Description

Signal
1. Jahrgang • Folge 3 • Berlin, 15. Mai 1940, Nr. 3
Sonderausgabe der »Berliner Illustrierten Zeitung« | Special edition of the Berliner Illustrirten Zeitung
Published by Deutscher Verlag, Berlin SW 68. Editor-in-chief: Harald Lechenperg. Bi-weekly.

40 pages scanned

Cover & Format
The cover features a full-length photograph of Norwegian Bishop Berggrav of Oslo using a megaphone in a snowy landscape, with the caption “Ein norwegischer Landesbischof zwischen den kämpfenden Linien” (A Norwegian bishop of the land between the fighting lines), presenting him as a figure urging Norwegian soldiers to cease futile resistance against German troops.

Main Articles

Sorgen der Rekrutierung / Propagandaminister – (Recruitment Worries / Propaganda Ministers)
A satirical compilation of Allied recruitment failures and propaganda missteps, contrasting French naturalisation of foreign soldiers and British draft evasion with the ineffectiveness of Allied propaganda film efforts.

Englands Pläne Durchkreuzt (England’s Plans Foiled)
A photo-essay on the German occupation of Norway, showing troop landings at Oslo, tank advances, command operations, and coastal battery handovers, framing the invasion as a preemptive defensive measure.

Schüsse sind gefallen… (Shots Have Been Fired…)
A correspondent’s eyewitness account of a German infantry and tank assault on a burning Norwegian village held by enemy forces, following the action from approach to capture.

Norwegen vor dem 9. April (Norway Before April 9th) by Alfred Gerigk
A detailed fictional-style narrative of British intelligence operations in Norway prior to the invasion, centering on the activities of British trade attaché and intelligence officer Mr. Paus in Oslo and Trondheim.

Unterwegs nach Norwegen (En Route to Norway)
A photographic report on the air and sea transport of German troops and supplies to Norway, including images of soldiers aboard Junkers transport aircraft and warships crossing the Skagerrak.

Stukas über Fjorden (Stukas over the Fjords)
Dramatic aerial photography and account of a Stuka dive-bomber mission to destroy the power station supplying the Tromsø radio transmitter in northern Norway.

Bei den Tommies in einer alten deutschen Burg (With the Tommies in an Old German Castle)
A photo-reportage visit to British prisoners of war held in a medieval German castle, depicting their daily routines including boxing, tea parties, and letters from home.

Glück im Krieg (Luck in Wartime)
A human-interest photo story by Hanns Hubmann following Berlin cabaret dancer Gerda Kurz from chorus girl to solo performer, concluding with a remote wartime wedding ceremony.

Infanterie pirscht sich vor! (Infantry Stalks Forward!)
Full-page colour combat photographs of German infantry advancing in urban terrain, used as a visual showcase of front-line action.

Vom Kriege: Die Wahrheit über den Norden (On War: The Truth About the North)
A military-political analysis by an anonymous colonel arguing that Germany’s Norwegian operation was a strategic masterstroke that preempted Allied plans and fundamentally changed the northern front.

Italiens Armee: Kampfentschlossen, kriegsbereit (Italy’s Army: Battle-Ready)
An extensive survey of Italian military strength featuring portraits and interviews with Marshal Badoglio and General Graziani, presenting Italy’s army, air force, and navy as powerful and combat-experienced.

Sport heilt Verwundete (Sport Heals the Wounded)
A report from a modern German military hospital showing innovative physiotherapy methods using sport, swimming, and play to rehabilitate wounded soldiers faster than in previous wars.

Dirigenten-Arbeit: Versuch einer Musikbetrachtung in Bildern (Conductors’ Work)
An unusual cultural article attempting to visualise the contrasting conducting styles of Wilhelm Furtwängler and Herbert von Karajan through two paintings inspired by the storm movement of Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony.

Drei Grundpfeiler neuzeitlicher Wirtschaftsführung (Three Pillars of Modern Economic Leadership)
An ideological essay by Prof. Dr. Hunke, President of the German Advertising Council, arguing that National Socialist economic policy created Germany’s economic miracle through labour, organisation, and self-reliance.

Jugend aus der Retorte (Youth from the Retort)
A science feature on cutting-edge hormone research by Professor Butenandt at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute, explaining the synthesis of male sex hormones and their potential medical applications.

Über die Leichtgläubigkeit im Kriege (On Wartime Gullibility)
A humorous item recounting absurd wartime propaganda fabrications, including an 1870 story about Frenchmen steering balloons with trained eagles to escape besieged Paris.

Advertisements
Period ads include Continental typewriters and office machines (Wanderer-Werke), R. Stock & Co. industrial drill bits and machine tools (Berlin-Marienfelde), Stoewer automobiles, the “Sedina” and “Arkona” models (Stettin), Olympia typewriters (Olympia Büromaschinenwerke, Erfurt), and Eulan moth-proofing treatment for wool textiles (I.G. Farben).

Color Plates
p. 9 — “Infanterie pirscht sich vor!”: Full-page colour combat photograph of German infantry with a machine gun advancing along a smoke-filled urban street, plus a second colour shot of soldiers stacking against a wall.
p. 10 — Two full-page colour combat photographs: soldiers flat in a field with a massive artillery explosion erupting directly above them, and a packed church interior showing a soldier-turned-pastor delivering a sermon to his comrades a thousand metres from the front line.
p. 19 — Full-page colour combat photograph titled “Im Granaten-Wäldchen” (In the Shell-Torn Copse): German MG troops dug in among shattered trees and debris, covering an advance.
p. 20 — Full-page colour photograph “Arbeit ohne Pause” (Work Without Pause): workers in a German aircraft factory assembling control components and wiring electrical systems for combat aircraft.
p. 21 — Full-page colour close-up photograph “Der Bombenwart” (The Bomb Keeper): a Luftwaffe ground crewman loading a bomb beneath a propeller, shot from below against a backdrop of spring foliage.
p. 22 — Full-page colour painting by Hans Liska titled “Flieger sind Sieger…” (Airmen are Victors): a German fighter pilot in his cockpit watching a burning British Vickers Wellington bomber going down, plus a photograph of Göring, Milch, and Udet visiting a bomber unit.
p. 31 — Full-page colour painting “Gemalt!” (Painted!): the Furtwängler interpretation of the storm movement from Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony — a brooding, dramatically lit landscape with storm clouds and flaming sunburst.
p. 32 — “Hier stimmt etwas nicht!” (Something’s Wrong Here!): four colour fashion photographs of two young women who have swapped dresses, inviting readers to guess which outfit belongs to which type.