Super card, what a great find
Nick
"In all my years as a soldier, I have never seen men fight so hard." - SS Obergruppenfuhrer Wilhelm Bittrich - Arnhem
Very nice and interesting card. I can't make out what it says for sure, "The whole German ? is fine". I can't translate foll. Anyone help out please?
Jay
Last edited by sitges1990; 04-09-2011 at 08:48 PM. Reason: SP
Can't translate it for you but the card is definitly a keeper.
SteveR
I read it as "All of Germany should be so" or "Das Ganze Deutschland soll es SEIN". But it totally looks like "FEIN", "SEIN" just makes more sense.
Would anyone like to take a stab at the message translation.Mike
It says "Das ganze Deutschland soll es sein".
This is a quote from the poetic song "Des Deutschen Vaterland" [The German's Fatherland] whose text was written by Ernst Moritz Arndt in 1813. (Arndt had held strong nationalistic, anti-French and anti-Semitic views and thus was held in high regard by the Nazis.)
The song begins with:
"Was ist des Deutschen Vaterland?
Ist's Preußenland? Ist's Schwabenland?
Ist's wo am Rhein die Rebe blüht?
Ist's wo am Belt die Möwe zieht?
O nein, nein, nein!
Sein Vaterland muß größer sein!"
["What is the German's Fatherland?
Is it Prussian Land? Is ist Swabian Land?
Is it where the vine is in bloom by the Rhine?
Is it where the gull passes above by the Belt?
O no, no, no!
His Fatherland must be greater!"]
It continues to ask us about what is to be the German's Fatherland through the next few stanzas and answers the question by calling for a greater German national state in the last two stanzas with the quote found on the postcard: It is to be all of Germany.
The last stanza:
"Das ganze Deutschland soll es sein!
O Gott vom Himmel, sieh darein
und gib uns rechten deutschen Mut,
dass wir es lieben treu und gut!
Das soll es sein! Das soll es sein!
Das ganze Deutschland soll es sein!"
["Let it be all of Germany!
O God in Heaven, look down
and give us the right German courage,
that we may love it true and well!
Let this be it! Let this be it!
Let it be all of Germany!"]
See here for a recording: YouTube - Was ist des Deutschen Vaterland
Last edited by HPL2008; 04-10-2011 at 07:22 PM.
Thanks for the information and video link H.P.! Little doubt that Herr Arndt was a strong nationalist. This card is just one example of how brilliant the Nazi's advertising scheme was.
Jay
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