Nazi Propaganda and the Second World War

Also by Aristotle A. Kallis THE FASCISM READER (ed.) FASCIST IDEOLOGY: Territory and Expansionism in Italy and Germany 1922-1945

Nazi Propaganda and the Second World War Aristotle A. Kallis

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©Aristotle A. Kallis 2005 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2005 978-1-4039-9251-2 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4LP. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published in 2005 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 Companies and representatives throughout the world. PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave Macmillan division of St. Martin's Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. Macmillan® is a registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European Union and other countries. ISBN 978-0-230-54681-3 DOI 10.1057/9780230511101

ISBN 978-0-230-51110-1 (eBook)

This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Nazi propaganda and the Second World War I edited by Aristotle A. Kallis. p.cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. World War, 1939-1945 - Propaganda. 2. Propaganda, German. 3. Goebbels, joseph, 1897-1945.4. Motion pictures in propagandaGermany. I. Kallis, Aristotle A., 197GD810.P7G3596 2005 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 OS Transferred to digital printing in 2006.

2005051254

Contents viii

List of Abbreviations Acknowledgements

X

Introduction: 'Totalitarianism', Propaganda, War and the Third Reich Propaganda, propagandist and the audience Effective propaganda and the limits of NS 'totalitarianism' Main premises Structure and foci of the book 1

2

Propaganda, 'Co-ordination' and 'Centralisation': The Goebbels Network in Search of a Total Empire Cinema Press Broadcasting 'Polyocracy' versus 'Centralisation': The Multiple 'Networks' of NS Propaganda Polyocracy and 'charismatic' power in the NS regime The role of Goebbels in NS propaganda: power-base and limits The 'Dietrich network' The 'Ribbentrop' network The case of Alfred Rosenberg The rise of Martin Bormann The 'OKW network' Himmler and Speer The 'Goebbels network' strikes back: 1943-45

3 The Discourses of NS Propaganda: Long-Term Emplotment and Short-Term justification NS propaganda and long-term positive integration Negative integration: the (powerful) common denominator The early common denominator: 'plutocrats' and 'the Jew' Anti-Bolshevism The construction of a negative mega-narrative: the 'Jewish-Bolshevik-plutocratic alliance' v

1

1

6 12 13

16 19

26 31

40 40

43 47 49 51 53 56 58 59

63 65

70 71

76

83

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Contents

4

From 'Short Campaign' to 'Gigantic Confrontation': NS Propaganda and the justification of War, 1939-41 Justifying 'war', 1939 From plan to invasion: the campaign against Poland and the first 'triumph' The campaign against the west: the second 'triumph' NS policy (and propaganda) at crossroads: Britain or Russia? Towards the attack on the Soviet Union ('Barbarossa')

5

6

From Triumph to Disaster: NS Propaganda from the Launch of 'Barbarossa' until Stalingrad The first stage of 'Barbarossa' (1941) The first adversities: Pearl Harbour, 'General Winter' and the extension of the war The 'year of decision': 1942 The turning point: Stalingrad (September 1942-January 1943) NS Propaganda and the Loss of the Monopoly of Truth (1943-44) The Stalingrad aftermath: NS propaganda and 'public opinion' Bouncing back after Stalingrad: 'Total war' and 'fear' The subversion of the regime's monopoly of truth The 'Hitler-cult': staying power and disintegration The withdrawal of Hitler- a new role for Goebbels?

7 The Winding Road to Defeat: The Propaganda of Diversion and Negative Integration NS propaganda from consensus to negative integration In search for 'victory' Allied 'terror attacks' and 'retaliation' (Vergeltung) The eastern front: defeat, 'shortening' and 'planned evacuation' Diverting attention from the east and the west Preparing for the final showdown 8

Cinema and Totalitarian Propaganda: 'Information' and 'Leisure' inNS Germany, 1939-45 The Wochenschau (newsreel) Documentary as reality The historical film as contemporary narrative

93 93 98 100 104 106 111 111 117 121 125 130

130 133 137 145 148 153 153 154 160 168 173 178 185 188 194 198

Contents vii

Commercial and politically valuable? The 'entertainment film' and NS propaganda Managing German cinema, 1939-45

207 213

Conclusions: Legitimising the Impossible?

218

Notes

224

Bibliography

266

Index

283

Abbreviations AA APA BA BDO DACHO DAF DD DFT DGFP DNB DRZW DW FO IMT KA-R KPD MGFA NA NKFD NS NSDAP OKW OKW /WPr PK PO PRO RFD RFK RGB RKK RMVP RPA

Auswiirtiges Amt [German Foreign Ministry] Au(5enpolitisches Amt Bundesarchiv [Federal Republic of Germany (Berlin)] Bund Deutscher Offiziere [League of German Officers] Dach organisation der Film schaffender Deutschlands [Umbrella Organisation of German Film-Makers] Deutsche Arbeitsfront [German Labour Front] Drahtlose Dienst [Wireless News Service] Deutsche Filmtheater-Gesellschaft Documents on German Foreign Policy Deutsche Nachrichtenburo [German News Agency] Das deutsche Reich und der zweite Weltkrieg [The German Reich and the Second World War] Deutsche Wochenschau GmbH [German Newsreel] Foreign Office International Military Tribunal Kulturpolitische Abteilung-Rundfunkreferat Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands [German Communist Party] Militiirgeschichtliches Forschungsamt US National Archives Nationalkomitee Freies Deutschland [National Committee of Free Germany] National Socialist Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei [National Socialist German Workers Party] Oberkommando Wehrmacht [Wehrmacht High Command] Oberkommando Wehrmacht/Wehrmacht-Propaganda [Wehrmacht High Command/Propaganda Division] Propaganda-Kompanien [Wehrmacht Propaganda Troops] Politische Organisation der NSDAP [Political Organisation of the NSDAP] Public Records Office (London) Reichsfilmdramatung [Reich Film Dramatist] Reichsfilmkammer [Reich Film Chamber] Reichsgesetzblatt Reichskulturkammer [Reich Culture Chamber] Reichsministerium fiir Volksaufkliirung und Propaganda [Reich Ministry of Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda] Reichspropagandaiimter [Reich Propaganda Offices]

viii

Abbreviations ix

RPK RPL RRG RRK RVDP

Reichspressekammer [Reich Press Chamber] Reichspropagandaleitung [Reich Propaganda Head Office] Reichsrundfunkgesellschaft [Reich Radio Company] Reichsrundfunkkammer [Reich Radio Chamber] Reichsverband der Deutschen Presse [Reich Association of German Press] SA Sturmabteilung [Storm Division] SD Sicherheitsdienst [Security Service] Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutsch lands [Social-Democratic SPD German Party] Spitzenorganisation der deutschen Filmwirtschaft [Parent SPIO Organisation of the German Film Industry] ss Schutzstaffeln [Protection Troops] UFA Universum-Film AG (later renamed as UFI) Vi:ilkischer Beobachter VB VDZV Verein Deutscher Zeitungsverleger [Association of German Newspaper Publishers] (later prefixed with 'Reich' - RVDZV) Vierteljahrshefte fiir Zeitgeschichte VfZ Wehrmachtberichte [Wehrmacht Reports] WB WFst Wehrmacht Fuhrungsstab Zeitgeschichtliche Sammlungen (Bundesarchiv) ZSg

Acknowledgements The idea for this book on National Socialist (NS) propaganda during the Second World War began during a research colloquium held by the Militargeschichtliches Forschungsamt (MGFA) in Potsdam, Germany in 2002. Whilst working for a long chapter on the same topic, I conducted more extensive research that eventually resulted in this more detailed study. I am therefore indebted to colleagues took part in the colloquium for their observations during the proceedings, as well as to the organisers of the event for inviting me to contribute a chapter to their publication. During the editing of the initial chapter for the publication, Das deutsche Reich und der zweite Weltkrieg, Vol. 9/2, I received invaluable assistance from Joerg Echternkamp and Michael Thomae (MGFA Potsdam), whose meticulous reading of the draft and detailed comments helped me to improve my clarity and acquainted me with aspects of the German literature on the subject. I would like to thank all those who have contributed to this project in different ways. Phil Payne and Allyson Fiddler, my colleagues at the Department of European Languages and Cultures in Lancaster University, kindly agreed to read chapters of the manuscript and offered both constructive criticism and much-needed encouragement. Roger Eatwell helped me with his expertise on fascism/totalitarianism. Roger Griffin invited me to participate in an exciting exchange of views on fascism, hosted by Erwagen, Wissen, Ethik in 2004, that brought me into direct contact with the ideas of many scholars on fascism and enhanced my own analytical perspective on the subject matter of fascist propaganda. Both of them have followed my overall work with touching interest and immense support - for which I will always be indebted to them. Antonio Costa Pinto always eager to share his work and expertise offered informal commentary on aspects of this book in the context of a workshop organised in Lisbon in May 2004. At Palgrave, Daniel Bunyard and Roberta O'Flaherty supported the project (even when they heard of the final word count!) and did everything possible to ensure its smooth publication. I am also grateful to the two anonymous reviewers for their feedback and suggestions for improvement. All my present colleagues at the Department of European Languages and Cultures, Lancaster University, provided me with an inspirational context for my research and teaching activities; Ann Thomas, Annik Taylor, Brigitte Theunissen-Hughes and Linda Gilmour tried (with partial success, due to my own shortcomings) to add an element of order in my everyday academic life. They all were instrumental in making my work in Lancaster rewarding, exciting and humane. My past colleagues at the School of History, University of Edinburgh and at the Department of Historical Studies, University of X

Acknowledgements

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Bristol were equally supportive and willing to share their expertise. I would like to thank especially Jim McMillan, Tim Cole and Ian Wei. Finally, I owe a very special thanks to Jill Stephenson who has always been my academic guardian angel, willing to impart her humbling knowledge on National Socialism and offering her unqualified support at all stages of my academic trajectory. Archival and bibliographical research in Germany was greatly assisted from two generous grants: one from the Faculty of Arts Research Travel Fund, University of Bristol in 2003; and the other from the Faculty of Arts Small Projects Fund, Lancaster University during 2003-04. During my work in the Bundesarchiv (BA), Berlin, I received a lot of support and guidance from ]ana Blumberg, especially in terms of locating relevant material and gaining swift access to them. I should also acknowledge my gratitude to the staff of the British Library, the National Library of Scotland, and the libraries of the universities of Lancaster, Edinburgh, Manchester and Sheffield for granting me access to their resources at very short notice and meeting requests beyond their call of duty. In an age of increased availability of excellent web resources, I feel that the study of NS propaganda has been greatly enhanced and crucially democratised through a series of online material. Apart from the convenience of consulting electronic publications whenever (and wherever) needed, I should also acknowledge a very big debt to Randall Bytwerk of Calvin University (University of Michigan) for creating a real gem of a website on NS propaganda. The material featured there provided me with a compass for the arduous task of charting the territory of primary sources, acting as both a point of reference and an incentive for further archival enquiry that enhanced the empirical aspect of this book. A number of people very close to me were forced to endure my long working hours, volatile mood, rambling fascination and occasional anguish with this project - a project that became part of their lives far more than they would have wished for or I would have intended. My apologies to them come with my gratitude for helping me maintain a more balanced perspective on life and work alike. My parents and close friends have a share in this book to which I could not possibly do justice with words. During the time I spent on this project, lain 'Robbie' Robertson died very unexpectedly and prematurely. I had always admired his intellectual elan vitale, his eagerness to engage any subject and his ability to turn any conversation into a process of unconditionally sharing his extraordinary life and thought. He, his wife, Hilary and his family have made Scotland feel far more like my second home than I would have ever imagined. When he hastened to buy my first monograph, I promised to give him a copy of this book once it was published. It seems that, regrettably, I ran out of time. To dedicate this work to him is only a partial and belated redress. Whilst this book owes so much to the kind help and advice of others, I alone am responsible for any error of fact or judgement in it. Aristotle A. Kallis