Description
Illustrierter Beobachter
Donnerstag, 3. August 1939 • 14. Jahrgang • Folge 31
Zentralverlag der NSDAP, Franz Eher Nachf. GmbH, München 22
36 pages scanned
Cover Page
Caption: “In Hamburg tagte die Freude.” (“Joy convened in Hamburg.”) The subtitle notes that among the colourful groups of the twenty-one participating nations, charming Lithuanian folk costumes could also be seen.
Subject: Two young women in Lithuanian folk dress, photographed during the 5th Reichstagung of the NS-Gemeinschaft “Kraft durch Freude.”
Location: Hamburg.
Photo credit: Fritz Boegner.
Major Headlines & Content
In Hamburg tagte die Freude (Joy Convened in Hamburg) — Coverage of the 5th Reichstagung of the NS-Gemeinschaft “Kraft durch Freude,” attended by delegations from twenty-one nations aboard the KdF flagship “Robert Ley.” Named individuals: Generalfeldmarschall Hermann Göring, Reichsorganisationsleiter Dr. Robert Ley. Place: Hamburg. Special report and photo credit: Fritz Boegner.
Mit Speck fängt man Mäuse (You Catch Mice with Bacon) — Satirical piece on British Territorial Army regiments competing over elaborate soldiers’ meals, illustrated with comic cartoons. No individuals named.
Europas Pestherd: Das polnische Ghetto (Europe’s Plague Centre: The Polish Ghetto) — Antisemitic feature on the Jewish population of Poland, focused on conditions in the Łódź ghetto. Place: Łódź (Lodz). Photo credit: Dodo Kraft.
Damaskus kämpft für die Freiheit (Damascus Fights for Freedom) — Report on French colonial rule in Syria, featuring Senegalese mandate troops policing Damascus and the circulation of an Arabic translation of “Mein Kampf.” Place: Damaskus (Damascus). Photo credit: Dr. Rolf Hecker.
Ihr Stolz: Die Leistung der Mannschaft (Their Pride: The Squad’s Performance) — Photo feature on SA-Wehrmannschaften hand-grenade-throwing competitions held in Berlin as part of national championship trials. Place: Berlin. Photo credit: Möbius.
So Mädel sind von heute! (That’s How Girls Are Today!) — Photo report on young women rock-climbing in the Alps, presented as evidence of modern female athleticism. Bildbericht (picture report) by Berthold Fischer.
In Wels schöpft jeder selbst sein Gas (In Wels Everyone Draws Their Own Gas) — Feature on private households in Wels, Upper Austria, drawing natural gas from wells dug in their own gardens. Place: Wels, Oberösterreich. Bildbericht and photo credit: Annelise Schulze (Mauritius).
Der Yukon bricht auf (The Yukon Breaks Up) — Photo report on the spring ice-breakup of the Yukon River in Alaska, featuring sled dogs and Inuit residents. Place: Alaska/Yukon. Bildbericht by Dr. Herbert Tichy.
Other Content
Fiction serial — Der Feuerteufel by Luis Trenker (6th instalment; continues across multiple pages). Set in Carinthia during the Napoleonic Wars of 1809; centres on Tyrolean freedom fighter Valentin Sturmegger opposing French officers Oberst Bertholet and General Bisson. Locations: Villach, Sachsenburg, Spittal, St. Martin, the Drau and Möll valleys, Klagenfurt.
Historical feature — Verzicht ist für Zanzibar (conclusion) by Albert Stenzel. Recounts German colonial diplomacy over Zanzibar involving Carl Peters and Emily Ruete, the former Sultana of Zanzibar.
Short story — Ein Kinderwagen fährt ins Grüne by Ernst Hoferichter. Comic summer tale of a Viennese family’s outing with a baby carriage, named Josef and Kreszenz Milzel.
Short story — Folgen der Vornehmheit by Ferdinand Silbereisen. Comic tale of a Frankfurt banker, Konsul Loibl, pressured by his wife to adopt refined manners.
Short story — Nie wieder Seiteosprünge by Werner Granville Schmidt. Story of an Antwerp businessman, Klaas Verwoorts, his wife Stintje, and a misunderstanding involving a shipwreck.
Humour columns — “Humor der anderen” and “Humor” — short jokes, some translated from foreign publications (Hemmets Journal, Dagens Nyheter, Ekstrabladet, Everybodys Weekly, Hjemmet, Husmorbladet, Magasinet), alongside original German jokes and cartoons.
Cartoon spread — Berliner Funkausstellung im Jahre 2139, drawn by Erich Huber. Futuristic comic imagining the Berlin Radio Exhibition as it might appear in the year 2139.
Photo feature — Schlangen-Fütterung (Snake Feeding) — Bildbericht on snake feeding at the Leipzig Zoo. Photo credit: Heinz Schubert.
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