Frankreichs Schuld [France’s Fault]

Nazi propaganda placing the blame for WWII on the Allies.

Liberty, Egality, and Fraternity flutter mockingly adjacent to stereotypical representations of France’s colonial oppression, powerful ‘financier’ classes (a.k.a. Jews), and the leader of the Free Forces, Charles de Gaulle. The title, translated to France’s Fault, Shame, or Guilt, implies that the cause of the Second World War was directly related to these ‘boogeyman’ forces of imperialism.

The image unfolds to show several political maps of relevant theaters of Allied ‘meddling’. One side presents the Middle East and the Mediterranean, with insets showing the strategically important Strait of Messina, the Dardanelles, Bosporus, Malta, and the Straits of Gibraltar. The verso is a large map of France and the southern coast of England that highlights fortified areas across the region. The Westwall and Maginot Line are evident, along with the significant defensive works surrounding Paris, Antwerp, and Metz. The vast array of fortifications made the successful invasion of France just a few months after publication all the more impressive to the German audience.

Designed by the Bibliographischen Instituts in Leipzig. Published in Munich in 1940 as the outer wraps to a special edition of the Illustrierter Beobachter.

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