Front Illustrierte 41 Nr 2.2 - Zhitomirsky Soviet propaganda - Tchaikovsky 1812 Overture - Wehrmacht

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This is the second video covering the Soviet propaganda leaflet Front-Illustrierte Nr. 2 from January 1942 and associated stock film footage. If you haven’t seen part 1 I suggest you go back and watch it. In the Winter of 1941/42 Germany’s push to take Moscow under the code name Operation Typhoon had failed. With the Soviet counter attack under way their propagandists were claiming that the entire front had collapsed. Focused on the misery being experienced by the individual German soldier their intention was to convince them to surrender.

The accompanying music is Tchaikovsky 1812 Overture which was meant to commemorate the successful Russian defense against Napoleon's invading Grande Armée in 1812 which I find appropriate.

The remainder of a German infantry regiment that was defeated near Moscow. The freezing and starving soldiers were trying to stay warm by the fire when they were captured.

The German army’s way of retreat to the West of Klin

German Soldiers

Save you lives! End this meaningless war. Either go home or surrender!

The caption reads

Here it reads

A group of German soldiers that surrendered near Kiln. For these soldiers this senseless war is over and their lives have been saved.

The German troops haphazardly retreated leaving bags full of iron crosses behind. The Führer had intended these medals to be presented to the conquerers of Moscow. Instead of iron crosses the German soldiers received birch crosses on top of their graves.

This caption states that the soldier died swearing at Hitler’s bloody adventurism. The photograph used has been altered by the artist Aleksandr Zhitomirsky. Looking closely at the helmet, the hole seems unnatural extending to remove the top of the head of the eagle that has also obviously been painted in. This foreshadowing suggests to the reader of what is to come if they don’t act.

This photo was supposedly found on the Eastern Front in a German fox hole that was destroyed by the Red Army. The farewell message has obviously been added in post production. Not only does it look fake but the message completely lacks subtlety. With the relative newness of these propaganda techniques I assume the artist thought that the reader would believe anything that they see with their own eyes.

Looking back at this photograph we can see the the dead soldiers in the foreground have also been added. Sometimes figures would be painted in direction or brought in from other photographs. Looking at the 50 or so original leaflets from Zhitomirsky’s private collection I see that many of the same figures are used in different propaganda leaflets.

Finally looking at the last page of this leaflet the propaganda message is meant to come together for the reader. The personal photographs of a solder that has been killed at the front are used in this propaganda technique. At the top we see the soldier happily with his child on a summer day. Next we see his dead body covered with snow, somewhere along the Eastern Front in Russia. Then is widowed wife left to take care of the children back in Germany.

A strategically important city that’s been mentioned a few times today is Klin which also happens to be the where Tchaikovsky was from. We’ll end this video with footage that shows the condition his house was found in after the Soviets had retaken the city.