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Der Luftschutzleitfaden
I recently acquired this copy of Der Luftschutzleitfaden by SS Oberführer Otto Alfred Teetzmann, published by Verlag des Reichluftschutzbundes, Berlin: 1935. Other than normal browning through aging, it is in excellent condition and is a first edition, published in 1935. The title translates into The Air Protection Guide for Everyone. It is a manual, 153 pages, with illustrations, that is divided into two parts; the theory of air attack and the practical application of civil defense against it. It stresses the citizen’s obligation to practice self-protection through concerted group action and provides direction for how to do that. Books like this are valuable sources of history about Germany under the NSDAP because they are factual and not propaganda.
Ever since I acquired this RLB door insignia in Berlin many years ago I have been interested in the RLB. In part, my interest stemmed from my Dad having been a member of the U.S. Civil Defense Corps in WWII and I am interested in the differences between the two national organizations. Another reason is the RLB was, if not the largest civilian war-effort organization in Germany, it was certainly one of the largest.
When the RLB was formed in 1933, each member received a monthly copy of Die Sirene (the siren) that was an instructional magazine in air raid defense procedures. In 1935, this hardbound manual was released to educate the general population. RLB members received a free copy but all others had to pay RM1.35.
The Reichsluftschutzbund, (RLB), analogous with the Civil Defense Corps in the U.S. and the Civil Defence Service in the UK, was established on 29 April 1933. Initially, the Germans’ RLB was a voluntary organization, but on 13 March 1935, its volunteer status was eliminated and membership in the RLB became obligatory for nearly all Germans. In 1938 its membership was nearly 13 million, and in the spring of 1943, 22 million. (My source for this is Erich Hampe, Der Zivile Luftschutz im Zweiten Weltkrieg, Frankfurt am Main: Bernard & Graefe, 1963) These photos are from Der Luftschutzleitfaden
This illustration shows the hole in the ground caused by various size bombs. The first column shows the bomb's weight, the second column shows the explosive charge weight, and the third column shows the diameter and depth of the hole produced in the ground. The writing in the vertical column on the right has two parts. The upper part explains that the first two illustrations are examples of holes produced by a bomb that impacts the ground in a relatively horizontal attitude. The lower part illustrates bomb craters caused by a vertical impact.
This illustration shows the blast effect of bombs weighing 50, 500 and 1000 kilos that impact the ground 35 m from the target. The 50 kilo bomb blows out the windows and does minor damage to the structure. The 500 kilo bomb does more substantial damage to the structure, and the 1000 kilo bomb destroys the house completely. The last example informs the reader that the 1000 kilo bomb did no damage to the air raid shelter under the house and all the occupants survived without injury. The caption is, "A properly built shelter offers complete safety."
This illustration shows the equipment that every building should have ready on the ground floor. The caption says that the stirrup pump and ropes are not shown. If you do not know what a stirrup pump is, here is one demonstrated by a female member of Britain's Civil Defence Service
The last illustration shows the interior of the gas lock. A gas lock (Gasschleuse) was an airtight room immediately in front of the entrance to the main shelter room. The RLB warden and his assistant were stationed in the gas lock during an air raid to insure that neither the outer nor the inner doors were opened during the attack. Prior to the war, the Germans believed that air raids would include the use of chemical weapons. Dwight
I have tried 3 times and used two different photos to add a picture of the book. All attempts failed. I will take another photo of it and try again. Sorry about that. Dwight
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03-10-2019 02:23 PM
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Very interesting, thanks for sharing.
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It has been very interesting to me and it has discovered something that I was completely unaware of.
Thank you, Dwight.
Regards
Santi
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