Description

This is Signal magazine, issue Nr. 10, dated August 25, 1940 — a Nazi German propaganda magazine published in multiple languages and distributed across occupied and neutral Europe during World War II. 48 pages scanned.

The issue covers the early phase of the war following Germany’s defeat of France, and its contents reflect the heavily propagandistic nature of the publication. The main topics include diplomatic meetings in Salzburg with leaders of Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary under the headline “On the Way to a New Europe”; aerial warfare content comparing German and British bombing methods (claiming German precision versus British indiscriminate attacks); coverage of the Italian Alpine campaign against France; a first-person account of an Italian night bombing raid on Gibraltar; German paratrooper training; bridge-building by German engineers; and a narrative piece about French politicians fleeing Paris in June 1940 (featuring fictionalized accounts of Mandel, Reynaud, Léon Blum, and General Gamelin).

There are also lighter features including a German color film (“Frauen sind doch bessere Diplomaten” starring Marika Rökk), a profile of Munich caricaturists from the Simplicissimus magazine, a photo essay on a Bulgarian fire-dancing ritual, a piece on ice skating champion Maxie Herber doing her obligatory labor service, and various advertisements.

The magazine is a significant historical artifact illustrating how the Nazi regime shaped public perception of the war across Europe, combining military spectacle, diplomatic messaging, and entertainment to project an image of German strength and legitimacy.