Description
Signal
1. Jahrgang • Folge 2 • Berlin, 1. Mai 1940, Nr. 2
Sonderausgabe der »Berliner Illustrierten Zeitung« | Special edition of the Berliner Illustrirten Zeitung
40 pages scanned
Cover & Format
The cover shows a dramatic nose-on view of a German fighter aircraft, with a caption reading “Ein deutscher Jagdeinsitzer im Angriff auf See” (A German single-seat fighter attacking at sea). It was sold across more than 20 countries at varying local prices.
Main Articles
So was tut man nicht! One doesn’t do such things!
An attack on American ambassadors William Bullitt (Paris) and Joe Kennedy (London), drawing on documents reportedly captured from Polish archives, framing them as warmongers who predicted the war.
Wall aus Stahl und Männern – Wall of Steel and Men
An extensive multi-page feature on the Westwall (Siegfried Line), including maps, diagrams, illustrations, and photographs showing the fortification’s structure, bunker systems, tank obstacles, and troop dispositions along the French border.
Vor dem Niemandsland” / “Das Niemandsland
Dramatic color illustrations and photographs of the no-man’s land between German and French lines, including a painted battle scene in Forbach, Lorraine.
Coverage of the German invasion of Denmark and Norway on April 9, 1940, framed as a preemptive strike against British plans. Includes maps of naval and air movements, and photographs of troops boarding warships.
Der 9. April in Oslo
A photo-essay depicting the German occupation of Oslo, showing diplomatic exchanges, troop movements, and Oslo residents relaxing in the park the following day — presented as evidence of normalcy.
Alarm im Bunker
A photographic sequence showing the daily routine and alarm drill inside a Westwall bunker, from reveille to full combat readiness in under six minutes.
Die Kaserne des deutschen Frontsoldaten: Der Großbunker
A stunning full-page color cross-section illustration showing the interior of a large German bunker, with multiple floors including command posts, kitchens, medical facilities, and recreation rooms.
Als das Pferd noch so klein wie ein Hund war…
A lighter science feature on prehistoric fossils discovered in the Geisel Valley brown coal mines near Halle, including proto-horses, crocodiles, and 30-million-year-old insects preserved in amber.
Vom Kriege” – On War
A military-political analysis piece examining Germany’s struggle with Britain for control of the North Sea, arguing the Norwegian operation fundamentally shifted the naval balance.
Deutsche Salven trafen ihr Ziel!
Photos of a German warship sinking a British destroyer during the Norway crossing.
Dänemark vor dem 9. April
A long article on Denmark’s fraught economic negotiations with Britain in the months before the German occupation, portraying Britain as an exploitative trading partner.
Advertisements
Period ads include Agfa film and cameras, Continental Silenta typewriters (Wanderer-Werke), Hensoldt Dialyt binoculars, Sachsenwerk electric motors, and Messerschmitt AG — the latter advertising the Me 109 with a dramatic mock combat timeline showing an enemy aircraft downed in 14 minutes.
Color Plates
• p. 9 — “Das Niemandsland”: two color photographs of Forbach, Lorraine (abandoned since 1918), plus a full-page color battle painting by Hans Liska depicting street fighting in the town.
• p. 10 — “Im Vorfeld”: two color photographs of German forward positions in the Westwall outfield, plus a color night-battle painting by Hans Liska showing artillery fire.
• p. 19 — Full-page color cross-section illustration of a large German Westwall bunker (“Der Großbunker”), showing all interior floors and functions.
• p. 20–21 — Two color landscape paintings by Hans Liska of the Westwall terrain, plus a color illustration of underground ammunition transport tunnels 30 meters below ground.
• p. 31 — Two color combat photographs: German assault troops breaching a wire barrier under smoke, and a flamethrower attack on an enemy machine-gun nest.
• p. 32 — Full-page color portrait photograph of King Boris III of Bulgaria with officers of his army.