Description
Illustrierter Beobachter
8 March 1945 | 20th Year | Issue (Folge) 10
Publisher: Verlag Franz Eher Nachf. GmbH, Munich 22
Pages scanned: 20
International edition — prices listed for Denmark, Italy, Croatia, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Hungary
Cover Page
Caption: “Auf östlichstem Posten” (At the Easternmost Post). Close-up portrait of a German anti-aircraft gunner, face fully encased in ice and snow, wearing snow goggles and white camouflage uniform. Location: coastal dune positions near Libau (Liepāja), Latvia, on the Baltic Sea. An icy westwind at 26 m/sec is described blasting snow crystals horizontally into his face.
Major Headlines & Content
1. Die Festung Kurland (The Fortress Courland)
Major three-page photo spread on the German enclave in Courland (Kurland), Latvia. The Kurland Pocket — connected to Germany only by sea via the Baltic ports of Libau (Liepāja) and Windau (Ventspils) — is framed as a threatening fist in the rear of the Soviet front. Also mentions Tuckum (Tukums) and the Riga Bay. A map of the Kurland front is included. War correspondent: Georg Schmidt-Scheeder (H.H.). Captions describe: a hotly contested hill changing hands 44 times; 400 counted Soviet dead; a Rhineland-Franconian grenadier company defending a strongpoint; Soviet tank losses near Libau harbour; WWI-era trenches near the Riga Bay reused at Tuckum; anti-aircraft guns in the dunes defending Libau; street barricades in evacuated Tuckum; and a fishing village on the eastern wing of the front near the Riga Bay.
2. Die Panzerfaust und ihre Wirkung (The Panzerfaust and Its Effect)
Photo spread and combat illustration on the Panzerfaust anti-tank weapon. Images include: German soldiers who have just destroyed a Soviet tank pack; bicycle-mounted hunter-killer commandos from the Festung Breslau (Fortress Breslau); a destroyed Soviet heavy tank at the front in Hungary; and a destroyed American-built Sherman tank approaching on a back road near a German position. Combat illustration drawn by SS war correspondent Faust. Photo credits: Transocean (3), Heinrich Hoffmann (1), SS-Standarte “Kurt Eggers” (1).
3. “Aberglaube? — ph!” (Superstition? — Bah!)
Light feature photo spread on everyday superstitions — lucky chimney sweeps, the number 13, lucky dolls, borrowed mirrors, getting out of bed on the wrong foot, and borrowed shoes. Character named Jutta featured throughout. Photos by Bruno Völkel.
4. Das ganze Dorf fertigt Opanken (The Whole Village Makes Opanke Shoes)
Feature on traditional Croatian leather sandal (Opanke/Opanken) production in a village. Shows leather preparation, cutting, dyeing, and the finished product worn as Sunday dress. Photos by SS war correspondent Weinhart.
5. Optimisten sind eben so… (Optimists Are Just Like That…)
Back-page cartoon spread by illustrator Emerki Huber. Humorous wartime scenes: a man waiting for a cancelled bus; a bombed cinema still advertising its newsreel; a scramble for a tram; a closed tobacco shop; a butcher “Fleischer Krauss” selling from a makeshift stall. Light propaganda humor about civilian resilience.
Other Content
Feature — “Die kleinen Freuden des Landsers” (The Small Joys of the Soldier): Two-page photo spread on soldiers’ leisure: receiving packages from home, playing parlour games with girls, the company cook, soldiers playing music, canteen decoration art, a cigarette break at the parade ground, reading in bed, and a portrait of a smiling bride. Photos by Bruno Völkel.
Science article — “Werkzeuge und Technik im Tier- und im Pflanzenreich” (Tools and Technology in the Animal and Plant Kingdoms): By John Fuhlberg-Horst. Wide-ranging nature article covering beavers, wasps, bees, spiders, and tropical climbing plants as examples of tool use in the natural world. Also covers Petschabun, die neue Hauptstadt Thailands (Phetchabun, the new capital of Thailand) — a geographical and cultural piece by Hans Leuenberger on Thailand’s wartime capital relocation from Bangkok to Phetchabun on the Menam Pasak river.
Science article — “Dressierte Fische” (Trained Fish): By Hans H. Reinsch. On zoologist Professor von Frisch’s experiments conditioning fish to respond to tones. Fish trained using whistles, tuning forks, and trumpets to come to specific feeding spots.
Adventure article — “Abenteuerliche Kabellegungen” (Adventurous Cable Layings): By Werner von Siemens. A long first-person historical account of the laying of the first transatlantic telegraph cables in the 1850s–1870s, including the Cartagena–Oran cable and the deep-sea Faraday cable. Mentions the ship Ole Skjoldens and cities Cartagena, Oran, Almería, Cadiz, and Halifax.
Fiction serial — “Die Zeit über alles” (Time Above All): By Erich Kording. A wartime sea rescue story set on a small island, featuring lighthouse keeper Sigurd Erikson and his sons Olaf and Holger, with a sea rescue off the coast near Königsfelsen. A continuation across two pages.
Fiction serial — “Petra und der Läufer” (Petra and the Runner): Novel by Adolf Löffler (3rd installment). Set in Munich, Stuttgart, Nuremberg, and Leipzig. Characters include sprinter Karl Baldwin, his rival Max Seelenbinder (a real-life German wrestler/athlete), Frau Alexandra, her daughter Petra, and Italian runner Mario Daello. The story revolves around athletic competition, Olympic ambitions, and a romantic subplot. Continues across four pages.
Puzzles & games: Knight’s tour puzzle (Rösselsprung), number puzzle (Zahlenrätsel), crossword (Silbenkreuz), syllable staircase (Silbentreppe), magic square (Magisches Quadrat), quadrilateral word puzzle (Viereck), and cryptogram (Kryptogramm). Chess problem (Schach-Beobachter) by Max Elgahs (Altena, Westf.), featuring a Sicilian Defence position.
Editorial Note
Chief editor: Dietrich Loder. Deputy: Dr. Hans Diebow. Advertising: Joh. Bartenschlager, Munich. Printed by Buchgewerbehaus M. Müller & Sohn, Munich. Published by the Central Publishing House of the NSDAP, Franz Eher Nachf. GmbH, Munich 22. This document is a historical artifact for research purposes.