Bidspirit auction | Nazi Der Adler Issue -

Nazi Der Adler Issue - Rare Documentation of the Central Tribute Ceremony Held in Berlin for the Veterans of the Condor Legion, June 1939 - Issue of the Nazi propaganda biweekly Der Adler (”The Eagle”), dated June 13, 1939. A Nazi propaganda magazine published ”with the cooperation of the Reich Air Ministry” (Herausgegeben unter Mitwirkung des Reichsluftfahrtministeriums), headed by Hermann Göring. ”Sonderheft: Neue Erlebnisberichte unserer Spanienkämpfer” - ”Special Issue: New Firsthand Accounts from Our Fighters in Spain.” The issue is devoted entirely to the return of the pilots and soldiers of the Condor Legion - the elite Luftwaffe unit secretly dispatched by Hitler to assist General Francisco Franco during the Spanish Civil War (which ended in April 1939). The German Legion, responsible among other actions for the devastating bombing of Guernica, used the conflict as a tactical and technological ”testing ground” in preparation for the coming war in Europe.  The issue contains numerous photographs documenting the grand ceremonies held in honor of the German airmen. On June 6, ”the Führer reviewed the parade of the German volunteers of the Condor Legion returning home from Spain.” Several photographs depict Adolf Hitler at the ceremony as the troops march past him. In others, Hermann Göring is seen welcoming the returning soldiers. Also included is a large panoramic photograph spanning two pages, documenting the climax of the central ceremonial tribute held in Berlin for the veterans of the Condor Legion, presenting a massive display of Nazi power in the Lustgarten, adorned with monumental structures and swastika flags. The issue further includes numerous photographs documenting the daily life of the Condor Legion personnel at the Döberitz (Elstal) military camp near Berlin, where they were assembled and accommodated in preparation for the great victory parade and their reintegration into military life in Germany. Throughout the issue are reports on the fighting in Spain, emphasizing the superiority of the German Air Force and highlighting its achievements. The cover features a classic propaganda illustration depicting three soldiers carrying flags: on the right, a German soldier bearing the swastika flag; in the center, a Spanish Nationalist soldier beneath Franco's flag; and on the left, an Italian soldier carrying a flag bearing the emblem of the House of Savoy on its left side. The illustration was intended to celebrate the ”victory of Fascism and Nazism” in Spain and the solidarity among the three nations. Der Adler (”The Eagle”) was a German biweekly propaganda magazine devoted to showcasing the strength of the Nazi Air Force, the Luftwaffe. It was published from January 1939 until the collapse of the Nazi regime in 1945. The magazine was officially issued by the prominent Berlin publishing house Verlag E. U. Scharl, which was closely identified with the Nazi Party apparatus. It was published under the patronage and direct supervision of the Reich Air Ministry, making Hermann Göring himself the supreme authority overseeing both its content and editorial policy. The magazine's editorial offices were based in Berlin, where they directed an extensive network of military correspondents and professional photographers attached to Wehrmacht propaganda units. It became one of the most polished and effective instruments of the Nazi propaganda machine headed by Joseph Goebbels, working in close cooperation with Hermann Göring's Reich Air Ministry. Unlike internal military publications intended exclusively for soldiers at the front, Der Adler sought to reach the broader public, both within Germany and abroad. It was published in several languages, including English, French, Spanish, and Italian, in an effort to influence public opinion in neutral countries as well as in territories later occupied by Germany. Through high-quality photography, sophisticated graphic design, and articles on aerodynamics and engineering, the magazine portrayed the Third Reich as the pinnacle of modern science and technological progress. It also cultivated the illusion of a ”clean” and aesthetically refined war. Whereas ground combat was marked by mud, blood, and devastation, the magazine depicted Luftwaffe pilots as ”modern knights” fighting beneath clear blue skies, portrayed aircraft as masterpieces of mechanical art, and presented aerial bombardments as precise and elegant operations, thereby softening the horrors of war in the eyes of the public. Likewise, its presentation of vast numbers of modern aircraft on production lines and in aerial maneuvers was intended to inspire fear and convey the message that Germany was overwhelmingly powerful and that resistance was futile, a psychological strategy designed to undermine the enemy's resolve even before the first shot was fired. All of these themes were combined with the cult of heroism and devotion to the Führer and Nazi ideology,