Bidspirit auction | “Documentation of Nazi Atrocities Against

“Documentation of Nazi Atrocities Against Civilians and Soldiers of Our Soviet Ally” - A booklet of harsh photos documenting the atrocities of the Nazis in the occupied countries. New York, 1942 - First edition - “This Is Your Enemy: A Documentary Record of Nazi Atrocies Against Citizens and Soldiers of Our Soviet Ally.” - Documentation of Nazi atrocities against civilians and soldiers of our Soviet ally, by Alvah Bessie. A special publication of shocking testimonies accompanied by harsh photos documenting the atrocities committed by the Nazis against Soviet prisoners - published under the auspices of the IWO Front Line Fighters Fund, the fundraising arm of the International Workers Order, which worked to raise funds for frontline fighters. New York, 1942 - First edition. “It was difficult to choose the words... it was difficult to choose the images; there are so many of them, and they turn the stomach... The people capable of planning, organizing, and carrying out these atrocities are the scum of the earth. They were deliberately organized by Hitlerism to do its dirty work... Crimes of violence against the human soul and body, committed by the Axis powers in the occupied Soviet territories, in China and in Spain, in France and in Holland or its environs - are without comparison in the history of human suffering.” Alongside the harrowing testimonies received in real time, detailing the crimes of the Nazis against the Soviets, there also appear testimonies of German officers captured by the Allied forces, describing the lust for murder to which they had become accustomed. Thus, for example, Private Günther Kluger of the 5th Company, 458th Regiment, 258th Infantry Division, captured by the Red Army, stated in his affidavit: “From what I have seen, a considerable part of the German soldiers are genuine robbers and rioters who have lost all human semblance and regard looting and murder as a matter of course. A large proportion of the soldiers consists of careerists willing to bend to anything in order to receive the Iron Cross or an NCO rank. The soldiers are convinced that after the war Germany will rule the world, and that every soldier who distinguishes himself in the war will naturally assume a responsible and profitable position in the occupied territories...”. Another testimony was received from Private Paul Schröder of the 9th Infantry Division, a prisoner of the Red Army: “In Kiev, the German military authorities shot 85,000 Soviet civilians; in Lvov, 60,000. In Zaporizhzhia, SS men murdered the elderly, women, children, infants, and even newborns. I have come to the conclusion that the bloodthirsty mass murder of innocent people is carried out according to orders from above.” And many others. The booklet presents very harsh photos documenting atrocities committed by German forces against Soviet civilians and soldiers - most of them photographed by the Sovfoto agency. Alongside photographs of children and women who perished appears the caption: “These are not wax dolls. These are the children of our Soviet ally who were seized by the Nazis and left to freeze to death in an empty barn.” There are photographs of children executed by the Nazis in Spain, France, and Norway; children left orphaned after their parents were taken captive; civilians executed by hanging; Red Army soldiers tortured near Moscow in the Varia Cathedral and who died of their wounds; Red Army soldiers burned alive; youths from a local Russian organization in the village of Volokolamsk who were tortured and hanged to death; and many others. The materials published here for the first time were based on the Molotov documents (January 6 and April 27, 1942—these were documents seized at the headquarters of German units, which proved that the atrocities were carried out according to a carefully prepared plan and not spontaneously, all in accordance with orders issued by the German High Command), and on eyewitness testimonies published by accredited foreign correspondents of the major news agencies: Associated Press, United Press, International News Service, Reuters, NBC, CBS, and others. The booklet was intended first and foremost for American citizens who regarded Allied intervention in the war as a mistaken step. It was important to present before them the cruelty of the Nazi beast in order to silence voices opposing American involvement in the war. As written at the end of the booklet: “Only by opening a second land front on the European continent will it be possible to launch the final offensive that will destroy Hitlerism... Decent people find it almost impossible to believe the reports of Nazi atrocities against the defenseless peoples of Europe, the heroic citizens of the Soviet Union...” At the opening of the booklet appears a quotation from Franklin Roosevelt: “These are the acts of desperate men who know in their hearts that they cannot win. Terror will never bring peace to Europe...