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Collection of Two original Anti-Hitler Propaganda Leaflets, Including a Satirical "Last Will of Adolph Hitler" and a German-Language Leaflet Addressed to Wehrmacht Soldiers. a smiling Hitler stands in front of a mass of German corpses, Both pieces bear the hallmarks of wartime psychological operations: the weaponization of humor, visual horror, and moral appeal to shatter ideological certainty. [Europe: ca. 1944 45]. Two pieces. Each approx. 8.5 x 5.5 inches. Printed in black on thin cream and tan paper, one in English, one in German. A compelling pair of WWII-era Allied propaganda leaflets, both designed to erode morale among Nazi sympathizers and Wehrmacht soldiers during the closing months of the war. These leaflets exemplify the mix of satire, psychological manipulation, and direct ideological appeal deployed by Allied forces in their efforts to undermine the authority of Adolf Hitler and hasten the collapse of German resistance. The first item, "Last Will of Adolph Hitler," is a mock testament filled with sarcastic bequests aimed at Axis leaders and Allied nations. Styled like a legal document with a parody seal reading "Last Will and Testament of Adolph Hitler Phew-roar of Choimany," the piece lists satirical legacies such as: "To Mussolini, I leave my Chaplin mustache, which he is to make into a toupe for his nosy dome" and "To America, I leave Walter Winchell who always said, To HELL with Hitler, to make believe he ll be very sore on my funeral day." The text ends in a flourish of burlesque parody: "TO THE ENTIRE WORLD, I JUST LEAVE, AND WILL THEY THANK GOD!!! Adolph." The tone is one of open ridicule, meant to strip Hitler and his regime of any last vestiges of grandeur, and instead depict him as pathetic and deluded at the moment of collapse. The second leaflet, in German, features a visually disturbing photomontage: hands folded at his waist, dressed in a long coat and cap. Above him is printed: "Ich fühle mich so frisch. Es kommt der Frühling." ("I feel so fresh. Spring is coming.") This grotesque juxtaposition of life and mass death serves as a grim indictment of Hitler s detachment from the human cost of war. On the verso, the text addresses German soldiers directly: "An die Soldaten der deutschen Wehrmacht!" ("To the Soldiers of the German Wehrmacht!") The message condemns the Nazi regime for manipulating the people into war and quotes from Pope Pius XII and Roosevelt to contrast Axis tyranny with Allied calls for peace: "Deutscher Soldat! Du kämpfst für den Mann und das System, das dir den Weg versperren zu EINEM GERECHTEN FRIEDEN!" ("German soldier! You are fighting for the man and the system that is blocking your path to A JUST PEACE!"). The leaflet emphasizes moral and religious appeals, seeking to persuade German troops that continuing the war is both futile and unjust. The Hitler leaflet is creased with edgewear, small tears, and old folds from aerial distribution; the German leaflet is printed on thin paper with minor chipping to edges but remains intact and legible. Rare survivals of wartime propaganda, these leaflets are emblematic of the intense information war waged across Europe in 1945, and reflect the strategic and psychological dimensions of the Allied campaign to accelerate the Nazi downfall from within.
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