption doesn't translate directly, but means: "Enlist now!" A literal translation would be: "Especially you!"
	This poster comes from the World War II period. The text translates as: "Labor Comrade. You work with us. Keep up your strength!" Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	The text reads: "Unshakable, determined to fight, certain of victory!"
	This poster dates from 1942-1943. Allied bombing of German cities had increased to the level that children in cities were being sent to the countryside for safety. The German term Kinderlandverschickung translates as "sending children to the countryside." The poster encourages parents to register their children aged 3-14 for the program, which was not compulsory.
	This poster from fall 1943 also encourages silence. The caption: "Shame on you, chatterer! The enemy is listening. Silence is your duty." This was probably in color, but the source I found it in was black and white.
	This 1944 poster is on the same theme. The text: "The air terror continues. Mothers, send your children to safety!"
	An anti-spy poster from a 1944 propaganda campaign. This was one of a series of at least twelve posters. Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	Before World War II began, Germans were allowed to listen to foreign radio broadcasts. This was banned once the war began, and by the end of the war people were executed for listing to enemy radio stations. In this poster, a Marxist looking chap broadcasts from London, Moscow, and other enemy states, while a German listens in the darkness, trying to conceal his crime.
	I am not sure of the date of this poster, but it looks to be late in the war. The text translates as: "Mothers! Fight for your children!" Note that the mother portrayed has four children, consistent with the Nazi goal of encouraging as many births as possible.
	This poster is from later in the war when Allied bombers were constantly over Germany. The text translates as: "The enemy sees your light! Black out!"
	This fall 1944 poster is by Mjölnir. The Volksturm was the Nazi attempt to call on the last reserves. Those too young or too old for regular military service were called into service. The caption translates as "For freedom and life." Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	This poster, in Ukrainian, translates as: "Stand up to fight Bolshevism in the ranks of the Galicia division." This is a recruiting poster for an SS division of Ukrainian nationals. Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	Finally, several Nazi posters aimed at foreign audiences. This one recalls the Russian massacre of Polish officers in Katyn Forest. I think it is in Slovakian, and translates as: "The forest of the dead at Katyn." Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	An SS recruiting poster used in Norway. The translation (provided by Eirik Solberg): "Come with us north" at the top, and "The Norwegian Skihunter Batallion" at the bottom. Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.
	An SS recruiting poster used in the Netherlands: "For your honor and conscience! Against Bolshevism. The Waffen-SS calls you!" Courtesy of Dr. Robert D. Brooks.

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